Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Detection / Identification of bed bugs
Puzzled - bbs, or not bbs?
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lizducow
newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 5
Posted 4 months ago
Wed Jun 24 2009 1:12:40
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One evening a little over a week ago, I noticed what I thought were a couple of itchy mosquito bites on my arm. Since then, I've spent a few nights with a friend and a few nights in my own place, and in that time, I've gotten about 4 more bites on my arms and lower back - mostly bites that I notice in the evening or that become itchy later in the day.
I did find a mosquito in my apartment a few days ago, but my mind is still going to bed bugs. I've taken all of my bedding apart and searched the area around my bed and have found no live bugs, dead bugs, or casings. However, I do have about 7-8 black specks, about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen, on my sheet (that do not brush away), and another handful of specks on my pillows. The specks do not smear when I wipe them with a wet q-tip, and I have found no blood splotches/smears.
Between a few itchy, mosquito-like bites and the black specks, does it seem likely that I have bed bugs? Should I call in a professional right away, or wait and see if more evidence presents itself? My biggest concern is that I've heard people say that black specks are pretty undeniable proof.
I can't decide if I'm being paranoid or realistic . . .
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Fearful_and_Buggy
junior member
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 53
Posted 4 months ago
Wed Jun 24 2009 2:56:01
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The pattern of bites and the specks on the pillow both point to bedbugs, yes. One place I found them was in the seams of the boxspring and mattress. If you can handle it, move your mattress over slightly and begin inspecting both sides of the boxspring and mattress spring. Use scotch tape to capture some bugs, if you find them, and squirt the rest of the area down with 91.5% or better isopropyl alcohol after crushing the rest.
Good luck!
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lizducow
newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 5
Posted 4 months ago
Wed Jun 24 2009 7:01:16
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Thanks. That's what I figured, unfortunately.
I've already checked my bed inside and out, and the bedframe (a plastic SleepNumber platform - no box spring), and a nightstand and table. I also put double-sided tape around each bed leg. Still have found nothing alive or dead.
How very frustrating. I guess I'll be calling in a bed bug dog soon.
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Bedbugs don't hide only in mattress seams, in boxspring or bed frame... check also behind baseboards, wallpapers, paintings, furnitures and drawers in a range of 5-6 feet all around the bed...
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lizducow
newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 5
Posted 4 months ago
Wed Jun 24 2009 19:50:10
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Absolutely. I've already checked as much of the entire room beyond the bed as I can get to - behind pictures on the walls, all over my nightstand and another table, along the baseboards (no wallpaper, thankfully), around outlets, along window frames and behind curtains, along as much of my dresser as I can see, etc.
Still no signs other than the handful of bites and the specks on my sheet. But Champ the bed bug dog is coming on Tuesday, so I'm hoping to get a definitive answer then! Preparing for the worst, hoping for the best.
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lizducow
newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 5
Posted 4 months ago
Tue Jun 30 2009 10:47:12
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Well, I've had the K9 unit out, and the dog indicated two spots in one room of my apartment (the opening of my closet, and next to one side of my bed but nothing on my mattress or frame). The handler was very informative and friendly and told me about using diatomaceous earth and the Climbup interceptors, and washing/heating/freezing/dry cleaning my clothing, and said that yes, someone should come in, but that it is good that I don't have a very cluttered apartment and that I've isolated my bed.
I called the same company (in NYC) and they mentioned "self-treat kits" and also full treatment, seeming to mention them as separate choices. Their treatment is aggressive - everything in the entire apartment must be bagged and sealed, some furniture must be disassembled, etc, and then an insecticide is used.
I guess my question is, are my choices really just to either self-treat the two spots that were indicated, or to turn my life upside down by sealing up my entire apartment? Right now I'm very overwhelmed and feel like I have too much information swirling in my head (from this helpful forum and other sites).
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buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,160
Posted 4 months ago
Tue Jun 30 2009 11:28:24
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are my choices really just to either self-treat the two spots that were indicated, or to turn my life upside down by sealing up my entire apartment?
No.
Some PCOs require clients to bag up all kinds of items. Many PCOs treating with chemicals will only ask you to bag up fabric items that have been laundered for a simple reason: bed bugs can hide in any fabric item, not just beds. However, beyond fabric items, most PCOs vary about how many other elements of prep need to be done.
Some other kinds of treatment that are generally used in larger infestations--thermal or Vikane--don't require that kind of prep.
Of course, part of the problem is that everyone's sense of having their life turned upside down is different.
and (and I apologize, I slept badly last night so I'm even more forgetful than usual) if you're not sure where your infestation came from, and most people aren't, and you live in a multi-unit building, if you don't want to go through all this again, it's best if adjacent apartments are also inspected. Treating your place only to be reinfested by stragglers from a neighboring apartment would suck.
I would call a couple of other PCOs just to get a sense of what the variation in terms of prep is. Battling bed bugs sucks. But it sucks a lot less if you find a PCO who helps set your mind at ease while you're doing it.
And if you live in a multi-unit building, you need to let your landlord know so that neighboring apartments can also be investigated.
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