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Question about blood marks on sheets
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bitten123
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Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 343
Posted 1 year ago
Sun Nov 30 2008 19:35:48
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I would like to know if you squash a bug on your sheets, would their be remains of the bug on the sheets also, or just lots of blood? I went to change my sheets tonight and found a blood stain, fairly large near my feet area. This was not a small speck, about the size of 3/4 of a dime and then smear in a tail. I do have a spot on my foot, I have been unsure if it was a bite or a scrape, but it does have 3 dots, maybe they are bites, I have been unsure, but also I have a huge bruise near it too so I assumed I somehow scraped my foot.
So to those of you who have rolled over or actually squished a bug on your sheets, is it just blood, or are there parts of the bug left? This is bright red blood stain so it is not bed bug feces. I can only assume I either was bit on my foot and I squished the bug in my sleep and the bug exploded and nothing is left but blood or I was bit and it bled a huge amount, or I scratched a bite or sore open and it bled.
Any advice?
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When I woke up in the hotel where I was attacked, I saw a large blood smear on the sheets and little blood dots on my pillow. No signs of bugs. i thought I cut myself. My bites didn't appear for 5 days after.
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bitten123
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Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 343
Posted 1 year ago
Sun Nov 30 2008 21:58:18
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Thanks Red. I just read your other post, you had over a hundred bites...yikes! My first encounter with bedbugs was at a nice hotel too, very yucky experience.
I looked over my kids to see if they had any spots on them that might have bled, my youngest had a big scrape on arm and said it was bleeding last night. He crawled on my bed for awhile before he went off to his bed, so hopefully it was his scraped arm that was bleeding. He is adamant that he was looking at his arm bleeding in bed last night...
I am still not sure, I feel very shaken. Thanks for answering.Did anyone else ever find a part of a squished bug in their bed?
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Hi Bitten,
Some interesting points raised there. I have made a fresh coffee and pondered on the question of it people have ever reported debris from samples along with blood spots and I have to be honest and say I don't think I can recall a single occasion and I have certainly not found any debris associated with blood spots in the past.
I have long been an exponent of the fact that blood spots are more of an indication of an issue than a confirmation of bed bugs and have written an analysis of blood spots on sheets which is part of one of my training courses. The pages can be found here:
http://www.bed-bugs.co.uk/DB2/bloodspotsPP.pdf
I personally feel that blood spots on the sheets are artifacts which are produced one of two ways:
- Seepage from an open wound site - possibly caused by bed bugs
- Ejected faecal material - often to garner that last drop of blood a feeding bed bug will eject the remaining waste material
To the best of my knowledge there is only one image in the world that shows this phenomenon, I have just spoken with the photographer and will get a copy of it tomorrow to link into this post.
Hope the post help.
David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited
www.Bed-Bugs.co.uk -
bitten123
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Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 343
Posted 1 year ago
Mon Dec 1 2008 13:49:52
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Thanks David, that is kind of mind boggling that they just release the blood. When they release it, it would still be somewhat digested so it would not be bright red, correct? It would be more black because it was feces?
I look forward to seeing that picture, but am sure I will be thoroughly grossed out.
thanks again.I'm 99% positive it was my kids arm as the blood was on the top sheet and not the bottom sheet and there is a large skinned mark on arm from skateboarding...arg!
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Hi,
As I said in the post above I have only seen it captured in a single image but as the photographer is a well known UK entomologist who specialises in Bed Bugs its in crystal clear focus and you get an awful lot of detail.
From memory the colour is definitely darker reflecting the fact that the bed bug is having a little poo to ensure that they can eat as much as possible in that feed. I suspect this is to help minimise feeding time which lets face it is a lot more dangerous from a bed bug than hiding out in a dark inaccessible place while you digest a meal.
David
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Are we talking about Richard Naylor's picture from the University of Sheffield?
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yes we are. I don't think it is currently hosted online but I have chatted and he has given me permission to host it when I get to the office tomorrow.
David
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bitten123
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Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 343
Posted 1 year ago
Mon Dec 1 2008 18:36:05
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Till tomorrow, then I can look forward to yet another interesting but disgusting bed bug picture. :)
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OK for all those hanging on the edge of their seats here it is:
http://www.bed-bugs.co.uk/DB2/bugdefecating.jpg
As you can see from the image the bed bug poo caught mid air is clearly the colour of processed human blood rather than fresh from the source.
It reminds me a lot of the Roman vomitarium a place where engorged Romans would head to make a little extra room to carry on the feasting and gorging. After all how else are you going to make room for a full 25 course dinner.
Hope it does not gross too many of you out.
David
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Itchy-Scratchy
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Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 470
Posted 1 year ago
Tue Dec 2 2008 7:09:04
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Wow, gross and yet at the same time, an amazing picture!!
Can one then assume that a spot of fecal matter on a sheet would not be as large as a blood spot from crushing an engorged BB?
Imagine that...eating and pooing at the same time. These things sure can multi-task!
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bitten123
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Posts: 343
Posted 1 year ago
Tue Dec 2 2008 14:10:41
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David, that is an amazing and disturbing photograph. The photographer did get an amazing shot. Thank you for taking the time to post this!
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Itchy-Scratchy - 13 hours ago »
Can one then assume that a spot of fecal matter on a sheet would not be as large as a blood spot from crushing an engorged BB?
Imagine that...eating and pooing at the same time. These things sure can multi-task!Hi,
An interesting question and a true but cryptic answer:
I am yet to see a blood spot on a sheet that I am convinced has been caused by a crushed bed bug.
David
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seriously phobic
newbite
Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 21
Posted 6 months ago
Sun Sep 20 2009 10:37:49
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I have a somewhat related question, though about fecal stains. Do they always soak through and stain fabric, or can they be just a sort of crust that remains on one side of fabric?
Never thought I'd be wondering about the consistency of bed bug poo, but there it is.
I took my sheets off to wash today, and noticed that in the bunched up part there were brownish stains. But they were only on one side of the thin sheet, and could be scraped off. I'm thinking this doesn't fit the description of bed bug stains, but just curious.
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