Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Detection / Identification of bed bugs
HELP! Fecal stain ID & Can't find where the bed bugs hide!
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suomi
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Posted 9 months ago
Wed Aug 22 2012 11:03:16
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Hi, I have been suffering some bed bug bites the last few weeks. Woke up to see this bug that was swelling at the rear end. Squish it and my whole finger was full of blood. After that, I was so frightened that I sat on the floor and i saw a few transparent critters with a red dot in the middle " bleeding" out of the fabric lining the sides of the bed frame.
So we got in the PCO to do a visual inspection. They found one bed bug along the seams of the bed frame and that was it. They came in to do steaming of the frame, mattress, the outer covering of the cable casings and there was NOTHING! The PCO did leave some trace of vaseline around the cracks and crevices but came back for the second round. There was still no visible signs of activity during treatment. Though in between the 1st and second treatment, I saw a bed bug on the bed sheet during a night and squash it flat.
Now the problem is, I have been waking up with red welts ( single ones, like mosquito bites but are the regular circle shaped and red pin pricks that are grouped linearly on my arms. The thing is, I have sensitive skin so maybe not all the welts are bites. I went to the doctor and she said that the pricks are some sort of allergic reaction but she could not determine what exactly was the allergen.I have been noticing some kind of black droppings/ dots on my bedsheets even though I do not open my window the last few days because my PCO advise me not to.
They can be easily picked up. But when i try to dab it on a wet cotton wool, the black colour changes to red/dark brown. I am not sure if its fleas or bed bugs? If it is fleas, won't it produce a red halo ?The other thing is, i have been finding smaller dots on my sofa and on my bed and on my coffee table that kind of smears when i pick it up with my finger. It leaves a kind of black mark on my finger like when you accidentally draw on your finger using a black ballpoint pen. I looked at dozens of photos on this site, but the droppings look kind of big and look more like gel pen/ felt pen stains? Can someone help me to identify what exactly is the black droppings ?
http://sdrv.ms/PCHWFq ( this is the one that doesn't smear. IF you look carefully, there are some kind of lines that are on the black dot )
p.s. the smaller dots that smear are about half the size of this dot that doesn't smear.
I would really appreciate for any tips on where the bed bugs might hide. We tried opening up the fabric to the box frame twice but nothing was found. Nothing was on the mattress. Nothing on the vaseline smeared at the bottom of my wooden wardrobe and my wooden cupboard that is next to my bed. The PCO guy said that there is little likelihood that they might be infesting the cable casings since my walls look pretty clean. It is pretty fustrating since I have left about 2 weeks to the warranty and in my country, the PCOs do not do steaming with (heavy) chemical. Its like a either/ or option.
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Posted 9 months ago
Wed Aug 22 2012 11:39:48
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Vaseline?
Can you take pics of the other spots that you see?
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suomi
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Posted 9 months ago
Wed Aug 22 2012 11:55:16
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Yes vaseline. But there isn't any bugs that are trapped on the vaseline either. The PCO guy did gave me 2 bed bug alert monitors Active. Been using it for a few days, but no signs of bugs on the monitor either.
http://sdrv.ms/O1S6zE ( here is another picture of the black dot that can be easily picked up and does not smear )
Those that smear look exactly like this black dot, except that i am not able to take a photo of it because it is hard to differentiate between those two types. And when i try to pick it up with my finger, then it will smear.
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Koebner
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Posted 9 months ago
Thu Aug 23 2012 8:51:54
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Sorry but that pic doesn't have enough detail for me to see what it is.
Granular droppings you can pick up sounds more like fleas. No reason you can't have both though.
Vaseline sounds like voodoo.
BBAlert active monitors or another brand?Try a flea trap.
You might consider a passive BB monitor (available through this site; see the Useful Stuff section). It'll give you a rapid positive result if you do still have BBs & reassurance if you don't.
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suomi
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Posted 8 months ago
Sat Aug 25 2012 3:21:43
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Bed bug alert active monitors. The pco gave us a 2 monitors with 2 refills. Nothing for the 1st day. I was recommended to use heat packs as cheap substitutes to the refills. To this day,I have only seen 3 adults ( on the first night, third night and the 3rd day after the first week of PCO treatment.) 2/3 whitish I stats that I crush on the first night that was bleeding out of the linen and was bitten by an instar on the fourth night. still no new fecal stains. The pco said that it was a light infestation or perhaps the source was not in my room. To be honest,I am the only one in the whole family that has been bitten.
