think I've got bed bugs or some other horrendous biting insect - help!

[kitkat9]

For about the last week I've been getting eaten alive at night - the first time I noticed I has a couple of large bites at the top of my thigh which I assumed were midge bites. However, as the week has progressed, I've been waking up every morning with more and more pretty big bites, all around the tops of my legs and my tummy.

I have looked for signs of infestation all around my bed, in matress crevasses etc and can't see anything, and from googling bed bugs it would be pretty obvious if that was what it was...

the bites themselves look lie raised red marks, some look like they almost have a whitehead (sorry, I know TMI but I need help!)

I have obviously changed my sheets, scrubbed all around my bed, vacuumed, flipped the matress....I don't know what else to do but I'm starting to feel sick at the thought of beasts feasting on me all night...bleurgh

any ideas?

Bed bugs commonly leave a close together line/row of bites - it is probably (hopefully!) just midges from the horrid humid weather at the moment.

that's what I thought too, although I am noticing they are more in a row than random..

have ordered killer spray from amazon, and a steam cleaner!

really trefusis? I do line dry when possible

am at the point of ripping the bedrom carpet out and getting a new bed becuase I just don't know what else to do

the carpet is ancient and thick and minging, I feel the problem may be lurking in it. Am off to have a closer look, but am scared as to what I'll find...

with bed bugs, you do tend to get bites in clusters (normally of 3 bites), and they itch like nothing else I've ever experienced!

We got a bloke in to fumigate our property, he came twice and fogged the place, and we replaced all bedding (but not the mattress), and all was well. However, our infestation wasn't too awful (I lifted the mattress a few times and found two bugs once, never anything more). It's only with a really serious infestation that you are likely to see any evidence of the bugs (eg. bug shit, dried blood, etc). I did wake up twice with blood on the pillow from where the little bastards had bitten me on the neck, but other than that, there was no obvious 'sign' that it was bedbugs, except a hunch I had (after reading one of my old textbooks from uni!), and advice from a woman at my old work who is a bedbug expert

If you have a metal bedframe, try putting vaseline around the legs, as that will stop bugs which are living in the walls from crawling up the legs. Likewise, putting the bedframe feet in small dishes of water will have the same effect.

It is well worth the expense to get the place fumigated too! Some councils will cover the costs themselves, others won't (we were in Westminster, and had to pay ourselves, but we were in private rented accomm). contact your council anyway, they may have recommendations. good luck getting rid of the blighters, and the accompanying 'parasito-psychosis' or whatever it's called (the feeling that you are being bitten all the time; it's horrid!)

oh yes, and IIRC, they only bite exposed skin, so if you are wearing PJs which have a gap between top and bottom, they'll bite there - if a short nightie, they'll bite anywhere not covered by it... Plus they litte bastards seem to prefer female flesh, as my DP didn't get bitten AT ALL until one night I was away, and he woke up the next day with about 20 bites, and suddenly believed me when I said I thought we had bed bugs!

My bites were mainly around the ankles, neck and chest, and lower arms.

And with a flea infestation, if it's bad, you can be bitten whilst sleeping, (beleive me!), but the bites are muhc less likely to be clustered. Fleas are normally (although not always) a problem when you've had an animal in the house for a long time then the animal has gone away. Again, fumigation is a good idea here

(I think I have too much experience of biting insects reading all this back!!)

right

have had major examination of my bedroom and can see no sign of bed bugs at all. I'm starting to think it's definitely fleas. The bites aren't especially itchy.

Apparently lavender repels fleas so I'll sprinkle my sheets with lavender oil and see if that helps.

I do wear differnet pj's every night and obviously whatever it is is getting to my skin when it's exposed - must check my pj's drawer! - don't know how to cover myself totallly all night iykwim.

We don't have pets at the moment but our last tenant did have a cat - she's been gne for 2 months now though and the btes have only appeared over the last week. Maybe it is midges? I just don't know. I'm very relieved it doesn't appear to be bed bugs though, that was starting to freak me out.

well according to the ever wise internet, cat flea life cycles can be from 2 weeks up to 2 years in length, whilst the eggs lie dormant waiting for conditions to be optimal before they emerge and start eating!

you shouldn't have to cover yourself up totally, it's just that I found flea bites weren't too fussed whether you are covered or not, whereas bed bugs really are (like most flying biting insects) - they like to be able to escape if you move suddenly, and obviously under clothing they can't do that so easily.

Don't write off bed bugs immediately though, as if this is just an early infestation, it's worth getting it treated immediately, and not waiting until it's grown. In fact, even if it's just fleas, I'd treat the house as soon as you can - and another piece of advice I've seen is to wear white socks when walking around the house, then you'll see if any fleas land on your feet. When I was living in a flea infested house, the owner had taken her dog away for the summer, and I actually saw fleas hopping around the bathroom floor a couple of times - but they were huge American fleas

good luck getting rid of the infestation though!