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I think I found something??

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minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 6 2007 11:09:03
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Ok so today I look at my daughter's face and she has a very tiny red bump. I get annoyed because I look through the bed and find nothing as usual. Go into the shower and bam! there out of the corner of my eye I see something light light brown almost clear. I put it in a ziploc and look at it with my magnifying glass. It looks like a nymph? maybe a bb I'm thinking because my huband slept next to my daughter around 5-7am today before he woke up and jumped in the shower. So I was thinking maybe the bug that has always been feasting on my daughter tried to climb over my husband to get to it's hiding place but he ended up taking it with him to the shower. Anyways long story short. I kept trying to compare with the pictures on this blog but it looks a bit different. it looks like it has like 2 little tails sticking out and my question is if this is an adult because it looks so long. why isn't it a red color if it is supposedly feeding on my daughter? This bug is very differnt looking from the other pantry beetles I have been finding. Here are pictures of both the new bug I found and the pantry beetle. please let me know if what I found is a bb. ahhhhhhh!! the first 4 are pics of the new bug I found that I'm thinking MIGHT be bb's and the last one is the pantry beetle.
Thanks people

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc260/minibughater/IMG_4995.jpg
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc260/minibughater/IMG_4994.jpg
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc260/minibughater/IMG_4993.jpg
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc260/minibughater/IMG_4992.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc260/minibughater/IMG_4982.jpg
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 6 2007 11:10:54
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P.S the antena's are squished together because of the water from the shower.
Anonymous

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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 6 2007 14:25:02
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Mini,

Go to http://www.thebedbugresource.com and ask Sean, an entomologist and PCO, to help you ID these. I think he can do so based on the photos. If that is not possible, you can have an actual sample ID'd by an entomologist by mailing it. A local university or extension office might be of help. But I would try Sean first.

Some species of beetles can cause allergic reactions so you need to investigate if these beetles (they all look like beetle larvae to my unprofessional eyes) could be something to worry about.

Good luck.
mrbill0626

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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 6 2007 16:13:27
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Mini:

Those don't look like bed bugs. But a PCO could tell for sure.

Mr Bill
paulaw0919

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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 6 2007 16:18:01
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Mini, In my unprofessional opinion, no it does not look like a bed bug. I definately would sent it out to an entomologist and email Sean @ thebedbugsource to confirm Id.
Nomo is right, if you have these in abundance then maybe it can cause an allergy as well.
Bugologist

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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 6 2007 16:59:14
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It's most likely an isopod (the bugs that roll into balls). The picture is a little difficult to tell and the only other insect that you would find in a home that has the two appendages like that would be a springtail but they are usually really small. Isopods are attracted to moisture. Usually live under rocks, logs, flower pots. Most of you are probably familiar with them from childhood when you'd touch them and they roll into a ball.

Take into account this is an ID from a blurry picture, but I'm reasonably sure that's what it is.
Bugologist

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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 6 2007 17:00:54
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I forgot to say that I am 100% sure it's not a bed bug.
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 6 2007 22:02:04
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Really? COOL I mean yeah it didn't look like a bed bug to me. ughhh. bubt I found another "bite/pimple" looking thing on my daughter's leg today. but it's really weird sometimes because I don't notice anything on her body in the morning and then later during the day I will discover it! If you do get bb bites it is evident it is there in the morning when you have been bitten right??

I will ask sean about my discovery thank you everyone!!
BBsBlow

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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 6 2007 22:33:59
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Hi Mini,
I can only speak from my experience, but I've had bites pop up at all hours of the day when I've been in various locations.
Anonymous

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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 6 2007 22:40:17
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Mini,

It's possible to have more than one insect at home. Some (non-bedbug) insects are easier to find and turn out to be harmless. When you start inspecting everything very closely, you can turn up all kinds of bugs that you never noticed before. Bedbugs, however, hide really well. (Some people only find the fecal specks that may look like pepper.) Have you contacted your landlord to arrange for a PCO inspection, or arranged for one directly if you are not in an apartment building? Sometimes good PCOs know where to look, what to look for, and have the patience and skills to find evidence of an infestation. Why not contact a PCO asap? It's very hard to try to do everything yourself.

