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Is it bedbugs?

1. 

   sistabelle
   

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   Joined: Jul '08
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   Posted 4 years ago
   Sun Jul 13 2008 11:19:16
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   HELP !
   I just got back from a camping trip in upstate New York and rented a camping cabin. THere were 3 beds, one double, and a bunk bed. My granddaughter slept in the top buck and kept coming up with very itchy bites. We figured mosiquitoes although we were covering her with bug spray. She would wake up in the middle of the night with the itching driving her crazy. (mosiquitoes drive her crazy also) ANyway, She was the only one getting bitten. 3 or 4 nights had gone by before I suspected bed bugs.
   We took a long hard look at these bits and found several chariteristics thatr can't match up anywhere.
   Her bites are multiple, 3 or 4 in the same area. They look like mosiquitoes at first but then they get a blister like look, they have liquid in them. On the ones she has scratched to death, they look like any other mosqiotoes bite ( for her). The ones she has not opened by scratching are raised, slighly red, (she has dark skin), and have liquid in them. I can't find pictures anywhere that look like hers. BUT, if taken at different times they will look different on different people.

   NEXT, What do I do with all the stuff we need to bring back in the house???? I have seperated her blankets and sheets, but what about OUR stuff which was right next to her bed? What about our clothing or anything else they could ride in on???

   Also, we had 2 dogs, both of which got on her bed.
   Thanks in advance!!!!

2. 

   buggyinsocal
   

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   Joined: Jun '08
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   Posted 4 years ago
   Sun Jul 13 2008 13:03:50
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   Sistabelle,

   I'm really, really, really new here (I've only been battling the bugs for about three weeks), but I think a lot of your questions might be answered in the FAQs on the site, but it sounds like you're understandably sort of freaked out, so I wanted to drop you a quick couple of lines.

   I haven't found a really good way to be sure that bites are bedbugs or not because so many people react differently to the bites than others. I mean, someone who lives near me who is completely bug phobic called in a panic the day after treatment because she had two bites in a row and was terrified that they had migrated. After much searching, she found a dead flea in her bed and hasn't had any other signs. So I don't think there's a reliable way to look at a bite and know.

   That said, because bedbugs (BB) are such a scourge once they get going, I would take every precaution you can to make sure that you eliminate any bugs you might have brought back with you from the trip. I would start by reading the "Think You Have Bedbugs" FAQ (http://bedbugger.com/2007/01/20/faq-think-you-have-bed-bugs-some-dos-and-donts/) because some of the things that you should do if you find that you brought them home with you are not what you would expect. So if you find that they are in your house, knowing what to do before you find them will keep you from doing things that many of us did before we knew it was a bad idea.

   For example, if you do find live bugs, you should put them in a ziplock and hold onto them for PCOs who come to your house. Now, I don't know about you, but my impulse with bugs is to kill them and get them the heck out of the house, so unless I'd read that, I would had smashed them and/or flushed them down the toilet, you know?

   Secondly, take a look at the FAQs on this page: http://bedbugger.com/faqs/travel/
   Pay close attention to the ones about what to do if you've been exposed and how to avoid spreading them.

   Third, this page (http://bedbugger.com/faqs/stuff/) talks about specifics about how to treat clothing, bedding, etc. The one on laundering is probably most useful, but the one on dry cleaning might apply as well.

   Fourth, bedbugs don't tend to "harbor" (i.e. hang out and hide when they aren't feeding) on pets. BB usually just feed on their hosts and then drop off. Make sure you wash any bedding, blankets, or towels you used on the dogs. If you want to feel totally safe, you can bathe the doigs--warm soapy water tends to kill BB in things other than fabric. If you have the dogs bathed, the only responsible thing to do is inform the groomer, but inform them in advance as I can tell you (based on my experience with my cat) that mention of BB tends to freak people out. If a groomer won't do it, and you can't /won't bathe the dogs yourself, try a vet.

   Any fabric that was in the location that the bedbugs were, with or without zippers is suspect. Read those FAQs--they have a lot of detail from people with a lot more experience than I do.

   Good luck, and I sincerely hope it wasn't bed bugs; I wouldn't wish these evil beasties on anyone. I hope you're not the newest member of this club, but we'll be here if you are.

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