Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » General Topics
Bites on face/neck, no bugs, no evidence
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tucker148
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Feb 22 2011 23:21:02
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For at least 3 months now, I have been getting bitten regularly. It always happens at night when I get home from work (after 6) and it ONLY happens in my living room. The bites are usually .5 - 1 cm in diameter and usually go away within 1-2 days.
Terminix came out and could find no evidence anywhere of any kind of bug and I have never seen any. My girlfriend lives with me and she hasn't had any symptoms. At this point I am getting bitten several times each night, usually in a small cluster close together of 3-8 bites at a time. Any ideas? I really don't think it is bed bugs cause it is always when I am awake. I went to a dermatologist and they said they could see a bite mark, but it tested negative for scabies. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
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bedbut
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Feb 23 2011 0:44:59
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Reactions can take hours or days to show, so having reactions when awake is sadly not a barometer for bbs. Check out the Faqs on detection and bites...might help to get some detection devices.
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bedbut
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Feb 23 2011 0:45:48
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I should add that I'm not an expert nor do I have a confirmed case. But I'm obsessed and saying what I've read.
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Feb 23 2011 1:56:20
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bedbut - 1 hour ago »
Reactions can take hours or days to show, so having reactions when awake is sadly not a barometer for bbs.But this also means the bites did not necessarily happen after 6 pm, nor necessarily in your own home. They could have happened any time of day or night, and they could have happened anywhere you are regularly, including work.
That said, your home is probably a very likely place, and I would employ some detection methods at home. (See this FAQ.) A BBAlert passive on your sofa (is that where you sit in the evening?) and bed might be helpful in monitoring the home.
Bites always on your head and neck -- this is also an interesting pattern. IF they were bed bugs, they might be harboring in the area where your head/neck rest. Do you lie on a sofa armrest? Always sit upright?
I am not an expert either. Detection methods have come a long way, and hopefully you can use some tools to figure out if this is bed bugs or not.
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tucker148
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Feb 23 2011 22:52:32
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That said, your home is probably a very likely place, and I would employ some detection methods at home. (See this FAQ.) A BBAlert passive on your sofa (is that where you sit in the evening?) and bed might be helpful in monitoring the home.
Bites always on your head and neck -- this is also an interesting pattern. IF they were bed bugs, they might be harboring in the area where your head/neck rest. Do you lie on a sofa armrest? Always sit upright?
I used to spend pretty much all my evening time on the sofa and that's actually where I began noticing the problem - anytime I sat on the couch I started getting these bites. If I didn't sit on the couch, I didn't get bitten! I started reading about bb's so i searched the couch inside and out and found no evidence. I moved my couch outside, but the problems continued.
I guess the reason I still doubt it could be bb's is because I literally never get a new bite unless I'm in the living room for an extended period of time. I've been out all night and now am avoiding that room and have had no problems all night! I'm gonna try the detection methods, and also set a few bombs off in here and hopefully that will help :/
Thanks for all the help!!
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healthimpacted
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Feb 23 2011 23:19:10
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from everythings i've read on this forum, bombs are the worst thing you can do for bed bugs. it will just spread them further.
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Feb 24 2011 3:55:12
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Oh goodness no, NO BOMBS!
I know you don't think you have bed bugs, but if there's a chance you do, this could be very bad indeed.
David Cain reminds us of the possibilities of carpet beetle and dust mite sensitivities causing similar skin problems. Might be worth considering.
Canine scent detection can be useful (I would only suggest using a handler that visually verifies all alerts). This might help you rule them out. A visual inspection by a professional if you can find one who does it slowly and carefully, is great too.
I'd say fleas, but you are getting bitten mostly on neck and head, which seems unusual.
Bird mites are possible. Perhaps coming from a window in the same room (seasonally? I don't know.) A knowledgeable pro could figure out if you have bird mites. You might catch some on glue traps on a windowsill.
