I'VE HAD IT « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Detection / Identification of bed bugs

I'VE HAD IT

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Started 2 years ago by iseriouslyneversleep
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iseriouslyneversleep

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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Oct 31 2010 20:56:23
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Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. i had a great halloween weekend, went out to the suburbs and stayed with a friend, did dinner and a movie etc. before i went out there i totally washed and dried in hot everything i was bringing over, inspected my bag and shoes and purse etc. so i think it was safe. while i was there i did notice an itch on my armpit but im praying its delayed reaction from my house (or non bb - im still not confirmed - been cleared by a dog. i always want to make that clear). now i'm at home frantic and searching and itching, cause SOMETHING bit the living hell out of the side of my neck when i got home.

i got home about two hours ago....its not late at night yet or anything. the ONLY thing ive done since i got home is put on (inspected) pj pants and steam cleaned my bathroom and living room floors, inspected my sheets (nothing found there), and looked behind my curtain (nothing found there). and now ta da! there are bites erupting on my neck. are they SERIOUSLY that stealth or can i safely say now that there is no way a bedbug would zip up to my neck and munch on me when its not late at night and i'm constantly moving around? still absolutely no fecal on my bright white mattress. i have two tiny, tiny exact circular dark stains on my mattress but there are only two and have been there for awhile - nothing new so i dunno if it could be bb related or just old random who knows what stains.

the only time my neck was anywhere near the floor was when i got down on my hands and knees to clean up some awesome cat puke my cat left as a present for me upon my return, and when i got down on my hands and knees to maneuver the steamer underneath my bed.

please tell me its not bb behavior to teleport to my neck at 7:00 pm and bite the [expletive deleted] out of it. even though it may have been close to the floor it was never ON the floor and i dont think they jump, do they?

thinking about having the dog come back...if i do this, i will be forfeiting Christmas this year, no presents for anyone. i make very little money and had to have my mom help me pay for the last dog visit, but i cant ask her to do that again.

i wish they had some kind of "if you are still getting eaten alive 2 weeks after we come with the dog, we'll come again and double check" system.

so sad.
Richard56

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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Oct 31 2010 21:07:51
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You should know by now that bites alone are inconclusive for bed bugs. So, if you have no other signs, and have been cleared by the dogs, why do you still think you have bed bugs? Wouldn't it be more logical to be looking elsewhere? For some other insect, or perhaps at some sort of skin reaction. Hopefully, the steam cleaning you mentioned was non bed bug related, because it's a shame to put a lot of time and energy into treating something that probably isn't there. Maybe another inspection for peace of mind isn't a bad idea. You also might want to get a BBAlert Passive monitor as well. But at some point you have go by the evidence and not by your fears. And right now there is no evidence.

Richard
iseriouslyneversleep

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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Oct 31 2010 21:26:11
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thanks for the reassurance, richard. one reason why i'm probably still so scared is the massive amount of people here who have never had evidence and had good dog alerts and still ended up having bbs. i feel like every single person here who has had no signs ends up having them anyway and that is why i am so paranoid. even people who have ended up having carpet beetles (which i do have and fully acknowledge could be a cause) later find they have both! or both fleas and bbs, etc. etc. there was a thread recently, i think, that asked how many people have had bugs and no evidence, and tons of people replied. it made me wish i was dead. have also had a lot of replies where people will say "it could just be a delayed reaction bite" etc. etc. that plus the fact that the first incident occurred in a bb rumored hotel is what has me so convinced they just must be hiding in my apartment like they were hiding in all[i] those other people's homes.

the steaming the floors - its just how i do my floors, its a non-fancy steamer that i use instead of a mop because if i want to, i can do the steaming with water alone and it still cleans the floors. so thats actually pretty quick and easy, not a lot of fuss.

most likely...fleas/carpet beetle hairs or mites then? i have never really had allergic reactions to anything, but can people get allergic reactions to mold? cause theres a fantastic ginormous scary spot of mold in my apt. buildings vestibule ceiling.

after lifting up my shirt right now and seeing fresh "bites"/irritation, i doubt any bbs have crawled up my shirt and bit me in the last few minutes rather than bite my exposed arms. wore this shirt all day without incident, only when i get home do the issues start popping up.
Richard56

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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Oct 31 2010 21:43:38
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one reason why i'm probably still so scared is the massive amount of people here who have never had evidence and had good dog alerts and still ended up having bbs....there was a thread recently, i think, that asked how many people have had bugs and no evidence, and tons of people replied.
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I think you have to be careful how you interpret these anecdotal surveys.

