Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Detection / Identification of bed bugs
Is this a (dead) bed bug?
(8 posts)-
mycattom
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 2
Posted 1 month ago
Wed Sep 30 2009 9:50:07
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Hello,
I started getting bites after a trip to New York city from the Washington, DC area. I haven't seen any detectable signs of bed bugs on mattress, bed frame, linens, or surrounding area. PCO didn't see any either.
Yesterday I vacuumed, steamed mattress (we don't have a box spring) and bed frame, and washed and dried bedding. My husband found a dead bug outside the drier last night. Is it a bed bug?
As of this morning I didn't notice any new bites. I'm cautiously optimistic.
Thanks,
Leigh -
upagain
junior member
Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 164
Posted 1 month ago
Wed Sep 30 2009 10:09:15
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I am going to say no. I can't really tell what that is. I am almost 100% not a BB. Size?
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spideyjg
oldtimer
Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 1,405
Posted 1 month ago
Wed Sep 30 2009 10:26:12
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The bottom appear to have so many "appendages" I don't even think it is insect related.
Jim
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It looks like something from plant kingdom... a dried germinating seed, or similar...
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mycattom
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 2
Posted 1 month ago
Wed Sep 30 2009 23:36:14
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Hi everyone,
Thanks for the feedback. EffeCi, not out of the question it's plant-related. I had bedding in plastic bags on front porch, lots of leaves and bits of dried crape myrtle flowers blowing around and might have come inside on the plastic bag. I've just been so panicky about the situation everything is looking suspiciously bug-like to me.
I don't know what to think - new bites definitely appeared after I left New York. I've read that bites can take a while to appear, but 10-12 days?
In any case, maybe it's a coincidence but still no new bites today after steaming yesterday. Bought mattress and pillow bags tonight, just in case.
I'll just have to hope for the best, that if I did bring souvenirs back with me I took care of them and any eggs with steam.
Leigh
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Going with EffeCi but not a bug.
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buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,130
Posted 1 month ago
Thu Oct 1 2009 9:50:33
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I know it sounds impossible, but yes, possibly 10 to 12 days. We've heard 9 days before, and there's enough variation in how peoples' immune systems respond to allergens that 10 to 12 days isn't unheard of.
I can also tell you from experience that it's possible to get bitten by bed bugs somewhere other than your home. I had bed bugs in June 2008. I had thermal treatment that month, getting rid of the infestation in one shot. In August, despite no bug activity whatsoever, I had three bites turn up that I'm pretty darned sure were bed bugs. I was still under warranty with the PCO, so I had him out to inspect. He thoroughly inspected and found nothing. My best guess is that the a movie theater that I'd never been to before had bed bugs, as the bites I got from bed bugs reacted like absolutely nothing else I'd ever been bitten by.
Inspect your bed, but also inspect any areas like the couch or a chair you spend a lot of time in.
Log or otherwise document where the bites you have now are.
If you don't get any new bites, and you don't find any bug signs over the next few weeks, that's a pretty good indication that you got bitten elsewhere and don't have new vermin visitors in your home. (I know it's frustrating and that you probably want a faster answer than that. The other option would be passive monitors like the climb up interceptors for your bed. Even that, though, takes a while. It's one of the most frustrating parts of bed bugs--how effectively they hide making them hard to detect if you don't really know what you're looking for.)
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Following up the rear with a 100% not BB or insect and most likely plant based.
David
PS Sorry not been about too much as its kind of silly season in London
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