What the heck is biting me?
October 31, 2019 1:52 PM Subscribe
I am getting bug (?) bites at home. No one else is getting them. And they're weird. Help?
This has been going on for at least two months now. I can go two or three weeks with nothing, and then wake up with one or two bites on completely different parts of my body. Or I'll be working in the kitchen and suddenly I have three of them.
And they're weird bites - big red welts about the size of a dime or a paperclip - that start out a little itchy and then get more and more itchy with every passing day, whether I scratch them or not - with the worst itchiness after a week, and sometimes even two weeks later. None of the usual itch-cures work on them -- I've tried every over the counter spray and cream, I've tried scalding them with hot water (which always works as a last resort with mosquito bites for me), I've tried scratching them raw. Weirder yet - they're almost all on areas of the body that are covered (mostly my torso), sometimes under two layers of clothing. I can have two in a row like a bedbug series on my upper arpit, but one on the opposite side on my hip.
Our bed has a plastic cover on the mattress, and we didn't see any signs of bedbugs, but we called in a specialist anyway. They said that there was no evidence of bedbugs (and they took our whole bed apart, and the sofa, and the padded chairs, and checked the car) - they also said that if it had been going on for more than a month there was no way we could have an infestation that wasn't leaving any evidence.
So I'm thrilled it's not my worst fear. But now I'm stumped. If it helps:
We're in NYC - weather has been all over the map since it started
We have a dog. She is regularly treated for fleas
We have not changed detergents or soaps
We bought one of those electronic pest-control boxes that plugs in (probably snake oil)
We have a regular exterminator who comes and sprays once a month
No one else is getting bitten, even though we all share the same spaces.
Any thoughts on what this could be? Or who I should be calling in next?
This has been going on for at least two months now. I can go two or three weeks with nothing, and then wake up with one or two bites on completely different parts of my body. Or I'll be working in the kitchen and suddenly I have three of them.
And they're weird bites - big red welts about the size of a dime or a paperclip - that start out a little itchy and then get more and more itchy with every passing day, whether I scratch them or not - with the worst itchiness after a week, and sometimes even two weeks later. None of the usual itch-cures work on them -- I've tried every over the counter spray and cream, I've tried scalding them with hot water (which always works as a last resort with mosquito bites for me), I've tried scratching them raw. Weirder yet - they're almost all on areas of the body that are covered (mostly my torso), sometimes under two layers of clothing. I can have two in a row like a bedbug series on my upper arpit, but one on the opposite side on my hip.
Our bed has a plastic cover on the mattress, and we didn't see any signs of bedbugs, but we called in a specialist anyway. They said that there was no evidence of bedbugs (and they took our whole bed apart, and the sofa, and the padded chairs, and checked the car) - they also said that if it had been going on for more than a month there was no way we could have an infestation that wasn't leaving any evidence.
So I'm thrilled it's not my worst fear. But now I'm stumped. If it helps:
We're in NYC - weather has been all over the map since it started
We have a dog. She is regularly treated for fleas
We have not changed detergents or soaps
We bought one of those electronic pest-control boxes that plugs in (probably snake oil)
We have a regular exterminator who comes and sprays once a month
No one else is getting bitten, even though we all share the same spaces.
Any thoughts on what this could be? Or who I should be calling in next?
I had a definite bedbug situation (not in my home but in several places I stayed). I continued to get bites that weren't the same as the bedbug bites but are also not like yours (mine are itchy but very small and not red and benadryl cream works for me). I asked an exterminator what he thought and he suggested that I might be reacting to spider mites which are microscopic and basically can't be treated except with more vacuuming.
