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I don't know if I have bedbugs
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Beth
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 7 2010 15:40:13
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so today I was vacuuming the floors in the living room. And I saw a bug. Ah-ha! I thought, I will catch this little creature and confirm its identity. It looked similar to the two bugs that had crawled up my leg when I began vacuuming. But yes, I thought it strange a bed bug infestation could take root in a floor in only two weeks. I was suspicious there was a previous insect problem here and assumed bedbugs. I may have assumed wrong. Or I may have two problems. What I caught has 8 legs and two body parts. Like a little spider, but little. I can't take a picture. It's in a plastic bag and my webcam is just not very sophisticated with zoom.
Remember since I have been here I have also gotten a rash under my breasts with bites and an itchy scalp, neither of which I had with bed bugs. In addition, most of my bites seem to be singular, very few "in a row" (a few though). So either I have an infestation of spiders or mites or...any other ideas? Small black eight legged creatures that bite at all hours and also bite the scalp? They jump. And their legs are about the same size as their body. I am hoping to god it isn't mites. It looks to be fully grown and is about two sizes bigger than the tip of a pen.
There are spider webs all over my porch I constantly have to knock down.
Diatomaceous earth and heat works to kill them but Phantom isn't seeming to touch them.
Ideas on what kind of pest this could be and how to treat it? It is possible I may not have bed bugs. But something here is biting me a lot and has 8 legs and is black and little and jumps. Boric acid???
I don't feel anything has gotten into my sinuses or anything like can happen with bird mites, but I don't want that to happen omg. But the head on these is separate from the body, not like the mite pictures I saw. The guy in the apartment next to me told me he woke up the other day with a huge bite, it was BRUISED. Not like a bed bug bite AT ALL. That's all he's gotten. Mine sometimes have a white dot in the center, like it may pus but never does, sometimes.
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Amy -
PANewBugger
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 7 2010 16:52:50
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Is there a local pest control company that can identify the bug for you? For the rash and itchy scalp, perhaps a dermatologist can help identify the cause?
My husband brought home rat mites from his office. We went to a dermatologist to look at all our bites and make sure that we didn't have anything more serious. For the mites, to help keep them off you when you're at home, she suggested spraying ourselves with an insect repellent, like Off. Our PCO recommended the same. When at home, that was the only way we could get relief from all the biting. My husband sprays himself at work as well and said it has helped.
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Beth
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 7 2010 16:57:08
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so from what I am looking up I may have spider infestation. I can't explain it any other way. Small spiders that jump and apparently bite. There are many insects in here: mosquitos, centipedes, despite my cleaning. My windows are old. I betcha this is where they are...yes, one fell on my from my blinds once. But the bites are not as big as some people get. Damn friggin' spiders, omg. It is so small. The body is black and the head kind of translucent. could this be it? It is defeinitely not looking anything like a mite though we do have a rat problem due to our garbage and I live below an attic and the pictures on the net of rat mites are pretty poor.
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Amy -
Beth
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 7 2010 16:59:42
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PANewbugger--
but are rat mites the size of like two or three periods at the end of a sentence combined and do they jump?
god I hope I don't have rat mites. holy god.
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Amy -
Beth
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 7 2010 17:07:25
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It seems bigger than a mite though. Like not a period at the end of a sentence, but three combined with legs that are easy to see. Can mites get that big?
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Amy -
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 7 2010 17:28:54
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My husband found an adult one, and it was no larger than the size of a period. I think (I could be totally wrong) that's the typical size of an adult so sounds like what you found is too big to be a mite (but I'm not an expert so maybe someone else on here can give their input??). I don't know if they can jump. In our situation, the source is from rodents in my husband's office complex. The mites then hitch a ride from him to our place. Unlike bed bugs, throwing things into the dryer to kill them doesn't work. I have to wash in hot water (I also use Borax in the laundry, which seems to help) and if I have the time, I'll do two cycles. Then, I dry on high heat, usually for 1.5 hours. The bagging that we did for the bed bugs has helped since there are fewer places for them to infest. Also, we had a flea treatment sprayed on the floors, I vacuum, and spray myself with Off.
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spideyjg
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 7 2010 17:30:42
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8 legged, black, and jumps. Google up jumping spiders and compare Amy. Key identifier is jumpers have 2 huge eyes compared to the rest of theirs.