Bedbug bites appear at different times for different people. Some people notice them when they shower in the morning. For others they appear later in the day, even much later, closer to evening, for yet others. Some people suspect that a hot room or stress can cause their bites to surface. There isn't much information on this, but trust that in most cases it's just not possible to rule out or diagnose bedbugs based on the appearance and location of bites or the timing of their manifestation.

I have not read your other posts but if your daughter is showing reactions, have you considered taking her to a dermatologist? There are other things than bedbugs. Perhaps you have discussed that already elsewhere.

In any case, please consider getting help from professionals.
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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 6 2007 22:45:25
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And if no one has said it yet, welcome to the forums, Bugologist.

We can use your participation, and thanks!
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Nov 7 2007 0:38:17
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thanks guys Don't know what I would do without you folks! well I live in a single family 3 bedroom house. and I did call in a PCO and that numnut said my pantry beetle was a bed bug, since I told him I found it near our mattress. So I really do not know who I can trust. and also I don't have much evidence at all so right now I am trying to find any evidence I can so I can decide what next action I would need to take.

Ok so another question. for the most part. how many bites does 1 bb usually bite in 1 night? Do you think 1 bite per 1 bb? I know if bb's are interupted they will start their feeding all over again. but if say my daughter is getting like 1 "bite" per night do you think it means there is only 1 bb? (I'm praying if so that is the case)
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Nov 7 2007 0:46:49
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forget about my question I just found the bb bite survey. very helpful thanks to caliokitty
pleasehelp

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Nov 7 2007 11:36:57
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mini, I had a bb-mis-identification experience similar to yours. A PCO id'd 2 exoskeletons from my box springs as being a bedbugs, and with absolutely no other evidence of bb's, he bid the extermination job in 3 areas of the house. I was suspicious because he simply glanced at them, using no magnification. I sent 1 of the specimens off to a PhD entomologist, who id'd it as a carpet beetle. I understand that in many states, positive identification of bbs is required for a PCO to treat. I don't know what the law is in VA (does anybody here know?) Anyway, the PCO was Noble Pest Management in Northern VA. Where are you and who was the offending PCO? It would help others in your area to know about your experience. Maybe someone can recommend a competent, ethical PCO with bed bug experience in your area... (or mine). Nobugsonme is planning to launch a section of this site for us to post our PCO experiences, but in the meantime, could you share your info?
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Nov 7 2007 15:40:21
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Sure. The people I used was Add Guard. It's in New Jersey. I actually emailed sean @ thebedbugsource.com and he was very helpful and nice to answer my question. He said that the pictures show they are NOT bed bugs ok. so now I wonder what the "bites" are???
I'm still trying to find out this mystery.

On top of this stress. I just found 1 mouse dropping in the living room. another creepy thing to worry about. ahhhhhhhhh!
lieutenantdan

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Nov 7 2007 16:56:48
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minibughater,
In my opinion #4982 is a carpet beetle larva and the others look like a springtail or silverfish.
I would bet my money that they are not bed bugs.
I get the mystery bite thing from time to time.
lieutenantdan

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Nov 7 2007 17:03:12
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http://whatsthatbug.com/springtails.html

Springtail images

http://whatsthatbug.com/pantry.html

carpet or pantry beetle images
pleasehelp

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Nov 7 2007 17:07:30
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mini..."Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean everybody's not out to get me" and by the same token, just because you have x bug doesn't mean you don't have bedbugs. I can't remember if you suspect mites... I understand that there are mites that live on mice and also bite humans. I was so happy when I thought my bites were from mites!!!
parakeets

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Nov 7 2007 17:46:56
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Thanks for the photos. I add my vote with others in that what you show us is absolutely not a bedbug. It just doesn't have the bedbug parts. The bedbug nymphs look just like adult bedbugs, only the first instars are much smaller than adults, of course, and sort of see-through, transparent and yellow/whitish if they haven't had a blood meal. But they don't have a different shape or structure than the adults.

Sadly, if this is the bug you captured, the bites could still be from a bedbug that bit and hid and you haven't captured. My bedbugs are biting but I can't see them, particularly now that I get much less bites. I sometimes find moth larvae, silverfish, a roach or two, carpet beetles--but I never find a live bedbug. Yet I am being bitten. So I could take pictures of the other bugs, send samples to entomologists, and they would tell me it's not bedbugs. But it is, because I know my bites and when my infestation was heavier I had bedbug samples.
mrbill0626

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Nov 7 2007 23:39:47
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MBH:

Those don't look like bed bugs, but if I were you I would get some DE to spread around to kill them anyway.

