Kikyo::

Well after 4 months of dealing with these bites and the bugs (which no one believed me on what they were) I finally was able to find a few and threw them in some ice water bottle. I know how I got them; through work. Turns out above where I work in one of the apartments the people they had them and they ended up hitting all 4 apartments and coming into all the shops down stairs. The people in the apartment were actually evicted because of it but after 3 bombings, 6 visits from a pest control place; they are still present. Sense I live in California they seems to constantly be out due to the prefect heat temperatures. I’ve been at work and I’ve seen them skittering around in broad daylight. (still trying to figure out if I can sue my job for being the cause of the infestation and they full willingly known what’s been going on and even still they’re not fixing any of the problems).

I’m writing today as for I’ve suffered so many bites along with my bf that he’s actually had to go to the hospital because someone told us it might have been shingles (I fully knew what they were but no one believed me till I presented them with the actual bugs today). My bites thankfully aren’t as bad as my bf’s but I still get glares at work because people think I’m on some form of drug (pisses me off more than anything). Strangely I didn’t find most of them on the bed; only the ones feeding. I found (what I hope to be) all their nests actually along the wall at the head of our bed! They were between the cracks on the boards and everything. I don’t know how the hell I had gone so long without ever noticing them before now. Sadly I didn’t take any photos but they were prefect examples of their eggs, what their first up to full grown stages looked like and everything. If I happen to find anymore nests I will be sure to post some photos.

We’ve tried everything from bombing out the room to sprays. Nothing worked. The spray only delayed them for a bit but they ended up coming back with full force. My bf is going out right now to go pick up some Diatomaceous earth stuff. It’s the only thing we’re been able to find online that seemed like it can kill them off for good. I know we don’t have to throw away everything (though my mother in law is swearing we have to burn everything (the bed maybe but not other important things) and as long as we can expose it to the high enough temperatures to kill the bugs off than we can keep our blankets. Though I think I might throw out all the ones that were right along the mattress sense they have the blood spots on them.

Either way that’s my story and I hope to be able to upload photos if I find anymore of the lil buggers. I just hope it never happens this bad to other people. Our tattoos are so ruined and our arms are already so scared up that I’m looking into creams or anything that might help. I won’t leave the house without a sweater on and it’s been over 90* lately around here….

constance::

I recently have been bitten by bed bugs. Over the past couple weeks I was bitten on and off during the night, until one night I had a shower. Upon coming out of the shower i went into my room to grab my shirt off my bed. After this I went into the living room and sat down in a chair. Not even 5 mins later i catch something moving out of the corner of my eye, so I look down to find a bed bug crawling up me!! OMG i panicked!! I slapped myself as hard as I could in the chest and thought i killed it so I woke my bf up and tried to show him, but the thing started moving again. Anyways we eventually killed that sucker dead…. and I went to bed. Woke up the next morning with no new bites but when I checked my daughters crib again after my bed…. I found another one!

This is a disaster!! Now I cant stop looking things up online… I feel bugs crawling on my skin…. I feel them bite me… and oh how I itch like crazy!!!!! But since a week ago I have yet to find another bug or any signs of them…. yet today is my worst day. Without any new bites or any evidence to show me I should.. today I have been on the computer constantly looking up nymph bites, what larvae looks like and since bites are different from person to person you can only imagine how many sites I have been on in order to have a full overview of what I should be looking for. See it isn’t me I am truly worried about rather my daughter.. and today she has a couple wee little bumps that have appeared on her fingers and one on her chin?? they are microscopic almost and look quite like a heat rash… and it is rather hot so it may be just that but i am scared. The ones I killed they looked like the pictures of the females.. is it possible they didn’t lay any eggs?? i am so scared that they did and all the pictures are so enlarged of all the eggs i have no idea what i am looking at.

please someone help me I am going crazy

Cindy::

Okay so for the past two days ive gotten bitten 8 times! I went out two days in a row. I opened my door at night to get the breeze in cause its hot. Here is where the bites are located on my body: I got two bites at the bottom of my left leg. They are red and the bites are besides each other. I have three on my left leg they are further apart. Then i have three on my right leg on my inner upper thighs. they are close to each other they are reddish-pink and super itchy.
i know that bed bugs like to bite in threes im just really scared that these are bed bugs . Please help i tried looking through my bed and mattress and i dont see anything or i dont see any blood stains on my bed..Please help!!!

