Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Detection / Identification of bed bugs
HELP! I AM SOOO CONCERNED, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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itchylawstudent
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Oct 24 2010 0:16:35
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Help! Do you think this sounds like I have bed bugs?
I do not travel, and I am currently in law school. Basically my life consists of going to school and coming home. My house is in a private area and I do not have close neighbors. I do not really go outside a lot either - I am usually inside studying.
I have never had a problem with bed bugs before.
I woke up a few days ago and I had about 12 bites on my leg (from the knee down). A day or two later I had three bites on my wrist, and four bites on my other leg. This morning I had around 7 bites running along the lines of my underwear.
This is REALLY weird, and I do not know where I would have picked bed bugs up if I do have them. I have been checking my bed for spots, etc. but I have not found anything. What I have found has been on my duvet: some white specs - most likely dead dry skin, and some tiny blue flecs/ balls from my blanket. I have a memory foam topper and I have been checking that too. Still haven't seen anything.
Now I am extremely paranoid that I have them. I am scared to put my clean laundry away because I do not want to infect my dresser. I am afraid I will spread something to my car. I am afraid they will bite me everywhere, including my face, butt, and vagina. I am also scared they will crawl into my mouth (I sleep with my mouth open) or my ears. Basically I am scared about everything now.
Again, I do not know if I have bed bugs, but I just do not know what else these bites could be from
What do you all think? Are my fears justified? Can the things I am scared about really happen?
I have friends coming to visit me at Thanksgiving - should I tell them not to come?
PLEASE HELP! What should/ can I do?
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nycyn
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Oct 24 2010 1:56:07
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I think you should read the board and use the search feature until somebody else gets back to you. And relax. Many of us have, had, or think we have bed bugs and see how mellow we are?
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itchylawstudent
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 25 2010 21:30:38
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Still no sign of anything, and I havent been bitten in two days. Could it be that I was bitten by something else that is now dead?
How many days can go by without the BBs feeding?
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Richard56
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 25 2010 21:41:36
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Again, I do not know if I have bed bugs, but I just do not know what else these bites could be from
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fleas, chiggers, flies, midges, mites, mosquitoes, spiders, knats, ticks, lice, vampires, bees, wasps, scorpions, caterpillars, beetle larvae...Why give bed bugs all the credit?
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DeedleBeetle
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 25 2010 21:49:32
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Hi Itchylawstudent.
Sorry you're here; but, you'll no doubt find the information you need to discover whether you have bbs or not. Do you live with your family? In other words, are you on your own or do you have a support mechanism? If you do, get them involved in helping you find out whether you have bbs or some other kind of insect...
Or maybe you're having a bad reaction to law school? Conflict of Laws often made me feel like i was breaking out with some strange disease...
You're attending law school so i figure your sitting next to what? 10 different people each day if your seating was anything like mine? (two on each side?) Is it possible that you picked up something from classmates. By the way, where are you located?
just thank your lucky stars that you don't have to actually go sit in a library somewhere to do your research (or maybe they still make you do that to be sure you know how to shephardize cases the old fashioned way in case the Internet goes down one day?).
Sounds like you have something, but it may not be bbs. It might be some other insect like carpet beetles and their larvae which have the most irritating hairs. But our experts will remind us that it may not be an insect at all and may be some other skin sensitivity that is making our lives miserable.
i think you probably can relax about them crawling into your mouth..but you might think of something to make sure your mouth stays shut through the night...at least for now. Maybe you could tie something around your mouth to make sure it stays covered?
I know you have enough to read with school but do make some time to read the FAQ section so that you can find out how best to try to capture a specimin and confirm what insect you have, if any. You might want to have a dog come through and sniff through your place...but still...it seems to me that you're going to have to figure out how to not take bbs (if that's what you are coming into contact with) from school to home..
Please read and ask any questions you have.
