Invisible Infestation (5 months so far) Painful Bites [photo: dermestid beetle]

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Invisible Infestation (5 months so far) Painful Bites [photo: dermestid beetle]

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Started 11 months ago by chazychazlives
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chazychazlives

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Posted 11 months ago
Fri Jun 1 2012 1:43:20
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Tiny or Invisible Bug Infestation in Home! It all started with my little sister (almost 3 yrs old now) getting little bites around her private areas around Jan. 2012. She continues to get them to this day. They are not bed bugs or fleas. My parents have checked and checked and sprayed and sprayed with chemicals for those type of bugs. They have experience with beg bugs and fleas and have not found a single piece of evidence. Based on what I can find on the internet, the cause is Bird Mites. We started wiping down the floors and spraying furniture with a mixture of windex, ammonia, and borax. It worked quite well but from time to time the bites return. I have recently felt the mites or whatever bug it is because I have just come home. I've been away for months at school and now I'm getting bitten too!! Nice welcome home present right?! We have also tried putting on tea tree oil, menthol gel, and taking baths in eucalyptus & peppermint oils. We wipe and spray EVERY SINGLE DAY! Still, there is no relief! The only thing my mom found recently are these TINY TINY BLACK DOTS about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. My eyes are young, but even I can't tell if it is anything. Looks like dust to me! What is going on and how do we put an end to it?????? Please help!

The bites are not itchy. They are small and when the bugs bite it feels like a sharp pain as if they were jabbing you with a needle or a knife. It hurts like a b*tch. And when you go to look at your clothes, there's nothing there. My sister gets bit in the diaper area. I get bit on my upper back right under my bra strap. My mom feels them on her legs and on her back.

The only other bugs we've seen lately are little black beetles about as tall as this font. They are usually found alone either on the floor or on the curtain. I assume they're just trying to get outside and I throw them outside or my mom kills them.
bed-bugscouk

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Posted 11 months ago
Fri Jun 1 2012 3:44:52
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Hi,

Can you please post a picture or scan of the insects you have seen so we can help you ID it.

David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited
chazychazlives

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Posted 10 months ago
Thu Jul 12 2012 22:13:56
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So, here we are still. Stress out and being attacked by invisible creepers. I feel them much less than before due to the constant vacuuming and cleaning every single day. HOWEVER, I still get bit occasionally and my mom is going crazy from all the bites and tingly sensations in her hair, her lower back, and the crotch area. My sister still shows signs from the bites between her legs and her thighs. I got some random bites 3 in a row and very tiny. Sometimes I just get one. What could it be?????

We have also bought mattress covers for the beds just in case, but the baby is still struggling for a good nights sleep sometimes. My mom has still not gotten a decent amount of sleep either. It's not the bed if that's what you're thinking. They feel them everywhere they go! Even if they go out into the car or they're at the local store they just walked to. My mom bought lice shampoo recently too. She's running out of options...

This house is no longer at peace due to these things. It's driving us NUTS!

As I said before we could not find any trace of bugs. Only some random beetles here and there. I took a picture of one today finally. I honestly DO NOT think these guys are the culprit. It has to be something else, because when I feel that sharp pain from a bite, and I LOOK... THERE IS NOTHING VISIBLE! Unless they just jump or fly away before I look to see wtf just bit me. Then I am left with a tiny itchy bump that goes away within a few days. If it was the beetles I think we would've at least caught the once on our skin or clothing. The only time we see them is lounging on the floor or by the window.

I took a photo of a beetle that was flying around my face today. (Indoors)
Although, the ones we normally find are completely BLACK. This one looks BROWN.
Nobugsonme

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Posted 10 months ago
Thu Jul 12 2012 23:58:00
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I changed the title above to alert experts to the need for a photo ID.
chazychazlives

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Posted 10 months ago
Fri Jul 13 2012 14:25:38
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Do you think it's possible we could have scabies since we can't find any bugs? Our house is kept pretty clean and the mattresses show no evidence of bed bugs. Surely these beetles are not the culprit. Although, our bites do not look as terrible as the cases I see on google images. But perhaps that's due to all the cleaning.