Frustrated::

I am getting small red bumps on my arms. Every morning I find one or two more. And they do not seem to heal so I have accumulated a lot of them. I have also found larger bites that look like mosquito bites around my hips. Those same bites are in clumps on my legs. I checked my mattress and sheets with no signs of bed bugs. Also I always feel really itchy at night, like bugs are crawling on me. Even when I wash my sheets and stuff it doesn’t make a difference! Can anyone tell me what is going on?

Kenny::

My symptoms are exactly like Kori’s. Very strange, seems to happen at night while I’m sleeping. One day I awoke with a lot of bites, but usually just one or two new ones each morning. Often on the arms, but also common on my belly and thighs, and that one bad episode I even had multiple bites on my private parts! But not consistent with bed bug symptoms, I may get two bites next to each other, but not a trail. I just thoroughly checked my mattress and surrounding area and it’s clean. I know I do get small ants in the bedroom and have, in fact, seen them on my bed. Is it possible they’re the culprit?

tracy::

i got bit buy a bug it itched and burned and turned purple color no one else seems to be getting bit but me help !

Monique::

Hi there-

Did Court ever let you know what his doctor thought his bites were? I was in China recently and ended up with very, very similar looking bites on both of my lower legs but nowhere else on my body.

I wondered at the time if they were flea bites as our host does have a house cat but the doctor I went to see there (I couldn’t stand the itch and my legs had begun to swell up) suggested they could have been a herpes related breakout due to stress (never had anything like this before, not even a cold sore). Travelling that far away is somewhat stressful, but wasn’t feeling anything overly worrisome so wondered about that suggestion.

He treated with me an allergy shot, a few days of steroids and an antibiotic as some of them were looking like they may be on their way to being infected. The itching calmed right down about 12 hours after treatment and things were settling down until I received 6 or 7 new bites on my feet only about a week after the first blotches (which turned purple first and then started to fade and look like faint bruises now) showed up.

Tim::

Hello Laura,

From the pictures, it doesn’t look like bed bugs but it’s very hard to tell. However, the grouping looks similar to bed bug bites.Try the bed bug trap listed on this site and see what you catch. Wish I could be more help!

Kerrie::

Hi there, i appreciate all help i can get…
Im travelling in the USA From Australia and do not have health insurance.. i leave in 5 weeks
Because i dont have health insurance i am not able to afford going to a doctor over here… Ughhh
Two days ago i started breaking out in bites, It started with 3 pin head type dots on my hand…. a day later, i have bites everywhere, 31 on one arm alone!, on my chest, feet, and legs…. however none on my tummy or back.
They look ALOT like flea bites ot mosquitos… and now like bed bug bites… My friend has no pets, and i havent been outside alot, tho sleeping without a blanket at night….
i have stripped his couch 3 times and have found no bed bugs or eggs

However, i did have a 13hr trip on greyhound to get here to Louisville 3 days ago…….. Is it possible they were in the seat? eww…. Do they take awhile to show up (Bites)?

here is a picture… one of them is the size of two finger tips! =(

please please please help, and do i need to go to the doctor to get rid of the bites or will they clear up

melissa::

how can bed bugs get in your home if you dont bring them home like if they are in your vent

Jinxed::

Still nothing except itchy red bites…. We set the CO2 trap every day, and the ONLY thing I saw was a casing that my exterminator says is from a carpet beetles. (I have pix, will send in soon.)

I did make a few modifications to our trap. I added one of those hand warmer pouch things under the glass bowl, to make a little heat to attract a friend, and instead of powder, have lightly sprayed PAM on the bowl and plastic bin, since I don’t think the powder was stopping anything from climbing out… I also started leaving the lid off the dry ice container, as nearly nothing was coming out the spout. I add a bit of water and let it smoke and crackle. Fun! I need to set it during times we aren’t in there as well. I’m beginning to think the $50 CO2 trap is a good deal, as dry ice is rather pricey now. Last purchase was nearly $20, and we’ve caught NOTHING in two weeks. And we’re still being bitten.

My exterminator said they would pretty much start out doing what I’m already doing, so to contact them if it gets worse and they will look into the heat or cold methods. Sigh, we DO get days over 110 in normal years, but this one has been cool and wet.

We got a Hot Shot fogger, and will set that tomorrow. I am NOT looking forward to cleaning THAT up. I wonder if I should, or just leave the pyrethrin powder all over everything for a day or two? At least I know it will kill the carpet beetles….

The Benadryl Itch Relief Stick is still working for me – the redness and swelling disappears quickly and the itch is stopped immediately. Yay. Hubby is using cortisone cream, and his stay red and swollen.