We have FAQs on most of the above points (k9 scent detection, not using BOMBS, etc.) so if bed bugs are possible, you might want to check them out.
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tucker148
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Feb 26 2011 22:46:37
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Thanks for all the replies!! I haven't done the bombs...but I have found that I am being bitten in my living room for sure. The past 3 nights I have stayed in my room with the door closed and did not get bitten at all. Tonight, I stayed in the living room to test my theory, and sure enough, after 2 hours in the living room (about 1 hour after dark) I had 4+ bites on my neck and cheeks. Bedbugs wouldn't bite when I am still awake, right? Plus, I would be able to see a bug!!
All that said, would mites be able to climb all the way up to my face? I would think they would bite the ankles/legs more just cause of how small they are and they would probably be on the ground.. I'm almost wondering if it is something that can fly? thanks for the feedback.
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tucker148
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Feb 26 2011 23:04:37
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From everything I'm reading...I'm thinking it may be bird mites. I just read that its common to be bitten at night and around the face/eyes/mouth. Time to talk to the landlord.
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victimized
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Feb 27 2011 1:50:02
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Wouldn't someone see bird mites too?????? What is typical of bird mite bites? Always a reaction? Reactions dependent on the person? Various forms of bites or always the same?
I have said before, I am constantly finding pairs of red marks on me. They seriously range dramatically in distance apart and even size. I may have a single-looking red dot that when viewed under the magnifier I can actually see two. I will get patches on an isolated around, like on my hip, stomach, neck, face, or arm, that consists of 2-5 of the same sized pairs. Usually they do not itch but sometimes the area will itch for a short time. It's the single bumps that are raised, sometimes alone, sometimes in multiples, that itch. They usually start with itching first and then become bumps.
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Feb 27 2011 2:20:10
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You can't determine whether something is biting you, or what is biting you, based on what your skin looks like or feels like.
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yumaz
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Feb 27 2011 4:00:45
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I've been searching for the same answer myself for the last 2 months. I know now that they must be microscopic mites of some kind.
I am getting bitten and so is one of my cats, the other 3 don't seem to be affected. Not fleas... never seen a flea on them ever. Vet said fleas when looked at my cat but couldn't find any and now I'm convinced its not fleas, and flea collars and shampoo didn't work for him. Can't afford to go back to the vet with him for a second look right now unfortunately but I may have to anyway. It's definitely not bed bugs either. I've looked and looked, even with a black light and never find any evidence of any type of bug at all. No small blood stains on sheets either, a tell-tale sign of bed bugs.
I get raised white bites on my torso and thighs mostly. Rarely anywhere else on my body. Sometimes they are clustered, two or three in the same small area but most times just random. I have recently noticed that I definitely get bitten more when my cat who is also experiencing lots of itching sleeps on my bed so I know we are reacting to the same thing and he is probably "hosting" them. However, I know now that they also can "live" on my clothes as I went on a weekend trip last weekend and wasn't bit at all until I re-wore a pair of jeans that I hadn't washed. I had packed them but didn't wear them until the 5 hour drive home and before I even got home I had several new bites on my thighs.
Today I bought a can of Hot Shot Bedbug and Flea Killer, it says on the can that it also kills mites. I banished my cats to outside (they are indoor/outdoor but only stay in the backyard). I then stripped my bed and generously sprayed my mattress and all around the sides and wood frame. Washed all my bedding and pillows in hot water. Sprayed my sofa, swept, mopped, vacuumed and did all my laundry in hot water (hope I didn't shrink anything!). Sprayed the stuff all over the house wherever my cats lay or play as well.
I then gave my affected cat another bath with flea shampoo. Earlier today I had gone to Petsmart and two other pet stores to try to find a shampoo or some kind of over the counter solution for mites on cats but didn't find a thing. I guess I'll have to suck it up and take him to the vet again for some mite remedy.