How thoroughly and with how much knowledge did these people look for evidence? Did they bring in dogs like you did? Did they bring in a PCO to look? Did they use monitors appropriately? And lastly, did they really ever find evidence or just go ahead and treat?

Because I have no doubt that a lot more people treat for bed bugs than actually have them, and a good proportion of these people no doubt equate treating with having bed bugs.

Bottom line is no evidence, then no reason to believe you have bed bugs, but definitely reason to look elsewhere, including fleas, carpet beetle hairs, mites, etc. Could also be allergies, or even stress. A trip to the dermatologist might also make sense. Glad to hear the steaming was not part of a DIY campaign.

It was difficult for me to turn the last corner where logic overturns the fear of bed bugs. What worked was going over and over the facts of my particular case, instead of dwelling on the fear. Give it a try.

Richard
scaredsilly

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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Oct 31 2010 22:17:27
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I think that is so weird that you could get bitten moving around, but not impossible. Could it be that you could be allergic to something in your apartment? Has there been anything sprayed recently, or a new soap used? My husband is severely allergic to mold and when I became allergic to a certain substance it was immediate. So although you have not been allergic before, doesn't necessarily mean that you could not suddenly develop a new allergy in your place.

Although I agree wholeheartedly with Richard, there are some of us that have difficulty finding bed bug evidence and still really do have them. I'm sure that more often than not, people who think they have bugs don't, but on the off chance that you came in contact with them it appears that with an all clear from dogs, the steaming, and everything else that you are doing you probably don't have them any longer. Just my opinion. Maybe you might want to visit the doctor to be sure about an allergy?
SearchandDestroy

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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Oct 31 2010 22:21:49
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I would say a trip to the dermo is a good idea...I don't think bbs are that stealthly as to launch themselves up to your neck..just doesn't make sense.

Maybe your reactions are stress reactions...who knows, but maybe a dermo could at least tell you what sort of reaction you are really having.
Richard56

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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Oct 31 2010 22:31:28
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Although I agree wholeheartedly with Richard, there are some of us that have difficulty finding bed bug evidence and still really do have them.
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I think I suggested the opposite, in fact what you later suggested -- " that more often than not, people who think they have bugs don't" .

That doesn't mean everyone with bed bugs can find the evidence and that's where a pro can come in handy.

Richard
nycyn

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Nov 1 2010 0:07:00
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OT, maybe. Even if it's OT I'm going to tell this story anyway. (Diversion needs.)

When The Kid was a baby he had a bad cough--like a whooping cough. Ped told me to get a vaporizer. I left work, grabbed the baby and pushed him all over the 'hood trying to find one.

I was STARVING (okay, very very hungry.) I grabbed a gut filler from the Halloween aisle--I forget the name--a jelly like candy in all kinds of cool colors--been around forever--DOTS? I gobbled and pushed. (I am not much of a sweets eater.)

So I'm on the phone anyway later with the Ped when enormous welts began appearing all over me. She told me I had hives and asked what I "ate." A millisecond later she responded "food dye" and said I should go take some Benadryl so my throat wouldn't "close up." I obeyed but didn't take her that, as in I'll choke to death, seriously.

The next morning one eye was on my chin. My lips turned into eyebrows, and one ear was on my cheek. I looked like a monster. (I looked like I got facial bb bites but worse.)

Thanks for listening.
buggyinsocal

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Nov 1 2010 0:08:39
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I think the evidence at this point strongly suggests that you've got a less than 0.5% chance of having bed bugs.

If you know for sure that you have carpet beetles, why not work on eliminating the carpet beetles first?