*sigh*
thebedbugresource

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Posted 10 months ago
Fri Jul 13 2012 21:01:26
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It is a dermestid beetle
Nobugsonme

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Posted 10 months ago
Sat Jul 14 2012 0:37:49
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I think it's worth consulting a doctor -- it seems odd to me that your sister's bites are all in the groin area.

Bed bug bites can't be diagnosed by doctors but scabies can. (However, some of us have been misdiagnosed with scabies -- so ask the doctor to do a skin scraping to confirm it's scabies.)

You also said you suspected bird mites and your mother found small black specks. If a macro photo can be taken, an expert here might ID those. Most states have a cooperative extension office which is associated with a public university. They can often ID a sample in person if a
macro photo is not an option.

Bird mites are not very common but are very unpleasant and quite small. It seems worth investigating the possibility.
chazychazlives

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Posted 9 months ago
Fri Aug 3 2012 0:28:44
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I've used a magnifying glass and I think these "dots" are just random dust particles or other things that just needed a good vacuum. We still vacuum 2-3 times a day and wipe down surfaces and the floor. I haven't felt them since my last post, however my mom still feels them and my sister still has bites. I think I've developed an immunity to feeling the super painful bite OR they started biting me while I'm unconscious... sleeping. I've been getting the small bites on my arms that just appear the next day. Sometimes they are a bit itchy. These bugs must be microscopic or something because we can never find any evidence of a bug!

Here are some photos of the bites I've gotten over this past 2 weeks.
chazychazlives

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Posted 9 months ago
Fri Aug 3 2012 0:30:29
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There are 3 consecutive bites right next to that guitar pic in the LAST PHOTO.

You can zoom into the pic if you open the image full size.
DreDay17

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Posted 9 months ago
Fri Aug 3 2012 1:32:33
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These "black dots" should be collected for Id.

Please note that almost anything can cause "bumps".
miabugs

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Posted 8 months ago
Wed Aug 29 2012 19:06:17
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Well we are in Northern NJ for the record and my daughters 5 and 14 and I (and my husband minimally) having been having same issue for about a month now (at least noticeably, but probably started a while back gradually, looking back). Black specks and all. Yeah, they don't look like much under scope. Have you ever seen any glittery ones, that are like a hexagon shape? Don't know if bird mites, atypical scabies, Morgellons, collembola/springtails (still not clear on what exactkt those are, seen different descriptions of them) or what. We also get mysterious scratches from these damn things, we are getting scarred, also depigmentation spots, funky moles and cherry angiomas and tiny pinprick bites that come in pairs (on me). We might have a mellange of bugs, but one of them sounds like yours. Started with stinging bites and some crawling, now have bites and mysterious scratches, some long, and some facial, cavity crawling. We feel them mostly at home but also when away. Does anyone get stomach aches? Does anyone get the chills in the evening? Our pco didn't find anything, nor did mold inspector, who looked for evidence of collembolas. Will be calling Orkin next I think, as I hear they have a lab in Atlanta where they can send samples to and I saw a post by someone with similar situation and has sent them black speck samples already, and they said they must have some kind of mite, but unidentifiable, poster has not updated lately so don't know if they ever found answer.....It's becoming epidemic these mytery bugs. Just search mystery bites or mystery scratches and see how many come up. It's insane! We travel a lot and stay at hotels, but also have a cat that has gone out without protection. She is now using Revolution. We have had rodents in the house too. So could be rodent mites but I doubt it. We really need to start a FB page to centralize all these thousands of postings on different forums to try to get a database of similarities/differences. So much conflicting info and people trying to sell all these protocols. Maybe I'll start Mystery Bite page on FB so we can all at least post photos. Meanwhile, this is one of the best sites out there so far on this!
Lady J

