RandyH::

Oh. My. God.

I have just spent a day at my desk (where the mite bite problem was the most severe. Not a single bite. Not one.

This insecticide Bifenthrin may be the magic formula for me. I bought some this afternoon (Ortho Home Defense MAX) and I sprayed it just in the area of my desk and my desk chair, where I spend a lot of time and where I feel a lot of bites. This seems to be the center of the problem in my home. I normally feel free from bites in all other parts of my house but this place is just intense.

You know what? NO BITES at all since I’ve been sitting here. Not a single one.

Seriously people, go out and get some of this stuff. Today I bought a bottle in the Garden department at Wal Mart and also bought a spray-can in the Household department at Wal Mart. I came home and sprayed the spray-can stuff all over the area where I sit at the computer and usually feel like I’m being eaten to death by invisible bugs. Tonight I feel nothing. NOTHING! It is truly amazing after a few years of feeling this torture as normal.

Also note that this particular flea/cockroach/insect product has absolutely no scent at all. It is amazing. It smells like nothing so they don’t need to make it smell like Pine or anything. It just smells like nothing at all. I will never buy RAID Brand of anything ever again. This stuff is just amazing.

Seriously. Everyone go and get some of this and let’s all reply about whether it worked for them.

Right now, I think I may have found my solution to my problem.

Of course, while I have not talked about it here or in my previous post, you still do need to keep a clean house. And you, of course, need to keep things clean through all of these steps that I talk about. But even if it’s dirty and your pets are covered in mites, this may still work for you.

Just amazing.

Also, you need to be treating your wounds from these awful pests. I have been using Sarna lotion (kind of expensive but very good) but you could also be using Caladryl Clear (or generic) to clear up your nasty bite areas and hope that it all returns to normal. Well it SHOULD return to normal if you can remove the pests from your environment. But still take your pets to the vet and get them on Revolution for one dose to clean the environment. Hopefully it will stay that way.

Whatever method you use, your body will clear it up by itself so long as you DO NOT scratch the itchy places. That really is the pint of these treatment recommendations. Just try and numb them and get through it until your body heals them naturally.

ORTHO HOME DEFENSE MAX aeresolized spray is what I’ve used now and it’s just amazing. Just amazing. Just don’t be stupid. DO NOT spray it on your skin. It will cause neurological damage. Keep it off of your skin and don’t be around it until it is completely dry. But it’s safe once it has dried. And it should last a LONG time.

The can of the stuff I used today and I’m already feeling relief from cost me about $5.00.

Try it.

RandyH::

A follow up to my previous comments-

I now mostly have the mites under control. I am going to keep clearing out parts of rooms and treating with the Bifenthrin product described in my previous posts.

But one thing that is new is that I am now treating the severe bite areas (legs from the knees down) with Hydrocortisone 1% cream (available over the counter) every day and it’s very impressive. I think alot of my other problems that I had been experiencing could have been allergic reactions to these bites. I was concerned about my legs and feet swelling, thinking I had a sever circulatory problem because they would often get very swollen and painful in addition to being red and bumpy. But the Hydrocortisone seems to have fixed that. They have lost their swollen-ness and the wounds are really beginning to heal up. It also is an itch-reducer, like the other creams and lotions.

Something to keep in mind. Hydrocortisone Cream.

Ms.Itchy::

I am the only one in a family of 3 that have been suffering with this dilemma. My “attack” started about 3 weeks ago with only about 2 bites at a time, but then progressed. I have 2 dogs, but no fleas?! Then, I thought BEDBUG (GROSS) So I sanitized my room (since I would find new bites upon wakening) to no avail. I went to my doctor who prescribed Prednisone and an antihistamine. OK that helped with inflammation from the bites and itching, but yet more bites! I discovered through GOOGLING, “rat mites”. Well, I must admit that that makes sense. I live in a woodsy area, and live in a condo. Meaning if my neighbors have rats, I have rats. So, we set traps and have already caught 3. I will now try the above mentioned remedies, mainly the “Ortho” home defense. I also read that spraying rubbing alcohol will kill the mites…I’ll keep you posted.

Remember!! Not everyone suffers from rat (bird-mite) bites. Just because no one else in your family is suffering doesn’t mean you are alone. Stay vigilant and proactive. Keep the rodents at bay and the mites away.

SoAnnoyed!::

It’s actually quite comforting to see that my boyfriend and I are not alone. For the past couple of years we have been combating these invisible bugs and recently (after we got termites) they have gotten so much worse. I didn’t used to have a problem with them. Well I mean they weren’t attacking me, but now they are.

Randy, do you still have to use the Ortho Home Remedy Spray daily? What about the cream? Can you please give us an update! Hope the itching has stopped!

