Were these bed bugs?!

[Giraffesandbottoms]

Up at 2am with sick children. Washing all the bedding including the mattress topper which is only a year old so hasn’t had a wash. Bedding cleaned weekly on a hot wash.

noticed some stuff under the mattress topper that caused me to google “black seams” and Google kept saying bed bugs. I assumed maybe it was a bit of mold from times he might have spilt water or leaked a nappy. Washed the topper and it’s still there. Cut it open looked like blue fluff inside where the marks are but there are a few weird “seed” looking things on the sheepskin part.

any ideas? I’ve thrown it into the garden in disgust as I’m wondering if this is what the problem was when had a lot of “mosquitos” last summer and I wonder if it stopped as he slept in our bed for months so maybe they died?

or it’s mold? Or anything else?! Feel very sick 🤮

I’ve just flipped the mattress like a crazy person at 2am and found this on side of the slats. Are the black bits dead bed bugs or is that just random bits?

You need to look in the seams along the edge of the mattress. These are the highways for bedbugs. You might see a live one if you do it super quick, otherwise its likely their poo you'll see.
You're first pics look like it's possibly them, second just looks like dust to me but not sure.

I successfully got rid of some years ago with a steam cleaner and diatomaceous earth in just two treatments.

I can't see your pics clearly enough.

Did you find anything that looks like this?

(Gross photo taken at a shitty motel before making a rapid exit to check into a hotel at 3x the price 😆)

Nothing on the mattress seam, no.

more weird black marks in one of the spots in the mattress though. That’s why I thought it was mould

any ideas what it is ?

I seem to recall that another giveaway is black spots on nearby timber as that's where they hang out daytimes

Bed bugs leave a sort of almondy smell in the room, very distinctive.

The above posters are right.. look I the seams, under the carpet edges, where wood joins wood and you have a gap. The black litter you're seeing could just be fluff and lint etc accumulated over time so until you find something conclusive, I wouldn't panic.

The sheets and body are the main indicator. You'll see blood spots on the sheets as their bites are not small! The bites are pretty obvious too, so have a bit of a look around and you'll know pretty soon.

It's not worth panicking until you either see bites, bugs or blood :).

The spots left by bed bugs look more like someone has taken fine tipped felt pens in various shades of brown and dotted them round the seams of the mattress and anywhere hidden. Your black marks look more smudgy.

Also bedbugs are incredibly hard to kill and get rid of, they can hibernate for months with no food. They wouldn’t have died since the summer unless you had treated them. It’s hard to tell from your pics but I think they are usually a bit wider and flatter - like flattened apple pips. Those black things look a bit narrow to me.

Ok thanks all - sounds more like it might be mildew or mould? Not sure. I definitely can’t see obvious bugs (unless I need a microscope for that?) and there’s nothing on any seams or any bites/blood on sheets

I think you nee to take a closer look at that bug type creature. It it fluff or has it got legs? It doesn’t have the shape of a bed bug but could it be a carpet beetle?

There are no visible legs - some things look bizarrely like seeds

Are the seed like objects perhaps moth eggs that didn’t hatch? There seems to be a half open one on the underside of the mattress.

also attaching a photo of what I mean about black marks in his mattress. Mattress only a year old too! It’s very very odd it’s like INSIDE the mattress

Some people don't react to the bites, and some people don't get bitten at all. Spots of blood on the sheets is a telltale sign though so maybe just monitor closely every time you change the sheets. That one pic does look more like mould.

Also the age of the mattress doesn't matter, once you have them they don't go away without treatment.

Have you checked the other mattresses in the house?

All the other mattresses are fine. Wonder if it’s mold because he’s little so at the age of spilling water, leaking nappies etc?

Anything I can do to get rid of mold in the mattress?

Those marks look like mould to me I had a quilt that went like that once. I put it in the bath and washed it and when it dried the corners went like that. Maybe mould from being damp for too long?

Ok good says Hoover then rubbing alcohol. Going to get waterproof mattress protectors to avoid this happening again! Thanks everyone!

I would also get a spray from Wilkos for good measure. They have ones for different bugs.