Possible bed bugs, how to diagnose?
August 6, 2021 10:53 PM Subscribe
I got bug bites last night that could be bed bug bites, but don't see signs of bed bugs. What do I do now?
Current concerns:
- How do I distinguish bed bug from other bug bites? These are 8 bites in a cluster; when I woke up this morning they were so swollen I thought it was one large spider bite.
- Now that I've looked through my bedding, pillows, and mattress and seen no bed bugs, what do I do next?
- How do I stop worrying and sleep?
Current concerns:
- How do I distinguish bed bug from other bug bites? These are 8 bites in a cluster; when I woke up this morning they were so swollen I thought it was one large spider bite.
- Now that I've looked through my bedding, pillows, and mattress and seen no bed bugs, what do I do next?
- How do I stop worrying and sleep?
Oh dear. Let's narrow some stuff down.
Where are the 8 bites? Could you share a photo. If you haven't already, draw a circle around the bites now so you can track them if the bite area continues to spread.
Do you see any little red or black spots down at the foot of your mattress and sheets?
What kind of mattress do you have?
Do you have any pets who might have fleas?
Have you been outdoors in any woodsy areas as of late?
posted by Hermione Granger at 11:12 PM on August 6, 2021
Where are the 8 bites? Could you share a photo. If you haven't already, draw a circle around the bites now so you can track them if the bite area continues to spread.
Do you see any little red or black spots down at the foot of your mattress and sheets?
What kind of mattress do you have?
Do you have any pets who might have fleas?
Have you been outdoors in any woodsy areas as of late?
posted by Hermione Granger at 11:12 PM on August 6, 2021
If I got bites and was concerned but hasn't found evidence I would 1) if possible pull bed from wall 2) buy bedbug wells for posts of bed where frame meets the floor 3) put two sided tape in a few places on and around the bed to see if I caught any that way (if you want I believe they sell little bedbug sticky traps for this purpose but regular tape works just fine) 4) promptly launder all bedding and dry on high heat.
Then wait and see.
Another step you could do is to buy a bedbug cover if you don't have one already and put it on the mattress.
Good luck!
posted by AlexiaSky at 11:14 PM on August 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
Then wait and see.
Another step you could do is to buy a bedbug cover if you don't have one already and put it on the mattress.
Good luck!
posted by AlexiaSky at 11:14 PM on August 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the bedbug trap suggestions. I've ordered them.
Where are the 8 bites? Could you share a photo. If you haven't already, draw a circle around the bites now so you can track them if the bite area continues to spread.
They are on my abdomen a few inches above my belly button. They usually would be covered by my nightshirt.
Do you see any little red or black spots down at the foot of your mattress and sheets?
No.
What kind of mattress do you have?
Memory foam on a platform.
Do you have any pets who might have fleas?
Yes. A dog. Although he is on topical flea and tick preventive year round.
Have you been outdoors in any woodsy areas as of late?
Yes, I'm outdoors in the front range of Colorado regularly. Wednesday evening I went rock climbing and was stung on the face in several spots by bees. It did occur to me that maybe these are from stings that I didn't realize at the time, but the clustering seems different and these are much itchier than my bee stings.
posted by medusa at 11:26 PM on August 6, 2021
Where are the 8 bites? Could you share a photo. If you haven't already, draw a circle around the bites now so you can track them if the bite area continues to spread.
They are on my abdomen a few inches above my belly button. They usually would be covered by my nightshirt.
Do you see any little red or black spots down at the foot of your mattress and sheets?
No.
What kind of mattress do you have?
Memory foam on a platform.
Do you have any pets who might have fleas?
Yes. A dog. Although he is on topical flea and tick preventive year round.
Have you been outdoors in any woodsy areas as of late?
