Bedbugs

[AIBU22]

I think i have bedbugs. I wake up with lots of small itchy bumps. What the hell do I do? Call the council? Throw bed mattress and bedding all away? Help!

How long do the itchy bumps last? Bed bug bites last a few days and are ferociously itchy.

Turn the light in in the night and Turn your duvet back and have a good look at your sheets.

Look in the creases of the mattress.

If you have got them, seek professional help immediately.

Bedbugs are a pain but they ARE eradicable. Read up about the little bastards. Getting rid of your bedding is NOT going to solve the problem. If it is bedbugs they are more likely to be in the actual bed itself. I got rid of them in our kids bedroom by dismantling their beds, varnishing and reassembling them. I used a water-based quick-dry polyurethane from Screwfix. As soon as the kids were out the door to school I was at their beds and they were reassembled by the time they got back.

I did have to do it several times. Rentokill who I first contacted wanted to charge me 500 pounds PER ROOM with no guarantee. The tin of varnish was about 25 quid and I still had loads left over to do the bathroom floor afterwards.

Should I definitely be able to see the actual bugs? I can't think of what else it could be. I get the red bumps that are insanely itchy and last for a few days. Earlier I went for a nap and ended up sleeping most of the evening and when I woke up I was covered.

From personal experience -

Yes you will be able to see the bugs - check creases of mattresses and any tiny nooks and crannies especially if you have a fabric headboard.

Tiny specks of blood on your sheets is also a sign - and the bites are usually in little groups of three.

Once I found out I had bed bugs I literally freaked and had my whole flat treated by a professional. I washed every thing I own on 60 degrees and vacuum packed it for 14 days while I stayed at my mum's house. I used this stuff called dichotomous earth (sp?) which is meant to kill them too. I also bought a special mattress protector which I kept on for a year which guarantees they can't survive if any were left over.

I think I was a bit dramatic lol but had never experienced this before and I was completely freaked out.

My approach eliminated them once and for all though, never returned which is quite rare I think.

Okay I can't see them but obviously that doesn't mean they are not there. I don't know what else it would be I've never had bites like this and the itchyness is driving me absolutely insane. Can I still go to work? I work in a patient facing role.

Do you have pets OP? I had loads of unexplained bites one summer and couldn't work it out. Turned out my cats had fleas, despite being treated every month!

Have you recently moved into the property? As a young person I twice moved into properties where we didn't have pets but previous owners obviously did as there were fleas about.

Bed bugs are definitely a nightmare to deal with.

Almost one year ago, I had issues with them as well. I remember my husband tried everything he could to get rid of them and honestly, it helped to a certain extent, however, the infestation was not completely removed.

Until we had help from an expert. They had specialised tools and equipment that certainly left our bedroom bed bug-free.

I suggest you search for some help from a specialist.
The company we used is: www.archerspestcontrol.co.uk

Best of luck!

They only come out when you are there to feed on so you have to check after you have been in bed awhile.

Okay, I did look at my bed sheet this morning but I couldn't see anything. They were insanely itchy so much so I couldn't get back to sleep in the early hours, I've put some cream on that's meant for dry skin and they've calmed down a bit. Right leg is v v v hot and itchy. Am at work, temperature is between 37 and 37.4 I feel a bit achey and not that well. Guess I'll be ringing the council in my break! No idea where I'm going to stay while my house is being fumigated.

I do have a cat so wondered if it could be fleas. However he is a house cat never goes out so where could he have got fleas from. Although I guess I could bring them in on my clothes etc?

I have heard of house cats getting fleas. They do come in from outside and it really only takes one "hitch hiker" to start an infestation. Bed bugs and fleas are given different treatments, so given that you can't see any evidence of bed bugs I'd look for fleas before you call any pest controllers. Have a good look in your cat's fur (little black specs could be flea dirt, even if you don't see any actual bugs). We only confirmed our infestation using a flea lamp from amazon - we left it on the floor overnight and in the morning there were 4 or 5 fleas stuck to the paper. We couldn't believe it. Fleas are a pain to get rid of but nowhere near the headache of bed bugs from what I've heard. I'd really recommend trying out a lamp.

They don't really look like bites to me. Are you sure it's not hives?

That doesn't look like bedbugs bites to me either . As mentioned above I dealt with an infestation a couple of years ago.

Also That is a LOT of lumps for a new infestation. The little bastards breed and they don't need to mate to breed - one unmated female can lay eggs parthenogenetically - but they don't breed THAT fast. You've either had them, been bitten for a long time and not noticed or it's something else.

Make yourself a Flea lamp by putting a small candle (a tea light will do) in the centre of a large white plate filled with water to which you have added a wee bit of washing up liquid or soap. A drop. Not a lot, just enough to break the surface tension. Fleas will be attracted to the heat and CO2 from the candle and drown in the water. It's simple and cheaper than buying something which you'll have to wait for.

Have seen a Dr this afternoon and it's not bedbugs, hooray!!!!

So what does the dr think it is op?

Hives!

I was right!

Did you find out what was causing them? I had 2 occasions in my 20s when I came out in hives from head to foot and never managed to work out why. On each occasion it would start around my waist band and anywhere else where clothing was tighter against my skin. Then they'd spread and I'd be completely covered in the wretched things.

Hope you feel better soon I had a terrible attack of hives last month and there seem to be an awful lot of threads about hives this year. Felt like I had acid for blood lol

You can definitely see them, if you have them go on your councils website, the exterminate then for free if you are on benefit if not we had to pay about £300.

Keep up Pablos!

I was going to say your pic just looks like hives. You wouldn't necessarily see bedbugs but you'd absolutely see their eggs and faeces.

Keep an eye on your temp if you're feeling unwell OP, the Zoe app has found that hives is a common symptom of covid.

Did have a temp of 37.4 today and felt feverish and not too well.

Just when I thought I was safe I have found this little bastard on the bathroom wall

Is it a bedbug? Picture isn't clear enough. If it is you have my deepest sympathies! Don't mess about trying to sort it yourself, just get the professionals in - the council will generally have a company that they'll subsidise but when I had them they wanted me to wait 10 days for them to come so I ended up going for one I had to pay full price for that came out the same day.