On holiday and anxious about bed bugs

[BedBugFear]

We are staying in a "glamping pod" on a farm, and husband & I keep coming up with new insect bites. We've stripped the bed and done a thorough inspection, but everything seems spotless and there is no evidence of bed bugs. My husband is getting annoyed with me, as he's adamant that it's just midges etc. I know that's by far the most likely explanation, but even 1% chance of bed bugs is too much for me.

I'm quite confident about bagging up all of our clothes and fabrics and getting them immediately to the washing machine, but the problem is my young children... They've strewn their toys around the cabin and I have no idea how I will quarantine it all. Their books, their crocheted dolls, their gadgets! I feel so anxious. What would you ladies do in this situation? I know most people will tell me to calm down and assume it's the midges, but I do have anxiety (usually well controlled with medication) and it's totally ruining my holiday!

Buy smidge

Thank you, although it's more the thought of infestation/contamination that I'm worried about, rather than the bites themselves 😫

I understand this completely, I have similar anxieties. In this case if you have examined and all clear it's highly likely to be midges as you are camping in a field.

If you can't shake the worried feeling can you put all the kids stuff in the freezer when you get back for 4 days? That will kill anything off. All clothes in a 60 wash too and check over suitcases and things too.

If you’re in the countryside it’s much more likely to be midges. I completely understand that fear of infestation. I kept getting bites years ago, before my now teenagers were born. I was obsessed, microscopically inspecting the bed and sofas and washing bedding/pillows/cushions. In my case it was only me who was getting bitten. DP was unscathed! I threw a blow up mattress on the living room floor and slept on that but was still getting bitten. The bites were in rows of three, suggesting fleas. Then one day I felt something ticking my skin and swatted it and it was a flea. No more bites after that. One solitary flea tortured me for weeks. I look back and am shocked at how much those endless bites made me feel so anxious and constantly in a state of high alert. I have no idea where I picked up that flea or where the wee bastard was hiding when it wasn’t feasting on my blood! Anyway, I know that it probably isn’t fleas biting you, I just wanted to say how much I understand that horrible feeling of the relentless cycle of itchy bites and the frustration of not knowing what’s causing them.

You have my sympathy, flea bites are absolutely awful, I suffer badly from them. I have cats and I have to be so careful to keep up with the flea treatments. My DH doesn’t get bitten at all, like your DP.

OP - I think your DH is probably right that it’s midge bites.

It is far far more likely to be midges, ants or any other type of wildlife in the countryside.

Thank you all for the reassurance, it makes me feel a lot better!

Sorry to hear about your ordeal @MargaretMeldrew. My cats once got fleas, and we didn't suspect it for ages because they were being regularly treated (that was a lesson on the importance of a vet prescribed treatment!)
It was horrendous, and is definitely what sparked my anxiety around infestations!

You have my sympathy. DS recently came back from a trip where he stayed in lots of hostels and I was concerned that he would bring home bedbugs.

Bedbugs die at around 48-50°C. In this heat, when parked in the sun, the temperature in my car has been reaching over 55°C. So I left his stuff in the car for a couple of days in full sun as a precaution. I'm not sure if he had any bugs to kill, but no bugs have been detected in the house since he got back. If nothing else, it stopped me worrying about it...

Oh that is a fabulous idea, thank you! I've just seen it's going to be mid 30s in my area next week, again... So that could work very well!

It's good to know I'm not alone in my paranoia about the dreaded things too. One of my biggest fears is having to deal with them!