From all my internet research I know its mites now but not sure what kind. Its not any kind of under-the-skin mite like scabies, my bites aren't like that and my cat has sores from itching but doesn't look like mange mite pictures. Rat mites probably not since I live in the desert and we don't see a lot of rats here. Maybe bird mites but from what I've read they don't normally last very long without a bird host. Dust mites most likely. From what I've read they don't bite but I've read several posts that people with confirmed dust mite problems have similar issues as I do and they are indeed getting bitten.
Oh well, I thought I'd share my experience. I'll post again to let you know how my efforts of getting rid of these unknown beasts are going! -
tucker148
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Feb 27 2011 20:24:19
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victimized - 18 hours ago »
Wouldn't someone see bird mites too?????? What is typical of bird mite bites? Always a reaction? Reactions dependent on the person? Various forms of bites or always the same?Lots of mites are microscopic so you would never see them. Read this link about bird mites: http://www.birdmites.org/mites.html
yumaz, I think it still could be bird mites affecting you cause that link says they have been found to survive for extended periods of time without a blood meal (up to 9 months!).
I'll keep you updated with anything I find.
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Feb 27 2011 22:56:06
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Bird mites are not invisible and can be treated by professionals. I would be wary of the information on the site you linked to, tucker148. From what I have read, there are some dangerous treatment ideas there, and a lot of the information is not documented.
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yumaz
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Feb 28 2011 21:50:37
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Thanks Tucker. I've been reading up on bird mites and mite infestations in general and I'm scared as heck! I might be in for a long haul! This is insane, these buggers look like they are very hard to get rid of, whether or not you use an exterminator. Since I barely have funds to take my cat back to the vet I sure as heck don't have 3K to tent and fume my whole house.
Its definitely affecting my personal life already, I'm a single female and I'm not about to even try to date a guy when I have all these ugly bites all over my body. I look diseased! I thought maybe once I figured out what the critter was it would be easy enough to get rid of but there's so many stories out there of people dealing with this for months if not years. Ugh!!!
Definitely keep me updated on anything that seems to work for you and I'll do the same. My whole crazy long housecleaning episode the other day did seem to make a bit of a difference but their back again.
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peppy
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Mar 1 2011 0:42:16
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Yumaz, I can't really help with the bed bug or mite questions, but I did want to say something about the fleas. You mentioned that a flea collar and bath didn't work. I'm not sure what kind of bath you gave her, but flea collars are notoriously ineffective at getting rid of fleas. It's more expensive, but you really should get a real flea preventative like Advantage or Revolution. I get mine here: http://www.entirelypets.com/frontopspotf.html The cat gets it once a month, and it really will kill the fleas, if you have any. Of course, they might jump from her to one of your other cats, so you might want to put treatment on all three.
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yumaz
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Mar 1 2011 1:41:09
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Thanks Pepper... but its not fleas. Definitely not. I've never seen a flea ever in these past two months I've been dealing with this. If I saw just one I'd say, okay, sure. I've checked my cat that is affected and he has no visible critters on him at all. I'm very sure at this stage that its mites of some kind.
My next step is to talk to the vet again and also to a friend of a friend who is an etymologist at our local college. We'll see what he has to say.
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yumaz
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Mar 2 2011 14:35:13
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Oh yay... just returned from the vets office and although I now have some mite dip to use on the cat I am no closer to finding out what pest I am dealing with. An unusual one though.
The vet said she has never seen or heard of a case like this. My cat is missing more and more tufts of fur by the day from biting and scratching at these unseen bugs. They aren't under the skin like mange mites or scabies. And these mites aren't just biting my cat but a human too. But not all cats, just this one, even though they all sleep next to each other. She looked at my bites and agreed its not scabies. They are doing a culture for ring worm just to rule it out but I'm very certain its not ring worm.
Great, I need the pet version of Dr. Gregory House! Oh, they also did a skin scrape to see if they could detect any buggies but no luck at all. I told her of all my internet sleuthing and the best I could come up with was that this was a bird mite or a mouse or rat mites. But from everything I've read, you can normally see adults with the naked eye. They are very tiny but still visible.