My acupuncturist wants us to see a dermatologist, but unless it’s scabies (no dark trail, and bites are NOT every night) they will only say we have bug bites.

Crossing fingers for the fogger….

Spencer::

hi,

The photograph to the left is of my arm.

these “bites” appeared one morning several days ago and over the last couple of days have been multiplying and seemingly getting worse.

they are very itchy and are only located on my left forearm, nowhere else on my body. do they look like bed bug bites to you?

thank you very much,

d. lynn::

hello, me and my 6 yr old daughter have been suffering from large( bout the size of a quarter) pinkish, reddish VERY ichy mosquito like bites in the morning there never close together but theres usually like 2 or 3 only on our legs and they die down after bout 24 hrs. havent seen any sign of bed bugs but i dont have a exterminators eye either. What do you think? please help?!

Janet::

Hello Help,

As I understand it, Scabies (body lice) dig down into your skin and urinate there while moving around. This fecal matter shows up as a trail or black line. Bed bug bites do not look like this so I’ll take a guess and suggest Scabies.

Here are pictures of scabies and information on how to treat it www.badspiderbites.com/scabies/

Do us a favor will you? Please let us know what this turns out to be!

Thanks!

Vivian::

Hi Bed Bug Girl:

I have been getting really itchy bites on me all week, in about 3 sets, once along the waist, then along my torso then along my inner thigh!

I also have random single bites on my leg. They are itchy and I haven’t found any evidence of bed bugs or any bugs in my room. But I have been traveling a lot recently and but I was staying with friends in Toronto and New York, but I stayed in a dive of a place in Las Vegas for 3 nights. I came back home April 3rd. I’m like 90% sure something is biting me, my doctor said so too but he couldn’t tell what it was.

What do you think?

Many thanks.

Vivian

avery::

help me i woke up to a very large and red lump on my ankle and it itches and so i sprayed my bed and slept on the couch. My husband said i was probably having a rash but I’m not sure if it’s bed bugs, what should i do??!!

Lizzie::

My daughter just forwarded this picture to me.

Does anyone have bedbug bites that look like these?

If so, can you please let me know.

Thank you

Lizzie

eddie::

for months now i have been waking up with bites/blisters on my hands and arms. Also these appear during the day and there is nothing there i wear long sleeves all the time and yet they appear, today alone in the time I’ve been awake 6 have appeared they itch like hell but disappear in a half hour to an hour most the time. we had an infestation in our old apartment but we steam cleaned everything before moving and I’ve looked around to see if i can find anything and haven’t do you have any ideas to help? we even got the sonic emitters that are supposed to help and it did but now I’m getting bit and my wife doesn’t.

John G.::

Ronnie, that specimen doesn’t match with the bed bugs I was catching. The ones we caught are the same that are depicted on this website. They don’t have that divided section which is clearly seen on your specimen. Bed bugs have a very similar head but the body is like a watermelon seed. My first hunch when I looked at the photo was that it may be some sort of beetle. As far as a single bit? I don’t think so. They are usually grouped together. They bite multiple times. That bug may have bitten you but I don’t think it is a bed bug unless it is a different sub specie then the ones most of us are dealing with. Have you done an internet search of all sub species of bed bugs? There may be different ones out there.

Liz::

Hi Ronnie,

That is not a bed bug, so don’t worry – and from the looks of it, it’s not harmful.

The welt could be from a bed bug and all depends on how you react to the bug. It is hard to tell from just one bite and usually just one is not a good indications it’s a bed bug.

Liz

Ronnie::

Please Help!

Please Help!

I am hoping that someone can help me determine whether the bug I have captured is in fact, a bed bug. Last week, while I slept, I was awoken by my dog jumping on me. Thinking it was the storm that scared her, I closed the window. However, when I turned on the light and looked down, I had a pretty big, bright red, welt on my chest. It was painful to the touch and I felt sick to my stomach. It subsided within a few hours and no longer looked bright red, but a light pink. My stomach ache persisted until the next day. The reason I’m
anxious is that when I googled “red, irregular welt”, a photo of another person’s welt matched mine to a tee. Apparently, its from from a bed bug.

Since that night, I have not had another bite since I have refused to return to my bedroom. My husband has slept in there the past two nights and he had not had a bite. He wasn’t bitten the night I was bitten either. Not sure whether the bite is related to being bitten by a bed bug or a different bug.