From what you described, my first thought was carpet beetles. Remember, with CB, it's a hair like thing from the larvae that you're reacting to. In that case, those little hair like things can get carried to places that a bed bug normally wouldn't be--like the top parts of the couch most likely to come into contact with your neck.

I would strongly advise against only basing your opinions of what you have based on your perception of the stories here. It's a well known issue in social science research that getting an unbiased sample is vital to doing any quantitative work.

For starters, chances are that you haven't read every single thread here. I don't mean to make that sound like you should have read every single thread here. I've been here more than 2 years and I haven't.

However, if you're picking and choosing the threads you read, it's possible that you're somehow unintentionally selecting the threads of people who had no signs and then turned out to have bed bugs. After all, people who had bites and then find no bugs aren't very likely to post repeatedly, so the chances of you seeing those threads goes way down.

In the more than 2.5 years I've been on these boards, I've seen a real uptick in false positives from people posting. As word about bed bugs has spread, the number of folks convinced they have bed bugs when they, in fact, have carpet beetles or fleas feels (to my purely unscientific self) like it's gone way up. Maybe I see more of those false positive posts mostly because I'm looking not for specific info so much as for posts I can respond to.

Basing your self-diagnosis on what you recall about stories you've seen at this site, esp. when you're still in the most acute anxiety phase of a bed bug scare, is not the most reliable method of concluding that you must be suffering from a bed bug problem since a site like this has a built in bias: anyone who is likely to post here regularly is someone who's likely to be, for example, more curious than your average pest control consumer. You also get a dramatic oversampling of people with esp. persistent bed bug problems because most people for whom a regular PCO treatment works don't hang around post success.

As a result, being worried--despite having been cleared by a dog --may be keeping you from taking the steps that would help provide conclusive proof that you don't have bed bugs.

We all wish there was some magical test--a blood test, a streak test, an enzyme test, or, well anything--that we could take that could conclusively prove that there were bed bugs present in a home or that we'd been bitten by bed bugs. Since we don't have one, we have to do the best we can without such tests. Part of the best we can do, often, is eliminating other possible sources of bites so that we can focus more precisely on proving what is or isn't there.

It would seem to me, then, that taking steps to eliminate the carpet beetles is the best next step especially because you know you have them.

If you get rid of the carpet beetles and the hair like things their larvae leave behind and the bites stop, well, you've got the proof you need.

Even if you do have bed bugs--which again seems very unlikely given your description--chances are the bed bug bites will make your skin more reactive, and as a result, eliminating any possible irritants--including carpet beetles and their larvae--would be a good idea to help calm your skin down. Since battling bed bugs can take a while anyway, anything that would make your skin less reactive during that process seems like a doubly good idea, no?

So, either way, it seems to me that working on eliminating the carpet beetles is a vital next step.
scaredsilly

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 2 2010 21:10:31
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Richard56 - 1 day ago »
Although I agree wholeheartedly with Richard, there are some of us that have difficulty finding bed bug evidence and still really do have them.
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I think I suggested the opposite, in fact what you later suggested -- " that more often than not, people who think they have bugs don't" .
That doesn't mean everyone with bed bugs can find the evidence and that's where a pro can come in handy.
Richard

Sorry for the confusion, Richard. I was trying to say that I agree with you that most people with "bites" probably don't have bedbugs. In spite of the fact that I agree, there are some who have bites and really do have bedbugs even though they can't find evidence. I further agree with you that if you live in an area, such as New York, where there are great knowledgeable PCO's then let them inspect and rest afterwards. What I would pay for a great PCO.....
Richard56

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 2 2010 21:41:36
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scaredsilly - 30 minutes ago »

Richard56 - 1 day ago »
Although I agree wholeheartedly with Richard, there are some of us that have difficulty finding bed bug evidence and still really do have them.
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I think I suggested the opposite, in fact what you later suggested -- " that more often than not, people who think they have bugs don't" .
---------------

That doesn't mean everyone with bed bugs can find the evidence and that's where a pro can come in handy.
Richard

Sorry for the confusion, Richard. I was trying to say that I agree with you that most people with "bites" probably don't have bedbugs. In spite of the fact that I agree, there are some who have bites and really do have bedbugs even though they can't find evidence. I further agree with you that if you live in an area, such as New York, where there are great knowledgeable PCO's then let them inspect and rest afterwards. What I would pay for a great PCO.....

