EEEEEEK!!! Bed Bugs or what???

[bobs]

Last Wednesday I started itching and discovered bites all over - and am getting more each day!
On Saturday I stripped the mattress and found tiny insects crawling around. They squished when rubbed between my fingers so aren't fleas.
I binned the electric blanket and duvet, washed the bedding at 90 degrees, sprayed the mattress with a spray from the pet shop containing permethrin and sprinkled flea powder on the carpet. I also found an ant and wasp killer in the cupboard so sprayed all that round the room.
However I am still being bitten and have just received some fumers containing higher levels of permethrin I bought online to smoke the room out - we'll be in the spare room tonight.
I've read up on the subject and phoned pest control, who said the fumers should work, and they charge £44 to come out, but not for 2 weeks as it's wasp nest season.
What I don't know is WHAT THE LITTLE B***S ARE
They are driving me potty and totally manic, and the annoying thing is, my DH hasn't had ONE BITE!!!
From what I've read, bed bugs are bigger and leave yucky stuf (excrement) behind. I can only see these things with a microscope (and glasses)to see their little legs waving around. They don't fly, and are brownish, some paler and spotted (probably depending on how much of my blood they've had!!)
So - the big question to this absolutely revolting topic - has anyone experienced anything similar???
I'm now off to put Teddy in the freezer for a couple of weeks as I've read that kills insects off. Shame my chest freezer broke 2 weeks ago or the bedding, chairs, clothes and anything else that will fit would be in there

Bed bugs much bigger, you can spot them pretty easily.

Sound like skin mites.

Do they look anything like this?

Phone the council or pest control for advice - poor you

OMG - I think yopu might be right SaintGeorgeMarple. Trust Mumsnet to come up with a result after hours of searching.
The more i look, i don't think they are bed bugs - they just aren't big enough.
The council weren't too much help - suggested things from birds nests etc - I'd have to call them out which would be 2 weeks. I could probably do it sooner and more expensively from yellow pages.
But skin mites....YUK!!!!!! Egg laying in the skin - no wonder they keep on coming back - I get bitten even after showering and putting on clothing washed on high.
I'm off on holiday in 2 days so had better go see the doctor/chemist.

The things you normally get from birds nests are carpet beetles and their larvae.

They look like tiny brown cocoons, very soft and crush easily. The beetles themselves are like tiny ladybirds but a sort of brown & gold colour. Much bigger than you describe. You would start finding holes in things too - they eat fabric.

Bit of a long shot this, but have you had house martins nesting in your eaves?

My mum had them and also had horrid bug things in her bed. She wrote to the Natural History museum and sent them a sample and it turned out the were mites which live on the house martins.

Be interested to hear how you get on.