That makes it sound like I’m bug-shopping. I just started getting bitten and have something that looks like mosquito bites along my back and bra line. We haven’t had houseguests or bought used furniture in ages, we live in a house not an apartment building, and I have no idea how bedbugs would have migrated in, if it’s them, so I’m looking for other possible explanations.
I also haven’t had any sleep, so apologies if this is totally incoherent.
When I get bug bites in places that mosquitos would generally not be able to reach, such as in the folds of skin at the top of my legs or along the bra line, it’s usually no-see-ums that are to blame. I hate, hate, hate those little bastards. The bites take two days to fully develop into itchy bumps, and then they itch like the very dickens for at least three days. Does that sound like what you have?
I don’t know where you live, but the more southern parts of the US have chiggers, and they bite where clothing is tight against skin, like socks and waistbands. By the time you start itching, they have dropped off.
are the bites in a conga line or in groups of two or three? you could get bed bugs off anywhere with fabric. is your workplace clear? when, where and who else are getting the bites?
I’m a SAHM with two kids ages three and one. I guess we could have gotten them from a play centre but it doesn’t seem likely. I don’t think we have no see ums- it’s too cold here.
They’re kind of in pretty loose groups, not tightly together.
My husband got chiggers when we visited Arkansas many years ago. Too cold for chiggers here, too, unless they’re magical northern furred chiggers.
While bedbugs are most likely to be picked up while traveling or from used furniture, they can be picked up anywhere.
Still, it is more likely than not that you don’t have them based on your post. If I were you, I would hire a bedbug-sniffing dog to give your house the once-over. Costs about $100-$200, and totally worth it for piece of mind (IMHO).
Oh, and I’m the only one being bitten. Neither of the kids or Mr. Lissar have bites, and I sleep with the little one for part of the night.
What makes the conga line bites? I had a row of three or four bites around my waistline last summer, and I never did figure out what had bitten me. They itched like crazy, they made red, raised lumps, then they were a discoloured patch for a little while, but now they’re completely gone. It was after a trip where we stayed in different hotels, but we checked every room for bedbugs, and I’m pretty sure we don’t have bedbugs at home, either.
We were afraid that we’d picked up bedbugs a couple of years ago, but the bedbug sniffing dogs couldn’t find anything. Eventually we traced the bites to mites that had colonized our hamsters. We sprayed the hamsters with bird mite spray and that put an end to it.
We might get the dogs. I just used a hot steam iron on the mattress and box spring and nothing crawled out. I haven’t found dropping or seen any of the little bastards, either. My husband is sure it’s something else.
They have found bed bugs everywhere there is upholstered furniture. To make matters worse, some people don’t get bit. It’s not uncommon for a husband and wife to share a bed and one get bit up and the other does not.
Bed bugs live in the seems, so if you use an iron, you have to get into the seems and creases of the mattress and don’t forget the box springs as well. Bed bugs live about 10 feet from their source of food which is you.
Bed bugs are easy to kill, a solution of equal parts rubbing alcohol and water will kill them. It’s the eggs that are difficult to kill. Bed bugs love wood. They often hide in wood near beds, so you have to inspect everything within 10 feet, including the carpets.
Bed bugs lack the pads that roaches and other insects have so they can’t climb metal, very well. This is why a metal bed frame is good for keeping them off.
You could’ve been bitten by anything and it just took awhile for you to notice the itching and rash.
This is true. It’s just that it looks like bed bus bites. Yes, I was ironing the seams, and nothing stirred at all. I’m hoping it’s a false alarm, and I’ve got unusual hives or something.
I got all eat up with the fleas once and had a similar pattern of bites.
Hmm, fleas are rare in Calgary, but I guess I might have run into one. I’d know if my cats had them, wouldn’t I?
If you want go to you tube and look up bed bug monitors, it tells you how to make a bed bug monitor out of dry ice. Bed bugs are attracted to it. It might be worth a try, it’s worth a look in any case
Spider bites? Both parson spiders and carolina wolf spiders bite easily, and they’re not shy about bitting repeatedly either - I had a parson spider run across my hand and bite me 3 times before I could shake it off. Not to mention that I’ve got a little line of 4 or 5 spider bites on my belly as I type this.
It could be fleas, especially if you have dogs that spend any time in the yard. Also, if it’s fleas or bed bugs, if I recall correctly from my BB research, only about 30% of people are allergic to the bites. So the red bumps are you being allergic, not that you’re the only one being bitten. It’s entirely possible the rest of your household is getting bites and they just aren’t reacting to them.
I had BB’s after I moved into my new apartment a year ago. Took me a while to figure out what was going on. I’m REALLY allergic, though, to the tune of 3x6 inch welts, so I was very motivated to take measures. All I did, though, was wash everything and make sure it was dryer-dried to over 120F (yes, I stuck a thermometer into the middle of the load in the dryer!). But, I’m lucky that I have all hardwood floors and no rugs. I washed the sofa cover and bought bedbug approved mattress covers, then washed all the bedding and vacuumed everything including the uncovered sofa. Threw out the vacuum bag immediately and spread diatomaceous earth under all the wall baseboards. That did the trick, but I am very sure that the only reason it worked was because the infestation was really light, and me being SO very allergic was a huge motivator. If I had carpeting or more upholstered furniture I would have probably had to get an exterminator.
Fleas, if you treat your dogs for at least 3 months with topical flea medication, wash everything you can and vacuum thoroughly (throw out the bag immediately), that should do the trick with those, too. The thing with fleas is they don’t prefer people, because our body temperature isn’t ideal to them. Dogs run warmer, so fleas will tend toward them, and with the medication on-board the fleas will die when they try to attach to the dog.
Cat Whisperer, you might not always notice fleas. They’re highly unlikely for indoor-only pets to begin with. I’ve never flea treated my cats and I work with animals that have fleas sometimes. At home it’s never been a problem. A healthy cat that grooms well might keep the on-board population in control enough for people not to notice, though. Fleas only start seeking people to bite when they’re too numerous on the pet, or newly hatched eggs that happen to be closer to a person than a cat. The best way to detect fleas on a pet is to use a flea comb, comb very firmly into the coat of the cat, and in several places, along the back and “armpits.” Look for tiny dark brown specks. If you see them, wipe them on a paper towel and drip a little alcohol on the specks. If they turn red, that’s flea dirt. (the “dirt” is flea waste, basically dried digested blood)
Sheesh, I’m talkative tonight. Hope this helps, anyway.
From what I’ve read on bedbug-related forums (or at least one), skin reactions and bites are never considered evidence of bedbugs; there are just too many things that could cause them, especially with higher sensitivities to whatever.
Bedbugs leave little dried blood trails in the sheets. If you don’t have the trails, I would start with suspecting fleas.
I was thinking fleas as well. Check the dogs.
Sorry. 