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Call an exterminator. Ten bucks says it's bedbugs.
You're on.
I say scabies. I caught them in boot camp (where you need all the sleep possible). They're easy to get rid of. Because they burrow under the skin you can sometimes find little tracks that look like you took a needle and scraped it along your skin. Sometimes I'd just get welts.
They can be picked up in public places. Don't freak but do go see a doc, tell them to give you something for scabies and try it. The residual irritation can linger.
Fleas are easy to spot, hard to catch.
flying gnats/no-see-ums can give you fits at night. St Thomas was full of them. I'm still itching!
Not fleas, no way. Fleas love ankles and calves more than anything due to the thin skin there.
Scabies, no-see-ums or detergent/fabric softener issues are my guesses.
Where do you store your clothes and where were your clothes during the move?
Are the bites in half circles?
I just tore my bed apart for the second time and have found nothing. I sprayed a concoction of 70% rubbing alcohol and peppermint essential oil all over the mattress and box springs, both sides, as well as the rug underneath the bed. The room smells and my eyes slightly burn from the peppermint. We'll see if I get bitten tonight.
Again, the bites are very tiny and do not resemble bed bug bites. There is no pattern. They are spaced far apart, not in lines or clusters. I don't believe it is scabies - no burrows under the skin. Fleas maybe, but I haven't seen any at all. Mites perhaps? I don't think it's an allergy to my detergent because I've been using the same one for years.
If it was in my clothes from the move, I would be bitten all day long, but it is only happening while asleep. Again, I am ruling out bed bugs for now because there is no evidence of bed bugs (no red stains on sheets, no bugs anywhere on the mattress or box springs or anywhere else that I can tell, and bites are not red or severely itchy, compared to pictures I have seen online).
I have been in this house for four months now. There was no problem until 3 weeks ago. I haven't slept anywhere except my bed for the past four months, so I couldn't have brought a bug infestation of any kind from outside. If it was already in the walls, why would they come out now? It was a hot summer that lasted well into November (Southern California), so I don't know why this problem all of a sudden when it wasn't a problem for the first three months in this house.
It could be mites, although I don't know what kind it could be. I have seen rats outside, but I also had rats outside at my old house and didn't have this problem. There are no trees close to the house and no bird nests that I know of (I had a lot of bird nests in the eaves of old house and never had a problem with bird mites). I am wracking my brain, comparing new house to old house to try to come up with a solution to these mystery bites. Still reluctant to visit the doctor until I have exhausted all research.
Any more suggestions? I am grateful for all replies and suggestions.
You don't have to sleep anywhere to pick up bed bugs. Someone who has one or two on them can go into a clothing store, try something on and if you try on the same clothing, you can bring them home. Second hand stores are notorious for spreading bed bugs. Theaters can have them crawling on the chairs and you can pick them up on your jacket. Same with restaurants. Horrible, evil critters!
You could try buying a box of Borax and spreading it along the walls in your bedroom, leaving no gaps. Lift up your box spring and make sure you spread the Borax on the RAILS (that's where they could be hiding). Sprinkle it ON your box spring also. Vacuume it up in two days.
Keep your cat out of the bedroom, cover your nose with a scarf, and spray a whole can of household Raid everywhere also. Wash everything in HOT water or put into a hot dryer.
When I was getting bit, I couldn't see anything either. I did this treatment, didn't need an exterminator, and never got another bite.
FYI: Bedbugs are choosy. They only like to bite certain people. I was getting bit, and in the same bed, my husband wasn't.
When I suspected I had bedbugs, I did my whole house... upholstered furniture, scatter rugs, etc.
This should take care of bed bugs AND fleas if you have them.
To check if your cat has fleas: Place your cat on a white piece of paper. Rub your cat's fur (especially the tummy and crotch area) briskly and see if any small dark spots drop onto the paper. If they do, take a drop of water on your finger and drop it onto the spot. If it turns red, that's flea dirt.
No see ums leave pin point 'dots' usually that aren't raised and , at least with me, don't start itching right away so you don't even know when you got bit. And you'll never "see 'um".
They love me and it was a relief to obviously have them 'out of season' for awhile but the last week or so they seem to be back with a vengeance.
When you're up and about, seems ankles and lower legs get it the most but all bets are off when you're horizontal.
Any more suggestions? I am grateful for all replies and suggestions.
Buy two flea collars and put one on each ankle before bedtime. If you wake up with no bites, it's fleas (or maybe bedbugs? I don't know whether a flea collar will kill/repel bedbugs too). If you still have the marks, it's an allergy.
Last edited by semispherical; 12-06-2017 at 07:56 AM..
Reason: typos
But do bedbugs bite under tight fitting clothing? From all of my research about bed bugs, my understanding is that bedbugs only bite exposed skin.
My rubbing alcohol and mint treatment apparently did not work. I wore leggings to bed, thick socks that covered all skin, a hoodie zipped up...found three tiny little bites on the side of my calf - tiny, pimply like bumps that itch a little. My hands and face were exposed, no bites. It's not a rash. There is no pattern, they are not in rows or clusters.They don't itch consistently. I'll forget about them all day then suddenly I'll have the urge to scratch, but the itch is not intense so I am able to ignore it and not damage my skin.
Also, I changed the sheets and washed the mattress topper cover (it's not a case) in hot water and dried on high heat. My next consideration is the clothes I sleep in. Even those I washed. As I mentioned in my original post, I had an ant infestation after I moved into this house. They were in my closet, but the pest company took care of them. I haven't seen ants for over two months. But could some sort of bug eggs have gotten into my sleep clothes? It's only while sleeping.
I think it's time to call pest control and see what he can find.
But do bedbugs bite under tight fitting clothing?
...
I think it's time to call pest control and see what he can find.
Bedbugs get to your skin any way they can. They only go for the extremities usually, unless you have an infestation.
Also, do not move to another bed. If you move, they will find you, and then that part of your home will become contaminated.
For sure, call pest control.
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