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Please help ID bug and possible feces!

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oatmealie

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 25 2010 23:38:52
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Hello, help in identifying any of this would be greatly appreciated!! I just noticed these things the other night, but then I hadn't been looking for them before that. Neither my boyfriend or I have noticed bites or itching but I learned (from this great site!) that reactions to bites aren't necessarily a sign of BB. Everyone should take a look at this site whether the suspect BB or not, just to be more informed.

I noticed these stains on my mattress cover last night. They look like possible feces stains, though up close they look more purple-black than brown-black.

This brownish stuff I found on both bedside tables:

And I found 3 of these on the baseboard at the head of my bed. Baby bed bug? Or wrong shape for that? Sorry that's the best my camera can do!

Thank you so much! I have spent a lot of time looking around this site and it is amazing all the support and information. It's just after awhile everything starts to look so similar and it can be confusing! Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes is needed.
spideyjg

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Oct 26 2010 0:20:08
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The bugs are psocids but the spots are troubling.

I'm not as good as the other guys at fecal traces though.

Jim
Richard_Naylor

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Oct 26 2010 6:55:11
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I'm in full agreement with Jim. Fecal traces often look just like that. It would be worth having a really good search around the mattress and bed. Bedbugs usually sqeeze themselves into thin cracks around the bedframe. There will often be more fecal traces around the harbourage. Also look out for cast skins as this will give you a possitive ID even if you don't find the bug.
Richard56

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Oct 26 2010 7:43:39
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David, one of our expert PCO's posted this guide to identifying blood spots/fecal stains, etc.
http://i56.tinypic.com/ravvqf.jpg

Hopefully one of our pros can confirm, but my understanding is that one way of identifying fecal stains is to take a wet cue tip and run it across the stain. A fecal stain will smear, while an old washed-in blood spot, for example, will not.

As to the spots on the wood, I've seen similar that have nothing to do with bed bugs, or blood for that matter. One way to tell if it's blood would be to use a Phenolphthalein presumptive blood kit like the one sold here: http://www.crime-scene.com/store/serology.shtml
A negative result (no blood) would rule out fecal stains. A simple smear test (like previously mentioned) might also be useful.

Richard
oatmealie

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Oct 26 2010 9:53:01
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The spots on the sheet are definitely washed in. They look almost blue up close. Does that sounds right?

The brown stuff on the bedside tables is what worries me the most since I have no idea what else it could be. Is the BB feces brown or black or does it depend? Is it usually in patches or scattered? I smeared some of it this morning and it made a brown streak... There are no other marks on the bed at all. I will do a more thorough inspection of the box spring tonight for any other signs.

Thanks for all your help. I will try to find that guide to look at.
Richard_Naylor

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Oct 26 2010 10:23:52
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Bedbugs start producing faecal droplets within seconds of feeding and produce most of them withing the first 24 hours after each feed as they process the water out of the blood meal. After feeding they will head back to their harbourage producing faecal droplets at intervals along the way. Bedbugs produce faeces in a spectrum of colours from pale tan brown to jet black. It probably depends upon the proportion of uric acid in the faeces. Since uric acid is produced as a result of digesting proteins it is likely that the paler faecal spots will be produced later when the bug is in the vicinity of the harbourage.

In short, they produce scattered spots as well as dense patches of faeces around the harbourage. Even the darkest spots produce a brown smear when moistened.

Bedbugs aren't the only arthropods to produce these marks. All insects defecate and I have seen very similar marks produced by spiders and flies. However, the combination of the mark on the sheet and the marks on the headboard really looks suspicious to me.