how to trap whatever's biting me at night, so I can at least identify it

[whenwillisleepagain]

I have read stacks of helpful threads on here about bedbugs, because during the last week I have been bitten during the night, on my face and neck. I have been getting more of them and they look like some photos of bed bug bites. On the other hand I react hugely to any bites, so it could be some other creature and it just looks worse IYSWIM

Have looked for signs of bedbugs and there are none but I guess that if it's only started this week then I wouldn't see any evidence yet. DH & our 2 dcs show no signs. We have not left our flat for 6 months (glamourous life) and the only 'culprit' we can think of is a duvet that went to laundrette for service wash because too big for domestic machine and that we forgot to collect so it sat somewhere in back room of laundrette for a week. Its re-entry into the flat does coincide exactly. I am inclined to throw it out just in case, but it looks fine - but then I guess it would.

any ideas - sit up all night with a torch? (we have famously sleepless 2yr old DD, so I migrate between my bed and hers and hardly get much sleep anyway - it was in her room that I was using the suspect duvet, but I seem to be getting bitten in mine and DH's room). Have read duct tape, alka selzer trap - too complicated, or vaseline for trap. I need to nip this in the bud, not least for vanity reasons.

thank you!

new duvet I think, give your matress a hoover, and get protectors etc.

bed bug leave stains on your bedding so would be easy to spot.

Put the bedding, especially the suspect duvet, through a tumble drier to kill bugs and eggs.

Spray bed, mattress, carpet etc

Usually lots of thorough hoovering for insects, though I've no experience of bedbugs.

P.s.

Head and neck

Pillows.

Do you have a divan bed or a frame? Sounds like bed bugs to be honest. I had them in my previous rented (furnished) flat. It's common for them to come up round the head of the bed first. Lift up the mattress during the day as they usually sleep/rest then. Also pull the bed away from the wall and check the skirting board/edge of carpet.

If it is bed bugs you will have to wash absolutely all fabric items in the room. (I chucked the mattress and pillows). I called Pest Control Dept of my local council. Far more reasonable than independent companies.

Bed bugs can eat through walls as well as travel on fabric, so it's difficult to find out where they came from. Best to sort it as they don't get bored and move on of their own accord IYSWIM. Good luck :)

thanks everyone - I have a wooden bed frames throughout our flat, not divans - is that better or worse? I read something ominous about them liking crevices, but divans are less good for our family generally because at least two of us are mightily dust allergic. Just came home and feel about to succumb to some kind of vomiting bug, so I can lie in bed and get bitten as well as feeling sick. Groan... pest control will have to wait till tomorrow

with moth eggs, after you have put things through the tumble drier, you have to immediatly seal them into plastic bags to prevent them getting reinfested while you treat everything else, and I suppose the same would apply to bedbugs. The big tumblers at the laundrette will take most things (not mattresses, though)

My nan's tip for catching bedbugs (she spent most of her life in very poor housing, even workhouse, so bedbugs were common then):

You need 2 people:

1- get a bar of soap, leave it in a little water so the bottom of the bar is all soggy and sticky.
2 Late-ish at night, when they're likely be out. one of you stands by the bed with the soap, one by the lightswitch.
3 - Simultaneously, one switches on the light, and the other whips back the duvet and before they get a chance to flee from the light you stab at them with the soggy soap and they stick to it. Then you can examine them at your leisure (yuk!)

No idea if it works but she swore it was more effective than trying to catch them by swatting/squashing etc. Nan liked to pass these tips on regardless of whether I was likely to need them!

it may not be the duvet - the critters could be coming through from a neighbouring flat.

We had a flea infestation in our first flat and they were coming through from the mad cat woman old lady who lived next door with LOTS of cats. Had to get environmental health involved in the end and they went in and sprayed her place as well as ours. They also re-homed 12 cats

Might be best to give your local council pest control guy a ring - they will be able to tell you what wildlife has moved in

We had bed bugs in student halls - they migrated from one room to almost all of them. They tend not to live in the bed itself, so they are very hard to spot.

I think you have to fumigate to get rid of them. Call the council and talk to a pest control person!

Fumigation is the only way. Bed bugs can still live happily in frame beds. Hope you feel better soon :)

kindlemum sounds like you should start a page sharing your Nan's tips

Nan was quite a character, ddsmellysocks. I grew up very poor too but thanks to the welfare state and general improvements in living standards between her childhood and mine, my early life was a lot better than hers. Where we lived, the main hospital was on the site of the old workhouse and she had such a residual terror of the workhouse that she would not go to that hospital, she was convinced you'd never come out again.

I lived in Russia for a while once and all the student hostels had bedbugs - there you were able to just put the entire bed, mattress and all, outside for a while and freeze them to death. Much easier than fumigation and chemical-free! Don't think it would work here though!

thanks for all your tips, particularly those passed on from kindle's Nan. Council pest control booked to come and spray, first appointment is 1 week today, but I think they are best option in terms of contractor. We haven't had any changes of neighbour so it's all a bit mysterious.