Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Detection / Identification of bed bugs
i think i found a bed bug, no other evidence -- what to do?
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k3024
newbite
Joined: May '09
Posts: 4
Posted 5 months ago
Sat May 30 2009 13:02:13
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hi everyone,
i just moved to an apartment in new york in early april. i checked carefully that the building and no neighboring buildings were on the bedbug registry.
i bought some used furniture -- a wooden bed, wooden dresser, sofa, wooden table and chairs. brand new mattress though. i carefully inspected all the used furniture i bought before i brought it home -- no evidence of bed bugs. i also surface cleaned everything before using it with white vinegar solution. the bedroom furniture had been in a storage facility and not used for about 4 years (so even if they ever had bed bugs, i assume they all would be dead by now -- no meals for 4 years!).
ok, so here is the deal: while cleaning the inside of one of the dresser drawers, i found a small bug which looked suspiciously like a bed bug. i killed it, tried to put it out of my mind.
then this week i was changing my sheets and i saw one tiny bug on my mattress, just crawling along. it looked a lot like a bed bug. i killed it. i saved it, but it's too squashed to be of much use in a photo i think. i have no bites, no larvae, no eggs, no casings, no blood spots or feces, etc. no other evidence of bed bugs. could this just be because my mattress is really only 6 weeks old now, not enough time for a real infestation to happen?
i am freaking out, trying to keep this in perspective. i start a really intense grad school program this week and have very little time and money to deal with this. but i am sensitive to all kinds of bites and i get grossed out easily. i can see this rapidly taking over my life, making sleep and study impossible.
my current plan is to buy a good mattress cover, good pillow covers (necessary too, i imagine?), try to wash as much as i can, put my heavy sweaters in plastic ziplocs, and hope for the best. does this make sense? am i over- or under-reacting? do i have enough evidence that i do have bedbugs, or not?
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hi,
Before you do anything else I think the best thing you can do is try and take a picture of what you have, post it up for comment.
Then read the FAQ's and have a thorough inspection. Anything you find collect in a glass or immobilise to tape and take a picture. Post the pictures for comment and confirmation.
It is better to remain focused and look to confirm than to rush into a panic of prep and isolation without making sure.
Hopefully its not bed bugs but if it is you are in the right place to make informed decisions and hopefully deal with it quickly.
Good luck.
David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited -
cantstopscratching
junior member
Joined: Jan '09
Posts: 86
Posted 5 months ago
Sat May 30 2009 14:01:17
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If it is bed bugs, you need to do more than just put encasements on your bedding. (I would be suspicious of the used furniture.) So, try to confirm that those bugs were bbs.
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k3024
newbite
Joined: May '09
Posts: 4
Posted 5 months ago
Sun May 31 2009 22:09:27
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thanks for the replies. still no bites or other evidence, but i have more bugs now.
i have found 3 more bugs, 1 on my comforter, 1 under my mattress (dead), and 1 on the wall near my bed. i've saved them all in a plastic container, but i can't seem to get a good photo. they come out too blurry. any photo tips?
however, after looking at lots of bb photos online, i'm thinking these are not bed bugs. these are really dark (nearly black) and don't have any striations on their backs. they seem to have sort of a smooth back with a split down the middle, almost like some kind of elongated beetle. they are more elongated than the bed bugs i've been seeing pics of.
if not bed bugs, any ideas what they might be? i'd like to get some other ideas so i can find images of non-bed bugs and hopefully confirm that these are not.
i'm really hoping for the best here...any more help really appreciated!!
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so...again, any tips on getting a clear photo so i can get help with identifying my little bug friends? i have a digital camera, but when i zoom in i just see a black spot instead of the bug.
also, and idea what my bugs might be if they don't have striations? what else is often mistaken for bed bugs?
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FutureSkycar
newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 1
Posted 5 months ago
Mon Jun 8 2009 0:13:37
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k3024 - 1 week ago »
thanks for the replies. still no bites or other evidence, but i have more bugs now.
i have found 3 more bugs, 1 on my comforter, 1 under my mattress (dead), and 1 on the wall near my bed. i've saved them all in a plastic container, but i can't seem to get a good photo. they come out too blurry. any photo tips?
however, after looking at lots of bb photos online, i'm thinking these are not bed bugs. these are really dark (nearly black) and don't have any striations on their backs. they seem to have sort of a smooth back with a split down the middle, almost like some kind of elongated beetle. they are more elongated than the bed bugs i've been seeing pics of.
if not bed bugs, any ideas what they might be? i'd like to get some other ideas so i can find images of non-bed bugs and hopefully confirm that these are not.
i'm really hoping for the best here...any more help really appreciated!!Hi k3024. My name is Jamie. What you have been decribing sounds a lot like what I seen on my bed. First I had one on my Pillow when I noticed it leaning my back on the pillow while playing a video game. second time I decide to lift my matress and saw one dead, than the 3rd time it was crawling on my sheet and all three looked quite the same. Almost the same thing where you've been finding them. I looked into Beatles and there body forms and such, and I came across what I thought I've seen on my bed, and it so happens they're Japanese Beatles. Either follow this link or go to google search under Images and type "Japanese Beatles". "http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=japanese%20beatles&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi"
Please reply back regarding if its the same of what you saw. It would explain why you found one on your wall, although I wouldn't have a clue if they bite or not but I know they're part of the ladybug family which is why they do look very simular. -
They should be black carpet beetles (Attagenus sp.) or Dermestid beetles (Dermestes).
Obviously, a picture would help... -
k3024
newbite
Joined: May '09
Posts: 4
Posted 5 months ago
Wed Jun 10 2009 17:58:16
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hi,
i wound up taking my bugs in a little container to bug off pest control center in washington heights (1085 st. nicholas ave). they were really great. they identified my bugs as beetles. it was pretty much the conclusion i had come to, but i am still very relieved to know they are not bed bugs!
i would up buying a mattress and pillow encasements anyway. at least this way if i do get some bed bugs, the damage will be minimized....
after googling a bit, it seems my bugs were black carpet beetles. they don't really look like the link you posted, jamie.
k
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