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Koebner
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Posted 8 months ago
Sat Aug 25 2012 7:07:39
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Personally, I'm not crazy about the BBA active monitors. Especially not when there's a human host present. Human bait is inherently more attractive than heat+CO2 alone. In your place, I'd go for the passive monitor (see the Useful Stuff section of this site) because it doesn't seek to attract hungry BBs, but rather to offer them an optimal refuge. A passive monitor can also give you a better understanding of the extent of an infestation than the BBA ever could.
Read the Bite Primer in the green stickies at the top of the forum - just because you're the only one reacting, it doesn't mean you're the only one being bitten. Passive monitors for all the beds is a good idea.
You mention the bed & "cable casings" - did your PCO inspect everywhere or just those locations?
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suomi
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Posted 8 months ago
Sat Aug 25 2012 9:21:14
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He also checked the wooden cupboard and dresser that was next to the bed. He didn't exactly pull out all the dressers drawers since we had stuff in it. The dresser was new bought and still smells of varnish so he thinks that it won't be infested. Is that true? We had checked the wardrobes too. Nothing. The fans were inspected too. Is it possible that the window might be a harborage area? He steamed the sofa last sat when I said that I received itchy red welts. He steamed the computer chairs too. However,I have this sort of insect bite on my thigh a few days ago after I sat on it. Inspected the seams and vacuum it but I am scared that there might be bugs. He recommended me to put the monitor next to the sofa.did it for a few days and nothing was caught. I plan to do a flea test tonight. I would like to know if my neighbour was the one who bring bugs,how would i know? Oh yes,i rent out my rooms to tenants and they are in the room next to mine. None of them feels anything and pco says that the room was clear too. Then again, we had a quite bad infestation last Nov on that room which the whole wooden frame was bb infested. Threw out the wooden plank and threw out the frame too late. We later carried out 2 weeks of home spraying with 3% deltamethrin (catch 'em all brand) and we washed all the linens with boiling water and douse the remaining double Decker wooden bed with boiling water on a daily basis.then the problem seems to be gone and no more bites/bugs. Then guess what? We found out that our next door neighbour had bb infestation ( quite bad) some time ago like half a year back. He claims that he poured kerosene all over the house and they were gone like magic... Ouch. No,we did not use kerosene BECAUSE it is DANGEROUS AND UNSAFE AND NO ONE SHOULD EVER TRY THAT.
We were speculating that it was either him (in singapore,we stay in some sort of apartment complex) or my tenant who went on hols brought it back. Anw,so now,it could be possible that there were some leftovers and they found my way to my room. And yes,we told our neighbours of our situation and there seem to be some sort of social stigma. Haiz sigh. -
Koebner
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Posted 8 months ago
Sun Aug 26 2012 12:14:47
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It sounds like your PCO did a reasonable inspection. If you still have concerns & there is still time left on your warranty, why not ask for a re-inspection?
Otherwise, the passive monitors for all the beds, including your tenants' beds, do seem like your best bet if there's a possible source of re-infestation in your building (crazy kerosene man - thank goodness he didn't burn down the building with that old wives' tale.)
AFAIK, USBedBugs who are the supplier linked from this US-based website don't ship to Singapore but you can get them direct from the developer at bed-bugs.co.uk
Hope that helps.
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suomi
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Joined: Aug '12
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Posted 8 months ago
Wed Aug 29 2012 8:23:43
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Hi,sorry for late reply. Was really busy for my A's levels. I did a flea test. Negative result. The pco came to spray insecticide for bed bugs. Pronounced as pentola by Bayer. So the first day was biteless but when i moved the mattress (after drying) felt a sharp stab on my thigh and later found a bite. The second night,had my housemate to sleep on it and she got bitten. We closed our windows so we are ruling out mozzies. The mattress that we are using is the expensive Simon kind that is at least 20cm thick. I would like to ask if there is any possibility of the bugs hiding deep inside the mattress because we dont see that kind of ink stain fecal stains nor cast skins. We really need to find the haborage area else there is really no end to it. Is there a possibility that bed bugs can squeeze through the embroidered seams on the mattress?
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suomi
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Joined: Aug '12
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Posted 8 months ago
Wed Aug 29 2012 8:26:00
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Oh yes, we are having re inspection this Friday plus the bulky removal service man is going to come at the same time to dispose the long white old cupboard that my pco recommended me to throw away since its old and the wood is peeling apart.
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