Tonight, I found this bug crawling around my baseboard in our apartment (only lived here 2 months). Can someone please tell me whether it is in fact a bed bug? The property manager at our complex won’t treat until we find a bug and since I haven’t slept in our bed, the chances seem slim of finding one. A few days ago, we placed the Interceptor cups underneath our bed legs, but so far we haven’t caught anything.

Can someone please tell me whether it’s a bed bug (not sure how to attach photo) and whether a welt that is painful, not itchy, that goes away within a day, can be from a bed bug bite?

Forgot to mention that we tried the CO2 trap as suggested on the website for 3 consecutive days, and we didn’t catch anything. Realize that we should try it for 2 weeks, but it’s a 45min drive to buy dry ice.

Thank you.

Wondering::

Hello John G,

I will try that. I seen a dermatologist and she said it was for sure some kind of bite, so I do not think it is a virus. I have decided to resort to having a dog come in and sniff out my apartment so I can put this thought of bed bugs to a rest for good. What I do not understand is how I have not find a SINGLE bug in 8 months since I first started noticing my bites. :(

Also, I do not think it is a virus because my boyfriend gets the occasional bite, but nowhere near as many as I do. I mostly get them on my arms, scalp, back, and face. They always feel like a mosquito bite and they usually break open into a sore and scab. The sores also take a super long time to heal.

John G.::

Wondering, try applying bug repellent to your body before going to bed, focusing on areas where bites occur and see if it stops. If it doesn’t then you probably have a virus.

Kathie H::

Amelia, You noted that the ‘bites’ were painful? Have you checked with your Doctor? I thought that I had bites, turned out to be shingles. If no one else is affected, you might want to see your Doctor.

Bed Bug Girl::

Hi Amelia,

I’ve documented how to make your own bed bug trap, see my link at the top right of this page. It costs less than $10 to make and works great! This should help determine if you have bed bugs and yes, those look exactly like the bed bug bites that another visitor (Ross) had on his body. Can’t say for sure, but if you look at the photo of his arm at the top (fist page of bed bug bites) you’ll see they match. Try the bed bug trap and see what you catch!

Amanda::

hey everyone,

just wanted to know what people think.

i am in the military and live in the barracks. my mattress is one that is covered in plastic already since they aren’t ours and they stay here when we transfer out. i was getting small, bright red, itchy bumps on my legs, ankles and feet before i left to go overseas. while i was gone i didn’t have a problem with any bumps. we were still in the same kind of climate as when in the states, so same type of bugs and what not.

but, as everyone knows, the military likes things clean, so we field dayed every day and did laundry when we could. we got back a week ago to the states and almost immediately the bumps were back, in the same area. my roommate gets them as well. we are one of the few left to have carpet in our room, but vacuum at least once a week.

i could go to have them look at the bites down at medical, but then that would be an investigation in the barracks and if we had to move out we would have no place to go, so i don’t want to go if there is something we can do ourselves.

please help us out!

Amanda

CODY MARTIN::

i cant believe this……. i am in awww in what i had to endure this week!!!! Darn bed bugs……. now mind you, i am a very clean person, i have hand sanitizer all over my house you could say that i have a little o.c.d, i am even addicted to the show monsters in me, and i have bed bugs.

I hate bugs any kind of bugs. i battle with the phobia of spiders, and now this. i have been crying every night because they have violated my home. they have deformed my body, its just to much. i thought that roaches wwere the worst…… followed by ants….. now its bed bugs….. what the heck.

I want to put a picture of how they have destroyed my body. how they have ruined my children’s spring break. i am to out done. ohhhhh and don’t tell anyone that you have them, because in order to get your house sprayed you have to play like you are moving….. why do I have to move? lol…. pack up all my things put them in bags… yaddie yaddie ya…. then leave my home, give the people twelve hundred dollars….. what the heck…… thats rent.

Help me because these bugs….. these bed bugs……. help me!!!!!!! i am going through midlife, i just became a granny, i have no time for a bugs! help!!!!!!!!! they have taken over my dream home. what did i do wrong???????

I must say that Mr Ross from Terminix is a good exterminator…. He was soooo comforting. i think i would have lost my mind. he was the best, because i was a nervous reck, swear. i am not being dramatic. because this is serious. and if it wasn’t for Ross….. i would be selling my house. i think i called him over twenty times and he never was mean to me. not to mention my hyper boyfriend that left me to do the hard work. soooo Mr. Ross (that’s his first name) thank you so much, really……… if there were more exterminators like Mr. Ross, the bed bug world would be a ok.