I'm in total agreement with you
Nobugsonme

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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Nov 3 2010 1:25:12
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scaredsilly said

I agree, there are some who have bites and really do have bedbugs even though they can't find evidence.

It happens, but not for too long.

In other words, bed bugs will poop, and lose their skins. And there will be evidence. The key is in finding it.
iseriouslyneversleep

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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Nov 5 2010 0:02:41
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/55200414@N03/sets/72157625315358508/

ive been diligently cleaning, hoping that as time goes by i get rid of more and more of those carpet beetle hairs...the one place i am terrified of going into is my closet. this is what my back looks like just from doing 2 things tonight - sitting on the edge of a chair at my computer, and sitting on the edge of my bed. i cant imagine what is going to happen to me if i go inside to clean out my closet and all the clothes in there...i'm terrified and i also have a phobia of bugs getting on me or in my hair. though i sure am "hoping" to find a ton of carpet beetles if i do have to find anything...if there is a secret master lair of bbs in there ill spontaneously combust.

the "hairs" (i'm trying hard to use logic and convince myself thats what the issue is, since i've seen cbs and not bbs) are irritating and itchy and welty, and then that is made worse because the area blows up in welts where i scratch...has anyone experienced something like this before?
i havent taken my benadryl tonight so maybe thats why its so bad...i was gonna try to stop taking it at night now that im not as scared to go to sleep. and its not all over my body that i get these welts if i scratch, only in areas that are already welty/bitey/irritated/whatever. and the areas where i have tattoos you obv cant see the welts as well, but when i have a skin reaction the outlines totally swell up too, ugh. that happens sometimes with extreme heat/mosquito bites too, so it doesnt freak me out its just frustrating and another sign that i'm having a reaction. (its not an allergy to the ink, to pre-emptively answer any questions about that)

i guess i dont really expect any advice, i just feel so alone in this as my friends all still think its in my head so i just want proof, somewhere, that i am having a skin reaction to something. it spreads to my neck and down to my lower back as well. now its starting to remind me of a rash i had when i had strep throat a few months ago that lasted for a really long time after the strep was gone. i had been at my boyfriends house and came down extremely ill in a very short period of time...fever, sore throat, pain in my body, and my legs and back were itching like mad and i had a few weird random welts pop up. now i'm wondering...am i sick again, even though i feel fine and the one night i spent away from my apt this week ive had no reaction? or did i just react to carpet beetle hairs in the clothes i packed when i had visited my bf? or is he a non reactor and THATS where i first encountered the (i know, i know, non-existent, my apartment has been cleared) bbs? that last thought i'm not really entertaining seriously but i'm just being honest about whats popping into my head.

i just want a hug, ten thousand hugs.
cacutie

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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Nov 5 2010 0:28:47
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Neversleep- I think all of us girly girls have that phobia of bugs in our hair. It freaks me out when my hair touches my neck in fact. I'm sure something's on me. And this was previous to bbs. haha.

That being said, ten thousand hugs coming your way. Hope it helps!
Sleepless in NYC

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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Nov 5 2010 1:11:17
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A thousand hugs times one thousand. Hang in there.

Btw, nice tat!
sandibug

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Feb 7 2011 19:03:16
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Can carpet beetles leave small blood stains on a shirt overnight? Basically that's the only sign we've ever seen. 3 small blood stains on 3 different occasions on 2 different family members. Could that be anything else? Reading this thread(?) makes me wonder.
victimized

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Feb 7 2011 21:57:16
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It happens, but not for too long.

In other words, bed bugs will poop, and lose their skins. And there will be evidence. The key is in finding it.

Unless you have a horrible beast of a condemnable house like mine that should have been gutted 30... no wait, 50, no wait, 60 years ago! Instead everything was covered over with [expletive deleted] fake wood panel. Here is a better idea! Woof, this room is mess, look at that big gaping hole int he ceiling! The big gaping hole in the floor! Let's just put some beams up and a build a whole new room over this old existing room, leaving hallow spaces behind the plywood and tongue-and-groove knotty pine panel walls.

