Comments on: Can you identify these bug bites?

Question: Can you identify these bug bites?

banished — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:03:08 -0800

Can anyone identify the insect(s) that caused these bug bites?

By: thebrokedown

thebrokedown — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:09:45 -0800

fleas? I need context.

By: rcavett

rcavett — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:11:32 -0800

chiggers? If so, put clear nail polish on the bites to stop the itch.

By: I Foody

I Foody — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:12:04 -0800

Maybe bed bugs?

By: Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America

Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:26:44 -0800

Having several bites in a line like that is characteristic of bed bugs, I'm sorry to say. Here's an example.

By: gatorae

gatorae — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:28:06 -0800

I don't think it's fleas - my house got infested once due to my lovely cat, and my bites were 1) almost exclusively around my feet/ankels, 2) much smaller bites (the size of pinpricks), and 3) much more numerous and concentrated.

By: calhound

calhound — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:28:40 -0800

Yeah, I'm leaning towards bedbugs, too... if you're in NYC, especially, as that area is going through an endemic. But we do need some backstory if we're to give any sort of accurate answer.

By: winston

winston — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:28:55 -0800

Another vote for bedbugs

By: banished

banished — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:35:05 -0800

Went to a cottage by the water on 5/26/07. On soft land, near a ditch, mosquitoes and other insects present, but we were not outside too often because it was raining. But the bites appeared 4 days later and were itchy on 5/30/07. I slept right next to her and have no bites.

By: WCityMike

WCityMike — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:51:07 -0800

Thirding the reaction to bedbugs, although they seem to get more welt-y. This might help in bite identification, and the site as a whole is a good resource for you if indeed you do end up having a bedbug infestation.

By: WCityMike

WCityMike — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:52:53 -0800

Many people don't react to bedbug bites — there's been plenty of 'WTF?' reactions where a husband has no bites but a wife does.

Take the sheets off your bed and check the mattress seams, and behind the bedboards. Check the cracks and crevices of any bedside furniture with a flashlight.

By: ch1x0r

ch1x0r — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:54:07 -0800

They look too small to be bedbugs, and bedbug bites don't usually itch much. I would also vote for fleas or chiggers or something very small like that.

By: banished

banished — Thu, 31 May 2007 21:19:26 -0800

They were very itchy for sure.

By: cowbellemoo

cowbellemoo — Thu, 31 May 2007 21:57:32 -0800

Obviously this might not be the case because you're lifting up some clothes for the picture, but I got some similar irritation just by passing through some tall grasses and having a contact histamine reaction (I'm very allergic, apparently)

But if you were, say, rolling around in grass, I can see how it could happen. :P

By: nenequesadilla

nenequesadilla — Thu, 31 May 2007 22:04:09 -0800

It's a bit hard to tell from the photo, is there a chance she was wearing clothing--halter top, bathing suit--that exposed her skin along that line of bites?

By: banished

banished — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:12:56 -0800

Weren't rolling around in grass (were mostly inside), and she wasn't anything exposing her skin because it was raining and kind of cold. I am thinking it wouldn't be bedbugs because like WCityMike and ch1x0r said, the welts / bites are not that big, plus they itch a lot. Is it possible since the bites didn't appear for 4 days that the bites didn't come from being at the cottage at all? I had never heard of chiggers, but that could be, unless they stay mostly outside, because we were mostly inside.

By: Balna Watya

Balna Watya — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:42:07 -0800

Those are definitely aphid bites.

By: Jubey

Jubey — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 01:28:39 -0800

Bedbugs don't itch? Are you kidding me? For me they were insanely itchy, and blew up to massive welts. Having said that, my flatmate (who unfortunately introduced them to the flat) had no reaction at all, yet his bed was absolutely crawliing with them. I have the heebie jeebies just thinking about it. For your sake, I hope to god they're not bedbugs, they're notoriously difficult to eradicate.

By: borkingchikapa

borkingchikapa — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:14:46 -0800

Those are indeed bedbug bites. You see how they're in a bizarre straight line? Bedbugs are pretty much the only things that do that.

The upside is that they don't carry any human diseases, so beyond being annoying and gross you're fine. Check under your mattress - sometimes you can actually see them.

By: mr_book

mr_book — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 05:33:16 -0800

you might want to mention where you are in the world, as tiny biting bugs have been moving around to new habitata recently.

By: unrepentanthippie

unrepentanthippie — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 06:18:37 -0800

Looks like chiggers to me, they commonly bite under an elastic waistband or tight spots in clothing, and usually come in a cluster. Combined with recent history of being around grass, it would fit. On the other hand, if you slept in a bed where transients come through a lot, it could easily be bedbugs.

By: trishthedish

trishthedish — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 07:27:23 -0800

I agree that they are bedbug bites, because as mentioned above bedbugs feed in a line like that. The size of the bite will have 100% to do with your allergic reaction to the bite, as well as how much they itch. For me they itched horribly.

They are especially out of control in the NYC area and I have heard reports recently of outbreaks of bedbugs in the California area. The only way to know for sure is to pull out your mattress and check around the seams for blood trails. Depending on how old they are you may not see anything, or you may see very large nasty bugs all over the bottom of your bed. I just hope for your sake you don't catch them in the middle of the night.

By: anonymous78

anonymous78 — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 15:44:05 -0800

It's entirely possible that you could sleep in a bedbug infested bed and not get bitten while the person sharing the bed with you was eaten alive. Apparently, body temperature is important to the bugs and even small differences can result in one person getting bitten and another not.

As others have pointed out, that string of bites is characteristic of bedbugs. If they are disturbed mid-feeding, they simply shift over a bit and bite again. This is why victims often find a line of 3-4 bites.

As for the itchiness, everyone reacts differently to bites, but many people complain of persistent (and at times maddening) itchiness. This was certainly my experience, and it was aggravated by the fact that the bites took forever to heal. But again, everyone reacts differently so I wouldn't base your assessment on that factor alone.

It sounds as though these bites occurred somewhere other than your home. Given this, I would suggest you not take any chances but wash your clothes and sheets immediately in hot water and THOROUGHLY vacuum your bedroom/apt/home. Then I would monitor your partner to see if she gets any more bites. If she does, it will unfortunately be time to call an exterminator. Hopefully though, you haven't brought them home with you.

By: croutonsupafreak

croutonsupafreak — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 14:15:45 -0800

Did you remove the image? Can't identify nothing.