Indoor insect bites problem
August 2, 2022 10:37 PM Subscribe
We recently moved into a lovely old Chicago-style apartment building that has vines growing up the outside walls. It's really great. Totally happy here. But it's crawling with bugs: spiders, centipedes, small flying things, large flying things, things that jump and scuttle... I wouldn't mind, but my whole body is covered in itchy bites. My 7 year old is now getting bitten a lot too. What can we do?
We are renters, so can't change anything about the apartment. The vines are actually really nice and seem to be helping with temperature control. But honestly, even if we replaced all the window screens or sealed the windows up, the place is old and creaky enough that there are probably a million nooks and crannies for insects to hide in.
So we can't really change the fact that we live with insects, and I otherwise am pretty non-squeamish about sharing space with spiders etc. But can we stop the itchy-bitey ones feasting on us?
I'd love to hear any recommendations for things we could either ingest ourselves, or plug in, plant, burn, hang around the house, or spray indoors. DEET is the obvious answer but this is going to be a long-term problem and don't want to be permanently applying DEET to my skin, nor to my son's.
I've seen suggestions for eating garlic or grapefruit, but am skeptical if this will work. Has anyone had luck with insect-repellant foods? Planting catnip or lavender is also recommended. Would this be enough if we put potted plants in the bedrooms?
We are renters, so can't change anything about the apartment. The vines are actually really nice and seem to be helping with temperature control. But honestly, even if we replaced all the window screens or sealed the windows up, the place is old and creaky enough that there are probably a million nooks and crannies for insects to hide in.
So we can't really change the fact that we live with insects, and I otherwise am pretty non-squeamish about sharing space with spiders etc. But can we stop the itchy-bitey ones feasting on us?
I'd love to hear any recommendations for things we could either ingest ourselves, or plug in, plant, burn, hang around the house, or spray indoors. DEET is the obvious answer but this is going to be a long-term problem and don't want to be permanently applying DEET to my skin, nor to my son's.
I've seen suggestions for eating garlic or grapefruit, but am skeptical if this will work. Has anyone had luck with insect-repellant foods? Planting catnip or lavender is also recommended. Would this be enough if we put potted plants in the bedrooms?
Best answer: Do you know about diatomaceous earth? It’s a white powder made up of ground up tiny fossils and is very high in silica. Bugs walk through it and get bits stuck all over and it basically dehydrates them to death. You can put it in a shaker bottle and liberally dust all your floorboards, doorways, stairs, backs of cupboards, etc, and when walking bugs go in and out it kills them. It’s not 100% effective but it can go a long way to keeping out a lot of bitey bugs that are food for larger bugs without resorting to things that will harm you or your kid. You can find diatomaceous earth at hardware stores. Be careful not to breathe in a big cloud of it but that’s about it.
Do your best not to have standing water in your home. Keep your toilet lids closed, make sure no pipes are dripping under cabinets, go through and put all your half full cups of water in the wash every evening. Check outside around the building for puddles, places where water pools and stands or muddy spots under vines near windows, contact the landlord with any problems areas you find. And of course talk to them about exterminator services for the building. Check your lease and see if it says stuff about general sanitation upkeep or similar standards.
I don’t have personal experience with them but the bug traps that are basically a sticky sheet that a nightlight shines on seem promising. I’m probably gonna get a couple of those this fall when the bugs all rush back inside my house in the rain. Seems more fool-proof than the kind that zap them. I have a bunch of sticky clear fly strips I put on a window that has an outdoor light outside it, leave that light on overnight and it’s pretty dang effective at keeping gnats and moths limited in my kitchen and dining area. Very low tech, but effective, and no poisons for the cats to lick - just sticky glue that can be removed with oil if needed.
posted by Mizu at 11:56 PM on August 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Do your best not to have standing water in your home. Keep your toilet lids closed, make sure no pipes are dripping under cabinets, go through and put all your half full cups of water in the wash every evening. Check outside around the building for puddles, places where water pools and stands or muddy spots under vines near windows, contact the landlord with any problems areas you find. And of course talk to them about exterminator services for the building. Check your lease and see if it says stuff about general sanitation upkeep or similar standards.