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Posted 5 months ago
Sat Dec 8 2012 16:21:48
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Although I know this is a old post it is so similar to the problem I am having that I thought I try to reach out. So chazychazlives did you ever find out what kind of bugs you and your family were dealing with. I ask because I am having what appears to be the same problem. Sharp painful bites but no visible bug to be seen. I feel them crawling on me, in my hair, and sometimes they cause my skin and scalp to feel a burning sensation. I have boomed, sprayed, wash my clothes and although it did seem to somewhat helped they keep coming back. It seem that they hide in unexpected places because every now and then when I pick something up like by blow dryer or open something like my suitcase I start itching. I also have notice these little black speck on things and I thing it is the bugs too. They actually look like specks of lint or dust they are so tiny you can't really tell if they are bugs or not. But I know when I start itching or feel the bit sting and look really closely at my clothes or my sheets I see these little black specks. When I iron my clothes especially when its something white these little black specks pop up on the clothes. Have you guys found a solution? If you find out what they are or what's going on please post and I will do the same.
loubugs

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Posted 5 months ago
Mon Dec 10 2012 14:23:11
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I don't know if I'd call this beetle a dermestid. 3 bites in a row is not necessarily something that points to bed bugs. Bite-like reactions or lesions that have been interpreted as such are not necessarily bites at all. There is no direct relationship of the beetle to skin lesions.
conka

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Posted 4 months ago
Mon Jan 7 2013 23:31:23
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Hi All - I'm having the SAME 'mite' problem, but I'm not showing any visible bites. It turns out I'm not allergic to them but they bite me all night.

I am at my wits end. Has anyone used a heating method like Thermapure? I heard that cooking the apt is hugely helpful but I'm concerned about the eggs. How many times should I cook the apt?

Hey entomologists, how do I get rid of mites? I don't have ANY idea how I would have gotten this mite (I can't get a diagnosis). I keep reading that they are the cause of a rat or bird dying and looking for a new blood host.

I don't have pets or plants, I live on the 4th floor of a building with no patio, there have been no bird nests found, I haven't been around birds, I am very tidy, I have not been on a trip. I'm completely at a loss. The ONLY thing I can think of is maybe a rat died in the wall and I got mites. But then I can't attend to the dead rat.

I don't know what to do. I want my life back. Can someone help w/ a cure? I can't keep cleaning as it is not effective.
jeanlouis234

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Posted 4 months ago
Tue Jan 8 2013 0:32:34
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Dear God have mercy on my poor tired finished mind

But the stuff you describe Chazy and Conka is basically the same hell I'm going through

I once asked a PCO what else could cause blood stains and he said mites, he didn't know how to get rid of them however.

I read some insane stuff on the net (just type biting mites) and you'll see people washing themselves with Listerine, I haven't tried

If any of you experts have a clue on how we can get rid of this please, fer crying out loud, let us know
Nobugsonme

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Posted 4 months ago
Tue Jan 8 2013 3:47:26
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jeanlouis234 - 3 hours ago »
I once asked a PCO what else could cause blood stains and he said mites, he didn't know how to get rid of them however.
I read some insane stuff on the net (just type biting mites) and you'll see people washing themselves with Listerine, I haven't tried
If any of you experts have a clue on how we can get rid of this please, fer crying out loud, let us know

"Mites could cause blood" is not the same as "you see blood, you must have mites." Not by a long shot!

You don't have mites unless someone IDs them. You need a visual sample. And if you did have them, they could be treated, no bathing in Listerine necessary or recommended.

Please read my other response to you in this thread.

There are some crazy bird mite websites with really bad and dangerous advice. Please don't seek help unless you know it's coming from a good source. If you do have mites, the entomologists here would be a better source of advice than anonymous people making up their own treatments.
bugsonme

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Posted 5 days ago
Wed May 15 2013 16:40:51
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Nobugs - since I think you've been following my case - this sounds like exactly what I am going through.