As a lawyer, my heart especially goes out to you since i know what you're going through...I hope at least that you're in your last year. It would just be a horribly cruel thing if you happened to be 1L.
Keep us informed about how you're making out and what you find.
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Richard56
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 25 2010 21:52:36
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DB: ...but you might think of something to make sure your mouth stays shut through the night...at least for now. Maybe you could tie something around your mouth to make sure it stays covered?
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DeedleBeetle
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 25 2010 21:54:21
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You know...Richard...like a piece of cloth that she could tie over her mouth and tie behind her head?
i mean...first i was thinking that bbs wouldn't go into her mouth..but then i thought...why wouldn't they...that may be one of the parts of the body that has more blood vessels.. ohhh it's so gross to think of bbs having a party in there.
I wish one of our experts would tell us that bbs do not like mouth parts and other similar structures, like vaginas... that would be really good news.
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Richard56
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 25 2010 21:57:39
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You know...Richard...like a piece of cloth that she could tie over her mouth and tie behind her head?
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I find a disconnect here between a baseless fear and practical advice to feed it. I mean if we go down this road where do we stop? -
DeedleBeetle
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 25 2010 22:00:43
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yes Richard..i realize that your position is that many of us are making more of this bb thing that you think is reasonable and warranted. I think that has to do with the fact that you thought you had bbs and found out you did not. I did think i had bbs and i DID have them....albeit just a couple that i found ....
i guess that makes our approaches to the issue different.
That's okay... we can certainly disagree... But i wouldn't say that it is fair to characterize my response to the OP as "feeding a baseless fear."
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Richard56
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 25 2010 22:04:35
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yes Richard..i realize that your position is that many of us are making more of this bb thing that you thing is reasonable and warranted. I think that has to do with the fact that you thought you had bbs and found out you did not. I did think i had bbs and i DID have them....albeit just a couple that i found find....
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In this particular case my position has nothing to do with having or not having bed bugs. It's solely about you advising someone to tie a piece of cloth around her mouth because she may have bed bugs. I would have the same comment if she had bed bugs or if she didn't have bed bugs. -
DeedleBeetle
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 25 2010 22:11:22
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whatever Richard... I gave my personal opinion and i might have done what i suggested if i slept with my mouth open and was concerned about a bug crawling in there. When i was in law school i would have done that and almost anything else to get a few hours sleep after reading 500 pages of cases and before the next day of classes..
I you think that's unreasonable...okay..Maybe when you went to law school you did not feel that stress. i did. Perhaps our OP does not feel that type of stress to perform and get some rest....i did. So sue me.
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itchylawstudent
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 25 2010 22:30:11
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Thank you for all of the advice - I really do appreciate it!
I am a 2L right now, and Appellate Advocacy is driving me nuts
Yes, my friends and I still work in the library all of the time - and now that I think about it, all of the chairs in the library have cloth seats . . . I never thought that I could get bbs from a neighbor in class, but I suppose if I have them then I must have gotten them that way. I am still hoping that I don't have bbs, and that whatever bit me is now dead :/ I do not have much free time (if I get any at all), and I just do not know how I am going to deal with this all if I do have them.
I purchased a BB Alert Active Monitor and a set of ClimbUps today. I will receive these detectors on Friday, and I guess I will know whether I have a BB problem next week.
Cross your fingers though - hopefully I do not have a problem and I can put this behind me as a weird, one time occurrence.
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DeedleBeetle
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Oct 26 2010 0:00:16
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Fingers crossed!
Waiting with baitlike...i mean, bated breath...to know what you have going on!
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 7 2010 0:42:42
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DeedleBeetle - 1 week ago »
i think you probably can relax about them crawling into your mouth..but you might think of something to make sure your mouth stays shut through the night...at least for now. Maybe you could tie something around your mouth to make sure it stays covered?
Sorry, Deedle, but I think that forcing one's mouth to stay closed is really not a good idea. And not necessary.