Might be mites::

My infestation involves bites without any associated bugs or bug debris. The fact that I am dealing with an invisible bug suggests to me they are mites. My bites go through changes, where they begin red, after a few days become light brown, then dark brown, then disappear/heal. They do not itch, there is no rash, nor are they painful.

When sleeping I am often awakened by a painful bite. My feeble home remedy is to get up and iron my pajamas, and most of the blanket. I encased my mattress in the shipping plastic, and sealed it shut with tape. And I launder my sheet and blanket weekly.

After reading this site, I spotted posts suggesting an insecticide called Ortho home Max Defence with Bifenthrin. I look forward to trying it, especially since they said it has no scent. Two pest control inspections confirmed my claim of having turned up nothing. One said their heat treatment for a single room costs $2,400! But this is for bedbugs, and I don’t believe my bugs are that species.

We live on a canyon rim, and squirrels and bunnies frolic. We also have an abandoned hummingbird nest just outside. But, of course, none of us have ever played with the animals or the nest, so I can’t see how any bugs from these vectors could find their way inside and then to my room. One poster suggested getting rid of nests, so I shall do that today.

Amanda::

Amanda’s story can now be found on our Flea Bites page!

itchy::

does anyone have a cure or know for sure what this is?

mamaboo::

to jdh—hey now, don’t give up! i went thru somethings very similar back b4 everyone had computers and internet. I felt so alone, but i did my best to learn what i was dealing with and do what i had to and think on it later. Now with google, it is easy to find what you need to learn, just keep trying to google with different phrasing to find others who have success with your particular problems. You sound like you have much to be thankful for. I found this site because i gave a ride to a girl who told me (after i dropped her off) that she had bedbugs (UGH!). i have been googling how to prevent an infestation before it starts. I am definitely freaked out–but actively seeking help! getting back to your problem, have you considered morgellon’s disease? People used to think it was imagined but it is a real condition. Don’t drive yourself nuts with details, and when you do google for info, put the words “success story” after the words you google. you will be surprised at what you find. I will say a prayer for you. YOU WILL BE OKAY! – OKAY? OKAY! I have been there and back, and i am OKAY, if not better than i was before!

Barbara::

Hi Amanda, I left a comment for you which has now been moved to the top of this page. This will help!

Pat H::

The past 3 years have been a blur of trying one thing after the other to stop this itching, crawling feeling. I’m exhausted from cleaning, bought a rainbow vacuum cleaner, replaced all our carpet with hardwood floors, etc. I haven’t found anything that works to get them out of our clothes- have tried borax but not vinegar ( what a cheap fix if it works!) I have tried so many sprays, dusts, bombs. My husband has not felt any thing.

Recently, I’ve come to the conclusion that although some people are exposed to these mites/fleas-whatever they are, not all people are bit and kept wondering”why just me”. 3 weeks ago I went on a yeast free diet, sprayed antifungal powder on my lower legs and arms where I get bit most regularly. I’m also using sulfur 8 shampoo which really helps with the itchy head. This diet is hard to stick with so I called my doctor and asked him to prescribe an anti-yeast pill. What a difference! I still feel them in my clothes, but they don’t bite me anymore.

I think the high sugar content of my diet has attracted these pests. No one at work seems to be bothered by them, but when I sit at my desk, they would start biting my lower legs, get in my hair and make my head itch within 5 minutes. I will be going to buy bifenthrin from Walmart…I just hope it works as well as RandyH said it does for him. Garlic pills really seem to help. Probably having to do with raising my immunity to combat the yeast, who knew?

JDH, keep the faith- I’ve honestly felt the same way you do now, but also remember ” that means they win” and its just a bug…so don’t let it get to you. We will find an answer to this menace. Try the antifungal spray, call your doc for a anti-yeast med called fluconazole(150mg) and Bifenthrin. Your life is worth fighting for.

I long for the easy going days before I sat on that couch (free-from the side of the road) at my daughters house. (NEVER pick up furniture from the side of the road!) I plan to get my life back! I WILL get my life back.

I hope this helps.

worried::

My story is similar to most of them here. I have been itching for months (getting bites) sometimes 3 in a row, other times random. I have a dog (who doesn’t seem to be itching).

I have read here that lots of people ‘check’ their bed sheets or vacuum their mattress and then eliminate bed bugs. I’m wondering if this is a good enough test to eliminate the possibility of these bugs so I can focus on mites? I have done the same kind of inspections but am still getting bit regularly! (ironically rarely in bed) but mostly on my couch.

Most of my online research indicates that you may never see them??? I seem to be the only person in the house getting bit. I have a professional exterminator coming tomorrow to check and hopefully diagnose my pest!!! I’ll let you know if it was mites or something else.

elizabeth b.::

hey i wanna know what exactly that i have n if it’s contagious n do i need to seek medical attention. my symtoms are: little bumps, feeling of crawling under skin, prick like sting. these symptoms usually increase at nite.

debbie::

The itching first started behind both ears. Then it spread down to my neck. One night my neck felt like it was burning, so i got a cold towel and wrapped my neck up in it. The next morning, i awoke with my eyes swollen near shut, neck swollen, so i went to the emergency room, doctor diagnosed me with scabies.

