Fleas? Bedbugs? Ticks? Help!!!!

[Mystifiedparent]

Hi all,

DS has gotten bitten multiple times, again, and I'm not sure what to do about it.

Background - DD,DS and I sleep in the same room. There are 2 single beds on 60cm High frames, and a single mattress on the floor. That mattress is lifted daily and put on its side against one of the beds each morning and put back down during the day.

We also have a dog who has a monthly flea treatment. Said dog doesn't usually access the room.

DS is the only to get bitten each time. DS sleeps either on a raised single bed, or on the floor mattress with me (sometimes moving between the 2 overnight!).

The last time this happened, I washed all the sheets, covers etc, nuked the room with flea/bug spray, and vacuumed everything up. That must have been maybe 4 or 5 weeks ago.

Now DS has been bitten again (DS and I have no bites) I'm not sure if I just rinse and repeat what I did 4/5 weeks ago or it's something else? I want to say bed bugs but can't find any signs of them. He also has Forest School the day before, but the number and location of bites makes me think it must have been at night. DS says he first noticed the itching this morning.

Any ideas on how best to deal with this? There are a bunch of bites on the upper back/chest on DS left hand side, and a slightly more random shoulder and hip on DS right hand side.

Thanks in advance,
Mystifiedparent

Don't fleas usually bite around ankles? I don't know though?

I'd assume forest school - does he have a bath routinely on forest school days/nights before bed?

Failing that - I'd do the hoover/flea/bug spray thing weekly - especially over the spring and early summer months just to see if this helps. It's exhausting though - so much laundry and rigorous hoovering snd extra housework - I know (voice of experience).

Ouch! Those look sore! Does he wear pyjamas at night?

With fleas, there could be eggs still hanging around, and they are ravenous buggers when they first hatch, it'll need regular i.e. daily
vacuuming in all the nooks and cranies, particularly the mattress if the dog laid on it too.

After a deep vacuum I'd also change the vacuum bag to be on the safe side and get those unhatched eggs out of the house.

With ticks, I'd expect these to be on the legs unless he's been rolling around in long grass?

Bed bugs would be worst case imo, if you look really closely at mattress creases you may spot them.

The mattress being on the floor makes it trickier, as if the mattress is on carpet it gives bugs more places to hide.

I would assume he's getting bitten by midges or something at forest school. Try sending him with bug spray on. When I get bitten by midges I tend to have marks like this after 12_24 hours. I think if I was something in the bedroom you would all have bites.

Second the bug spray idea for the forest school for any gnats or mozzies

Thanks for all the replies and advice.

I'm off for a round of spraying, vacuuming, washing, followed by daily vacuums.

DS did have a bath yesterday after Forest School. The floor is wooden, so lucky in that way. DS/DD do wear pyjamas to bed, though sleep on top of their duvets (no idea why as I'm cold all the time!!).

Will also use bug spray before forest school and keep the door shut ref the dog. Fingers crossed can nail this!

Thanks again for the support!!

I really don't think they look like bed bug bites, they are usually in a line (these are in a very random pattern and spaced out) and shouldn't look this big. Looks sore though, poor DS! I'd also think it's something biting him at forest school.