Mr Bill
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Nov 8 2007 0:20:35
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Thanks everyone you guys are great! =). I guess another night to go through and see what surprise awaits us tomorrow. maybe tonight I will tape the outlet right by the bed and see if there are any bites tomorrow. until then thank you everyone for your responses. I love this website =)
thanks to lieutenantdan too yuk those pictures were gross. I hope I don't find anymore of these bugs. Sean said he thinks the picture looks like a sow bug?? anyways time to sleep. very very worn out and tired from stuffing holes and duct taping since I found a mouse dropping. but thats a whole other story.=(
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Nov 8 2007 9:35:49
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guess what everyone? hopefully... maybe... I don't know but I'm praying this worked! If I did have bb's I think I only had a few...I say this because of lack of evidence. So only 1 of my daughter has been getting these mysteriouos bites for about a month now and last night I tried to figure out where "it" might be hiding and I figured it HAD to be on the right side of the mattress because only 1 person and the same person has been being bitten. So I covered all the cracks sprayed murphys oil and kleen free in the cracks but the one thing I over looked was an outlet which was right below her head. So I covered that with some duct tape and today she didn't have any "bites"

So I hope I trapped whatever has been biting my daughter. I feel a bit more happy. but I guess we will have to wait and see. since I know sometimes bb's don't bite every night. I also slept next to my daughter on the right side of the bed and I didn't get any bites as well.
parakeets

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Nov 8 2007 10:21:38
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The outlet is a common place for bedbugs to hide. When you say "If I did have bb's I think I only had a few...I say this because of lack of evidence" that is not so reassuring since if you don't eradicate bedbugs, the population can quickly grow, even two can grow to thousands in just a couple of months. I am still getting bitten and there is no evidence. I'm not so sure that anything less than a moderate to heavy infestation will always leave obvious evidence, and then only if you know what you are looking for.
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Nov 8 2007 10:46:06
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but won't they just die off if I trapped them?
pleasehelp

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Nov 8 2007 11:17:47
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Yes, mini, they will die out if you truly trapped them. But covering an outlet won't trap them. They can roam all over behind the walls - there are numerous escape routes. Sry.
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Nov 8 2007 12:00:17
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=( I know maybe I'm in denial.
pleasehelp

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Nov 8 2007 13:18:19
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We know how that is! I bagged up my ez chair & put it outside several days ago, and seem to have not been bitten since. But I expect there are stragglers lurking around the house - I just can't see any signs - it's so frustrating...
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Fri Nov 9 2007 11:16:18
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ok so this is day 2 and no bites again. *crossing fingers and praying* I vacuumed, caulked up, kleen freed everything in sight and taped up the outlet.
pleasehelp

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Posted 5 years ago
Fri Nov 9 2007 12:32:29
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Keep us posted mini. My bites have abated, but it's difficult to tell if they've totally stopped.
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Fri Nov 9 2007 12:38:01
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pleasehelp what have you been doing to prevent bites?
pleasehelp

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Posted 5 years ago
Fri Nov 9 2007 13:36:46
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I'd been unsuccessfully trying to find bb evidence in the (2nd floor) bedroom for over a month. Had 1 PCO inspect the bedroom, but all he found were carpet beetle exoskeletons which he told me were bb's. An entomologist later id'd them as carpet beetles. About a week ago while on the 1st floor, I discovered blood spots on my clothing just before retiring for the night. (I'd changed into that clothing in the AM while on the first floor & hadn't been upstairs all day)... I looked for corresponding bites & found none. Went upstairs to bed. When I looked in the AM, breakfast-lunch-dinner bites which matched up perfectly to the blood spots had become visible. So my latest theory is that the infestation is on the 1st floor, probably in my computer chair and/or recliner (where I would often doze off until the wee hours). So about 6 days ago I bagged up the computer chair (which I got for free, 2nd hand, by the way) & recliner and put them outside. I've also avoided the TV/recliner room and made appointments for 2 more PCO inspections. It seems I have no new bites, but if I did indeed move most of the infestation out, I expect any stragglers will be getting hungrier & more aggressive as time goes on.
mrbill0626

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Posted 5 years ago
Fri Nov 9 2007 19:19:24
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MBH:

What did you use Kleen Free on? Isn't that a contact killer?