I don’t have personal experience with them but the bug traps that are basically a sticky sheet that a nightlight shines on seem promising. I’m probably gonna get a couple of those this fall when the bugs all rush back inside my house in the rain. Seems more fool-proof than the kind that zap them. I have a bunch of sticky clear fly strips I put on a window that has an outdoor light outside it, leave that light on overnight and it’s pretty dang effective at keeping gnats and moths limited in my kitchen and dining area. Very low tech, but effective, and no poisons for the cats to lick - just sticky glue that can be removed with oil if needed.
posted by Mizu at 11:56 PM on August 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
I would guess your vines are a red herring. Few creatures that would inhabit that vegetation are accustomed to biting humans for food. The biters are mobile (flying) or inside the house already (bedbugs etc.) Get screens up to simplify the question, but I agree with figuring out what specifically is biting you.
posted by away for regrooving at 12:07 AM on August 3, 2022 [12 favorites]
posted by away for regrooving at 12:07 AM on August 3, 2022 [12 favorites]
Best answer: Use fans at night. This is a time honoured method of dealing with mosquitoes in places like Bali. It's surprisingly effective at keeping the bugs away from wherever the fan blows directly on to.
posted by jojobobo at 2:34 AM on August 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by jojobobo at 2:34 AM on August 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
The most likely culprits are bedbugs and fleas inherited from the previous tenants and/or their pets. Check for both before you do anything else. If you have a lot of bites around your ankles it's fleas.
posted by mareli at 4:32 AM on August 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by mareli at 4:32 AM on August 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
If the previous tenant had a furry pet, and the apartment has any carpets, fleas are a strong possibility.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 4:54 AM on August 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 4:54 AM on August 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Sorry should have specified: definitely not bed bugs or fleas (which I've encountered before). They seem like mosquito-ish bites.
posted by EllaEm at 5:31 AM on August 3, 2022
posted by EllaEm at 5:31 AM on August 3, 2022
Are the bites happening at night? Are you sure they are not actually mosquitoes? If there are gutters there could be a water source, and the mosquitoes could hang out in the vines/vegetation. There are actually mosquito nets you can get for your beds.
With that said, we had a problem a few years ago that we eventually figured out were bird mites. Birds were hanging around our window sills and the mites were then making their way inside. They were mostly only biting me rather than Mr. gudrun (as it ever is ... bugs have always loved me more than him).
posted by gudrun at 6:14 AM on August 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
With that said, we had a problem a few years ago that we eventually figured out were bird mites. Birds were hanging around our window sills and the mites were then making their way inside. They were mostly only biting me rather than Mr. gudrun (as it ever is ... bugs have always loved me more than him).
posted by gudrun at 6:14 AM on August 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
We are renters, so can't change anything about the apartment.
No, but your landlord can. And should.
I agree with all the strategies above but it sounds like the apartment lacks basic protection against invasions from the outside. Yeah, living in Chicago means you get spiders and the occasional box elder bug or flying moth inside the house but it shouldn't be swarming with "large flying creatures" that bite you like you are describing.
ALL windows need solid screens with no holes and gaps. That's the first and most effective barrier. Then you can focus on baseboard and exterior door gaps.
If all of that is not in place, you need to get your landlord or property management firm on that ASAP, or else contact a tenant's rights service for assistance. This is unacceptable, especially when you have a young child that's being bitten all the time as well.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:01 AM on August 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
No, but your landlord can. And should.
I agree with all the strategies above but it sounds like the apartment lacks basic protection against invasions from the outside. Yeah, living in Chicago means you get spiders and the occasional box elder bug or flying moth inside the house but it shouldn't be swarming with "large flying creatures" that bite you like you are describing.
ALL windows need solid screens with no holes and gaps. That's the first and most effective barrier. Then you can focus on baseboard and exterior door gaps.
