Are bed bugs actually real?

[buggybugs]

Probably a stupid question, but I've always thought that bed bugs was just a catch all description of fleas or something? But I stayed in a grim hotel on Friday night and by Saturday lunchtime had about a dozen little red spots that itched. Some are in groups, others just on their own. Got a couple between two fingers, but that's all. They're mainly on my arms and still itchy now.

I showed a photo of them to my friend who is a nurse and she thinks it's scabies, but can scabies come on that quickly? I went to bed absolutely bite free and woke up with them. DH has joked it's bed bugs!

They're definitely real, and have a rather distinctive bite pattern. Google will show you what both the big and bite looks like.

They’re real!

I got scabies from a hotel once, mostly on my fingers and crook of elbow.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/bedbugs/

Definitely real . I got bitten by bed bugs whilst on holiday once. The hotel checked and confirmed there were bed bugs in the bed I slept in. I now won't unpack anything until I've done a thorough check of the mattress, headboard etc.

It can take weeks after exposure for scabies to cause symptoms. You may have scabies but it won't be from the hotel.

Thank you. I can't believe it's fricking bed bugs! I think it's too much of a coincidence for scabies to supposedly break out the very next morning after staying the night in a run down hotel room. What are the chances? The room didn't feel clean when I walked in I must admit. But the bed was made up with clean white sheets.

Careful, they like to travel home with you and infest your house in your luggage

Can we see a picture of the bites?

Bed bugs are not only real, but seem to be on the rise. Horrible little fuckers.

I stayed at a hostel in the Netherlands years ago with some friends. Anyway we all had bites on us which one of our group realised was bed bugs.

Anyway I didn't have any bed bugs in my home.

They are real and abundant, acan come home with you as stowaways 😫

My son in law got scabies from a hotel and passed it on to my grandson. Son in law works abroad and sometimes has to stay in hotels on lay overs for flights.
Bed bugs are definitely real. They are sneaky little bastards. They hide in crevices, picture frames, behind wallpaper, in the seams of mattresses, they come out at night to feed on the victims blood. Then scuttle back to their hiding places.
One tip is to unpack your cases in the bath to contain any hitchhikers among your clothing.

This. My DBro brought some home from a cheap hotel and his house is riddled. He is a bit of a hoarder and they are in everything. He brought them home in his luggage.

Glad it’s not just me I only found out they was real as an adult 😳 thought it was just something people said to make their kids go to sleep 🤣

Don't know how clear these will be

This is one on its own

Ugh. I'm not an expert in bed bugs so someone else will come along and say if they look like bed bug bites

But contact the hotel send photo and complain that you think the room has bed bugs 🐜 😳

These seem to be in a line!

Breakfast lunch and dinner... if you know you know

the bites in a line are a giveaway, I'm afraid. Really common with bedbugs.

Did the hotel room smell at all odd? When I was bitten to shreds by then we were in a hotel room that smelled like almonds - I now know this to be a dead giveaway for bedbug infestation. Healthcare people gave me the fear about scabies too when I checked but the horrid almond smell didn’t fit with that.

Have you spoken to the hotel? I got a refund because of it - threatened environmental health and after a staff inspection where they allegedly found a single bug (which must have been the size of a small elephant given how much of my blood it had drunk) and said they’d refund me as they fell short of acceptable standards.

I was absolutely paranoid that I’d brought them home but it’s been over a decade and I’ve never had another bite.

They are definitely real. We stayed in a hotel in Romania for a friend's wedding and brought them home. Getting rid of them was horrific. The bites were so itchy too. If you even suspect them then don't even bring your suitcase into the house. Unpack outside and put all your clothes into a plastic bucket/storage box that has no holes in, then take that straight back outside. Wash all the clothes at 60 degrees and tumble dry them on a high heat afterwards if you can. Strip your clothes off into the washing machine too and straight upstairs for a shower without stopping.

Oh and don't bring your suitcase back indoors until you have thoroughly steam cleaned it with a high performance steam cleaner (or stuck it in an outdoor chest freezer for at least 2 weeks).

And if you’re home already and have slept in your bed, don’t be tempted to drag the mattress out or move anything: all that does is spread the fuckers. It’s all about containment now. And diatomaceous earth: you need it all over your bedframe and in a circle around the bed. Pull your bed away from the wall: they can’t fly but like to climb up the wall and jump down onto you, whereas you want (well… “want”) them to crawl through the diatomaceous earth. It desiccates them then they die.

Hot wash and tumble dry gets anything contaminated. Don’t leave your bedroom even to pee in the middle of the night without stripping off and leaning pyjamas there. Clothes go into bin bags and get carried to washing machine naked. Week or two of misery and hyper vigilance then they’re gone.

Yes real. Horrific to get rid of. Line of three bites is classic. Really itchy too.

When you go home get in the door and empty everything you have on and everything in your luggage into bin bags - wash and - more importantly - dry in drier at high heat for 40 minutes. Put your suitcase in a sealed bag (and burn it).

I now check mattresses in hotels and holiday rentals for signs of them. The guy who sorted us out (sniffer dog to find them and then super high heat in the house for the day) told me he treats very very high end hotels as well.

And yes if you are already home and have slept in your bed do not move out to another bed - it will just spread them. contain them in your room.

We moved into a house that was infested with bedbugs. They're definitely real! And an absolute fucker to get rid of.

Some things to note:

• you don't necessarily notice a smell, see any bugs, or any sign whatsoever.

• not everyone reacts to the bites. Some people are bitten and have no marks or itchiness at all.

• they don't just live on the mattress or sheet. They live on the bed frame, wall, under the carpet, in the curtains, in plug sockets, furniture, your belongings. Anywhere in easy access of your sleep space.

My daughter has a friend who had them. She bought a picture from a charity shop and apparently they were inside the frame. Her whole house was riddled with them, every room she had to get professionals in to get rid of them.