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

Please help.

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Started 1 month ago by bostonette
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bostonette

newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 9

Posted 1 month ago
Thu Oct 8 2009 10:32:08
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So my boyfriend and I went to France for a lovely vacation. We rented an apartment for 2 weeks and about 5 days into the trip he noticed bumps on my back. I thought I was getting a rash, a reaction to a detergent or something like that. But then I just kept getting more. Finally we discovered it was bedbugs! We called the landlord right away and she moved us to a different apartment where we looked and looked and looked and didn't see any signs of bedbugs. I didn't seem to get anymore bites after we moved.

When we got home we took all our laundry to a laundry services and the dry cleaners. I unpacked everything else in my bathtub inspecting everything closely for bugs or eggs, vaccuuming everything clean, scrubbing my hardcase suitcase. I even froze some items in my freezer. We got back on Friday Sept 25.

Now I'm just getting back from a short trip to Orlando for work. I inspected everything I could at the hotel there, except the headboard which was bolted to the wall, and the hotel room looked like it was BB free. I stayed 3 days and yesterday morning was my last day there, when I woke up I noted I had what looked like one mosquito bite on my foot. Now this morning I have what definately looks like 3 BB bites on my arm. And of course there's the questionable bite on my foot - mosquito or BB.

Is it possible that there were BB in the hotel and that I'm having a delayed reaction like the delayed bite reactions I had in France? I've only stayed at my apartment 2 nights since returning from France, last night and one night last week before my Orlando trip. I'm so itchy now just thinking my place might be infected.

Help! Any advice? Is it possible that I just have really bad travel karma with these things? Or is it more likely that I've got myself a little infesation? I'm going to hunt for them tonight to see if I actually spot a bug, but any words of wisdom would be helpful.
buggyinsocal

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Posted 1 month ago
Thu Oct 8 2009 11:36:59
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We know that bed bug bites can take up to 9 days after happening to appear. And as someone who used to live well south of the Mason Dixon line, I can confirm that there are tons of bugs in Orlando that can bite, and they rarely take winter vacations.

So, what can I tell you:

Bed bugs often make peoples' skin extra reactive to other things. Old bed bug bites can flare up from stress, exposure to chitin (the stuff bugs' exoskeletons are made out of), and all sorts of other things--at least in some people.

Even experienced docs cannot look at a bite and tell you conclusively whether a bed bug made it or not. I had bed bugs for months and never had the bites in a row pattern. Other people end up with yellow fly, mosquito, or chigger bites in that pattern. (Experienced docs can look at a bite and tell you what general group of bugs made the bite, but not the particular species. )

Nymphs and eggs can be VERY hard to see, esp. if you don't know exactly what you're looking for.

I know that's a lot of information, none of which is esp. reassuring. I really wish I could be more specific and/or reassuring.

Oh, and one other question: after you vacuumed your things, what did you do with the vacuum bag/stuff the bagless vacuum collected?

I think, unfortunately, you're going to be stuck for a while in the wait and watch stage. Since bed bugs are very good at hiding, early in an infestation, they're very hard to detect.

At the same time, we know that many people have delayed responses to bites and that old bites can flare up in response to any number of stimuli, so I don't think any of us can tell you that you do or don't have bed bugs in your home now. We can't even tell you what the chances are. Sorry. I know it sucks to have to play the waiting game. However, inspecting for bed bugs early in an infestation means finding a really experienced PCO who will do those inspections. and it can be hard to do that. A well trained bed bug detection dog and handler team CAN also help, but there are a lot of badly trained dog/handler teams out there, so finding a good one can be tricky. (If a dog alerts to possible bed bugs, a good handler will inspect the spot to confirm bed bugs.)

But selecting a poor PCO/dog handler detection team can also get your false positives. Bad PCOs may treat without confirmation, and if you've got another pest or just delayed bite responses, that's not going to solve your problem and may, in fact, make it worse (DE, for example, which some PCOs use, can make skin more reactive and old bites more likely to flare up.)

If you're experiencing a lot of anxiety about the issue, and you can find a good PCO with a lot of bed bug experience to do an inspection, that may be your best bet.

If not, it may make sense to set things up to make it easier to detect bed bug activity: make sure your bed is arranged so that it's easy for you to inspect, use light colored sheets, and so on so that if you begin to see fecal matter, you spot it quickly and can then get a PCO in right away.

I know that's not esp. reassuring. I say over and over again that one of the most frustrating parts of dealing with bed bugs is that there's so much waiting and lack of certainty around them.