I used the permerthin, things subsided for one or two days. Then it appeared that i had been reinfected. I checked my bed and noticed empty casings (clear or light yellow) on each corner of my box spring, hidden under the plastic corner tabs, so i threw the bed away, and began sleeping downstairs on my sofa. More bites and things keep getting worse. another treatment of permerthin. No relief.

I called an exterminator, he doesn’t see one bedbug nor flea. Leaves a monitor in my home for one week, no bugs, yet I’m still being bitten. Every night, and I’m awaken at 3:00 am to 7:00 am with something biting me. I see new bit marks every other day. The main areas I’m bitten are my abdomen area (chest, under my breast, stomach), and my back They just seem to appear on my pillows, clothing table, everywhere. They look like little black specks. I pick them up on a lint remover.

Washing my clothes, pillow cases (allergic and bedbug resistant pillow cases) everyday, i dry clothing at least two hours before i wear them, and nothing seems to kill them (not even bedbug/flea sprays). Spraying did decrease the bites, not eradicate them. What am I fighting? They also appear to hide in lint. I feel like I’m fighting an army of 1,000,000, and i don’t know who the enemy is, nor do i have a strategy of winning this war.

This has taken it’s toll on my psychological, and my family almost had me mental hygiene, because i became so overwhelmed, i appeared as having a nervous breakdown (or maybe i did). The bites are still coming, the rash is still spreading, even down my back, and I’m so tired, as I’m sleeping only after 7 am, and then only for a few hours, I’ve lost 10 pounds in 2 months, and I’ve been praying earnestly for relief, but there is none. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!

Bitten::

I’ve been getting bitten by something for the past 2 weeks (which I think is now from mites). First it started as an itching sensation on the side of my neck and my ankle, then I scratched and that turned into red marks, the more I scratched it turned into a hard swollen bump, then I could see whole like a bug bite. I had one on my wrist also. Then the ones on my neck turned into three small itchy bumps, I’m using calamine lotion, that helps for a while then I have to reapply.

Two days later I got more bumps on the other side of my neck and my upper wrist, the one on my upper wrist has turned into three brown flat spots after itching stops, some days the itching comes back even after redness goes away. I went to the doctor she said it’s bug bites, I suspected bed bugs and that was the first question the doctor asked me.

I had maintenance come to check, he has taken classes on bed bugs and he went over my bedroom and bed and didn’t find any signs of bed bugs. I took off all linens including pillows and washed them. I have had two of the pillows for years and never washed them. When I washed the older pillows the washing machine had this brown dirt I guess on the walls, so of course I threw those pillows away, they smelled sour also. I started with clean linens including comforter, kept two pillows.

The first night no new bites, the second night they are back. Now they are on my neck and breast area. I have one on my knew that swelled up worse than any others. When I don’t scratch sometimes I get a burning sensation. At one point after taking a shower I noticed a red line like a rash up my arm leading from where some bites were. I didn’t scratch so the red line went away, actually I scratched a little, then I developed a dry patch on both my upper thighs, I got neutrogena emphasema treatment soap and creams and that went away.

I continue to get bites, every night I do something different to see if that will help. I took comforter off and covered in plastic bag, bought new pillows and now can’t sleep cause of itching. Put on calamine and took a benadryl, don’t know what this is, sounds like it could be mites, I will vacuum tomorrow and try soaps mentioned.

Started doing research this is the first site that sounds like it may be what others are complaining about. I don’t have pets, just a fish. I live in an apt with central heat.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say I only notice them in the morning so I’m assuming they are in my bed. Also I mean the one on my knee is really swollen. I have been really stressed lately also, so I’m wondering if it’s stress related. Just discovered a new one on my thumb, wasn’t there yesterday, now its itchy and red, I will do my best not to scratch maybe it will go away. It’s almost like it has a mind of it’s own, as I said before if I don’t scratch and just apply calamine lotion it begins to tingle and burn.

Thanks

will share more later.

Karen::

Alot of these symptoms sound like mine, itching particularly on the scalp, pimple like marks, pin prick biting, insomnia due to the biting keeping you awake. The biting is worse at night. I know mine are rat mite bites.

After moving and living in our home for 3 years without a problem, I started getting a crawling and pin prick bite sensation which was itchy. this got progressively worse over the months. I was originally the only one affected. And the same as others, the doctors thought it was in my head , same as the dermatologists. So wasted money and no help.