All this to say that (if it is bug bites) others are probably getting bit but you are the only one reacting to it. Now, you probably aren't reacting to mites because your skins reactions are much more severe than that. But hey, maybe some more frequent vacuuming/floor cleaning might mitigate whatever is biting you? Also, look into the possibility of hives as suggested above.
posted by acidnova at 2:10 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
All this to say that (if it is bug bites) others are probably getting bit but you are the only one reacting to it. Now, you probably aren't reacting to mites because your skins reactions are much more severe than that. But hey, maybe some more frequent vacuuming/floor cleaning might mitigate whatever is biting you? Also, look into the possibility of hives as suggested above.
posted by acidnova at 2:10 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
Are you seeing actual puncture marks or just welts? Because what you describe does sound like hives.
posted by saucysault at 2:21 PM on October 31, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by saucysault at 2:21 PM on October 31, 2019 [7 favorites]
I've been enduring a similar issue, mostly just as you describe but I'd say the itching lasts about 5 days, and Cortaid offers a little relief. I'm in relatively nearby Connecticut. I commiserate.
Oh, and my wife's been bitten too, so I reject the hive hypothesis.
posted by SemiSalt at 2:23 PM on October 31, 2019
Oh, and my wife's been bitten too, so I reject the hive hypothesis.
posted by SemiSalt at 2:23 PM on October 31, 2019
Ok, this is going to sound odd. I started getting itchy on my chest area, with just a couple of bumps that I thought were pimples (at 53, Mother Nature still likes to play games with my skin) but the whole of my chest itched like crazy.
I thought about bugs (I had done some gardening). I thought about fleas (but I've never reacted to bites like that before or ever). I tried anti itch cream; I tried allergy meds. The only thing that helped a bit was really, really hot water. But the itch came back.
Out of desperation (and curiosity) I tried an anti fungal cream, as you'd use for Athlete's Foot. And after more than two weeks of uncomfortable itching, it was gone.
It's just an option to try. I hope you find what cures you!
posted by annieb at 2:25 PM on October 31, 2019 [4 favorites]
I thought about bugs (I had done some gardening). I thought about fleas (but I've never reacted to bites like that before or ever). I tried anti itch cream; I tried allergy meds. The only thing that helped a bit was really, really hot water. But the itch came back.
Out of desperation (and curiosity) I tried an anti fungal cream, as you'd use for Athlete's Foot. And after more than two weeks of uncomfortable itching, it was gone.
It's just an option to try. I hope you find what cures you!
posted by annieb at 2:25 PM on October 31, 2019 [4 favorites]
I’m pretty sure that you’re taking about oak mites. And they are horrible. Try to avoid being near oak trees and if you find yourself under one, rinse off as soon as you can. To treat the itching, you can try breaking the skin and then applying an ammonia-based product like After Bite. It’ll help a little but I haven’t found anything that is very effective. Good luck.
posted by mezzanayne at 2:49 PM on October 31, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by mezzanayne at 2:49 PM on October 31, 2019 [2 favorites]
This really sounds like hives — no one else is getting bitten; you’re seeing bumps in areas covered by clothes; you’re seeing them scattered over your body. I see that you didn’t change detergents or soaps — but is there any possibility that your detergent or soap (or shampoo, etc.) might have changed formulations? I started getting unexpected hives one year when Woolite changed its formulation, and suddenly I was allergic to my sweaters even though I hadn’t switched detergent brands.
posted by snowmentality at 2:55 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by snowmentality at 2:55 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
Possibly carpet beetles? They don't bite but some people react to the little hairs from the larvae in a way that appear like bites.
posted by misskaz at 3:14 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by misskaz at 3:14 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
Is there any chance they could be chigger bites? Those often appear under clothes and they're very itchy. Do you spend more time outdoors than the rest of your family? Are you the one who walks the dog? Do you spend time sitting on the grass? If it is chiggers you should expect to stop seeing bites soon now that the weather is getting colder.
