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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is this a baby bedbug?

21 replies

Whatsnew2 · 17/07/2022 10:32

fretting emoji

Is this a baby bedbug?
OP posts:
Whatsnew2 · 17/07/2022 10:35

Please help

OP posts:
IfWishesWereKisses · 17/07/2022 10:42

Looks like it could be.

Justanother123 · 17/07/2022 10:42

When I google what a bed bug looks like, it does look like one 😩

Whatsnew2 · 17/07/2022 13:11

I can't breathe, I don't even know what to do

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Discovereads · 17/07/2022 13:13

Yes it is. It’s one that hasn’t had a blood meal yet. It’s digesting blood that gives them the red/brown colour.

call pest control

Whatsnew2 · 17/07/2022 13:37

Does anyone have happy stories? I've been reading the internet for days as I had a bad feeling about where we stayed on holiday and I am about to have a nervous breakdown. I unpacked in the garage and nothing came into the house without being put on a hot wash first. I found the bug on some shoes that couldn't be washed so I just vaguely steam cleaned them and put them outside. The bug was on them in the morning.

If it's a baby there's probably plenty more right :(

OP posts:
BeetleManiac · 17/07/2022 14:06

It's not a bedbug, it's a booklouse. Not worth worrying about.

JinCocktail · 17/07/2022 14:58

Order a bed bug kit from John Lewis. You get powder, tests, spray etc. It works.

XSnoe · 17/07/2022 15:07

I had bed bugs.

I lived in a bedsit with my daughter. Didn't have our own washing machine or tumble dryer so couldn't afford going to the launderette to keep hot washing soft toys etc. In fact, I didn't wash any of her soft toys and they are still going strong now without any bed bugs.

We did get new mattresses though, and had to throw away my daughter's wooden cot and then also the travel cot that replaced it.

We got the new mattress while we still had bedbugs actually, the other one was just full of them, but when it came into the house we wrapped the mattress in about 20 layers of cling film 🤣. It's still on there now actually and this was about 6 years ago.

We had to have the pest control man out to spray our entire flat about 3 times before they were gone, as well as getting rid of mattresses.

Haven't seen them since. Didn't need to wash or replace clothes, sofa, or soft furnishings, or any other wooden furniture except DDs bed. They tend to be where you sleep, so although se had a bedsit they didn't travel beyond our two beds.

howdoesatoastermaketoast · 17/07/2022 15:37

It does look like it could be a book louse pictured below they are apparently about 1mm long. However it does also look like it could be the 1st nymph stage of bed bug life cycle. I'd probably call in professionals

sealed bags in a freezer for anything you can't boil wash?

Is this a baby bedbug?
Is this a baby bedbug?
Whatsnew2 · 17/07/2022 15:58

Thank you, I'm holding on to hope that it's a booklouse so I'm glad two of you mentioned it.

I contacted a specialised company who said to email the picture and they'll get back to me in the morning. I'm trying to stop googling so I survive until then, I was very close to a panic attack earlier.

I also sent them a couple of pics of other bugs I found over the last couple of days which I was pretty sure were booklice but this one had me pretty worried :(.

Thank you @XSnoe glad to hear you got it sorted and didn't have to throw away too much or wash loads. I was sort of bracing myself for months of hard work.

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Whatsnew2 · 17/07/2022 16:10

@XSnoe did you manage to sleep while it was getting sorted? I need tips on how not lose my mind I think. I'm already imagining not being able to leave the house and see friends and family until they are gone for good, in case we could pass them on. I feel awful.

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XSnoe · 17/07/2022 22:06

I would recommend getting diatomaceous earth and sprinkling it around the posts of each bed. It cuts up the bugs and dehydrates them and they die. Also, sticking double-sided tape on the sides of bed frames and up the legs. If you can't get rid of the mattress yet, wrap it up in lots of cellophane, it will keep them out under all the layers.

Of course hot wash your bedding and pillows and get rid of any you can physically see on the bed. Then you sort of just have to sleep, knowing you have done your best until you can get pest control out.

It's absolutely horrible, and I did find it hard to sleep knowing I could get bitten etc at first. But honestly it's not worth putting cushions on floors and sleeping there or sleeping on sofas instead, as they will follow you to wherever you sleep really. Best to keep it contained to your current places of sleep until it's under control.

You can replace the mattresses and beds if need be once sure they are gone. We couldn't wait to replace the mattress, so like I said cellophane the whole thing worked for us.

If anything is wooden, you might need to get rid as they really burrowed into the joints of our cot.... Although we still have bookshelves and chest of draws that were untouched.

You need to look in any crevices with a flashlight to see how widespread they are.

Ihaveaquestionn · 17/07/2022 22:13

I had bed bugs. After having a new bed delivered and a different cleaner visit - no idea which caused it. Like you I almost had a nervous breakdown - it made my skin crawl but you just have to deal with it.

Call professionals to come in and treat your home. They will give you the best advice. We had our flat treated, I washed basically everything we own on 40 or 60 degrees where possible and transferred it immediately to vacuum sealed bags for two weeks.

I bought a proper mattress cover and used it for a year as directed.

It’s an absolute pain in the ass but if you do things properly you won’t ever have an issue again!

Ihaveaquestionn · 17/07/2022 22:14

Whatsnew2 · 17/07/2022 16:10

@XSnoe did you manage to sleep while it was getting sorted? I need tips on how not lose my mind I think. I'm already imagining not being able to leave the house and see friends and family until they are gone for good, in case we could pass them on. I feel awful.

I covered the legs of my sofa in Vaseline so they couldn’t crawl up and slept on that. DH wasn’t bothered and still slept in the bed, but then again he was being bitten, I was!

Carrieonmywaywardsun · 17/07/2022 22:31

That looks like a carpet or a skin beetle to me, but could be wrong

Carrieonmywaywardsun · 17/07/2022 22:33

Actually perhaps it is too pale to be a beetle

Whatsnew2 · 18/07/2022 09:19

They have got back to me and said it is indeed booklice. I am very happy!

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Ihaveaquestionn · 18/07/2022 18:50

Whatsnew2 · 18/07/2022 09:19

They have got back to me and said it is indeed booklice. I am very happy!

Oh my god you are so lucky!

howdoesatoastermaketoast · 18/07/2022 18:59

Whatsnew2 · 18/07/2022 09:19

They have got back to me and said it is indeed booklice. I am very happy!

That's awesome news - thanks for the update

mycatisannoying · 18/07/2022 21:25

Phew!

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