Bed bug - how do you know

[Collard]

PLEASE HELP

Sat on bare mattress after inspecting sheets, duvet etc. When I go to bed at night I just get this horrible sensation where my body becomes super itchy. I’ve had a few bites but attributed all of this to mosquitos as my bedroom window is pretty much always open. I can’t see anything. I’m paranoid I now have bed bugs. Haven’t seen either a mosquito or a bed bug.

How would I know which I have?

The few bites I’ve had are similar to what I experience with mosquitoes

I’m so tired. I could cry. I have a baby. Dh is away. Last thing I needed.

My sheets and duvets are white. Can’t see anything big know they can hide in nooks and crannies

Bed bug bites appear in fairly recognisable patterns.

I can understand that you are worried but it is good that you are aware of them so that you can catch them before they get out of hand.

All you can do is Google for the signs and call pest control if you think that you have them. Some local councils will deal with them for free but not many.

The sooner you get it sorted the better.

I know that having them is awful but you need to stay calm.

Okay I just googled bed bug bites and my bites look nothing like the pictures. I have maybe 2/3 marks and they are hive like - exactly like what I get on holiday with mosquitoes. Hoping I’m being paranoid.

Thanks for responses

Roll down the mattress side sems. If there are blackish/brownish blobs, it's bedbugs.

Check along the seams of the mattress. If you've got bed bugs, you'll see them. Little black dots. Also you might see tiny spots of blood on the mattress/covers.

I had a similar experience last year where I started feeling itchy at night, and I was sure it was mosquitoes, but the bites didn’t look exactly the same. After doing some research, I realized I could have been dealing with bed bugs. I decided to get in touch with cheapbedbugtreatment.co.uk, and they were so helpful. They explained the signs of bed bugs (like the little blood spots or dark spots on sheets) and even offered a free inspection. It turned out to be mosquitoes, but I felt so much better getting their professional advice.

If you wake in the night pull your covers back and put the light on. Any bed bugs will be on the sheet.

They react to the carbon dioxide in breath and come out to feed.

A few bites are just as likely to be almost anything.