To those who think you have any sort of mite, please do not read anything on birdmites.org. After reading that site, I was hoping my problem was, afterall, bed bugs - just to give you an idea.

However... I can't seem to find any PCO that can identify mites. The ONE I thought specialized in bird mites sent a man out to my house with a flashlight who didn't find anything but looked at my legs and said "yep, those are bed bug bites" and left my apartment.

I'm getting bit every night - think I am reacting late it the day but itchy all the time, feel like things are crawling in my hair, etc and noticing black dots everywhere. Someone above mentioned glittery ones and I do see those everywhere too but have a lot of clothes with glitter type stuff on it so attribute it to that.

Does anyone know if some sort of glittery mite exists?

I am not a religious person, however, I prayed to God for a solution or end or answer to this problem so I can start living a normal life. The next day someone from this site (I want to keep WHO confidential as this person private messaged it to me in confidence) offered to send me a couple of David Cain's monitors for my bed and couch. Even knowing they are coming has made my life a little more bearable -thank you again - you know who you are :))
Nobugsonme

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Posted 5 days ago
Wed May 15 2013 16:58:35
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Hi bugsonme,

It's essential to find visual confirmation before you decide what's biting you.

I would simply install the passives you receive per the instructions (let me know if you need those), and rule out bed bugs. You might also rule out fleas if you haven't yet (see this FAQ for how to make a free flea trap).

Mites are a possibility, and while small, they're not invisible.

One expert here has recommended glue traps on windowsills to try and catch them. make sure no birds, mice, rats are nesting or have recently nested on or in your home. If they have, get a PCO to come in and remove the nest and treat. They should be able to find samples if they do-- but you should probably not touch a nest (I've heard some scary things happen if mites are present, best leave to a pro).

If you do find a possible mite sample via glue traps, you can slip some waxed paper over the gluey side and ask forum regular and entomologist Lou Sorkin if you can send it to him for ID (he is very helpful about this, I can give you his email). If you think you see a mite on your legs, clear packing tape might be used to pick one up for ID.

While I'm unaware of whether a "glittery mite" exists, I suspect that (to twist the proverb), most of what glitters is actually glitter. That stuff gets everywhere.

Note also that sites like the one you mentioned abound with people who think they have some mysterious condition. People claim invisible mites are biting them. I think this is highly unlikely, and if it is a pest-related issue, you will probably find you have a more common and visible culprit. If black dots are suspected mites, they can be collected and ID'd.

There are some health conditions which cause similar sensations and after ruling out the likely suspects, I would also look into that if you can't figure this out in a few weeks of monitoring for various species.
nmurcia

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Posted 2 days ago
Sat May 18 2013 23:52:16
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Wow, I have had the same problem for a week now, invisible bugs biting me. Started the day I was in the blackberry tree picking berries and shooing the birds away.
I have suffered for a week with an itchy body, head and prickly feeling of bite and when I look nothing there.
Yet I have bite marks throughout the week, under arms, legs, thighs, stomach, back. They itch a few days and seem to get dry. Then more bites appear and I couldn't figure out what it was.
But after reading this forum and seeing the bugs in the container.. ugh, figured it was a mite and yes it bites.
Now it all makes sense. Today after picking berries and then i was looking at the bottom of the container I noticed the miniscule little mites, they moved quick and seem to jump.
Bird mites? Fruit/ tree mites?
I immediately went in to get those clothes off and directly into washer and a hot, hot shower.
Now praying that I've washed them all off.
I've stripped my bed and bleached the sheets and now definitely staying away from that blackberry tree.
The birds win!!!
bed-bugscouk

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Posted 2 days ago
Sun May 19 2013 7:41:49
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Hi,

It's not bird mites, they can't jump and also tend to associate with the birds nest rather than being actively on the birds themselves.

David