Had the pest exterminator spray twice, bombed the house with insecticide ourselves 6 times. Ripped up all the carpet, pulled out all the insulation, to no avail, none of this had an effect. Used the perithim cream, used deet products, euculuptus oil, tea tree oil, etc. Nothing worked. Thousands of dollars later, exhausted, suffering rashes and saws and the worst of all, major hair fallout, hair has so thinned. My scalp is hit the worst, I finally couldn’t stand it any longer and moved out to my father in laws.

One week later I was itch free, hair had stopped falling out. The rat mites were in my house and I was spreading them to my car. As soon as I left they started attacking my husband and youngest son. My entire family of six moved into my father in laws and we finally had relief. My husband got the food grade DE and puffed it around our house and it killed many off, but they were still there when we tried to return home.

We gave up sold most of our gear and our house and moved to a small unit. Unfortunately the day after we moved in we were replacing the stove, on pulling it out we found a massive dead rat and we have been receiving bites ever since. Not as bad as our other house, though they are gradually getting worse.

As my hair continues to fall out and am scared of going bald, we are now selling this place and hoping the next place we buy is rat free like our father in laws house, so we don’t have this problem again. We have been dealing with mite bites for over a year now, and it has made us lose thousands of dollars. Destroyed our family , our lives and is destroying our marriage.

If the next place has mites I will be returning to my relatives in a different state and my husband and I will separate as he can not deal with having to move yet again. Moving a family of 6 and having no guarantees there will be no mites is so stressful. Realize the only way to get rid of these mites is to expose yourself to carcinogenic chemicals , including DE ( though not a chemical as such , should not be inhaled as can cause lung cancer)

I will not expose my children to this anymore and will continue moving as long as it takes to find a mite free place. The only way for it to be rat mite free is to make sure your building is rat free. Rats get into roofs and can live and dye down walls. the rat mites can breed on them dead or alive and rats are impossible to dispose of if they are in the walls unless you smash your walls down. who can afford to do that.

we are thinking of buying a mobile home or van as no rats can get in the walls then, so no mites. where there are rats there will be mites whether the rats are dead or alive. They will continue to keep breeding on the live or dead rodents then feed on a new available host on their blood if there rat is dead. Get rid of the rats the mites dye in 3 weeks.

It’s a matter of being able to find these dead or alive rodents and get rid of them, impossible once they are down your residential walls. Unless your happy to expose yourself to chemicals which will probably cause cancer in years to come. I’m over it, and on the move again. just want my life back. And no I didn’t transport them to the unit, I’m in now as i said the day after our purchase finalized we found a dead rat in the stove and where there is one rat there is sure to be more.

We have since had another 2 dead rats in our yard and the cat has killed 3 mice. But the mites just keep on biting and getting worse. Just move guys to a place rats can’t get down the walls or under your house and set traps in your ceiling.

Food Grade DE works really well to keep them down in numbers but we were unable to get rid of them completely. Just move to a rat free home and rat proof it so they can’t get in and you should then be rat mite free.

jdh::

STILL being bitten or whatever it is. I have gone to Loma Linda and still no answers. They make crap up and call it Neurotic excoriation or Morgellons. I dont know it this is crazy but I collect specimens that come off my skin as they dont look like scabs. When I get a normal scab I can pick it and bother it and it still heals fairly fast but when I pick one of these itchy scabs skin things they just get deeper and redder and more bothersome. I wish I knew how to find out if its mites or bugs and how Do I find them if I have them? Were do I look? I sometimes start to get better and am so happy to see healing then all it takes is one night and it all goes to hell and I break out with red bumped up rash that itches and then I feel tingling again and i cant leave it alone. Going to take a bath now to get it off me. I need sleep. I found a dr in orange county i see tuesday and he think morgellons and has a cure or so he thats the story for now. I’ll try anything. 3 years now, really!

Um……::

I have recently acquired small itchy chickenpox looking bumps on my stomach and in the last couple days they have spread to my chest, back, shoulders, upper arms, neck and head. I have not eaten anything new, used anything new, went anywhere new, ect. And after reading all the posts ( i do have a dog) i would hate to think that they are caused by anything like this. If they were a mite of some kind wouldn’t my son (who often sleeps with me) or anyone else I have constant contact with also have them?

Ellen::

I just found your website! I have had a skin problem for a few weeks. I didn’t think bed bugs were a problem. My dermatologist thought it might be eczema or contact dermatitis. He took a biopsy.. that is the picture with the very dark sore on my shoulder but I haven’t gotten the results yet and I doubt if it will show anything. If you click on the thumbnail to the right, you’ll see a enlarged picture with detail.

My husband was sick several weeks ago for a day and then he got some blotches on his skin. After that I wasn’t feeling well; I figured it was a virus and then my skin started breaking out and it hasn’t gone away. I thought maybe it could be my cats bringing something in from the litter box; they rarely go outside except when they escape now and then. I though maybe the dog? No one is itching, I see nothing on their skin and I am itchy as hell. Could I have suddenly become allergic to my laundry detergent?