Billinda::

Hi,

I live in low income housing and i have bed bugs. i have bed bugs from day one here and they did lie and say it was not bed bugs but i went to the bigger people so they know it is bed bugs now. so if u live in low income make sure they are not lying to you about the bed bugs and that they are using some type of pest control, such as spraying.

I can’t sleep at all and fell them all over me every night and i want it to stop! can you tell me what to do so i can get them out of my apartment and keep them away for good?

Bed Bug Girl::

Hi Court,

Those do not look like bed bug bites, more like spider bites, but, it would be very rare to get more bites after moving to another location. Do you usually have bad reactions to bites? To eliminate the possibility of bed bugs, visit my section on bed bug traps located at the top right of this page and there you will find a do it yourself guide. The materials needed for this can be found anywhere and costs less than $10!

I know it’s been a while since the time you wrote and the time I posted the pictures. Are you still being bitten? Are these bites in the picture healing now?

Thanks for sharing!

Bed Bug Girl::

Hi Court,

Send the photos to badbedbugs@gmail.com and I’ll get them posted and comment.

Thanks!

Bed Bug Girl::

Wondering, stop wondering (sorry, I couldn’t resist : ) – See the bed bug trap link in the top right menu of this site; it’s a do it yourself device you can make yourself for under $10 using material from any dollar store and it is a GREAT WAY to find out if these are bed bug bites or something else!

Why Me?::

Hi, I travel a lot for work and recently stayed at a hotel outside the US. My first night there I woke up with a couple of reddish welts, but just assumed that they were mosquito bites and went on my way. Flash forward a week and a half and there are red bites all over my back, the back of my neck and my stomach.

My first though was that perhaps our dogs got fleas. We washed all the sheets in hot water and gave the dogs their flea bath even though I’m the only one with bites. (The dogs aren’t itching/scratching, my boyfriend doesn’t have a speck on him even though we sleep in the same bed, etc.) There are absolutely no bites at all on my legs or arms, just all over my stomach and back as well as near my hair line in the back of my head.

I’ve included pictures above and hope someone can tell me if these look like bed bugs or something else? The unfortunate thing is that I have to travel again on Monday/can’t get to the doctor for another week. I’m guessing that hydrocortisone is probably my only option for now. I just can’t figure out why I’m the only one itching.

Is it possible that they just attacked me at the hotel, but didn’t make it home to infect the house? I don’t think I have any new bites, it’s just the ones that I have are itching like crazy. How long does it take for bed bug bites to go away?

Thanks a million for helping poor itchy souls like me out!

AC::

I will make a long story brief and I need help: I moved into a new apt 3 months ago. Found a bed bug on the wall. Management handled right away and heated the entire place up. 2 days later I find another bed bug. Management heats the place again and chemically treats. Then I start waking up with huge welts on my face and back. The bites I get on my back are the size of half dollars.

Management has a dog come in to sniff my apt and all surrounding apts and finds nothing. No one else has any problems. I buy DE and sprinkle everywhere. No problems for over a month. I wake up yesterday and the whole side of my face is swollen and bites on my back and I find a bed bug attached to my suitcase that we were taking on a trip this weekend.

I have no idea what else we can do. If we move all it takes is one to come along with us and start all over. I have no evidence of any bugs; no blood, no fecal stains, no eggs. Just this one bug I found. What do I do to get rid of them? Heat is not working, they must be coming from the walls.

My wife isn’t getting bit, it is just me. This is a horrible stigma to have as we pride ourselves on cleanliness. The bites are embarrassing to have as they swell up my whole cheek. Please advise!

s2::

Hello again! I have recently discovered what I think is a carpet beetle.. I’ve looked up what they look like online, but the colour seems to be different. The one I found look very similar to these, except the middle was white and, top and bottom was black. Other than that, they looked the same, from segmented body to ‘hairy’ legs. Does the colour difference mean it’s not carpet beetles? Sorry, my camera isn’t able to focus on such a small insect. I squished it, and white pus-like liquid came out.. so pretty sure I have not mistaken it for a bed bug.

Sorry for posting this question here, but I have no idea where to post and I think I’m losing my mind over the possibility of bed bugs. The bites I have described before could have been an allergic reaction to mosquito bites.. or that’s what I’m hoping.

Ellice::

I have about 10-12 bites from over the past 2 nights and they are very itchy. I have looked at many pictures on the website of bites and mine seem like they are very similar to bed bug bites. I’m not too sure what to do. Tonight I will be doing a clean sweep of every crevice in my bedroom, but what if they are bed bugs?

