Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » General Topics
Delayed Reactions
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brooklyn_bites
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Posted 1 year ago
Wed May 2 2012 2:58:07
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I am curious about delayed reactions/response to bites. Initially, I am pretty sure I was reacting to bites the morning after getting bit, but then it seems like I was on a day delay, because I put up interceptors and got 3 bites that same night (showed up in the morning), but none after (for awhile). I am beginning to get bites again, despite interceptors, and they are showing up at new times of day, rather than in the morning. I had a couple sets pop up at work one day, which totally freaked me out, but when I got home, realized my bedframe was touching the wall accidentally. So I calmed down a bit, thinking it was from the night before. Now, though, bites are starting to show up late at night, like when I shower before bed. My question is, is it possible for lag time to become longer over more exposure time? I thought the opposite was true, but I am wondering if I should be concerned that they are at work or someplace else. (I have been really careful about laundering everything constantly, showering incessantly, and never taking a bag with me anywhere, but of course I am still concerned with the new, weird timing.)
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brooklyn_bites
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Posted 1 year ago
Wed May 2 2012 22:37:22
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I'm new on this forum and I am feeling frustrated because I have posted 3 times and no one has bothered to respond at all. I have read other threads about delayed reaction here but my situation seems unique so I would love some input, please. Thank you.
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your host
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Posted 1 year ago
Wed May 2 2012 23:15:37
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Sorry you were frustrated, but responding to your own thread the next day is a great way to deal with it, as it gives us another chance to see the post as "fresh" in the list. I often pop in multiple times a day and might have time to respond to one or a few posts each time. I suspect many people are the same.
Keep in mind also that posts which are put up in the middle of the night east coast time may be quite buried in the list of "new" topics by the time most people are logging in and reading the site.
I often post at such times and find no one responds to the posts! If they need a response, like you, I'll try to say something more the next day.
brooklyn_bites - 20 hours ago »
I am curious about delayed reactions/response to bites. Initially, I am pretty sure I was reacting to bites the morning after getting bit, but then it seems like I was on a day delay, because I put up interceptors and got 3 bites that same night (showed up in the morning), but none after (for awhile). I am beginning to get bites again, despite interceptors, and they are showing up at new times of day, rather than in the morning. I had a couple sets pop up at work one day, which totally freaked me out, but when I got home, realized my bedframe was touching the wall accidentally. So I calmed down a bit, thinking it was from the night before. Now, though, bites are starting to show up late at night, like when I shower before bed. My question is, is it possible for lag time to become longer over more exposure time? I thought the opposite was true, but I am wondering if I should be concerned that they are at work or someplace else. (I have been really careful about laundering everything constantly, showering incessantly, and never taking a bag with me anywhere, but of course I am still concerned with the new, weird timing.)I would suspect that you're not going to be able to tell a whole lot about when or where bites occurred based on when they appear. There's no reason to think one's "lag time" wouldn't vary or change. Peoples' reactions to bed bug bites vary.
I also note that people here often report noticing bed bug bites during or after a shower. Or during or after sweaty exercise like jogging. I suspect the heat on your skin may "bring them out" somehow. For me it seemed to help to shower in warm rather than hot water.
But remember that when the bite reaction is noticed first doesn't really tell you when the bite occurred. In my experience, it isn't unusual to notice bites for the first time in the day time and I would not assume these didn't happen in bed the night before.
All of this is speculative because no one has done much research on this. I am speaking based on my own experience and anecdotes people have shared here.
My suggestions would be to continue to use monitors to try to get visual evidence of bed bugs.
Note, though, the ClimbUp Interceptors won't catch bed bugs which are harboring somewhere on the bed or frame, since these can keep feeding on you and going back to harbor. Also, they obviously won't catch any which are climbing over from the wall when the bed is touching it.
It's possible bed bugs bit you in bed via one of those routes.
It's also possible your lag time is even longer than you think, and you're reacting to bed bug bites from days or a weeks longer ago.
And yes, it's possible to have bed bugs in your chairs at home or at work, for example, but it sounds like you've been careful, so this seems less likely.