Last night I stripped my bed, saw nothing at all. I decided to wash my electric mattress pad, which I have never done, because they always die on me after…but I found one bug in it… a bright red bug, tiny. I picked it up with a lint sheet, which is very sticky and it’s little legs were moving so fast, I could never have counted them. It got caught up in the sheet and there was no way I could unfold it to show anyone, so unfortunately I threw it out.

Kind of looked like the pictures on your Web site until my son said it could be a spider mite.. which I looked up and yea, it did look the same, too. He saw a bug in his room downstairs which he said was a spidermite and that I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. He was in California a few weeks ago and he said spider mites are prevalent out there.

I washed all my sheets in hot water, wiped down the animals, etc. slept lousy last night. Meanwhile, my son says he found a spider mite in his room, which is very much similar to the bug I found and does look like a bedbug at first glance. I sprayed with some ecological spray around the periphery of my bed for now and today I used a small steamer around and on my bed… but I don’t know if it hot enough. I did dry my bedding in the dryer. I haven’t put my electric mattress cover back yet, but I couldn’t wash it in hot water. I let it air dry and steamed it today a bit.

Here are some pictures of my skin taken on Feb. 27 and again just now. My skin seems very hypersensitive which is rather rare for me. I scratch it so much that I don’t know if the open sores are from my scratches or not. The itchiness started with just a round red patch and the more i scratch around it the more sensitive and red my skin gets.

I had a scratch on my chin which I may have gotten from one of my cats… it was gone, but I rubbed it today and then my skin was red and itchy around and then the side of my face was broken out. It is itchier when I wear clothes. I have no marks on my torso, except a one from a few weeks ago on my chest, which was not itchy and it still present.

So they seem to come and go for now reason. I have not seen any other evidence of a bug except for the one I found under my heated mattress. I have psoriasis on my feet, but this doesn’t seem related. I take injections for ms and I thought maybe I may be hypersensitive all of a sudden to the medication…not sure yet; the injection sites do itch now ant then but more since all this started and the itchy red spots do not necessarily correspond to all the injection sites.

So it is an enigma yet for me. I’m not convinced yet as to the real cause. It it is bed bugs then I may want to get some of the treatments like the earth. My daughter has had a big problem where she lives in Arizona. I haven’t gone to visit her. My husband came back from a trip there a few weeks ago. Could he have brought them back? He doesn’t think so. He didn’t see any when he was there and my daughter hasn’t said much about it lately. Here are the pictures… do you have any thoughts? It is worse when I am wearing a long sleeve shirt.. or any shirt at all. (but it is cold out!) it seems worse-more itchy- at night.

I have some cream the doctor gave me-Desoximentasone, but I can’t say it helps. He gave me hydrolozine which I took 2 or 3 times… knocks me out too much or makes me too spacey to function… I take aspirin sometimes which helps with the itching.. I tried soap and water today… made it much redder for awhile… still itches. I sometimes use over the counter cortisone cream, not much help either, or antibiotic cream, which does help slightly.

Thanks for being online…I hope these bugs are not my problem, but I can’t discount the thought and if so I’ll be following some of your directions.

The images above are from Feb. The situation started 2 or 3 weeks before this: The one on my hand started below the finger and I scratched to the point of the sore which you see. It was much work and finally it is getting smaller. The itchiness and redness appeared on my knuckle above it. It has finally gone away.

The dark spot as I said on the last pix is from the biopsy. Most of the spots start out like the last one… pink, blotchy and then once I scratch it, they open to be sores. It is hard not to scratch them. They seem to be more itchy in the evening, and with more clothes on, as I mentioned.

Jennie::

I have had this problem since October 2010. It first appeared on my thighs where my cat laid across my lap. I also felt a biting sensation on my lower legs but could not see any fleas. Treated the cat and the house for flea bites. Problem continued.

Went to general practitioner who ordered permethrin cream. Used twice, still had problem. Continued using over and over again. GP sent me to dermatologist who said I had scabies and issued “something new” – it was permethrin cream under a generic name. 3 visits later and several hundred more $, dermatologist declared my problem to be dry skin!

Every day washing clothes and bed linens, running the dryer, sweeping the carpeting, bathing, treating, crying, praying. Took cat to the vets twice. She was given frontline treatments and shots for allergy to fleas but no mites. Vet assures me that she doesn’t have them and can’t transfer them to me if she did. He also told me that parasite mutate and that is why that after sometime a treatment that is effective today is not tomorrow. No one else that had been in the house was having a problem.

