Bed bugs?

[Itchy jay]

Hi

 

im trying to identify this bite. I am on holiday in Spain with my family. I am the only one effected by these and wake in the morning with more and more. I have them all over my back, feet arms and legs. 74 in total over 3 nights. I haven’t found the cause despite taking the bed apart and sheets off etc.  They are extremely itchy and appear to be in small patches and have a watery head on them.  Please help anyone!!  Many thanks

[+Eternal Tempest MVC]

Not sure, however this information may help

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bedbugs/symptoms-causes/syc-20370001

 

[Barney T. Administrators]

Moved to General Discussion subforum.

[Jub]

Don't take my word for this, but they look exactly like flea bites. When we had an outdoors cat we got fleas (brought in by the cat) and I got bites like that--and only me--and I also counted up to the 70s in amount. Itchy as a mother--.

 

The way we fixed it was to buy a flea bomb, literally.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Been a while since we've had one of these "can you identify x, y or z bites"  🙄

 

Looks like bed bug bites, or flea bites, or some other critter bites ...

 

...should probably napalm the room and take a corticosteroid bath. 

 

 

[CrashG]

Chiggers

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/prevent-treat-chigger-bites#1

[Dick Montage]

I'm not gonna do that "This is a tech forum" nonsense, as it's clearly not anymore and that's totally unwelcoming to new users.  BUT... I do wonder how when someone has a question like this (for example, medical or sanitary) they find Neowin and post.

[Itchy jay]

Thanks for your help and advice on this. I appreciate it.  I slept in a different bed last night and no new bites have occurred so I’m 80% sure it’s bed bugs. Doctor said it’s not gnats or mosquitos but didn’t know exactly what it was. 

 

Ive Googled bed bug bites and my symptoms and pictures match up pretty well. 

 

The facts are

1- only I have been bitten out of a family of 5

2- new bites are noticed in the morning

3- a watery head forms almost like a spot

 

thanks for your help

[Dick Montage]

Are you sure that you're the only one bitten, or that you're the only one reacting?

Meaning, my and my bro both get bitten by mosquitoes but only I ever react.

[Itchy jay]

6 minutes ago, Human.Online said:

 

 

9 minutes ago, Human.Online said:

Are you sure that you're the only one bitten, or that you're the only one reacting?

Meaning, my and my bro both get bitten by mosquitoes but only I ever react.

Hi. Yes I definitely the only one bitten. Me, the wife and baby are all in the same room. We have single beds and the baby has a travel cot. Bed bugs is the only thing I can think of based on the facts. 

[PRODIGY-]

Me, having to have to deal with those little vampires in the past have to say that yes, they most definitely look like bed bug bites. It wont take long  before they move around the house since they attach to cloth and move around looking for food. The only way i was able to verify was waking up in the middle of the night (3-4 am) and meticulously search the beds. They freeze on the light but look like little red dots. They move pretty fast too. Do that tonight. Do not waste time. They multiply as fast as roaches.  If you are still not sure just hire and expert on the matter. But again, I lived through that hell for a while and did a lot of research.

[Gibblets]

Yup those are bed bug bites, notice the "Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner" bites? It's the telltale sign of a bed bug bite...since they bite you three times in a row at times. Also be prepared for PTSD, they are literally hell to deal with, and I had to be treated for PTSD because I thought everything was a bite. A good rule I follow is if it's itchy, it's a bite, if it doesn't itch, it's something else, since bed bug bites will 100% of the time itch like hell. Also the bites scar, two years on from having to deal with them myself, and I still have scars.

[devn00b]

Having dealt with bedbugs while on vacation in India. Now please note i'm not saying all India is like this, or whatever Just stating for clarity of where I was. But those 100% look like bedbugs to me. When you get home, burn everything. I'm not even joking. We came home tossed most stuff (wife kept her shoes, I kept a shirt that was a gift from my now passed mother) and less than a month later we had them in our house. We tried tents, bombs, sprays and everything else we could think of. Even tried a heat treatment that pretty much melted the paint in the house, nothing worked. You don't want that, we had to move. The person that bought our house lived there I kid you not for ~6mos before the entire house was demolished.

 

Not fun.

[jnelsoninjax]

The only true defense against these little spawns of Satan, is to take all clothing, bedding, etc. and put in a dryer for at least 30 mins, this will kill them, but like everyone else is saying they reproduce faster then rats and rabbits, and can live for a long time without eating, since you are on vacation right now, I would advise you to take all of your clothing and wash and dry them, place all in black trash bags, and make sure that the bags are sealed tight! You can treat your symptoms with a cortisone cream which will help with the itching, and look into purchasing a black light and use it to go over every inch of you beds!