Itchylawstudent,
It's possible for bed bugs to crawl inside someone's mouth, but it seems to be quite uncommon. Bed bugs are going to come across lots of skin before that, and there really is no incentive, in my understanding.Moreover, it could be dangerous for someone who sleeps with their mouth open to tape or tie it shut. I would strongly advise against this. (It may be medically dangerous.)
Incidentally, I also don't recommend covering yourself from the tips of your toes to the neck in order to avoid bites, because it is preferable to most of us to get bitten elsewhere besides our faces.
You need to work on detection. We have a FAQ on that. Using one or more methods, you can monitor for bed bugs in your home.
Keep in mind you may have been exposed anywhere. Bites may appear hours or days after you're bitten. So any bus, train, cafe, classroom, etc. where you've been could have been the location where you were bitten.
If you did bring bed bugs home, the monitors should make that clear soon enough. The worst case scenario is probably that you have bed bugs, but caught the problem fairly early, in which case it is easier to get rid of.
Try not to panic!
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DeedleBeetle
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 7 2010 7:29:54
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AAaarrggghhhh...NoBugs....they really will go into our mouths????? Good Lord have Mercy!! And vaginas too? Please say it ain't so!
Actually NoBugs, I was sort of thinking about something like a piece of fabric (probably some breatheable cotton) that would cover the open mouth, not force the mouth shut. I never imagined that she would force her mouth closed. I'm sorry if i gave that impression. I guess i should have been clearer that i imagined air should be able to pass through and not confine the mouth to a closed position but that bbs would be kept out. Maybe something like one of those masks that cover the mouth and nose to protect against inhalation of dust...but maybe half of that so it just covers the open mouth.
BUT in any event, since forcing the mouth closed and perhaps even just covering the open mouth could be medically dangerous we certainly don't want to recommend anything here that even might be medically dangerous! When i think about it our law student might have sleep apnea or something like that, right? Better that she get some medical professional's input on that idea or any other idea that restricts her air flow in any way before she considers trying it.
I just took a little read about what are known as (i didn't realize there was even a term for this) 'Mouth Breathers.' It's a whole world i knew nothing about. Apparently there is some disagreement within that community about the possible dangers of taping the mouth closed and other things like straps and even some masks to keep the mouth actually closed.
It's true: Even some people - many of whom claim that they suffer from sleep apnea and serious snoring - who use those types of devices to force the mouth closed during sleep admit on some Internet blogs and articles that the devices are probably not medically safe nor recommended. Apparently people use those type of commercially offered and home made devices because they're not able to sleep to such a degree that it's ruining their lives (and the lives of their significant others as well). Our law student didn't mention whether she had sleep apnea but she may and not even be aware of it! So i agree with you that it's prudent to withdraw that suggestion i made at least until she knows for sure what's up with why she is a 'mouth breather.'
And your point (which you and others have made before) that covering ourselves up from head to toe ain't such a great idea because the bbs will eventually find a place to bite is AGAIN (duh) well taken and thanks for the reminder. Of course a face full of bites is much more unattractive and unbearable than bites on a thigh or tummy or calf or arm...for sure!
There's always something to learn. Another thing to be grateful for...no 'mouth breathing' problem and no sleep apnea.
Thanks NoBugs.
By the way, i wonder what's going on with our law student. I hope she checks in soon. She's probably getting ready for examinations, moot court? Oh what fun! (i meant that facitiously)
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Richard56
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 7 2010 8:13:45
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DB: I guess i should have been clearer that i imagined air should be able to pass through and not confine the mouth to a closed position but that bbs would be kept out. Maybe something like one of those masks that cover the mouth and nose to protect against inhalation of dust...but maybe half of that so it just covers the open mouth.
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I still don't get the advice.Using this logic, why cover just the mouth? Given your concerns, couldn't bed bugs enter through the nose? Any opening? How about the eyes? Maybe sleep goggles? That's what I meant before when I said "if we go down this road where do we stop?" And again, the fact that I had or didn't have bed bugs has nothing to do with my position here, so let's just stick with the merits of the case, which you should understand as you are a lawyer. And for the record, I'm not a lawyer as you have suggested earlier in the thread.