Most spiders have 6-8 eyes total.
However they do not bite humans unless threatened.
Be sure it is 8 legs and not 6 legs plus antennae or cerci.
Jim
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Beth
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 7 2010 18:17:03
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hey Jim,
It may be a small jumping spider. I got a closer look and it has striped legs and a speckled kind of body. It is very small so hard to tell. Definitely 8 legs. No antennae I can see with the naked eye. I'm not sure what cerci look like, but this is definitely using all 8 little things to move and hop around. Jump. jump, jump. This place has a lot of bugs because of the old windows and old floors and lots of holes in the walls.
Would the jumping spider feel threatened I wonder by vacuuming? Or me moving stuff around a lot? Perhaps I just have some small jumping spiders on top of bed bugs! Because I get a couple of bites a day and have gotten them in a row. Most bites were on my back and shoulders and scalp and upper thighs for a long time, now mostly on my legs since isolating my bed. So whatever is biting me was biting me at night while I slept and now just at my computer desk (I think). Once I raised my bed up off the floor no more waking up itching in the middle of the night, no more feeling creepy crawlies.
I have only seen these spiders though here, no bed bugs as of yet, but I know how sneaky they are. I had them in my last place and then in my vehicle. I had a hard time believing they could have taken hold so quickly from my vehicle when I was changing clothes once inside but sometimes I waited half an hour. But I just figured it had to be them. This whole windowsill business would make sense in terms of the jumping spider also. It is not big enough for me to see its eyes. I will cry if I don't have bedbugs and just worked like a maniac for a month. Then again, it seems I may have both. Plus mosquitos. Maybe I shouldn't cry bed bug until I actually see one. But wouldn't that take a long time with the measures I have taken? I thought I saw a cast skin once under my sheet. No fecal stains, but I wash my linens a lot. I will cry if I don't have bed bugs, out of joy and out of sheer exhaustion and because I just poisoned my home and got ill maybe unnecessarily. I wonder if mosquitos attack the scalp. I think the next order of business is not attending to my floors, but my old, old windows. And maybe, just maybe, I should let whatever is in those floors be until they multiply enough I find more evidence. That sounds really not cool. I feel itchy already.
The good news is the Phantom seems to have made whatever it is confused and slow. I also need to figure out how to kill these mosquitos.
peace-
Amy -
spideyjg
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 7 2010 18:47:37
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Cerci are the 2 nubby things off the butt end of a roach.
Jumpers usually are found around windows. Spiderlings can be very small indeed.
Spiders are threatened by grabbing more than anything. Jumpers are inquisitive but are not known to bite. People keep them as pets.
Pics from a photography site of jumper spiderlings next to a pin.
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=242798
Jim
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Beth
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 7 2010 20:02:35
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yes, by windows. I believe I do have jumpers.
no roaches by god's grace!
just jumping spiders, mosquitos, centipedes and...possibly...bed bugs and if not bed bugs then some kind of mite or something. Something is definitely biting me often and predatorily so.
thanks Jim!
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Ratorja
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 7 2010 20:45:11
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Have you considered fleas? I think you said somewhere that you have or had a dog, but I'm not sure if it's with you right now or not. You also don't even NEED a pet to have a flea infestation.
It might seem like a silly question since it's usually one of the first things people consider, but since your bites seem to be just around your legs now, you're getting bitten quite a bit yet, and fleas jump like crazy, it's worth considering and researching, in my opinion.
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Beth
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 7 2010 22:12:41
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hey Ratorja,
yes, considered fleas, especially as the last tenant had a cat. The bites are not on my ankles though, upper legs. I think these jumping spiders are just coincidence and that there is another pest biting I am not seeing. The suspects: bed bugs, fleas and rat mites. The former because of my previus infestation, the second because of her cat and my previous dog and the third because of a rat problem they had here in the garbage (and I live below the attic with a second floor porch). And as I said, I do believe it was here when I moved in, whatever it is. The itchy scalp and rash under my breasts is the giveaway that it may not be bed bugs (scabies tend to not target the head). Aside from the fact I've seen no fecal stains. These floors are old and harbor many bugs, so anything is possible. I haven't seen any flea larvae.