[Xenon]

What you might want to try is before you get home, check your local exterminators for bed bug services. I had one near me that offered a service that people would bring their luggage to their office and they would check for and exterminate the little buggers right there in a special area. They used cold to do it. Cost a little but much cheaper than what could happen. Also when you put your luggage in your vehicle you might want to put them in large plastic bags that you can seal. so the car doesn't get infested. 

[DevTech]

On 6/16/2019 at 5:38 AM, Itchy jay said:

Hi

 

im trying to identify this bite. I am on holiday in Spain with my family. I am the only one effected by these and wake in the morning with more and more. I have them all over my back, feet arms and legs. 74 in total over 3 nights. I haven’t found the cause despite taking the bed apart and sheets off etc.  They are extremely itchy and appear to be in small patches and have a watery head on them.  Please help anyone!!  Many thanks

 

Science.

 

It is a science subject. It helps to stay calm and rational.

 

IF it is Bedbugs, here is what you need to know:

 

1. Only a certain percentage of people get an allergic reaction, otherwise bites are hard to see.

 

2. The internet is a huge source of false info in the subject which is then endless repeated so, if it really interests you get a BOOK.

 

3. Washing bed clothes and stuff is a waste of time as a primary concern - it is just to kill (some of the) eggs, but for the most part the insect has little interest in taking up residence in such a dangerous location (for them) and most of the eggs (and bugs) are nowhere near the bedding.

 

4. They actually live 4 feet to 8 feet from the bed in some sort of hard protected enclosure like a baseboard or crack in wood etc.

 

5. They are signaled by the CO2 emission of a sleeping person.

 

6. They don't like light, so keeping lights on 24/7 will severely reduce their activity while you get it under control

 

7. Most poisons that can kill them are not legal in most countries for indoor use.

 

8. They were killed off with heavy concentrations of DDT back when DDT was a thing and now they are gradually reclaiming their natural habitat and occupying ALL major cities worldwide, so we need to eliminate any stigma associated with them and openly discuss them.

 

9. Silicon Dioxide crystals (that little bag that drops out of your packed electronics to keep it dry) when crushed into a fine powder will kill them, but it takes a few weeks of careful positioning to be effective. SIlicon Dioxide is also commonly listed as a food ingredient, so it is 100% non toxic, but it is a lung irritant so don't breath it in.

 

10. Boric Acid dust (another white dust, but different) is mildly toxic but also kills them.

 

11. They need to walk through the dust and then bring it home - so A) walk thru it means careful placement and discipline and B) bring it home means it takes weeks to work.

 

12. View your bed and any favorite couch as a military fort on the top of a hill. Make sure there is no object or furniture placed in a 4 foot radius of bed or couch. Then cover that 4 foot "moat" with the fine dust. Maintain the continuity of the dust at all times for at least 3 months. Analyze carefully like a military commander any possible route past the dust to their food source (YOU) Force them to march up "Hamburger Hill" to their doom!

 

13. There are a few university websites where they specialize in bedbug research. On some of those sites will be instruction on how to build a "Bedbug trap" which you can use to confirm the diagnosis of "bedbug"

 

14. If you have a raised bed, you can also surround the 4 bedposts with another form of the "bedbug trap" so they get caught on their nightly trek to their food source.

 

15. You can also make a hobby of constructing sophisticated traps that use CO2 to lure them in.

 

16. Demolishing a house is stupid. Even if you have to restart you military campaign against them a few times you will eventually win. And there is 100% NO bad effect from a bedbug. They do NOT carry disease vectors. They are 100% harmless to humans. Just annoying and ugly. So always try to be calm. Treat it like a science experiment. Both eggs and bugs can survive for a year on no food, so once they are "gone" they might not be gone. As long as you have a well-oiled military machine ready to spring into action, that thought should hopefully NOT be be disturbing.

 

 

 

 

[+E.Worm Jimmy Subscriber¹]

17 minutes ago, DevTech said:

Science.

 

It is a science subject. It helps to stay calm and rational.

 

IF it is Bedbugs, here is what you need to know:

 

1. Only a certain percentage of people get an allergic reaction, otherwise bites are hard to see.

 

2. The internet is a huge source of false info in the subject which is then endless repeated so, if it really interests you get a BOOK.

 

3. Washing bed clothes and stuff is a waste of time as a primary concern - it is just to kill (some of the) eggs, but for the most part the insect has little interest in taking up residence in such a dangerous location (for them) and most of the eggs (and bugs) are nowhere near the bedding.

 

4. They actually live 4 feet to 8 feet from the bed in some sort of hard protected enclosure like a baseboard or crack in wood etc.

 

5. They are signaled by the CO2 emission of a sleeping person.

 

6. They don't like light, so keeping lights on 24/7 will severely reduce their activity while you get it under control

 

7. Most poisons that can kill them are not legal in most countries for indoor use.

 

8. They were killed off with heavy concentrations of DDT back when DDT was a thing and now they are gradually reclaiming their natural habitat and occupying ALL major cities worldwide, so we need to eliminate any stigma associated with them and openly discuss them.