Yet I have shaken and briskly brushed my cat over a white pillowcase and then shook it into a large glass bowl of water several times. Then examined the surface under bright light to see if there is anything swimming or moving. I can see very, very small particles floating but no movement at all. At least I don't think so, but every once in awhile I think I detect a tiny bit of fluttering but I'm not sure if its just me bumping the container. But these specs are way too small to see any detail.
The first time I did this was during the day and later that day I ended up with numerous new bites on my body several hours later. Normally I wake up with bites but apparently I shook enough of the critters onto me that they got me in daylight. The next several times I tried this I did it outside on my patio and then showered and changed clothes immediately after the experiment.Yesterday I even went as far as to try bug CSI. I bought a children's microscope set and did the same thing, only this time I tried examining some of the minute specs I retrieved from the surface of the water. Unfortunately the $25 set is a piece of junk and I couldn't see a thing, it was too blurry. I'm returning the set. The better sets at Toys-R-Us are $80+ and I'm really thinking of possibly purchasing one on my credit card and trying again!
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tucker148
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Mar 6 2011 17:23:35
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Alright so I bombed my house the a few days ago, and I went to the dermatologist the day after, and she said she thinks it is just an allergic reaction that I am having, not any kind of bug. She thinks its hives, not bug bites because my bites usually go away so fast. She told me to take claritin every day to see if that helped. In the 2 days since I've been taking claritin (and after the bombs) I haven't had any symptoms. I don't think the bombs did anything...I think I was just allergies to dust mites or just my dirty apartment. Claritin may be an easy investment if anyone is having similar problems where you can't find any evidence of any bugs. I'll keep you updated if I stay symptom free or not!
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yumaz
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Posted 2 years ago
Thu May 26 2011 23:09:29
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So I thought I'd update... because if anyone goes through the horror I went through and read through my posts they'd probably wonder "well, what happened?" is there a happy ending?
I finally got rid of them. Whatever they were. The UBO's, as I now call them... Unidentified Biting Objects. It took a horrid, smelly, staining yellow sulfur dip that kills mites and a whole lot of cleaning and sanitizing.
My vet prescribed the sulfur dip and warned it would smell like rotten eggs (it did and then some) and would stain anything light in color that it came in contact with. Luckily my affected cat Bear is smokey gray in color and although it did give him a yellowish tint it didn't alter his appearance too much but if he had been white he would have really looked silly for quite awhile!
Anyone who has tried to bathe a cat knows it is not a fun thing. First round I wet him down good and used pitchers to drench him in the dip, which is the sulfur stuff diluted with water. Powerfully smelly stuff. You can't rinse it off, you just pour it on and put the cat somewhere where they can't do too much staining damage until they dry. I put Bear in the garage. The first dip worked, to some degree. He was immediately scratching less hours later and seemed to finally be able to sleep comfortably. But within a week it was back to same, the creatures were biting and he was miserable again. And I was still getting bit but it was definitely less than before. I wasn't sure if they had died but he had gotten re-infested by still living critters in the house and in his usual sleeping places or if some had survived and multiplied.
Next dip I decided to do a triple whammy... First, on the weekend I vacuumed, swept, mopped and then shampooed my rugs and carpets with my carpet shampooer (luckily I already owned one). I then tortured my cat once again by locking us in the bathroom, scrubbing him with flea shampoo and then waiting for about 5 minutes before rinsing him off. I figured that although the flea shampoo didn't kill them it might weaken them. After rinsing off the shampoo I then poured the sulfur dip solution over him once again and banished him to the garage once again until dried.
Two weeks later I did this ENTIRE thing again (which of course rated very high on my weekend fun-o-meter) shampooing rugs, carpets and shampooing and dipping cat because although much improved, still a bite here and there on me and he was starting to scratch a little again. I knew I had gained some ground and I thought I had to give it one last good round before possibly admitting defeat and well, I really didn't know what else I could do.