Yes, I'm outdoors in the front range of Colorado regularly. Wednesday evening I went rock climbing and was stung on the face in several spots by bees. It did occur to me that maybe these are from stings that I didn't realize at the time, but the clustering seems different and these are much itchier than my bee stings.
posted by medusa at 11:26 PM on August 6, 2021
This happened a lot to my offspring and her mother. Turned out to be fleas. Vet said the topical flea & tick meds we’d been using on our mutt for a few years was no longer effective, the pests develop immunity or tolerance or something. Upgraded to a new prescription, NexGuard (NexGard?) , chewable ; washed & dried the hell out of the linens, and problem went away.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 11:39 PM on August 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by armoir from antproof case at 11:39 PM on August 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
Lots of bug bites look like bedbug bites. If you Google image search for bedbug bites, you’ll see thousands of images, some of them fairly different from each other, and yup, they all look like bug bites. Peoples’ skin react differently to different bug bites, and trying to figure things out this way, you’ll go mad.
Having been through a bedbug scare myself and having lived in NYC during the great bedbug epidemic of the mid-to-late 2000s, I would advise you not to worry about bedbugs unless you actually see evidence of them on your mattress or your furniture. This is where Google image search will actually help you, because when bedbugs set up shop in a mattress or upholstery, it pretty much always looks the same, and can only really mean one thing.
posted by panama joe at 12:43 AM on August 7, 2021 [2 favorites]
Having been through a bedbug scare myself and having lived in NYC during the great bedbug epidemic of the mid-to-late 2000s, I would advise you not to worry about bedbugs unless you actually see evidence of them on your mattress or your furniture. This is where Google image search will actually help you, because when bedbugs set up shop in a mattress or upholstery, it pretty much always looks the same, and can only really mean one thing.
posted by panama joe at 12:43 AM on August 7, 2021 [2 favorites]
I was recently concerned about some little spots that appeared on my abdomen, and Google image search suggested bedbugs - turns out it was just folliculitis and a topical steroid cream cleared it up. Could be something like that!
posted by cp311 at 4:32 AM on August 7, 2021
posted by cp311 at 4:32 AM on August 7, 2021
Don't spend any energy trying to diagnose the bites themselves. Everyone's skin reacts differently to different arthropod bites. Even experts can't really tell.
Get some of those interceptor traps linked above. (I haven't used them, but I wish I'd known about them. When I was in your position some years ago, I went straight to hiring a sniffer dog. That worked, but it was expensive; of course the expense was a drop in the bucket compared with the fumigation.)
The visual evidence such as black/brown drops does not happen in the beginning stages of an infestation.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:33 AM on August 7, 2021
Get some of those interceptor traps linked above. (I haven't used them, but I wish I'd known about them. When I was in your position some years ago, I went straight to hiring a sniffer dog. That worked, but it was expensive; of course the expense was a drop in the bucket compared with the fumigation.)
The visual evidence such as black/brown drops does not happen in the beginning stages of an infestation.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:33 AM on August 7, 2021
It may be possible that your body is having an outsized reaction following the stings. Source: a week of unfortunate mowing and 3 separate sting events. Reactions got progressively stronger toward allergic.
posted by childofTethys at 9:23 AM on August 7, 2021
posted by childofTethys at 9:23 AM on August 7, 2021
Maybe chiggers? Wildly itchy and miserable-making. And not unheard of in Colorado, apparently.
Chiggers occur only occur outdoors, most often in grassy areas near water. However, the skin reaction to their “bite” typically develops a few days after exposure.
posted by Don Pepino at 10:31 AM on August 7, 2021
Chiggers occur only occur outdoors, most often in grassy areas near water. However, the skin reaction to their “bite” typically develops a few days after exposure.
posted by Don Pepino at 10:31 AM on August 7, 2021
Bed bugs tend to bite in rows of 3 (breakfast, lunch, dinner) rather than a cluster. Based on the location you might want to check with a doctor about the possibility of shingles.
posted by donut_princess at 11:18 AM on August 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by donut_princess at 11:18 AM on August 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
Oak mites are a thing this year; they eat cicada eggs so their population is booming. They are tiny (almost invisible) and are carried by the wind when they fall out of oak trees. Their bites are EXTREMELY itchy.
If you had cicadas in your area, you likely have oak mites. Are there oak trees near your house, or where you've been wandering?
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:10 PM on August 7, 2021
If you had cicadas in your area, you likely have oak mites. Are there oak trees near your house, or where you've been wandering?
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:10 PM on August 7, 2021
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posted by acidic at 11:11 PM on August 6, 2021 [2 favorites]