To think (hope!!!) this isn’t bed bugs??!!

[ChampionWorrier21]

DD has 4 or 5 bites on her thigh. A little itchy but not really bothering her.

I’ve no idea when/where she got them and am a bit panicky that they’re bed bug bites.

So I stripped her bed and examined the bedding and mattress. Her sheet had a couple of blood spots BUT she always has some scrape/scab or other on her legs and is a picker. Her bed and mattress are only 2-3 months old. The mattress is one of those Ikea ones that comes in a zipped-on cover - the cover is absolutely pristine white - no marks whatsoever.

Do you think that if it was BBs there would be some trace on her bedding, particularly the bright white mattress?? 🙏

Post a picture of the bites, they are quite distinctive

Aren't they usually in a row of three?

3 main ones and some littler ones

They all appeared at the same time - not sure exactly when but a few days ago - and she had been out playing in a park and fields around that time (although wearing trousers).
If it was BBs, would there be new bites every day/few days?
Desperately clutching at straws here…

Unless you have been abroad recently or in hotels (where bed bugs might have been carried home on a suitcase), I think bedbugs are unlikely. It could be a flea (do you have a cat or dog?) or even gnat bites.

@LovelyDaaling no, not been abroad or to a hotel. No pets either.

That really won't stop BB. My dds had an awful infestation in their (separate) rooms a few years ago. We went through 3 new beds and mattresses (each) before we were completely rid of them. We hadn't been on holiday or away. Found out next door had also had an infestation and somehow they'd found their way through to out house.

You can't tell from the bites. Some people react a lot, others not at all. Sometimes there's a line of three, sometimes not. Sometimes they itch like fuck, sometimes not at all.

You don't need to have been abroad to catch them, they have spread in the UK through public transport. Some people have also taken them home from workplaces, libraries, council offices ... anywhere people sit down.

When you say 'blood spots' what are you seeing? The most common sign of bedbugs is their poo which looks like little black dots on the sheets. You might see a big blood splat if a bug gets squashed when it has recently fed but this is not common.

If these bites are all you have seen then I would say it's unlikely but do check your beds thoroughly -

• underside of the mattress, especially seams and buttons
• bed frame, especially the joints, and look underneath everywhere
• headboard, especially behind
• bedside furniture, especially undersurfaces of drawers etc.

Look for little black dots.

Holy fuck, I live in dread of these things.

Hope it's not that, OP 🤞

Thank you both!

When you say “little black dots” what are they?

Checked her tonight with a torch - couldn’t see anything. She has a slightly raised bed too so I can see the mattress from underneath and it’s brilliant white all over.

Blood spots - I saw two smears of blood, but like I say, she’s terrible for picking scabs, biting the skin at the side of her nails etc, especially in bed so it’s not uncommon for her to be (very, very lightly!) bleeding from somewhere.

…sorry, you said the little black dots are poo🤮

Black dots on a mattress:

Thank you @JMSA
Same I would just immediately dump every bit of bedding, pillow, mattress, bed - everything - and get pest control out if it turned out to be that!!!

@PencilsInSpace I repeat - 🤮

From everything you have said it doesn't sound like bedbugs.

God I hope you’re right @PencilsInSpace !!

If it's bedbugs, don't get rid of everything. That means dragging the mattress through the house and spreading them to other rooms. Get pest control in first.

Might be carpet beetles, I’ve only just managed to get rid off them in the living room. I was confused because I don’t have a carpet but apparently they’ll happily live in a couch. You tend to get a row of bites which aren’t actually bites but are caused by them brushing against you as they walk. If it is the only thing I found that actually works is from pest-expert.com who sell a kit that is specifically for getting rid of carpet beetles as the usual pest sprays did nothing.

This also happened to us as well. Next door completely invested. I was being bitten regularly, no idea what was causing it until I saw one of the little bastards crawling across my pillow. About a week later, next door got rid of all their mattresses and soft furnishings into the garden and treated their house. We had treated our own house ourselves and managed to get rid of them.

We had absolutely not signs of them either.

Unfortunately the only reason we knew we had them was because we ended up seeing them and having bites. No signs whatsoever.

Pet flea sprays work on them. Good ones that is, not anything like Bob Martin which is rubbish. Indorex and Acclaim work. Google the active ingredients if you need to treat again as they do come back.

Thought I’d update - the spots/bites disappeared, no more came up and there have been no signs of bugs in the bed. So something else must’ve bitten him. Phew!