Do I need to get an exterminator? Can you see them in plain sight? Some answers would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

S2::

Hello, I’ve never had bed bugs before, but woke up to about 30+ bites similar to mosquito bites on my thigh, calf, ankles, feet and below my elbow. A lot of people here state they have 2-3 spots at a time. The bites if I scratch immensely, become raised and swollen on and around the bite for a day, and then become 1cm red circles the next day. Others are 1cm and red for a day and seem to be healing after one day. So is it possible for me to get bitten by bed bugs 30 plus times for the first time ever?

I did however, get bitten by many mosquito’s one week ago, but only showed a red dot in a white circle the next day without any itching and swelling, so I dismissed them. All bites I have now are on exposed skin only. I have bites in groups of 3 as mentioned above, so that also adds to my concerns, but the majority of them seem random and in bigger groups. So is it bed bugs or delayed reactions on my mosquito bites?

Please help, I’ve lost so much sleep itching crazily, and then worrying about bed bugs. :(

Rob Gonz::

Hello,

Do you guys think these are Bed Bug bites or Shingles?

The four pics are of the same exact location which is on my upper back near the bottom of my shoulder blade. They don’t itch, but they have a dull sting. And also I have a tenderness in my upper left side of my chest near my nipple and ribcage, which isn’t painful necessarily.

Thanks!

Rob

John G.::

CS, If you have bite marks that show up in the morning that is enough for me to believe you are being bitten the night before, especially if you have sensitive skin. I remember feeling bites then seeing the marks in the morning.

Ali::

I have been dealing with mysterious bites since last May when i went abroad. i was camping in a public camp space in a tent that other people had used, and woke up with around 50 bites, all over, red and dry looking. Didn’t itch. The other girl in the tent (my roommate) had no bites and for the rest of the time we lived together abroad (2 more months) she never got any. mine didn’t heal, and i didn’t get many more, until i finally went back to the states and put steroid cream on them. Then they healed, after a few weeks. My father and I were afraid of bed bugs so right when i got home we had all my luggage dry cleaned and then i didn’t get any bites for a while, so i thought i was fine.

I would wake up with some bites every once in a while, but no one who stayed over ever got bitten, and neither has my roommate. Then, a few weeks ago, I woke up with a few more “bite” things and got worried that somehow i have bed bugs.. I searched all around my mattress- absolutely no evidence of them. Then i went on a trip to visit family, and WHILE on the trip, woke up with a bunch more bites, all over again! I have no idea what this is..but they LOOK like bed bug bites.

I finally went out yesterday to buy some DE and I will be putting that around my room and bed tomorrow..but I am moving in May and I wanted to know how to be POSITIVE that i will not take any bed bugs (if that’s what this is) with me to my new home. This is what i plan on doing so far- do you have any other suggestions?

-Buy two mattress covers for allergens and put then on my mattress and box spring after treating with DE
-go through all belongings before the move and get rid of anything unnecessary and then wash and dry all clothes/bedding with hot water/air, and then store in sealed plastic bags.
-treat entire room with DE, vacuum regularly

Would it be wise to dispose of my mattress when i move if evidence of bed bugs is found, or will the covers prevent a re-infestation?

any advice for getting rid of the bite mark? The only thing that has worked so far is a steroid cream, and i’d really like to stop using that.

Thank you SO much for your help! this has been such a nightmare..
Pictures of my latest bites are included, maybe you can tell if they are from bed bugs? i have a sinking feeling that they are..

Ali

Update 3/26/2011

I ended up going to the hospital for something else and they checked out my ‘bites’. After a biopsy it turns out it’s guttate psoriasis. Which makes sense since i have found no sign of bed bugs nor has anyone gotten ‘bit’ but me.. It kind of sucks to have psoriasis, but i guess it’s better than bed bugs..!

Thanks for all your help in the meantime!

CS::

Long story short- (when I have the time I will contribute more b/c I have learned a LOT from this experience)

About a month ago I discovered ONE bed bug… Didn’t waste time, got an exterminator in to treat the apt. He discovered that the tenants upstairs have been dealing with them so he gave them a quick treatment (not as extensive as ours…) Since then, my husband has caulked the entire apt, bought mattress protectors, treat everything with alcohol every weekend, etc… My son has a friend that lives across the street whose building has NUMEROUS reports on another site about bed bugs in the building. Whenever my son goes over to his apt (which is rare these days) we take precautions… strip him down, bag his clothes and leave them on the balcony or outside the apt until washed and make him take a shower.

