Where are they?!!?? « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

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Where are they?!!??

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DieDieDie

newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 4

Posted 1 week ago
Fri Nov 6 2009 20:40:06
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Two months since the first bite and I've seen a total of one BB. Just one. No fecal stains, no blood spots, no eggs, just nothing... I saw the one, about one week after the first treatment. I had just moved a small suitcase to throw out and he staggered out a little dazed and confused. I scotch-taped him up and that was that.

I don't suspect the suitcase as a vector as I've lived in the same place for six years and the suitcase hasn't left the room in about four years. They could have been hiding around there though. PCO has been out twice and the bites have receded, but not stopped. I haven't received any 'bites of three' for several weeks, but will occasionally wake up with a lump on my forehead or an itchy spot somewhere else. So the battle is FAR from over.

But seeing as I'm still receiving bites, it would actually be 'good' (not the right word) to know where the h*** they are!!! I spray the bed frame nightly with Good Night and have dusted the perimeter (lightly) with DE. I know this sounds quite toxic... and it probably is. My apt is incredibly warm year around so the windows are always open. After spraying, I'll leave the bedroom door closed for ~3 hours and air the place out before going to bed. Not ideal.. but fewer bites.

So ... Has anyone else experienced this? Still receiving bites, but no signs of BB. I strongly suspect BB because (1) seen one (2) LL has been upfront about BB in the building (3) neighbor had BB (she recently moved). A few weeks before I started receiving bites, we received a notice from LL saying some had been found and that everybody's apt would be inspected (mine was - and they didn't find any).

Reading other posts in the forum, for most there seems to be an 'ah-HA' moment, when you pull something aside and 'voila' there they are. Hasn't happened yet. Sure would be satisfying to find one and douse him in alcohol. Maybe he'll scream just a little.
buggyinsocal

oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,129

Posted 1 week ago
Fri Nov 6 2009 23:58:24
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Keep in mind that even if the bug you had was confirmed by a knowledgeable PCO or an entomologist, it's possible that there are or were other pests in the house also causing bites.

For example, we know that bed bug bites and exposure to DE both seem to make skin more reactive to other irritants--including making them more reactive to other bug bites.

In addition, if you have carpet beetles, fleas, or chitin sensitivity, you could be having flare ups of old bites and/or reactions to new bites by things other than bed bugs and/or reactions from coming into contact with other bugs.

There is also the possibility--esp. since you only found one bug in your home--that you're being bitten someplace that you regularly go but don't have an infestation in the home. (I was treated with thermal in June 2008. I got rid of the bugs in one go. In August or September, I freaked out because I clearly had bed bug bites. I was still under warranty, so I called my PCO back out for an inspection, and he found nothing. I had to conclude that I had been bitten by bed bugs, most likely at a movie theater I didn't normally go to. Haven't been back to that theater since, and haven't had any bites since then. If I worked at that theater, I would still be showing up with new bites, but I very well might not have bugs in the house.)

In addition, if you live in a multi-unit building, it's possible that your unit isn't infested or isn't heavily infested, and your bites are from stragglers migrating in from another unit.

And/or either you or the PCO isn't very good at finding the places that the bugs hide. Bed bugs are masters of stealth. I'm not sure that until a PCO walked me through looking for the eggs and nymphs, I would have been able to spot those very young ones on my own.

There are a lot of possible explanations, and unfortunately, it's kind of like the pest world's version of a diagnosis of exclusion. You'll need to rule each possibility out until you figure out exactly what the cause is in your case.