Do we have bed bugs?!

[FlySwimmer]

I don’t have photos to share but all advice is appreciated. DH complained earlier in the week of some bites on his arm, and now I have some too, spotted in the morning. They’re very small red/white dots, somewhat itchy but not very (and I’m someone who mega-reacts to mosquito bites). They’re dotted over my thighs, with a few on my lower belly and arms; they’re not especially clustered or all in a straight line, which I know is typical of bed bugs.

We spotted a few creepy crawlies on the sheets, but honestly they were so small it was hard to tell what they are?! Photos I’ve seen of bed bugs or similar it seems they’re relatively large - I’ve seen comparisons with apple pips or pumpkin seeds and these are smaller. Dark in colour. I pulled back the corners of the sheets and rooted around in the mattress seam but didn’t spot anything like their shells, or indeed any bugs themselves. No dark spots on the mattress either, just fluff. DH has a very spotty back, and sometimes the spots bleed sorry tmi I know so it’s hard to know if any specks on the mattress are that, or from the bugs!

Once he’s awake we’re going to strip the bed completely and inspect, vacuum etc. Is it worth calling a professional now?

Sounds more like fleas, or maybe bird mites. Do you have animals or is there a chimney/air vent in your room?

Btw bed bugs are not as big as pumpkin seeds. But the adults are larger than fleas and they are rounder and flatter too. Fleas are small and black/brown, you can see their long jumping legs if you look closely.

@Saisong we don’t have animals, but funnily enough we do have birds nesting in the roof tiles above our bedroom. No chimney, not sure about an air vent. We have the small window open regularly to air the room. We have an en-suite too where the small window is almost permanently open.

I would highly suspect bird mites then if there are nesting birds. You'll need to check for how they get in, but they are small enough to get through tiny cracks. If you can actually see some, can you catch some on sticky tape which will allow you to look more closely. Probably a pest control job.

Thank you @Saisong. Will try the sellotape tip to examine more closely. The one I spotted last night was so small I couldn’t even get my phone to focus on it to take a photo, though it was visible to the naked eye: the only way to distinguish the bug from a speck of dust/fluff was to poke it & see if it moved!

Do you know, if it is bird mites, whether they tend to disappear once the nesting birds have moved on or do they create an infestation similar to bed bugs, independent of the birds?

The problem is if there are no birds to feed on then the mites will travel to look for new food I.e. humans. Really the only solution is to get rid of the nest and probably get the mites treated. If they are that small and you do have nesting birds then it is likely your issue. You may have problems with getting rid of the nest ass it is now nesting season and birds nests are protected. If it's pidgeons you might be allowed?

I don’t think it is pigeons - think it might be blackbirds, or possibly sparrows.

We’re due to go away tomorrow, so today we’ll do a full strip of the bed, vacuum etc and see what turns up. Once we’re back we’ll contact pest control. We’re away two weeks.

Managed to trap one on a piece of sellotape. Found it crawling on me while in the kitchen finger for scale. Phone still can’t zoom as it’s too small.

Remember to empty the vacuum cleaner and clean it thoroughly or else they'll crawl back out of there. Enjoy your holiday! I don't suppose you'll feel much like coming home afterwards.

That picture looks like a flea - bedbugs are much bigger

www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/bedbugs-infestation

I would get in the pest control people. They know their stuff and will get rid of whatever it is.

I just googled. Eeeek. I agree they look very like bird mites.