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Amy -
Beth
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Aug 8 2010 23:17:19
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Still inconclusive as to whether I have bed bugs. Got a few bites today. HOWEVER I also saw FOUR mosquitos in my bathroom. I found where they are coming in and have shut that window. These bites itch much more than I remember my bed bug bites itching and I don't feel them crawling. However, they don't get as big as I recall mosquito bites from when I was a child getting. Some are pin prick. Strange. I am hoping, I can hope right that these are mosquitos. I am getting bit different places than when I had bed bugs also, some similar places. But these things like my ears and face and back and scalp and thighs and breasts. Bed bugs never targeted my face or ears or chest before, especially during the day! Just me legs and arms and waist. Can mosquitos bite through a shirt?
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Amy -
NewBlood
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Aug 9 2010 7:51:41
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Hey Beth,
I can answer that last question for you (mosquito's biting through clothing) - yes or at least they will certainly try if the fabric is not er... what's the word... close enough (if they can poke their mouth parts through it). Five years ago in early fall we still had mosquito's flying about here in New Jersey and I was wearing a thick black winter coat (trench coat like but thick - like 1/2 an inch of wool). I was in my car and a mosquito had landed on my chest. I watched it amazed as the thing slowly inserted it's proboscis through my coat in an attempt to bite me (the coat was too thick though it couldn't get into my chest). I killed it before it had a chance for a second strike but it was something amazing to watch (usually I catch them AFTER they've gotten a free lunch - not before/during).
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Beth
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Aug 9 2010 12:40:52
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thanks New Blood,
still doesn't explain my pin prick bites, but does explain some of the others. Maybe I have two things feasting on me, yeah! I am bringing the thingy I found, jumping spider whatever, to the county entomologist for id. The health department said they can't help until I produce a bed bug, which may never happen with my cleaning frenzy. And even then, they won't pay for thermal. Pin prick bites are dying down, finally, after 5 days of this poison on my floors. Only got one yesterday. Here is to hoping it works 100% and I don't need another application, because I won't get one. I have been too sick this week with it down. It'll kill me before it kills all of them!
peace-
Amy -
Beth
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Aug 9 2010 18:28:33
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5 days post Phantom explosion and the bites are finally starting to die down. One yesterday. None to speak of today (though night hasn't fallen). My body is starting to clear up from the bites. Phantom lasts 28 days. Perhaps this will be enough time for the eggs to hatch and die as well. I wonder if it kills nymphs quicker. I have also laid down DE in all major cracks in the bedroom and living room floors and in front of heat vents (already in outlets and telephone jacks). I sincerely believe they were here before I moved in as does the dept. of health who I spoke with today although neither neighbor is getting bitten.
Anything else I can do to ease this for me and make sure I don't need another spray of Phantom? I wouldn't be able to handle it. I am only now able to be in my apartment without a respirator at some point during the day.
The bites increased dramatically after the Phantom spray meaning they found their hidey hole, a good thing. My guess is the hole where the cable jack goes into the wall which is right by my computer. So there is DE in there. I can't vacuum up where the DE is. I am almost done caulking the living room. All holes in the walls are caulked.
I spray my computer chair everyday with orange oil and packtite my sheets and pillow every other day and wipe down my air mattress with orange oil. I don't treat the bedframe, I don't get bitten in bed though very much and it's isolated. I suppose if I feel they may be in there, I'll have to canvass this as well. I have closed off where the mosquitos likely were coming in also.
What I am expecting is a bite here and there for another week and then nothing but the occassional mosquito bite if I leave the DE down. I will leave it in the cracks forever, I don't care. Seal the floor with it in there.
Anything else?
omg-
Amy -
Beth
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Aug 10 2010 9:41:55
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Well late last night one of the buggers climbed onto my butt from my computer chair--which is isolated! The only reason I experienced this was that I was butt naked right before going to bed. I didn't see it but felt it and whacked it off. Then I realized...hey, there has been all of this black and brown gunk on the back of my computer seat. I hadn't thought anything of it. But then I looked more closely and realized...that's my digested blood. omg. I have been getting bites mostly on my back recently and shoulders and thighs. So it occurred to me: they are in my chair! Still deciding how to tackle it as the screws aren't easily removed. The lil bastards. I definitely have them.
Amy
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