Mr Bill
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Fri Nov 9 2007 19:40:04
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well. I sprayed it in all the nooks under the baseboard and moldings on the ceilings. and I sprayed my mattress and metal bedframe until it was drenched so hopefully if any bugs were present that I could not see they got a dose of the kleen free. we shall see tonight if anyone gets bitten. if we don't it will be 3 nights bite free. =)
mrbill0626

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Posted 5 years ago
Sat Nov 10 2007 1:24:53
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MBH:

Would that Kleen Free be something to spray my clothes with, like the ones hanging in the closet that I can't put into the laundry, but that I get dry-cleaned? Does it kill bed bugs eggs?

Thanks

Mr Bill
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Sat Nov 10 2007 9:30:34
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I'm not sure if anything kills eggs but I don't think Kleen free does. maybe someone can confirm. but you can spray kleen free on almost anything. I know I read a post here and there of people bringing along kleen free and spraying in hotels and luggage before entering home.
Bites44

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Posted 5 years ago
Sat Nov 10 2007 11:08:42
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Mr Bill, I read in several places that kleen free causes them to molt and they die. I found bugs and feces on my rug under the legs of a little wooden side table, and I spray that area every day until the rug is soaked. Also I have turned over my recliner and sprayed the insides until everything was soaked, wood, fabric, etc.

Note I had to edit my post, and remove some stuff I wrote as I was uncertain of the information I was giving. Must do a lot more reading on this subject. My apologies.
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Posted 5 years ago
Sat Nov 10 2007 23:27:04
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The thing to remember about Kleen Free (or Kleen Green) and no, I don't know if it kills eggs, is that it is a contact killer. It has no residual effect once it dries. So it will only kill what it comes into contact with. If you see bugs, you can vacuum them, or spray them with 91% alcohol or Kleen Free or perhaps Murphy's Oil Soap and who knows what other contact killers there are. (And you'll notice some of these are cheaper than others.)

The bugs we all want to kill, however, are the ones we can't see.

Spraying clothes, or handbags, or shoes, etc. with Kleen Free would not be effective, in my opinion, unless you can soak such items and get every seam, every nook and cranny. I'm not sure that dry-cleanable clothes would survive soaking with something like Kleen Free. If the dry cleaner is a conventional dry cleaner (that uses perc and not some "green" method), then the clothes should be fine. Dry cleaning is something you don't do yourself, so it's one those things that may be ineffective if a) it's done incorrectly, or b) is exposed to other customers' bugs. But, strictly technically, perc dry cleaning is effective against bedbugs.

Sometimes you do want to feel like you are doing everything possible, and spraying your shoes with Kleen Free before leaving for work may fall into that category of mind-easing behavior that may or may not actually be making a difference. If you can do nothing better, then that is all you are doing, a sort of gesture.
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Posted 5 years ago
Sat Nov 10 2007 23:29:13
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The manufacturer of Kleen Free / Kleen Green is Ginesis. You can google them and contact them for more information about their products and what they can or cannot do.

Also, Sean previously clarified the issues regarding products that kill bedbug eggs here: http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/480?replies=17#post-5856
parakeets

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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 13 2007 10:27:47
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My sister uses Dryel, a dry cleaner product that you use in your own dryer, for her dry cleaning. If you kept the clothes in your dryer long enough using this product, the heat of the dryer would kill bedbugs and eggs. Since you put the clothes in dry, the amount of time you needed to keep the clothes in the dryer would be considerably less than the amount of time you need to kill bedbugs when drying wet clothes.
minibughater

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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Nov 13 2007 15:08:05
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hi everyone sorry I was MIA for a few days. was out for the weekend. anyways. good news. so far since the last time I posted, haven't gotten any more bites. I really hope I either vacuumed them up or killed them with kleen free and murphy's oil, or trapped them in the walls with caulking and tape and they can starve to death. =) but I'm still tramatized by this whole experience that I don't think I will ever let anything drop to the floor ie. clothes, pillows, blankets I get really freaked out and pick it up and shake it like crazy.

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