Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Detection / Identification of bed bugs
Confused, please help!!
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imlosingmymind
newbite
Joined: Apr '09
Posts: 4
Posted 11 months ago
Wed Apr 8 2009 15:47:16
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Bedbugs, pigeon mites, allergic reaction??? Confused, please help!!
We've had a bug problem for almost a year. Yikes! I've sought help from numerous exterminators and we recently began treatment for bedbugs.
The problem began last summer when my son was getting multiple bites a day. We noticed that he was always getting bit on our new jute rug. So we thought maybe it was fleas (we have 2 indoor cats, but they weren't getting bites). We vacuumed the rug and put out glue traps, but we found nothing and the bites continued. We wanted to steam clean, but found out it would have ruined the rug and rotted the natural fibers. Have since gotten rid of the rug and the bites stopped for a while and then started again, but with much less frequency (one or two a week). It seems that he's getting bit during the day when playing in his room or in the living room.
Every so often we'll find a bug and I'd make my husband ride his bike over to an exterminator who was kind enough to ID bugs for us. Never found a bedbug (I know that it's common to not find the bedbugs) and we've amassed quite a collection over the past months, mainly spider beetles and non-descript sow (?) bugs. And they are definitley spider beetles, not bedbugs. We've had 2 different exterminators come in to inspect our apt and they haven't found anything. One guy literally took apart our entire bed- I was holding the wooden slats while he flipped the bed on it's side. No bedbugs and no evidence of bedbugs, no blood marks on sheets or mattress, no shells...
So the part that makes me highly curious is the bites. Mostly my son gets bit, but I've gotten a few myself (and my husband once or twice). The bites itch for a few minutes and they swell and there is a red rash mark around the bite. But the bite and the redness fade quickly and are gone within an hour. I've been told that everyone reacts differently to bedbugs, but none of us have experienced the typical bedbug bite. No serious itching, no lasting marks, no clusters.
We've put all our things in bags, washed all of our clothes and treated 3 times and we are still getting bites!!! Are we even dealing with bedbugs?? Forgot to mention that we also have pigeons that roost right outside our window. Could it be bird mites?
Pleeeease advise!! Anyone!! I am losing my mind! And I've also got a 9 mo. old who desperately wants to crawl on the floor (that is coated with bug killer!). It's so hard.
Thanks in advance. (Hope this wasn't too long.)
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bedbugsmakemesad
newbite
Joined: Mar '09
Posts: 28
Posted 11 months ago
Wed Apr 8 2009 16:14:10
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I'm no expert, but I'm inclined to think if you haven't found a single specimen of a bed bug in a whole year of vigilance, you probably don't have them. Yes, they're small and crafty at hiding, but it sounds like you've been pretty careful -- if they were there it seems likely you would have found at least one at some point. Adults (especially fed adults) are quite big enough to be seen even from a few feet away, and they do leave tell-tale signs on your sheets and walls. If you've found no such signs, it seems unlikely to me that your problem is actually bed bugs.
Maybe try having a K9 come in? A bug-sniffing dog might be your best bet to find their hiding place if there really are bugs hidden away somewhere a human eye can't see them.
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 6,173
Posted 11 months ago
Wed Apr 8 2009 17:02:53
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I am closing this duplicate thread. I moved the above response here:
http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/confused-please-help-1
Please go to that thread to continue this conversation. Thanks!
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