The other night we allowed him to sleep over his friend’s apt and took the normal precautions when he got home (around 1pm Sunday)

Sunday night around 8pm my son noticed he had three bites on his arm (the ones I have come to know VERY WELL through our horrible ordeal.) Of course I freak out… my husband and I truly believe he may have gotten bit while at the friend’s apt and hopefully didn’t bring any home. We stripped his bed, sprayed it with alcohol and we all went to bed. Tomorrow I will clean out his room and treat it with Diatomaceous Earth… We are throwing out his futon… (Not taking any chances.)

This morning he had a few more welts on his body… (when my son & I get bit, they become these big welts.. I’m assuming we are somewhat allergic.. we both have fair/sensitive skin..)

We found no evidence of bed bugs in his room and the exterminator only found evidence in OUR room when we had the apt treated. (And we only found the ONE bug… no others… no eggs, etc.)

I currently have no bites whats so ever.

My question is, how do I know if the bites my son discovered this morning are FRESH bites and not just ones that could have happened the night he spent over at the “bed bug building?”

Could it be that he just got bit over at his friends? Like I said– when he got home we stripped him down and washed his clothes right away.

John, I’m looking at you buddy…. talk me off the ledge.

Beth::

Two yrs ago, I was getting welts on my body (legs, face, arms, butt) and had terrible itching at night that kept me up. This went on for months, the dr said I had eczema. I couldn’t stand it at night. I went away for a week (I was OK) and when I got back, my sister who lived w/ me said she had thrown out her mattress because she saw a lot of bedbugs (as far as I know, she never itched).

I had seen some bugs before on the top of my bed but thought nothing of them (I had flushed them of course). She used a fogger (which I later learned is not good). We had to buy new mattresses, boxsprings & expensive covers and pay $700 for the exterminator. I threw out the couch (which had them), a chair, washed all the clothes, took up all the carpeting around the walls for the spraying. What a hassle! I have since moved and am paranoid every time I itch or see anything (it could be a piece of lint, I don’t know).

I’m so afraid of infecting someone else’s house even though I don’t know if I still have them. Anyway, this bedbug problem is HORRIBLE! I wish we could use that DDT that they used yrs ago to get rid of them. They were GONE but now are back. We have to do something.

luc::

I was convinced I had bed bugs, but now I’m not so sure. I’m only getting bites on my ankles and calves, and many of the bites are right next to hairs and hair follicles. Everything I’ve read says that bed bugs don’t like hairy skin, but I’ve had no bites anywhere else on my body except my legs.

Does anyone know what I might have? I also have mild-to-moderate eczema, so after I scratch, the skin breaks and doesn’t heal completely for weeks or even months (this has nothing to do with whatever’s biting me–it happens every winter). All my bites are also red in the center. I’ve also read that bed-bug bites aren’t red in the center.

Can anyone help me?

Kay::

@John G yeah I guess I won’t be using DE after all, at least not yet. The exterminator is coming to spray tomorrow, and when I mentioned that I wanted to sprinkle DE he said no, no.. he said it would mess up his whole thing (whatever that means) so I guess I am just going to try to trust him. (I’m a bit of a control freak lol) He said he’s going to spray 3 different times, which left me feeling a little better about it. He’s also doing the entire building. (I live in a quadplex) If after the series of sprays, if there still are some, then I will use the DE to finish the job.

I stayed at my boyfriends last night, so I don’t have any new bites and the original ones are started to fade away, though they still itch. I have to stay home tonight because I have class very early in the morning, and I’m afraid that since I vacuumed and picked my bedroom apart last night looking for them, I’m afraid I may have stirred them up. I moved my bed away from the wall and got rid of my bedskirt. I’ll get some two-way tape today to tape the legs since I have one more night with them. :( I’m really concerned about my dog. When I came home this morning, he was rolling around on the carpet like he was scratching his back. Now I’m concerned that they were attacking him all night since I was gone. :( I can’t wait for this to be over!

FreakingOut::

I am not really sure what to think anymore. It has been 8 months since we discovered bed bugs in the wood bed frame we bought locally on Craigslist. It all started with a reaction my son had to some bites. The doctor didn’t think it was bed bugs but when it reappeared a couple weeks later I started to poke around in his bed.

It was pretty bad. We found his bed was pretty infested and only found 2 on our box spring. We threw out his bed and our box spring. I treated and cleaned as best we could. Since then we have moved and bought all new beds and metal bed frames. None of us have had anymore bites and my mind was finally starting to ease. But then I walked into my bedroom about a week ago and found a bug crawling on my ceiling. I got tissue and grab it. I am pretty sure it was a bed bug.