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu May 3 2012 0:38:08
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An unanswered post, can make the poster feel neglected (especially three in a row
), but like Nobugsonme said, it is a matter of timing. I notice weekend posts can take longer for a reply and get lost in the pile easily.From personal experience I can relay:
- 13 days for the first reaction (first 24 hours was a slight redness and mild itch, which disappeared till day 13 then swelled and really itched)
- after that, new bites would take only 24 to 48 hours for the swelling and itching to ramp up
- also notice different response depending upon location, e.g. inside of my forearm will blister and take weeks to heal; while my shoulders never blister, itching is not so intense and heal within a week
- and hot water, exercise and some fibres irritate my bitesWhat does this mean for me? Can not diagnose cause by bite mark. Can not diagnose when bite occurred. FYI - I know when I am bitten as I feed my husband's colony which he maintains for training his bed bug dog.
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brooklyn_bites
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu May 3 2012 10:37:46
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Thank you both. This makes me feel relieved. It is still a mystery to me how they are passing the interceptors, or how they are still in my bed if not, because both my mattress and box spring have encasements. But I definitely feel myself getting bit at night (and waking up because of it), so I am going to try to calm down about the possibility of them being elsewhere.
Last night, while I was awake in bed, I felt myself get bit (a pinch). When I looked there were three bumps on my abdomen (I was lying on my stomach at the time). I scratched them and then THEY DISAPPEARED. Whaatttt. Now I am wondering if they will reappear or if I am getting bit more than I can see. Will keep you posted on when, if ever, they arrive...
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oldtimer
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu May 3 2012 10:55:04
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Hi,
If you were lying on your stomach and got bitten it was not by bedbugs as they would not have been able to get there to bite you.
David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited -
loubugs
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu May 3 2012 11:12:05
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You can try a wide roll lint roller tape to roll over your skin or bed surface. Your collection can be viewed for possible arthropods. Bite-like reactions resemble true bites.
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brooklyn_bites
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu May 3 2012 11:42:29
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bed-bugscouk, can you explain what you mean? Is it not possible they were in my sheets and bit me from underneath?
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oldtimer
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu May 3 2012 12:06:56
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Bedbugs would not be under the sheet in the first place and would certainly not bite through a sheet. It is simply not how they work or behave.
Sometimes I despair the ulage that has developed because the involvement of the dust mite industries in the bedbug world, that is where a lot of these miss conceptions track back to.
David
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brooklyn_bites
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri May 4 2012 1:00:03
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After the first treatment, I found 3 dead bugs on my nightstand that were definitely not bedbugs. The exterminator didn't/couldn't ID them, though... they were thin and black and didn't even appear to have feet or wings or anything. Now, looking very very carefully on my encasement, there were 5-10 things sticking out that look like small, thin, straight black hairs. Does this describe any arthropod? Or are they just hairs? (I don't have small straight black hairs anywhere on my body that I can think of, and I think it's weird that these would be half in and half out of the encasement, since I always sleep on a sheet.) Losing my mind.
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oldtimer
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri May 4 2012 1:18:41
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When and who confirmed your bed bug problem? What evidence was found?
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brooklyn_bites
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri May 4 2012 2:22:42
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I suspected that I had bedbugs and an exterminator came. He found eggs in my bedframe then gave me a bedbug prep sheet. I found blood stains on my pillow after drying it and have found a few on my box spring since (after putting it on after first treatment). After second treatment he asked me if I was sure they were bedbug bites and said they could be spider mites. I looked it up and spider mites don't bite humans. I thought he should be the one who should be sure, since he saw the eggs and is a pest controller. I since hired a bedbug specialist but the whole thing is still somewhat mysterious. I have seen blood stains, so I know for sure they are creatures of some type, but I have not seen a bedbug or fecal stains. There is tons of space between my wall and baseboards so I suspect whatever it is is living in the walls. After next treatment I am caulking. What do you think?
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oldtimer
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri May 4 2012 2:29:06
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I think a guy finding "eggs" and nothing else is a long shot.
I'm not sure if I want to know the answer to the question but who is the "bedbug specialist" if you don't mind. You can send me a private message if you don't want to mention names on the forum.