Hang in there.
bostonette

newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 9

Posted 1 month ago
Fri Oct 9 2009 9:30:03
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Thank you for your thorough response. As you said, not quite reassuring but helpful all the same. I hate this wait and see idea, but it sounds like I need to for now. I went to my apartment last night and searched, but didn't find any sign of the little suckers. I've contrived a plan for the wait and see timeperiod, any input or advise would be greatly appreciated. I think I'll be staying at my boyfriends apartment for a while, to let my current bites calm down (hopefully he didn't bring home any of our little friends too). In the meantime I will do a great big declutter and cleaning of my apartment, purchase the mattress encasements, put on light colored sheets, get a steam cleaner and steam EVERYTHING, do all the laundry and roast whatever I can put in the dryer on high heat, and put bowls of oil under the legs of my metal bedframe. Then, if/once my bites go away, go back home and stay for a few days to see if any bites come back and continue my hunting, steaming and cleaning process. I do have a question - my vacuum - it's a bagless and although I emptied it immediately, double bagged the refuse and put it outside in the dumster right away, I didn't think to do anything special with the vacuum itself. What should I do in addition to make sure those little creatures aren't hanging out in the vacuum? I figure if I see a bug or evidence of a bug, or get new bites at home, then of course I'll be finding a qualified POC. Any other thoughts on things I should do while I "wait and see"? I'd like to be as proactive as possible. Thank you so much for your help.
buggyinsocal

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Posted 1 month ago
Fri Oct 9 2009 12:04:38
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One thing to consider is using passive monitors. Passive monitors basically collect the bugs as they come to feed on you. The best one, Climb up Interceptors, simply strand the bugs in place in a non traumatic way (I know, I know. You probably want to see the bugs suffer I get that but keep reading for why this is important.) which means that they don't release the chemical that signals alarm to their buddies. If that alarm chemical is released, you may drive other bugs deeper into hiding, which makes the infestation harder to detect and harder to treat.

Cleaning may seem like a good plan, but it actually isn't. If you disturb the bugs, you may drive them deeper into hiding. (Bed bugs are wingless. They can't jump. They don't even move too fast. Evolutionarily, their only defense is hiding.) Inspect by all means, but I wouldn't clean until after you get a PCO in.

Bed bugs don't live on their hosts (like fleas). They don't always live in beds. They do like to live near the food source, but they only venture out of hiding to feed (or move to a new location.)

So people generally don't see them when they are looking for them unless they surprise the bugs by finding one of their harborages. Many people only find proof that the bugs are there because they find the fecal matter left behind.

I understand the impulse to go somewhere else for a few days to let the bites calm down. You should know if you do that for too long the bugs may get hungry and spread out looking for new food. That might involve going into an adjacent unit (unless you live in a single family home), and that can also complicate treatment.

I took one night and went to a hotel just to get some sleep because I was at the end of my rope. But it's not a good idea to stay away too long.

And here's the worst part: with chemical treatment, you're going to be asked to act as bait for the bugs. Bed bugs don't groom themselves like roaches do, and they can't be baited with poison like ants. In fact, one of the reasons that they're so hard to treat is that very little of their bodies comes into contact with residual chemical pesticides. More of them comes into contact with the poisons if they've fed. So most chemical treatment involves you being at home in your bed luring them out of hiding to feed so the poisons work faster. I know it's a gross thought, but I also figure you should probably hear that now rather than freak out about it while the PCO is there, you know?

If you double bagged the refuse from your vacuum right away and pitched it, then you're good. That's exactly what you're supposed to do.

Hang in there. And read through the FAQs on the main site for more details while you're waiting (although I generally suggest not reading them right before bed.)
bostonette

newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 9

Posted 1 month ago
Fri Oct 9 2009 22:26:03
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You are an angel for replying, I wish I'd seen it sooner though. Somehow I unsubscribed myself to my own thread.... anyway, I already started my "big clean" before checking back tonight so now I feel confused - do I abandon or keep going?

I've inspected the mattress and boxspring carefully with a high powered magnifying glass with an LED light. I only found one bug, but it doesn't look anything like any of the bedbug images I find online, in any stage of infancy or adulthood. It's small, dark brown/almost black, more rectangular than eliptical, with a flexible body like an accordian and six legs but lots of hairs on it like it's a house centipede relative or something. I bought the Allerzip bedbug proof mattress and box spring encasements and have put them on, and sprayed lots of alcohol all over the metal bedframe.

There was one area on the boxspring that had darker spots on it, I assume is poop or refuse but again, it doesn't look like the pictures I see online (and I have looked at so many of them I'm itchy in places I know I don't have bites!) or what I saw in France in that original infested apartment that had a lot of signs of infestation. I didn't see any refuse from molting or live bugs in my magnifying glass during my hunt but again, I'm new to this torture.