posted by Redstart at 3:17 PM on October 31, 2019
posted by Redstart at 3:17 PM on October 31, 2019
The locations you've described would not be usual for flea bites, but anything is possible. Not everyone reacts to flea bites, but when a roommate's cats got fleas, I discovered that if you're one of the unlucky ones, the bites are miserably itchy.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 5:09 PM on October 31, 2019
posted by easy, lucky, free at 5:09 PM on October 31, 2019
Search online for photographs of bird mite bites. Your description of two close together, a gap of a few months, and under clothing are all my experience when I had bird mites. Birds nest in late spring and early summer, and when they leave the nest, the mites crawl through the walls and windows and test bite. They can't live on human blood, so they die eventually after leaving some really itchy bites. If you have pigeons or hummingbirds or some other sort nesting in an overhang or balcony, that could be the source. If you yank your clothing up when you feel a bite, you will see a pepper sized gray speck running around, and that's your culprit. I used to cover the whole body area with a baby wipe to trap it; you can really see them against the white surface to be sure that's what you have. Wax-based creams like Burt's Bees Almond Milk Wax were really effective in stopping itching, but your experience may be different. If it is bird mites, you can spray around window sills and such with, well, I used Murphy's Oil Soap since I had a hardwood interior, but that's one way to cut them off at the pass before they get to you.
posted by effluvia at 5:43 PM on October 31, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by effluvia at 5:43 PM on October 31, 2019 [2 favorites]
nthing it sounds like hives. I get them sometimes from being overheated (cholinergic urticaria). Zyrtec (or generic over-the-counter cetirizine) usually clears it up.
posted by capricorn at 6:51 PM on October 31, 2019
posted by capricorn at 6:51 PM on October 31, 2019
Sorry this is happening. Mysterious rashes suck. I had a similar thing and concluded it was a reaction to carpet beetles. Cleaned out the dusty areas under my bed and quarantined all the wool/fur items for a while helped solve it.
posted by Wulfhere at 7:11 AM on November 1, 2019
posted by Wulfhere at 7:11 AM on November 1, 2019
Your description does sound a lot like my experiences with chiggers and oak mites. The first time I had them I tried to find out how they could possibly be SO ITCHY for SO LONG, compared to something like a mosquito bite or hives. I'm going to butcher this, but IIRC the answer was something to do with the specific type of immune response they cause --- it's more along the lines of poison ivy than mosquito bites or other garden-variety histamine responses. I.e., delayed onset, but then very intense and long-lasting, and not helped much by oral or topical antihistamines. I did have some luck with topical anesthetics such as this.
As other commenters noted, if it is chiggers/itch mites, you should stop getting new bites now that it's going to be below freezing regularly.
posted by slenderloris at 12:56 PM on November 1, 2019
As other commenters noted, if it is chiggers/itch mites, you should stop getting new bites now that it's going to be below freezing regularly.
posted by slenderloris at 12:56 PM on November 1, 2019
I experienced a similar phenomenon recently and my best guess was that it was a reaction to carpet beetles, like a couple others have mentioned. Carpet beetle larvae usually aren't very noticeable unless one is standing on your wall, and it just looks like a weird speck of dirt that wasn't there before. Up close it looks like a tiny furry caterpillar. If you think those might be the culprit, try giving your place a good cleaning, wash any bedding or clothing/jackets that might be due, etc.
As for treating the welts, when I had a similar thing happen, Xyzal worked to keep the swelling and itching down to a reasonable level. It keeps my mosquito bites from swelling up much too. I only take it as needed because, although it's supposedly non-drowsy, it makes me too drowsy to take it regularly. Zyrtec doesn't help me at all, but everyone is different, so.
posted by bananana at 7:23 PM on November 2, 2019
As for treating the welts, when I had a similar thing happen, Xyzal worked to keep the swelling and itching down to a reasonable level. It keeps my mosquito bites from swelling up much too. I only take it as needed because, although it's supposedly non-drowsy, it makes me too drowsy to take it regularly. Zyrtec doesn't help me at all, but everyone is different, so.
posted by bananana at 7:23 PM on November 2, 2019
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