What do I think? I'll bet you don't have bed bugs.
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brooklyn_bites
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri May 4 2012 12:37:53
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KillerQueen, I sent you a PM with the name of the specialist and more information. Let me know what you think! Thanks.
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loubugs
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri May 4 2012 12:46:27
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After second treatment he asked me if I was sure they were bedbug bites and said they could be spider mites. I looked it up and spider mites don't bite humans.
Correct, why he would bring spider mites into it is beyond my comprehension. Unfortunately, this PCO/PMP is correctly licensed, too. Recertification courses that he must take must have no effect on him. -
brooklyn_bites
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri May 4 2012 20:31:20
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Just want to clarify:
First 3 treatments were by this terrible guy who brought up spider mites.
Then we hired a bedbug specialist, who I think is actually quite good.
The situation is still somewhat mysterious, though, and since the terrible guy just sprayed chemicals everywhere, it's kind of impossible to know. -
brooklyn_bites
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Posted 1 year ago
Sun May 6 2012 14:02:34
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Thank you all for your fabulous advice. As it turns out, I am now fairly certain that I have rodent or bird mites, rather than bedbugs. The bb specialist brought over a bb to bite me, and it did not feel like what has been happening to me (a pinch). The reaction is also quite different, and on me, looks more like a slight rash (but doesn't itch; lucky me).
Last night I hung out just on my encasement (dumb luck that I had run out of sheets), and I felt a pinch from below again. I found a very small thing that looked like a dot and when I put my finger on it, I moved it a few cm's and it left a small blood stain. I am now pretty sure that I have mites, probably rodent mites. I found photos of someone with rat mite bites and they look exactly like the bites I have been receiving. I feel silly for not noticing this possibility sooner, but I have not come across anything about rat mites before now; just a ton of stuff about bird mites, who hang out in your throat sometimes, so I outruled it, since I definitely did not have anything in my throat.
I also am feeling foolish for spending a small fortune on bb treatment, when I in fact had this other problem. Ugh. And now, I need to pay a new specialist to treat the mite problem. The most mysterious thing about all of this, though, is that I am pretty sure I got this problem from a trip I took. That is why I kept going back to bb's as the probable cause. Everything I have read about mites says they can "invade" your home, but nothing I have read mentions anything about picking them up while traveling.
Anyway, long story short (too late?), I am wondering if people on here have any resources about this problem. I have gone to bitingmites.org, but they do not have a forum like this one, and I am interested in the following: finding a good pest controller in Brooklyn who can eradicate this problem; how to avoid taking them with me from place to place; how to be sure I didn't already take them to work or other places I have hung out; etc. I know this is a bb forum, but any help would be so very appreciated. Also: the bb specialist told me that I should caulk and unpack. I think caulking could still be beneficial, but I am feeling that I shouldn't unpack. Thoughts?
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Posted 1 year ago
Sun May 6 2012 14:47:35
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I believe the advice to confirm identification of the cause remains, before further action is undertaken. Cellophane tape should do the trick and attach to white cardboard. Maybe even one of those sticky lint rolly-pollies. An entomologiest (most PC companies have one on staff or take to local university). Good on you for continuing to look for other plausible causes with an open mind as all too often a client gets 'stuck' on bed bugs as the culprit. I have asked clients - 'what would it take to convince you it is not bed bugs?'. That can be a challenging hurdle for some. I think it is our nature to fear the unknown and we latch onto a possible cause with certainty too easily. Good luck. Ken.
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brooklyn_bites
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Posted 1 year ago
Mon May 7 2012 1:09:06
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Thanks, Ken. I do sure wish I had been convinced BEFORE spending a small fortune on bedbug treatment... but better late than never, I suppose. I have an appointment with an entomologist tomorrow. Hope luck is on my side, indeed. Thanks again.
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loubugs
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Posted 1 year ago
Mon May 7 2012 16:53:22
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Cellophane tape, packing tape, roll of lint collection tape all work to collect from surfaces. The lint roll type with a handle is easy to roll over surfaces such as beds, walls, and then the roll is precut into squares, so collections are easy to remove and retain for ID.
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