 

9. Silicon Dioxide crystals (that little bag that drops out of your packed electronics to keep it dry) when crushed into a fine powder will kill them, but it takes a few weeks of careful positioning to be effective. SIlicon Dioxide is also commonly listed as a food ingredient, so it is 100% non toxic, but it is a lung irritant so don't breath it in.

 

10. Boric Acid dust (another white dust, but different) is mildly toxic but also kills them.

 

11. They need to walk through the dust and then bring it home - so A) walk thru it means careful placement and discipline and B) bring it home means it takes weeks to work.

 

12. View your bed and any favorite couch as a military fort on the top of a hill. Make sure there is no object or furniture placed in a 4 foot radius of bed or couch. Then cover that 4 foot "moat" with the fine dust. Maintain the continuity of the dust at all times for at least 3 months. Analyze carefully like a military commander any possible route past the dust to their food source (YOU) Force them to march up "Hamburger Hill" to their doom!

 

13. There are a few university websites where they specialize in bedbug research. On some of those sites will be instruction on how to build a "Bedbug trap" which you can use to confirm the diagnosis of "bedbug"

 

14. If you have a raised bed, you can also surround the 4 bedposts with another form of the "bedbug trap" so they get caught on their nightly trek to their food source.

 

15. You can also make a hobby of constructing sophisticated traps that use CO2 to lure them in.

 

16. Demolishing a house is stupid. Even if you have to restart you military campaign against them a few times you will eventually win. And there is 100% NO bad effect from a bedbug. They do NOT carry disease vectors. They are 100% harmless to humans. Just annoying and ugly. So always try to be calm. Treat it like a science experiment. Both eggs and bugs can survive for a year on no food, so once they are "gone" they might not be gone. As long as you have a well-oiled military machine ready to spring into action, that thought should hopefully NOT be be disturbing.

 

 

 

 

WHATEVER YOU DO, MAKE SURE YOU DONT BRING THEM HOME WITH YOU.  IT WILL BE A NIGHTMARE.

 

few of my friends had to deal with it and it ruins your normal life.

 

so, be EXTRA careful, I would even consider dumping your clothes and luggage, and travelling home light with minimal new gear, just not to risk it.

 

 

it is extremely time consuming to get rid of them if they settle in your home.

[DevTech]

25 minutes ago, Jimmy1 said:

WHATEVER YOU DO, MAKE SURE YOU DONT BRING THEM HOME WITH YOU.  IT WILL BE A NIGHTMARE.

 

few of my friends had to deal with it and it ruins your normal life.

 

so, be EXTRA careful, I would even consider dumping your clothes and luggage, and travelling home light with minimal new gear, just not to risk it.

 

 

it is extremely time consuming to get rid of them if they settle in your home.

They are moving back into every North American city (and European etc) so established habit and procedures and attitudes will need to change any way so it won't hurt to be at the forefront of rewiring your brain on the subject.

 

For example if you live in Manhattan, you can assume bedbugs or bedbug eggs on just about anything, RIGHT NOW. So the entrance of living areas will need to adapt to that new (old) reality. Anything from the outside needs to be placed in an enclosure which bugs can't escape from when you enter the house - briefcases, luggage, shoes, umbrellas, whatever you took into the world every day.

 

The bugs can't go through plastic bags. So all returning luggage and clothes can be bagged in thick plastic. The clothes and shoes you wear should be in a dryer for an hour on the hottest setting.

 

If the worst happens, you just need to set up "Hamburger Hill" as I have described and maintain "Dust Discipline"

 

If you live in an urban environment, you might as well start practicing this anyways because sooner or later a guest or yourself will track them in.

 

 

EDIT: I have probably not emphasized enough that the clothes thing is a major distraction and very close to an Urban Myth. It is NOT the first place to be concerned about. They can get CRUSHED in clothes so millions of years of evolution means they seek out tiny thin hard enclosed spaces in preference to clothes. They are much more likely to want to hide inside your phone or tablet or computer monitor or hard luggage than clothes. If you actually see them in clothes, it means there are so many of them that the GOOD SPOTS have already been occupied by their buddies!

 

EDIT #2: They prefer humans for food (and only blood, no water or anything else at all), but if you cut them off their primary food they will turn to pets in an emergency. If you own pets, the simple procedure I have outlined to deal with them becomes vastly complicated!

 

[notta]

My brother got them (he thinks from work) and it cost him major dollars to get his bedroom cleaned. He threw out most everything he had (clothes, mattress, linen.) I felt bad for him because for about a year no one wanted him anywhere near their houses or cars.