Richard
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bug-tired
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 7 2010 10:09:09
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heh heh heh!
I want one!
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Sleepless in NYC
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 7 2010 12:31:11
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i'm ordering one for me, you, and Richard56. Maybe I'll include some as stocking stuffers for christmas too. lol
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 7 2010 12:36:47
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DeedleBeetle - 5 hours ago »
AAaarrggghhhh...NoBugs....they really will go into our mouths????? Good Lord have Mercy!! And vaginas too? Please say it ain't so!Deedle,
Just because something is within the realm of possibility does not make it likely.
I don't think these scenarios are likely when people have bed bugs.
When someone has so few bed bugs (if any) that s/he cannot yet detect an infestation, it seems highly unlikely.
I think that fixating on ideas like this needlessly freaks people out.
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DeedleBeetle
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 7 2010 13:00:15
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Hi NoBugs,
Thanks for encouraging me to avoid focusing my attention on that and reiterating that it is not a likely occurrance. So your assurances (which i highly estimate) plus the fact that i never have read here that someone reported about that actually happening to them allows me to officially add this vague and remote possibility to my "No Need to Worry About This Ever Really Happening to Me" list to keep Quicksand company.
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Richard56
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 7 2010 13:00:54
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NB: I think that fixating on ideas like this needlessly freaks people out.
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I think there was some hyperbole in DB's last post, but in the previous posts, yes, that was my real concern. This kind of fixation. Especially with someone(s) new to the whole bed bug problem. People come here really freaked out -- I know I did -- and the last thing we want to do is freak them out even more on some very unlikely scenarios and with advice that feeds these unfounded fears.As to DB's bug "suit" LOL, yes, that's a pretty good stopping point, and I have a feeling that "Sleepless" is not kidding when she says she's ordering one
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Sleepless in NYC
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 7 2010 14:06:20
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lol Richard56.
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 7 2010 17:13:19
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DeedleBeetle said - 4 hours ago »
So your assurances (which i highly estimate) plus the fact that i never have read here that someone reported about that actually happening to them allows me to officially add this vague and remote possibility to my "No Need to Worry About This Ever Really Happening to Me" list to keep Quicksand company.Glad to hear it!
Thanks, Deedle.
Yes, I would add this to the "not likely" list including quicksand, giant tarantulas (and most plotlines of Gilligan's Island/Samuel Beckett).
Richard56 said,
People come here really freaked out -- I know I did -- and the last thing we want to do is freak them out even more on some very unlikely scenarios and with advice that feeds these unfounded fears.
Exactly.
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tdamay
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Jan 24 2011 12:06:33
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One good way to check is to put some tape around your mattress sticky side up. If there are any bugs biting you, then they will get stuck there and you can see exactly what you are dealing with. You may also have to lift the mattress and box spring and check behind head boards, any little nook and cranny. Best of luck.
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Jan 24 2011 12:31:42
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tdamay - 19 minutes ago »
One good way to check is to put some tape around your mattress sticky side up. If there are any bugs biting you, then they will get stuck there and you can see exactly what you are dealing with. You may also have to lift the mattress and box spring and check behind head boards, any little nook and cranny. Best of luck.tdamay,
Welcome to the forums!
People have reported on double-sided tape not working. In my opinion, there are better tools for determining if you have bed bugs and some are quite cheap (see FAQ on Detecting Bed Bugs).
Also, this thread is also 3 months old and has not been updated since then. If you look at the original poster's profile, s/he has not logged into the site in 2 months.
In general, I don't recommend reviving old threads. It bumps them up to the "most recent" position on the forums, when the person who asked the question may be long gone, or have entirely different questions today.
An exception would be if you come across something with incorrect or outdated information.
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