At this point, I was so disgusted. My “friends” thought I was not being truthful, imagining things (it’s in your head), or just being obstinate. I began to use neem oil, lavender oil, peppermint oil, special soap. Nothing seemed to help. A friend heard on talk radio a discussion by several doctors about Morgellons disease. It was suggested that an imbalance in the ph was usually found.

I began taking a ph Buffer capsule by VAXA which I got at my local herb shop along with an immune capsule, Immune Gold with Mitake mushrooms from Vita Strong. These two things seemed to help greatly. The girl at the herb shop told me to try spraying denatured alcohol ($12/8oz at the pharmacy, $5 for 2 qts at surplus store) on my skin, which I did. It killed the “bugs” on contact. I couldn’t see them, but when I sprayed the denatured alcohol, I could feel them. The windex does the same thing.

I used Nix on my head and a special shampoo with neem and several other herbal remedies in it. I eventually began washing my hair about 3 times a day when I felt the bugs running. This has helped along with the immune and ph capsules which have been the most effective so far. I also used a sticky lint brush and rolled it over my skin when I felt the bugs crawling. It was amazing what this picked up from my skin. I feel that it removed many things that I didn’t want on me. When the itching wakes me up, I take a shower. All of this has helped but no cure.

I too have wondered if Life like this is worth living, but I pray for peace of mind and continue. The feeling of isolation is one of the worst to deal with. Most of the time I would prefer not to think about, let alone talk about my problem. People are put off by your scratching and sores. Others cannot understand what it is like, offer no comfort most of the time, and sometimes discouragement instead.

rue::

Can these types of problems be caused by an animal (a.k.a my cat) today i noticed that i have developed a welt which i did NOT have yesterday and my mom thinks its chicken pox because its going around but my cat sleeps on my bed and she is really dirty so cant his be posssible too?

k::

It was hell for years!! They are on the grass, do not sit on the grass. I was told by others that had the same problem, they are super bugs that have resulted from the farmers spraying the flower crop fields. That is why the ointment doesn’t really work just makes them multiply. Use it 3x what is recommended.

They seemed to like my body the most. It didn’t really take on the others.

They are micro scopic spider mites! The doctors can’t see them so they don’t believe you especially when you look like a scratched up meth addict. I almost punched the dermatologist who said I was imagining it and I had the mite bites to prove it!!!

They burrow into your skin and lay eggs. They come out of your skin to mate and that is when you feel them crawl and you are itchy. Mostly between 1 and 3 in the morning. Their feces also makes you itchy!

When you feel them crawling this is the time to use the lice shampoo and cream. Also shower, vacuum and wash your sheets and clothes.
The more you try to kill them the harder they try to survive by multiplying that is why it seems like they are gone and then they are back again.

There is a cycle. Mate. Burrow. Lay white eggs. Hatch. Crawl and eat your skin, in strange straight lines. Repeat. The longer you have them, the cycles overlap between the spiders so eventually you are itchy all the time.

What I did to get rid of them was everything at once:
I went swimming for at least 2 hours a day in a chlorinated heated pool and then I sat in the jacuzzi and steam room as long as I could.

Put on the cream.

Used tea tree oil, i put it in my eczema cream, my shampoo, my bath water.
I vacuumed.
I washed clothes.
I left the house for long periods of time.
I used the peppermint oil, etc.
I eat a ton of garlic.
Also, they don’t like vitamin B3. I took that along with vitamin D, E and C.

After 5 days, i was finally rid of them, but it took weeks for the itches to go away because of the eggs and feces left in my skin.
It took months for my skin to heal and the scars to go away.

I had the mites.
The overabundant yeast problem.
Then the fungus on my legs, like athletes feet. Tinatin powder is good for that! The seven dollar cure.
It caused extreme eczema.
Now I have developed bad allergies. The hospital took blood tests and told me I am allergic to dust mites and farine mites. The hell continues…..

Maddie::

Hi !
I got my dog Alex about a month ago,a week after, she started scratching, so I thought that would probably be flees or ticks, so I got her an anti-parasite spray, the flees are gona but she still scratches certain areas, and lost about a third of her coat, I took her to the vet, he gave her a worm pill and some vitamins,and a fungus ointment,since he didn’t know what cause the scratching,I used that but she still is scratching and losing furr… Other than being very worried about my dog, I got some itchiness my self…

And the same tiny ( about the size of a pin head) red dots that my dog has… skin also looks darker on the bold areas.I called my vet 10 days after and he said I must give it at least two weeks till she gets better :/

I tried a boiling eucalyptus leaves and washing my dog in that…but it didn’t really help…So I’m wondering if its mites that were suffering from:/

Do you think I could use the Listerine treatment on my dog?|
Thanks !

