Bedbugs...

fits

I've woken up each of the last four mornings with one new mysterious bump/hive... Initially I thought I might have been bitten by a spider, but now I'm suspecting bedbugs.
OH doesnt seem to be affected... This morning we stripped the bed and washed the bed linen at a high temperature, hoovered the mattress and underneath the bed thoroughly... This evening I'm going to do a thorough inspection of all nooks and crannys for eggs, faeces and bugs...
Are we going to have to get rentokil in? Or can we deal with this ourselves? Its only been noticed the last four nights....

Seemingly its very common, but I've never heard of anyone else having them.

Mods feel free to move if theres a more appropriate home for the thread.

real_484

I am feeling itchy just writing this.

They are very common in motel/hotels. A good place to look is in the corners of the matress in the seams along the edges, you will see brown and black specs depending on what stage of their life cycle they are in. If you do have an infestation you should dump the matress and you may have use some chemical agents to clear the house.

For sheets and clothes extremes of temperature are required so both freezing and high. Normally if you have a bite should a number of them in a line. You may also find blood spec's on the sheets. They like heat so in general won't come out until there is some boby heat to attract them. best of luck

fits

Well...
Bite no.1 was on my left arm on the inside of arm near elbow... v itchy and on its own.
Bite no.2 on my left wrist not very itchy but also on its own.
Bite no.3 on my ankle and theres 3 little bumps and a big one but not linear and not terribly itchy...
Bite no.4 I'm no longer sure about...

It cant be too bad an infestation just yet... but I really dont need this right now....
OH is travelling a lot at the moment as well, so it could have easily been picked up. They're no worse than midge bites right now. Hopefully we'll have tackled it on time...

looksee

Why are you sure that they are bed bugs and not mosquito bites? Or even pet fleas, do you have a cat or dog? I have loads of bites at the moment, mostly on my feet and ankles from outside but a few elsewhere, the mozzies here don't whine/buzz so you can get well munched without noticing. They definitely prefer some people and don't touch others.

fits

I have two dogs. One of them came back from a kennels years ago with a flea infestation which was quickly rectified.
This is different, (but they will be getting a dose of stronghold as a precaution anyway).

I would love if it was midges, the bedroom window has been open, but I have my doubts. Why would they start biting me now? (Midges dont like me much anyway)
And how did they get my ankle while I was in bed?

fits

on reflection... I reckon that I'm going to test the midge theory by closing my window for a couple of nights... (as well as looking for signs of any other little critters...)

looksee

Check there is no standing water (in containers of any kind) around the outside of the house. If you have a still pond with no fish you can pour a tiny bit of garlic oil on the surface which should kill the larvae.

looksee

OK the mosquito/midge theory has been disproved in this house anyway.

I found one cat flea. Once I had found one I began to find more. I have spent the day in a frenzy of hoovering, washing, spraying and cleaning.

We have always had a cat or two and they have had fleas the odd time and been treated. This cat was treated 2 weeks ago, but apparently this warm damp weather is very appealing to fleas and they are hatching out of eggs left anywhere the cat had been previously. I have never had an infestation in the house before, but apparently the eggs can continue to hatch for weeks.

Fecking cat.:eek:

patrickolee

It can take a while for you body to react as well, so the fleas/mossies bites maybe old ones that are only reacting now. Don't panic. Doesn't sound like bed bugs at any rate.

fits

Yeah I dont think its bedbugs anymore... *phew*.
It could have been a stray flea or midge bite...
No bites since anyway...

total overreaction on my part lol!

dubtom

On the subject of bedbugs. I was warned last year by a housekeeper who worked in a V popular hotel in the city center about them. They had about 20 rooms closed because of an investation. Apartently when booking in to any hotel, you should check the walls around the headboard area for small blood spots, where they have been killed and keep luggage off the floor. Very easy to bring home from holidays, they love to travel apartently:D

Rain_maker

What ever happened to your problem. Your description sounded like bedbugs, hope it was just fleas. We did have bedbugs and made the mistake of calling a company called CPC in Dublin. They turned out to be a complete scam and took our money without solving the problem. Stay away from them............ :mad:

fits

turned out it was mosquitoes/midges who had been making whoopee on a bucket of water outside our open bedroom window... thankfully.