That's my house so I am the one person on this forum who has much skepticism about the "physical evidence will eventually manifest" theory. With a life sized version of the bed bug motel trap that I, too, live in... they could literally be hiding out anywhere where I cannot see them. Not that I want to.

In a way, I envy all you sufferers in apartments. You all probably have real walls that have a defined beginning and end. You all have one single floor level to content with albeit people on all sides and us just one on either side, but still.

The only time it was really evident we had bed bugs was when we first found them on our sofa, with staining. I didn't think they were in our bedroom until I found two on my pillow. How long had they been there? Where the hell did they come from??? Did they just get unknowingly carried into the bed the week before I realized they were on my sofa that I was laying on? Chances are, they were there the whole damned time and I just never knew it because I wasn't looking and they had such kick ass hiding places. I put crown moulding up two summers ago. It's chocolate brown. I put baseboard moulding and quarter-round down on the floors two summers ago, c'est marron (have a French test I should be studying for, sorry). My bed was like a sea of pillows and blankets before this. I never even really examined my box springs before they got wrapped because I was too afraid to move stuff. The exterminator was more than happy to take them up and jostle them around my room, up against the wall, etc. No wonder there is staining on the picture frame.

Evidence is fine and good when there are only so many places one get inspect. Dust mites? CB hairs? How can even rows of two, or clusters of two, or straight lines be explained by such random skin irritation? I've had my $20 passive on the job since 27 Dec and still nothing. I even relocated it. The dog alerted but we could not verify. Again, could have been in the encasement or in that electrical hole in my wall, who knows!? I'd hate to be the exception to the rule unless it was in regards to getting rid of bed bugs easily.
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Feb 8 2011 1:02:26
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sandibug - 5 hours ago »
Can carpet beetles leave small blood stains on a shirt overnight? Basically that's the only sign we've ever seen. 3 small blood stains on 3 different occasions on 2 different family members. Could that be anything else? Reading this thread(?) makes me wonder.

I don't know about carpet beetles leaving blood stains, but anything that irritates you and makes you itch in your sleep could potentially cause some blood to be on bedlinens or clothing.
ohmy

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Feb 22 2011 11:29:43
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Vitimized,

I just posted my first post, and your household situation seems akin to ours (plenty of hiding places). In our house every single plumbling, radiator and electric inlet is surrounded by gaps, floors that don't meet wall joins, floorboards have gaps between which lead to ceiling of rooms below, door jambs and frames have plenty of space underneath/alongside for things to crawl, and everything is brownish or streaked wood (apart from walls), plus each room is quite small - so everything is 10 feet (and much less) from a bed. I trust the monitors, but not sure in this situation.

I understand we can have allergic reactions to things, but it seems unlikely that several of us would suddendly react to something when nothing substantial has changed (no new washing powder etc), and that we'd react in the same way, with rows of what appear to be bites (My understanding of dust mite reaction would be welting, generalised itch, red marks, but not linear marking with centre points that look like bite insertion). So, even though we have no evidence of bed bugs, I do feel something is biting us, and want to make sure we're not creating a bigger problem by not doing anything. Willing for anyone in the know to advise Would love it if I'm wrong, and can stop all this time consuming de-bugging!

We initially had bites last March after acquiring quite a bit of 2nd hand furniture, dealt with it quickly by steaming everythinhg, DE, bagging a duvet, no more bites at all. Sept son home from Uni, unbags duvet, uses it, gets bitten. hubby has brill idea of 'baiting' as we'd 'dealt with' it 1st time, so he sleeps under possibly infected duvet with DE a few nights (I know, really bad idea), thinks all clear and moves duvet back to our room. We both start getting bitten, sleep with DE (i know, i know, cringe), then realise we need more info, read up, and start de-cluttering, long term bagging, steaming, hot washing, buying monitors etc, and now spraying. If this could be something else that would be great! I'd be so relieved.