KC::

I’ve been finding random bites on my skin every few days or so. I just found one bite on my finger this morning. I’m think its either from these things or spiders. So, I will continue my observation.

going out of my mind::

We moved into a new house in oct. 2011 and this is where my hell began! At first I thought it was the water and taking hot showers so I left it go for awhile. My new neighbors who live in the other half of the twin home started complaining of the same thing so I thought it must be hard water and bought dove soap and dandruff shampoo well, nothing helped. I then bought menthol shampoo and that worked for my scalp but not my biting feeling and it always came back!!

I went to the doctor they said it was just dry skin gave me lotion and said my vitamin d was low try all this stuff well like everyone else nothing worked!! Then one day sitting on my couch just 2 days ago I felt a bite on my arm and i started scratching and picked this thing off me and put it on my coffee table and got my magnifier and it looked like your pic of the mite but then it started shrinking into nothing and evaporated!!!

I tried to get my fiance to see it because he is not getting bit and he just thinks I am out of my mind!!! So i finally found your website and told him to read this!! So today I am trying some of these things but I am just wondering where do I get the stuff you call DE? Not sure if I missed that in my reading…I just want the itching and sleepless nights to go away!!!! I have no pets and thought this was my ideal home and it turned into a nightmare!!!!

Pam B from Queensland Australia::

Hello friends, we are all aligned to fight this foe, here is my story and a few hints for those who’s affliction looks bad, I got infected with super teeny tiny black dots from long grass. It occurred on my shin, and within days of scratching an itch, I had lesions, then lots more bumps. I googled quickly enough to identify mites, not lice or scabies as the nurses and doctor first thought, they took a skin scraping for pathology, I told them to look for parasites, so he asked for a fungal scan, guess they don’t listen too well.

I found that Kerosene was the old fashioned method of ridding one’s body of lice etc, well I had tried all sorts of things but what has been most effective in some form of control ( but not eradication) has been to use a piece of paper toweling soaked in either neem seed oil, kerosene or menthol , and energetically rub down the area that is itchy, feel free to scratch hard as long as it is through the paper towel, check it regularly for tiny black spots, flip it over and scratch again, then if you want to go to a doctor, catch the black spots on sticky tape then tape them to white copy paper, you can then view them first hand through a good magnifying glass. There is your proof to doctors, family, anyone.

I have followed up with raw aloe vera as it has a soothing and healing film over the affected area. I have managed to heal the ugly areas and keep them on my shin as far as egg laying is concerned. I itch and scratch elsewhere, but no bite marks or egg lumps. Thanks so much for all the info on how to battle this enemy, Borax, Windex, DE, garlic & lemon will be added to my arsenel. I have already been using vicks vapour rub in ears, up nose and anywhere else I want relief from them. Also a Chinese Kwan Loong linament full of menthol, eucalyptus. camphor,lavender oil,& methyl Salicytate in it has given some relief and can be used as a wipe to remove any that annoy you.

Finally, I have been praying for a cure, and I found this page in the middle of the night, someone is listening to our prayers. I sincerely hope that each of us is helping the others to win the battle of the mite.

PS. We got a batch of mites erupt out of our veggie bin a few months ago, we went to the local feed store to ask for a miticide to treat the house, told him how we got it, and he said he wasn’t surprised if they came in with a bag of veggies. Shock horror!!! It could have been potatoes, onions or garlic. We got a sulphur powder with rotenone in it, we powdered everywhere and watched for 6 days, little by little they stopped moving. Maybe there is something in that for everyone.

Mitenobite::

Here is my story. I started out with getting one bite and then the next day another and so on. I couldn’t figure out what was biting me. Well after a few weeks and almost 10 bites I knew something was up. After figuring out where they came from and visiting a doctor the source was rats. OMG! They carry mites!! I had rats come down my outside wall onto my patio every night.

I tried to naturally get rid of them but nothing worked so we had an exterminator do the job. Unfortunately they left the mites to deal with. Thank god I found this website for all your suggestions on how to rid these things. Here is what I did for about a month or so. So far for almost a week now I’ m bite free so I’m hoping this is over with.

Every 3 days or so sprayed my mattress with windex and once dried I vacuumed the mattress. I washed all bedding in borax and laundry detergent. I sprayed a rag with the windex and wiped down everything on my end tables next to the bed along with chairs pillows, everything else.
I also sprayed windex on the couch in the living room and vacuumed as well. (I was getting bites sitting on the couch)
I vacuumed everyday. What a pain!
I washed the all floors including hardwood floors with a mixture of bleach and water first two weeks about every 3 days and then about once a week.
Personal hygiene: I hated this the most! I showered using the Avalon products that someone suggested, peppermint soap,peppermint shampoo and tree oil conditioner. I used very hot water as hot as I could stand it and sometimes showered twice a day. After showering I sprayed the bottom of the shower with the mixture of bleach and water. I also lathered up with peppermint lotion all over my body and at first I wore socks and long sleeves and pajama pants to protect myself. Once the mites subsided I went back to norm sleepwear. I THINK WHAT SAVED ME WAS I HAD AN ESSENCE OIL THAT WAS FOR SINUSES AND IT HAD PEPPERMINT! MENTHOL! AND SOME OTHER INGREDIENTS and I rubbed it in all over my body before I went to sleep. The mites hate these smells and I believe this is what kept them away. I purchased this stuff in Cambria on a vacation and not sure what store I bought it from. So, if you can find an essence oil that has similar ingredients it will work wonders!

