Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed bug bites, skin, etc.
Bites question
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bitteninFL
newbite
Joined: Mar '08
Posts: 7
Posted 2 years ago
Mon Mar 10 2008 9:13:17
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Ok, so I am reading all this stuff on your website. There is a ton of stuff out there and it's been helpful and scary to say the least. I am not even sure if I have bed bugs.
This is what has been happening to me lately. All of a sudden, I will start itching and without thinking I will scratch it and will leave a mark which will scab over by the next day. So now, I have been paying more attention to when the itching starts and I will put benadryl anti-itch ointment on the area and I have not gotten any marks. The area that itches looks like a mosquito bite or has also looked like a welt, less than an inch long. It will itch for about an hour and then it will stop and the mark will go away. Is that a bed bug bite sign? I am actually quite proud of myself not to scratch the itch, although it is hard not to.
These bites have not been all over my body, mostly back of neck, hand, arm, and chest/neckline area. My husband thinks I am crazy as he has had no reactions to anything and mosquitos like him almost as much as they like me.
So now I am trying to figure out if I am allergic to dust mites, detergent, getting in fact bitten by mosquitos or no see ums, or if it could be bed bugs. I have not seen traces of anything, the bugs I am finding do not look really look like bed bugs, IMO, but i might call the bug guy in to check it out. I have checked the mattress and I do not see huge areas of black poop spots, some little tiny black specs here and there but I can't tell if that is in the fabric of the mattress (it is a natural beige/off white). Nothing I have looks as severe as the poop marks in the pictures on the site and my bites are not clustered, although I do have 3 on the back of my neck....
Any help would be appreciated.
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Hi,
Thanks for a well thought out and logical post. You are write to keep all avenues open until you have a positive identification and top marks for resisting the scratch instinct. A scratched bite will scar where an unscratched one will usually heel up well.
You mentioned you have seen some bugs. Would it be possible to get a picture of them. There are several entomologists you view the forums and many of us professionals are well versed in the many and varied insects that could be at work here.
If you are able to take a picture use the highest possible resolution as it is better to be able to zoom into the detail. If you cant get the image hosted on a site please let me know I am happy to host it for a few weeks on my server.
Regards,
David
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lieutenantdan
oldtimer
Joined: Apr '07
Posts: 1,162
Posted 2 years ago
Mon Mar 10 2008 9:41:42
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bitteninFL,
My advice is to send some samples to Harvard Bed Bug for Dr. Pollack to look at and verify. On their site you can view the info needed to send you can also call him. It could be bed bugs or it could be mites or it could be fleas. My wife was reacting to bb bites months before I showed reactions, you just can't tell that way. If you have specimens please send them to Harvard but do not trust a pest control company to give you a correct review, you need an outside opinion. -
The pix you see on this site can be extreme cases. I would check between your mattress and box spring and see if you find anything there. When my infestation first started, (or should I say when we moved into the infestation) I thought that we were getting bites from mites or something. It wasn't until my husband caught a nymph on his toe that we started to pay attention to what was happening. Then after we saw a strange bug, a friend looked on the internet and well, the rest is history. It took us about 1 month after the bites to actually see a live bug and by then it was too late. Just keep your eyes open and hopefully you won't find a bedbug but a dust mite but keep any you find. I describe the bed bugs as looking like a tick in the size, so maybe that will help you.
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paulaw0919
oldtimer
Joined: Jul '07
Posts: 1,034
Posted 2 years ago
Mon Mar 10 2008 9:54:21
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I would get a PCO to come in and do and inspection. If they don't find any evidence of bed bugs I would then get a NESDCA K9 to come in and inspect. This would then rule out or confirm bed bugs w/o going through a huge possibly needless ordeal. If it ends up no bed bugs you can then go to a dermatologist to seek more answers.
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bitteninFL
newbite
Joined: Mar '08
Posts: 7
Posted 2 years ago
Mon Mar 10 2008 10:15:29
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I was going to have the bug guy take a look to rule out any of the little bugs I am finding. One I think is a silver fish, the other is a little tiny bettle (looks like a baby cockroach) and just see what he thinks. I feel like I am a paranoid freak, so does my husband!
We flipped the mattress this weekend and there was nothing between the mattress and the box spring, but I will look again. I did find something odd in an old jewelry box on my nightstand, so I moved it outside, just in case. Is it a bad idea move things outside?
I called the doctor to get a referal to an allergist since I do suffer from constant sneezing etc unless I am taking claritin or allegra or something to figure out if I am allergic to dust mites, since there was ALOT of dust in my bedroom and there probably still is a lot there for me to dust. I am thinking of getting rid of the carpet and getting wood laminate. By doing this, we would have to empty the room out and we'd be able to find traces of bb more easily.
My camera does not have a real good zoom on it, but I will try taking pictures and posting.
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IveBeenBugged
member
Joined: Jan '08
Posts: 280
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Mar 12 2008 7:16:17
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bitteninFL I don't think it wise to be putting things outside if you think they may contain bugs in it (" I did find something odd in an old jewelry box on my nightstand"). You could just be spreading them elsewhere.
It would be better to inspect it - remove anything strange - then seal it in a ziploc bag. Any bugs you find elsewhere also save in a ziploc also. It will help the PCO with identifing any bugs when they come over.
If you already suffer from an allergy to dust mites an encasement for your bed/boxspring & pillows would be a good way to go.
My own experience has been that I have never seen any harborages or bugs on the mattress or boxspring. After getting bitten for about a month (much like angie) I finally saw a bug crawling out from under the boxspring (my bed/boxspring sits right on the floor - no frame), Once I went online I knew what it was.
To me it resembled an apple seed.
To this day I have yet to ever see any fecal (poop) marks on my mattress/boxspring although I have seen them on my sheets. It's why I only use very light colored sheets anymore, Most recommend using white sheets.
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IveBeenBugged
member
Joined: Jan '08
Posts: 280
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Mar 12 2008 7:36:44
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I should add that after I found out that it was indeed bed bugs I removed the fabric on the underside of the boxspring and took a bright flashlight (LED) and inspected the boxspring frame. It was at this time that I found more BB's in the boxspring.
Otherwise there have never been any signs of them on the bed/boxspring except for the fecal spotting on the sheets.
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lieutenantdan
oldtimer
Joined: Apr '07
Posts: 1,162
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Mar 12 2008 16:30:03
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At first the box spring and or bed frame will be the first spots that bbs will be hanging out. They like to be as close to the host as possible and at the same time find a good place to hide. If you have a box spring that is not encased then encase it with a bb proof/bite proof encasement. I like streaming. Another thing is that you can use a hair dryer on low fan to maybe drive the bbs out from their hiding spots, this had worked for me. The hair dryer in most cases will not kill bed bugs just stir them up.
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