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How long do bites last?

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zfigz

newbite
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Jul 26 2009 16:59:45
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I know the question has been asked before, but I wanted to start a fresh thread on it since the topic seemed to get sidelined. I got covered with bites about 3 weeks ago while staying at someone's apartment. I don't think I brought home any, but I get random flareups, or what I think are flareups, of previous bites. I treated my room with Diatect Results for a week or so (I felt uneasy having my room covered in the stuff, so I recently vacuumed it up and have no put any further treatments down.) I have observed absolutely no signs of bedbugs whatsoever. The under part of my arm flared up this morning though. I don't know if it's from the old bites or what. I've had other flareups of old bites, but it hasn't happened this bad and I'm just hoping it's not a recent feeding spot.

Can anyone enlighten me on how long these bites come back for?
buggyinsocal

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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Jul 26 2009 17:10:40
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It appears from a quick Google that Diatect Results is a diatomaceous earth product with pyrethrins in it.

We have heard several reports from reliable sources that exposure to either chemical pesticides and/or DE can make a person's skin more likely to be reactive. I'm pretty sure that each incidence we've heard of people with old bites flaring up have been people who used one or the other or both to treat the bugs.

It didn't happen to me, so I can't speak to it from personal experience.

But I can tell you that the bed bug bites I had were already itchier, stayed itchier longer, and were generally more bothersome than any other bug bite I'd ever had (and I grew up an outdoorsy type in the southeastern US, so trust me, I've been bitten by a lot of bugs.)

And evidence so far suggests that having had a DE that is one of the leading suspected causes of bite flare ups, esp. one with an additional pesticide in it, in use in your residence would increase the chances of bite flare ups.

Wish I could be more help with specifics, but I can confirm that background type info.
zfigz

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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Jul 26 2009 17:20:02
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buggyinsocal, I really appreciate your prompt response. The info you provided is actually really helpful. I was going to apply more of the Diatect Results, but after hearing this, I think I'll hold off. These flareups are that itchy...the bites I first got (200+) were extremely itchy for over a week. Sooo, yeah, I think I'll hold off. I remember when I was cleaning it up from my room that I had a breakout, so I think I must be allergic to the Results. Thanks again for your info, kept me from poisoning myself.
cilecto

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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Jul 26 2009 19:02:34
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Please bear in mind that people tend to overuse DE. Do read the FAQs on it. It's supposed to be applied "strategically" and sparingly. One poster here indicated it should be so thin as to look like someone didn't dust for a week. The effectiveness of the insecticidal component of "enhanced DEs" (like Diatect) vs. the mechanical action of the DE itself is also subject of some debate (in short, some argue that the pyrethrins dissipate too quickly to matter and the bugs don't react to that). Also, be careful touching and breathing this stuff when you apply or disturb. The silica is bad for your lungs. Your vacuum too. Better to mop up excess than vacuum. The MSDS does indicate skin irritation. Also, some PCOs insist that you clean it up before they work. That said, if you're going the DE route, expect that it's not a quick kill, but a long-term program. Even Diatect's instructions describe a 5-6 week program. This is because few agents are effective against eggs, so you need to re-apply to catch the next gen (of course, if the pyrethrin doesn't matter and it's the DE, then as long as the stuff is down, you're in business, in theory).

If you're going to go the DE route, you might want to test your response to "food grade DE".
zfigz

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Jul 27 2009 0:47:23
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Well, I went ahead and put some Results down around my bed as well as on the sides of the bed. This flareup is weird though, it's not really dying down like my other flareups, so it just might be fresh bites...but gawd, I sure hope they aren't.
death2allbbs

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Jul 27 2009 1:59:48
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zfigz - 48 minutes ago »
Well, I went ahead and put some Results down around my bed as well as on the sides of the bed. This flareup is weird though, it's not really dying down like my other flareups, so it just might be fresh bites...but gawd, I sure hope they aren't.

Hello, zfigz.

Now this is another thread title that I wanted to post in, however, I cannot comment on the Diatect Results. Although I did want to say that the bed bugs bites that I have experienced seemed to itch and be irritated for about a week. And the scars from the bites stayed on my body for unusually long lengths of time. And even though the reinfestation that I had mentioned in another one of my posts seems to pretty much have been eliminated a couple a months ago, I believe that there were a few stragglers that were occassionally biting me on my arms(but died from the insecticide residue), but what I believe was the most recent of those bites, which was around a month or so ago, has left a little dark hard scar on my left forearm, which doesn't seem to want to go away.

But, zfigz, because bed bugs are so hard to get rid of, I believe that your flareups are from fresh bites.