I guess I'll contact my landlord ASAP (multi-dwelling unit) to hopefully have him act on extermination, but I'm dubious because the one time I saw a mouse and reported it he barely blinked, told me to buy some expanding foam stuff and some traps. I got rid of that problem on my own but these bugs are in a whole different league. In MA we have laws requiring the property owner to pay for extermination, but we're not very good at enforcing it, so I don't know how much I'll actually get out of him.

I was actually excited to "declutter" as a result of this paranoia, so think I will still do that to a degree because it makes me feel like I'm doing something and I need to do SOMETHING. As far as traps are concerned, someone told me that putting the legs of the bed in bowls of mineral or baby oil was the same thing (metal frame, no bedskirt, no linens touching the floor or wall.) Is there something about the traps you mentioned that makes them more effective? If yes, I'll get them but I'm not rich and I know a lot of people like to make money of other peoples' fears. I hate this.

Last night I took a sharpy and marked all the red bites on my body to make sure that if I got new ones, I'd know the difference. A sick part of me wishes my boyfriend had reactions to the bites. He never got one red itchy spot or welt, even in France when he caught one in the act of feeding. It itched/stung when he got bit but he never got a "reaction" at all, and here I am with red spots that are still healing two weeks later. At least if he did, we could divide and conquer - what if I'm freaking out about my apartment but his is the culprit? I hope that I don't get anymore bites, but know it's foolish to think I could be lucky enough to not be graced with the bed-bug gift after my definite French encounter.

Again, thank you for your help. I may be a little more confused but understand that as a newbie to this horrible club, I need the advice and encouragement of those that have gone through it. You are appreciated more than you know.
buggyinsocal

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Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,130

Posted 1 month ago
Sat Oct 10 2009 10:28:30
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The bug you described finding may be a carpet beetle larva. Carpet beetles don't bite, but a lot of people have skin reaction to all those hair that look exactly like bug bites.

It's entirely possible that you don't have bed bugs but do have carpet beetles and that they are causing your "bites."

(Incidentally, you carpet beetles are as badly named as bed bugs. Bed bugs don't always live in beds; and carpet beetles can live in homes without carpet, so don't dismiss the possibility of carpet beetles just because you have hardwood, tile, or other non-carpeted floors.)

At this point you might want to get some climb up interceptors as a long term monitoring strategy, but having not seen any prof of bed bugs while also having what sounds like a carpet beetle, you may have a pretty good idea what the source of the problem is.

Take a look at the FAQs on the main website to find the ones on bugs that get mistaken for bed bugs. If the bug you found looks like a carpet beetle, I would proceed as if you have carpet beetles (not bed bugs) until proven otherwise, in which case your cleaning campaign not only won't hurt, it may solve your problem.

If you get the place cleaned up and carpet beetle free, and you're still getting bites, then bring in a PCO.

If you can afford it, and there's a good bed bug experienced PCO in the neighborhood, you might get more peace of mind from hiring a pro to inspect anyway. But that's a decision you'll have to make.
bostonette

newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 9

Posted 1 month ago
Sat Oct 10 2009 11:18:05
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Wow. That little bug I found looks exactly like a carpet beetle nymph! I actually found a second smaller one today. Maybe that is the source of my problem (I hope so!). I am going to do exactly as planned, clean like a maniac and get those interceptors. And be vigilant of course about seeking out signs of bed bugs, monitoring my "bites" and keeping clutter down. Hopefully it is a carpet beetle problem. Thinking that it is makes me feel a little less grossed out as I clean.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for being so kind to help me with the info you know. If it wasn't for this site, I'd have lost my mind in the south of France and then lost it again when I came home. For now I feel sane enough to maybe get some sleep. I cannot even tell you how much I appreciate your support and helpfulness.
buggyinsocal

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Posts: 1,130

Posted 1 month ago
Sat Oct 10 2009 11:24:40
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And on the upside, if it is carpet beetles, which sounds even more likely now that you've seen two, you had your bed bug scare without getting bed bugs. You'll have educated yourself about precautions to take to reduce your chances of bringing a bed bug hitch hiker home without the expenses of having to fight a full scale war against them.
bostonette

newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 9

Posted 1 month ago
Sat Oct 10 2009 16:07:15
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That certainly would be an upside to this whole thing! That and I'm getting rid of so much stuff I didn't even know I had and definitely don't need. I've seen tons of carpet beetle nymphs and castings since I've been cleaning, some tiny, some bigger, all look exactly like the pics I've found on the internet and none look like bedbugs in any stage of development. I don't think I've seen a grown up one yet but surely there could be one lurking around. I did find a suspicious looking outline of a bug inside my new bed-bug proof mattress cover, however, but refuse to open the thing to get a good look at it. There was a carpet beetle nymph on my bedskirt and one between the mattress and boxspring last night before I put the mattress and boxspring covers on, so again, hopefully it's just a trapped carpet beetle and not the evil BB. No other signs of BB, such as castings or their fecal spots. I'm caulking and cleaning anyway, have isolated my bed, and will be doing laundry in hot water till the cows come home. Thank you for your help. I'll update if I find anything new (hopefully not!) or if I find all's clear.
Upset_Undergrad

newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 6

Posted 1 month ago
Sun Oct 11 2009 19:34:28
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how can everyone be so viligant! I have a hectic life and I just do not understand how people get the time to put ALL clothes into hot water, and EVERYTHING steamed/laundried? You really need two houses for this, and I am at University, so home is miles and miles away. :(
bostonette

newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 9

Posted 1 month ago
Sun Oct 11 2009 20:01:51
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I totally understand what you mean - I've been cleaning for three days and have only just gotten my bedroom done! People think I'm moving or something, because I've been going crazy with getting rid of stuff (in sealed bags so trash divers won't be tempted). I have two jobs, one full-time job I frequently travel for and one part-time, a boyfriend who doesn't want our only conversations to be about bugs, and friends I haven't seen in ages. I can see how many people with this problem are totally neurotic and depressed. I'm just in the wait-and-see stage of "maybe" having a problem that hitchhiked home with me and my life is definitely not fun. I've amended my cleaning plan to the bedroom only because I just don't know how to get everything done otherwise. (I have six bags of laundry that need to be done this week and who the hell has time to do all that laundry?) Part of me just wants to give up but the rest of me knows that if I don't keep going with the plan, I will be neurotic from not knowing and having to wait. Well, I have to wait anyway, but it feels better if I'm doing something and not freaking out. Can you maybe get a few days off from classes and just have a marathon of cleaning/laundry? Have you talked to a PCO? I haven't called yet since I have no confirmed infestation, just a bad vacation experience and definite carpet beetle larvae. Oh right, and I'm poor enough not to be able to drop wads of cash on my fears. I feel for you. Hang in there. Lots of folks on this site have great advice, even if it's time consuming.
bostonette

newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 9

Posted 1 month ago
Tue Oct 13 2009 19:26:28
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Eek! I have more questions about this wait and see time! As I said I would, I've installed mattress and boxspring encasements, white linens, isolated my bed and put the legs in bowls of soapy water (still waiting for my interceptors to be delivered - tomorrow I hope!) and have done and bagged all my laundry in my bedroom. (The living room closets I have not yet gotten to.) I also decluttered and cleaned. While I cleaned I found several carpet beetle larvae, even in the bed, under the bed, and around my bedroom.

Anyway, during this process I've been staying with my boyfriend, where I usually stay anyway. But if there are bedbugs, I don't want them to get hungry and go looking for other food or homes, so I've started staying at my place again. Tonight will be night #2. Last night, no bites and no bugs found in my soapy water bowls!

So, a few questions:
1. How do I use the interceptors with bed risers? I have the kind you get at Bed Bath and Beyond because my metal bedframe is so low to the floor otherwise. Would I put the interceptor on top of the riser and then the legs in the interceptor? Is this safe?

2. How often do I have to stay at my own place in order for this passive monitoring thing to work? I usually stay at my boyfriends 6 out of 7 nights and that bedbugs like to feed every 5 nights or so, can I do every other night? Should I do 4 nights here and 2 there? Weird question I know, but I don't want all of this to be for nothing.

3. If I continue to have no bites and no bugs appear, how long until I can feel reasonably OK with going back to having my clothes in the bureaus instead of in giant Ziplock bags?

4. My living room has the 2 closets with most of my clothes and shoes. Should I do the same laundering (HOT HOT HOT) and bagging process for all those items too? The room is adjacent to my bedroom with no door in between, but again, all I've found is proof of carpet beetles so far... I'm not sure how crazy I should get with the cleaning at this point and if there are bed bugs, I don't want to drive them away.

5. I've been washing everything in hot water with Borax and detergent, and drying for an hour at high heat, but just read there was a study that says 1.5 hours in a high heat dryer is best. Is this only for items not washed on high heat? Do I need to redry everything for another 30 min - 1hour?

I want to be sure I'm doing all the right stuff, even though I have no evidence of bedbugs, but don't want to overdo it either. And although all this has been making me feel better, I'm totally consumed with it all. Is less or more or is more more? I know, it's lots of questions, but any advice would be greatly appreciated!