If all of that is not in place, you need to get your landlord or property management firm on that ASAP, or else contact a tenant's rights service for assistance. This is unacceptable, especially when you have a young child that's being bitten all the time as well.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:01 AM on August 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
Chicago has good support for tenants rights. Looks like screens are required certain times of the year. If there are any other gaps letting in air/bugs from outside, you want to press your landlord to get that fixed before winter anyway.
posted by travertina at 11:13 AM on August 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by travertina at 11:13 AM on August 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: If they are mosquitos, I have had good luck with dabbing some lemongrass oil on pulse points before bed--they don't like the smell (similar to citronella). You should be able to find at Whole Foods or anywhere like that.
posted by lovableiago at 12:52 PM on August 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by lovableiago at 12:52 PM on August 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
What's the screen situation? Door open to back porch? When even just 1-2 mosquitoes get into the house during the day, they can cause havoc at nighttime, biting repeatedly while you are unconscious. We have to be super-vigilant during summer months, because mozzies hover near our front door and sneak in every time we open the door. Spray yourselves with insect repellent before bed? It doesn't need to be DEET. Cutter, Repel or Off! should do the trick. There are many gentle brands.
posted by amusebuche at 5:03 PM on August 3, 2022
posted by amusebuche at 5:03 PM on August 3, 2022
Best answer: Mosquitoes seem to be great at finding me at night, and they always go for spots that are so annoying to get bit: my face, my hands, my feet. After a stint living in Costa Rica, I've got strategies!
1) Cover up with fabrics that they can't bite through -- thicker sheets+blankets, socks, long sleeve jammies, etc. I keep a small extra sarong fabric with my blankets so that I can tuck it around my face and hands separately from the main sheets for max coverage and ease of movement.
2) Mosquito headnet -- looks dorky, seems like overkill, but is great if you can sleep with it on comfortably.
3) Mosquito bugnet over the bed -- pretend it's a fantastical canopy bed that you've always dreamed of and be sure you are sealing it closed when you come and go from the bed.
4) As others have said, a good fan pointing right at you is an excellent deterrent. Doesn't work unless you're really in the breeze though.
5) Running a diffuser with essential oils and/or dabbing oils around the mattress and frame. I sometimes find this too overpowering for my nose though, and I'm not convinced it's actually effective for mosquitoes, so proceed with moderation and consider this one experimental.
6) If you're okay with bug-specific chemicals, you can use permethrin to treat clothes, bedding, etc., and/or put on a bit of bug spray with/without DEET before bed. I have done this many times but also think it's a little gross and worry a lot about getting it in in my eyes (or on my hands/arms and then transfer to my eyes), so I kinda try to keep to the bottom half of my body and only take this route when necessary! There are also those Thermacell mosquito repellers that warm up a little toxic repellent and emit it. It is NOT indicated for use indoors, but I have had some success with one outside on a patio and it might be worth looking into whether it would be useful to keep the mosquitoes away externally.
posted by luzdeluna at 5:59 PM on August 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
1) Cover up with fabrics that they can't bite through -- thicker sheets+blankets, socks, long sleeve jammies, etc. I keep a small extra sarong fabric with my blankets so that I can tuck it around my face and hands separately from the main sheets for max coverage and ease of movement.
2) Mosquito headnet -- looks dorky, seems like overkill, but is great if you can sleep with it on comfortably.
3) Mosquito bugnet over the bed -- pretend it's a fantastical canopy bed that you've always dreamed of and be sure you are sealing it closed when you come and go from the bed.
4) As others have said, a good fan pointing right at you is an excellent deterrent. Doesn't work unless you're really in the breeze though.
5) Running a diffuser with essential oils and/or dabbing oils around the mattress and frame. I sometimes find this too overpowering for my nose though, and I'm not convinced it's actually effective for mosquitoes, so proceed with moderation and consider this one experimental.
6) If you're okay with bug-specific chemicals, you can use permethrin to treat clothes, bedding, etc., and/or put on a bit of bug spray with/without DEET before bed. I have done this many times but also think it's a little gross and worry a lot about getting it in in my eyes (or on my hands/arms and then transfer to my eyes), so I kinda try to keep to the bottom half of my body and only take this route when necessary! There are also those Thermacell mosquito repellers that warm up a little toxic repellent and emit it. It is NOT indicated for use indoors, but I have had some success with one outside on a patio and it might be worth looking into whether it would be useful to keep the mosquitoes away externally.
posted by luzdeluna at 5:59 PM on August 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
I think your best bet is to compare the bites and figure out which species is your problem, because I think you'll find they're all the same. Most bites are specific to a given species.
I also suspect it's bedbugs, which are surprisingly easy to deal with, and without pesticides.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 11:51 PM on August 2, 2022 [4 favorites]