Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Reader questions (do not fit into other categories)
Mosquitos vs. bed bugs
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coopbugged
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Joined: Apr '07
Posts: 173
Posted 2 years ago
Tue May 22 2007 21:17:55
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So now that we're entering mosquito season I'm doubly paranoid -- how will I know if PCO treatment worked? I'm very sensitive to bites of all kinds, and I'd be hard pressed to tell the diff between bb and mosquito bites. If I had been infested in summer (and who knows, maybe I was?) I never would've eventually come to the (correct) conclusion that I was being bitten by bed bugs. I started getting bitten badly around the end of Jan, but it took me a long time to figure out what this strange skin thing was ;)
I don't think I've been bitten since we got rid of the bed and mattress and carpeting 1 month ago. First PCO treatment 3 weeks ago, 2nd today.
Is there any way to tell the difference between bed bug bites and mosquito bites?
I don't want to drive myself crazy, but I don't want to be in denial either.
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wantmyskinback
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Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 344
Posted 2 years ago
Tue May 22 2007 21:25:30
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I wish I could answer the question... The person you should ask this of is LOU SORKIN.
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Specks? Little black specks? (I know, if your treatment is going well, there may be few or none.)
Oh, and don't your mosquito bites go away much more quickly than bed bug bites?
Also, where did bed bugs tend to bite? Any places the skeeters would not get to?
It's certainly something to ponder. I really hope it is all mosquitos for you from now on, coop!
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willow-the-wisp
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Posts: 1,530
Posted 2 years ago
Wed May 23 2007 0:36:22
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coops--also ... since you know how you react to mosquito bites--then if you recall that form last summer, you should be able to compare it to the weird bed bug bites you had in Jan and Feb. Right?
Unless ... they are pretty much the same for you in terms pf itch length they last, places bit and size of welt the severity of itchiness ... you'll figure it out. Maybe your just tired and stressed and sick from the smell of the PCO spray right now.
I figure you'll probably know the difference. You had said you had other skin problems so that might complicate the whole thing--donno but hope the best 4 u and also that you will be able to tell the difference. I think when the mosquitoes come don’t they sort of … all show up really quickly. And youcan see them too in the air.You have done a lot of changes in your home that EVEN IF THE BED BUGS DID RETURN they would come slower because of the less clutter. You may want to reconsider some food grade De in places where our little reader can’t ever get to. Crown moldings ... Tops of medicine cabinet ... inside upper cabinets ...So long as it sits undisturbed (after it settles) it will stay there.
Just a few ideas for the long haul after the PCO stops coming.
Lastly—lots of fly strip traps will catch those some of –so … you could look on the stip and if there are mosquitoes on it—they you could sort of judge …. Yeah .. it’s just mosquito’s. -
coopbugged
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Joined: Apr '07
Posts: 173
Posted 2 years ago
Wed May 23 2007 8:02:28
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Well, at first I thought I had somehow harbored mosquitoes in winter because the bite reaction seemed like mosquito bites, so it will be hard to tell! The bed bugs bit me everywhere, as mosquitoes do. Most (but not all) of my bb bites had a dark speck in the center, but so do mosquito bites.
RE: little black specks... I always find little specks of schmutz in the bed, no matter how often I vacuum (I live in an unrenovated old apartment). But I don't think its bug poop... didn't someone say that if you spit on the specks they will smear? So far no smears... just regular schmutz.
Interestingly, this morning, bugs (I think they are mosquitoes or gnats) are congregating in large numbers on the outside of my window screens. I live on a fairly high floor so this is weird! Makes me feel like my apartment is some kind of bug bar and they're all waiting on line behind the ropes wanting to get in here! I wonder if they could be attracted by the spray the PCO did yesterday? Creepy!
Anyway it's interesting that mosquitoes and bed bugs basically do the same thing - suck your blood and make you itch -- but of course the bed bugs freak me out so much more, since they live in your bedroom and bite all year round!
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Fedupandparanoid
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Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 81
Posted 2 years ago
Wed May 23 2007 9:05:40
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I'm not sure it is that easy to tell the difference between mosquitoes and bb's. In our ignorance before we discovered our bites at night problem was bb's we though we had some wierd overwintering mosquito problem. It was all we could think of (that or some wierd insect living in the plants) the fact it was November/December didn't really penetrate our ignorant brains. Now we know better - it wasn't a manifestation of global warming it was Bed Bugs. It worries me that when the biting insect season really starts I will be back to a heightened level of stress and panic (more so than now anyway)
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BBsBlow
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Joined: Apr '07
Posts: 432
Posted 2 years ago
Wed May 23 2007 9:35:13
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Yesterday I tried Googling pictures of mosquito bites. Guess what? There aren't many. As a result, I couldn't compare my bites to them. Obviously I know it can't be them given the time of year it is, the weather, and where I've been bitten, but I was surprised at the dearth of pictures out there. Makes me think that everyone thinks they're so common, why do we need pictures in Google? Hmph.
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