I stopped getting bit. That was the first clue that my strategy had worked. Not one bite. However, Bear was still scratching. Not nearly as much but I at first was really dismayed. I booked another trip to the vet, I figured I needed to dip him once more even though I hadn't experienced any more bites myself. After my explanation of the past several weeks saga, my vet had a theory. She thought that perhaps I had succeeded in eradicating the UBOs, Bear might just be scratching out of habit now and/or his sores are still very itchy. She gave him a steroid shot and almost immediately he pretty much stopped scratching altogether.
Its been about two months now since I've been bit and Bear's coat of hair is starting to almost look normal again. He lost a lot of tufts of hair and looked really terrible but now looks almost healthy. I still have lots of bite scars all over my body but they are fading. They are still apparent enough to make me self conscious about wearing shorts now that its warming up and you probably won't see me in a swimsuit this summer in public!
I'm just so happy that this horrible experience seems to be finally over. But it took some serious effort.
I really wish some knowledgeable microbiologist or entomologist could shed some light on this subject, even now that it is over. Although I finally got rid of these things, I still have so many unanswered questions. What were these things? Why did they only affect me and one cat, even though I have 3 other cats and they were never isolated from the infected cat, even slept together all the time? The theory that only me and my one affected cat were the only ones allergic to the bites doesn't hold up. If that were the case, I would have had to treat all of them to get rid of this pest because even if the others weren't allergic, they should have been carriers. And why had my vet never seen or heard of a case such as this before, nor did she find out anything more useful when she researched this case within her scope of resources?
Oh well, at least I'm throwing my documentation out there on the world wide web. If anyone ever finds themselves in the same situation I hope it helps. -
bbgirl
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri May 27 2011 9:36:12
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Congratulations - you are an excellent cat mama. Your cat is lucky to have you. Glad that your problem cleared up
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kb23
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Posted 1 year ago
Sun Nov 27 2011 21:42:18
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Yumaz,
oh.my.god you are my savior.. i have finally, finally, finally found someone describe exactly what I have been dealing with for the past THREE YEARS
It is the same thing..except my dog. I have a dog, three cats, a husband, and two small children. My dog is the only one that contantly is biting at herself and I am the only one who seems to get "bitten" from her. I have been to the vet and dermatologist a million times.. I get no answers. It's not bed bugs, fleas, or scabies... just these "UBO's" as you call them. I can manage them by giving my dog a bath on a weekly basis, but they always come back. My cats and dog all sleep in the bed with me and the cats have never had a problem. I have spent hundreds of dollars trying to fix this and even moved, but they always come back. I went though a period of about 2 months were I had absolutely no bites and my dog seemed to be doing well, but then they came back AGAIN. So please if you see this, tell me.. are yours still completely gone?!?! Did you really get rid of it for good?? If so, can you please let me know exactly what the product you used was called so I can get it. I had seriously given up after spending probably a thousand hours researching this online and never seeing anything that sounded like what I have. I just quick did a search tonight and found your posts.. I nearly fainted. Please me know if you see this...
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yumaz
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Posted 1 year ago
Sun Jan 22 2012 3:28:48
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I'm sorry, I never saw your post! I really hope yours are gone now!
Yes, the UBO's have been gone for a long time for us and hopefully forever. My cat Bear is completely healed, he looked so horrible back then with such awful bald spots all over him. The sulfur dip is what finally got rid of it. I'm not sure exactly what the sulfur dip stuff was called but it was really smelly and really yellow. Had to just keep drenching him in it week after week and spraying the house like crazy with mite killing spray. Vacuuming and shampooing carpets.
I guess its a very rare thing for this to happen if there is so little documentation about it and vets just don't know what this is either. If you check back and read this, please let me know if you have finally rid yourself of these nasty critters too! I sincerely hope you have!
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