According to your life cycle pic it was an unfed adult. He moved very slowly and was pretty dried out. I can’t help but to start freaking out a bit. I cannot find any evidence of others. Any chance it was a straggler?? Can that be possible??

John G.::

Kay, when I started reading your comment I suspected it was from a neighbor before you said it. Just start treating. I would move any way if you can!

michele d::

I started out with pin sized dots all over my feet where my ankle socks covered. (the morning after we got home from Costa Rica) then a week later I got what appeared to be skin colored welts on my elbows 12 hours after getting out of bed. since then the bites have increased and I woke up this morning with swelling along the bottom of my feet and my hands are showing swelling as well.

Big swelling that makes it painful to walk and close my hands. I also have what looks like blood vessels broken under my skin and red marks from pin prick to end of pencil eraser size. I go to the doc Thursday. will get my husband to take pictures tonight. is that how bed bug bites progress? I know it affects everyone different and I haven’t seen any description like mine.

John G.::

knitarama, I would think you would be getting bites on your feet, ankles and arms also. Bed bugs are not focused on one or two areas of your body. They like the veins and arteries that are near the surface of the skin (like the feet) if they can find it. It is probably a heat sensory that they possess. You should be seeing the 3 bite pattern as well and also you should be seeing some bugs eventually. I don’t think you are experiencing bed bugs based on what you wrote. I hope that is the case.

knitarama::

I am experiencing something very similar to MJ — I get small red bumps/bites that fade away quickly and generally aren’t very itchy. I get maybe one or two a day, usually on my face or chest/back. the ones on the face I usually discover in the morning.

the problem started while we were abroad last year — small, not very itchy bites, sometimes two near each other. when we came back, one exterminator’s dog picked up the bed bug scent, but another exterminator said our problem wasn’t bed bugs (but wasn’t sure what it was). we’ve never seen insects around our bed, have our mattress and pillowcases encased, our clothes in zip lock bags. we’ve had our place exterminated for bed bugs three times, vacuumed, dried our clothes endlessly, dry cleaned all our wool items…

I’m seeing a dermatologist to rule out scabies/lice/etc but I’m not very hopeful she’ll have a diagnosis.

it’s a low-grade problem, but it just won’t go away! anyone have any bright ideas?

MJ::

Please help me with my anxiety with bed bug bites!

I live in a dorm and I was moved to a “clean” room (cleared to be free of bed bugs a month ago by the specially trained dog, haven’t been occupied by anyone since then) from my old room that was infested with bed bugs. I laundered all that was launder-able in hot water and heat dry or heat dry only for clothes that were clean to begin with, and put them in clean garbage bags or zip-lock bags. I brought some non-fabric items to my new room along with the laundered clothes in bags. I have opened them a few times to find clothes to wear but for the most part they’ve been sealed in my new room.

The first few days I was so paranoid that I brought the bugs with me somehow (through non-launderable items like laptop or a tissue box) and I did have some bumps on my skin that look like mosquito bites in random parts of my body throughout the day, not necessarily after waking up from sleep in the morning. Most of them (slightly raised, small reddish spots a lot like very small mosquito bites, usually in one or two at the most on my chest, my shoulder, my forearm) weren’t itchy or bothersome at all, and would actually disappear within 30 min-2 hours. They would appear like an hour or two after I wake up, during the day at work, or in the early evening as I’m up about and moving around or sitting at the desk doing homework.

I constantly fidget, check my body in the mirror every few hours, and check my mattress and bed sheets and pillow/pillow cover every day, and haven’t found a single bug or anything resembling its feces. When I would go into my old room (right before and in between the 1st and 2nd treatment by the pest control company), I would either wear a blue paper suit and trash it after leaving the room, and wipe down my shoes with alcohol wipes before entering my new room or change clothes before coming back to my new room.

Today I have noticed a similar bite-looking spot on my cheek just now (6pm). Again, it’s not itchy and the only reason I noticed it is because as I was fidgeting I happen to stroke my cheek. Could this be a bed bug bite that I had last night that my body is reacting to like 12 hours later or is it something else? The bump is already going away right now as I’m typing this question.

I’m so afraid that I have bed bugs in the clean room and I will re-infect my old room that I’m about to move back into this week. When I had bed bugs bite before I did not have extensive reaction to the bites but they were quite itchy. The bites (if they are bites) I’m getting now do not itch and do not appear in clusters. Please help!

*I’m sending you the picture to this address: badbedbugs@gmail.com