I also have two cats and I bathed them in lavender pet shampoo and actually these mites didn’t seem to affect them at all.
Next I also sprayed my bed every night with a lavender spray, sheets, pillow, bedspread. They hate lavender too.
I only wore clothes once so I was washing clothes a lot.

Since the rats are gone and I have been doing this regimen for more than a month I’m hoping the mites are gone and just to be safe I will continue for another week.

I hope this helps anyone going through this hassle and as some folks have called it hell! If you stay with it and continue the regimen you will see the light at the end of the tunnel! Good luck…..

Pam B from Queensland Australia::

Hello again, here is an update that may be of serious help to all, I found a pharmacist in Innisfail that put me on to “Benzemul Application” it is a lotion for the treatment of scabies and body lice but he believes it is the old fashioned way of dealing with mites. He hadn’t heard of Harvest Mites, but he had heard of Scrub Mites, they may be the same mite. I compared pictures and my leg fits the bill for them, also where I got them was from long grass in Autumn.

The main ingredient is Benzyl Benzoate 250mg/ml. While this was on order for me I purchased a mite itch lotion and I have been using this lotion for the past 2 days and I am finally getting some peace and sleep. Very regularly I am slathering it onto my shin and any other body part that itches. The directions are to rub vigorously to get it under the skin, down to where the mites are.

What I have also done is 5 or 6 times a day I am using this or any oil on tissues rubbing to remove mites, threads, dead skin cells, in fact anything on my skin that I can wipe off. Immediately I am sealing the tissue in a cliplock bag with some DE in it ( Diatomacious Earth ) which I am using as a miticide as well. The bag is then disposed of in rubbish, or burned. This has been my way of destroying and limiting any that I find.

Also the DE is being sprinkled in the dirty washing, on the mats, the floor, the bedding, under the beds, in edges of floors, walls, benches, almost anywhere I can see that may harbour a mite. After a few days I sweep it up (no vac in a van) I’m on hols, then renew it as need be. Vicks has been my greatest friend, I have used it to ease and numb the itch before I got the miracle lotion, vicks is great for a few hours of sleep, I have put it in my ears, up my nose, around my hair line, on my nether regions, absolutely anywhere it was needed. Vicks is also good smeared on a tissue then used as a rubbing pick up tool to remove mites and their debris from my leg etc.

Also I found a mite wash at coles, it was 80% Eucalyptus Oil & 20% ??? but I used it along with Eucalyptus Wool Wash and Borax in the washing machines with all my clothing, linen etc, hot wash, then hot dryer as was suggested previously, all of these actions produced relief, my leg is now healing, I have had my first nights solid sleep in 3 months, I feel more relaxed, not itching, not being bitten, I think I see light at the end of the tunnel. BTW I have prayed earnestly for freedom from these evil little pests. I would like to think my prayers have been answered, I now hope I can help you who need this information to get results too.

Here’s a thought or two, mites and scrub typhus were so prevalent in the last 2 wars that DDT was used to clear the scrub to save the soldiers from this affliction, wikipedia cites that 4 out of 5 casualties of jungle warfare were caused by mites, not fighting. If it was indeed that well known and documented, why is it not openly acknowledged by the medical profession now?

I asked my 2nd doctor about ‘Chiggers’ or ‘Harvest Mites’, he said he hadn’t heard of them for many years but took my sticky taped sample, checked it out under a microscope, and then sent an enlarged picture of it off to QUT for identification. Given that there are 46,000 known species of mite in the world, if this little bugger gets a positive ID I will post the info here. Cheers for now.

bonkers::

From central PA – I must ask if any of you SEE the things that are crawling and biting. Only one time have I actually seen anything, and that was the very first time I felt the intense crawling sensation. I have not seen anything since then. I can actually feel a bite or sting and look down at where I just felt the bite and see nothing. Nothing on clothes, nothing in the shower, nothing in my bed …this part of it – and the inability to MAKE IT GO AWAY – are making me -bonkers.
I have spent the entire summer now doing laundry, remaking my bed and staying away from people. My current remedy is BEST YET cedar oil but the jury is still out on whether or not it will be the complete solution. I’ve spent a ton of money and and still run for the ladies room a dozen times a day to spray something on when I feel the damn things moving…..