HELP....I Think I Have BEDBUGS....

Whoa! Sandy is WAY off. Bed bugs are actual tiny bugs that you can see, but it's tough. They do bite and are very annoying!!! They are very hard to get rid of. You might want to call Terminix or some other pest removal company to ask their advice, although I have heard about the hot water washing and mattress cover too.

I was just talking to a friend about this the other day. She went through it after her daughter stayed in a hotel. Her upholstery - furniture, mattresses, etc. had to be treated professionally by an exterminator. He advised her to buy a special mattress cover that basically smothers them and kills the egg, stopping the whole vicious cycle. Take your sheets off and peel open the piping or seam around your mattress in one area, if you see little black specs or bugs- you've got 'em!. As far as the bites I would go to the doctor. I work in a school and we have been told these critters are worse than HEAD LICE. Good Luck to you!

because no one else has been bitten and u can't find the bug,I am wondering if you are having an allergic reaction to some lotion or detergent or food?

I have never had bed bugs but I saw a special on tv about them and if you see blood spots on your mattress or sheets, you probably do have them. but, it could be scabies. our church mission team came back from mexico in oct. and several of them had gotten scabies and the places on their bodies sound like the ones you have. they looked like misquito bites. you may have to go to a doc. to make a diagnoses. good luck. Terri

Are you sure it is bed bugs? Do the areas hurt? Could it possibly be shingles?

You may have scabies which is treatable by covering yourself from the neck down in Nix cream. You do this right before bed and sleep with the cream on for at least 8 hours. (Wear your pjs so the cream stays on your body all night) Then shower in the morning. Nix is the only over the counter cream that works. Otherwise, you'll have to see your doctor to get a stronger cream.

hmm, try those ultrasonic pest repellers. You can get them at Home Depot or Lowes or wherever, like $10 for a pack of three, if I recall.

You could just plug them in. Call me an overachiever ;) How I like to do it is, first I put one in the area I wnat them to leave, but on the far side of the bes way for the bugs to exit (don't block their way out!). Then, after a few days or aw eek, I move it toward the door/whatever exit you think they'll want to take, and so on. Shepherding them out.

And wash everything in hot water, dry in hot.... Vacuum the mattress...

L.

PS ooh yikes skip the bleach, it's harsh stuff. Just vinegar should do it. Also, wash your pjs, bra, etc. in hot water with your linens frequently. And get those ultrasonic pest repellers! They really work! Safe for everyone else including pets.

If you’ve positively identified your problem as a bed bug infestation, it is time to sanitize the affected areas. If you can spare money for another mattress it would be a good idea to throw your old one out. If you can’t afford another mattress, vacuuming the mattress and applying a sealable cover should be sufficient. Meanwhile, all clothes, linens, and bedding should be washed in hot water, and the immediate area vacuumed thoroughly.
Insecticides are not an option to get rid of bed bugs, because insecticides should never be applied to an area where you sleep. Sticky traps, like those used for mice, are a good way to capture rogue bed bugs that have managed to escape your domestic exorcism. Some insecticides like Boric Acid might be used in areas around the bed, but never on the mattress itself.
http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-bed-bugs.htm

http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/bed-bugs.htm

http://bedbugger.com/faqs/

maybe that will help you?

Have you been to a Dr? It could be something else, if you have pets that sleep in your room it could be fleas, we had fleas in our bedroom before and it was pretty bad. It could be scabies or even just an allergic reaction. It seems strange that no one else would be affected, especially since it was your son and not you who was at the friend's infested house. bedbugs are not tiny, you can see them pretty well, to me they look like a small cockroach. http://z.about.com/d/studenttravel/1/0/1/9/bedbug-picture...

I would first see a dr. to confirm that's what it is. It might be something else. I had a strange rash in the same places last year, and it turned out to be SHINGLES. I had no idea! I have heard that bedbugs come home in luggage, so you should check out that possibility, too. My next step would be to call an exterminator. I know a great one in Maumelle if you want his name!

R.,

See a doctor and call a professional exterminator. Have both either confirm or deny the source. Knowledge is 1/2 the battle.

If it is bedbugs, call the exterminator and then buy a mattress cover that zips entirely. You may need 2 treatments or more...since they are DIFFICULT to get rid of.

The dr will prescribe medicines that will help your bites.

Best of luck.

L.

First of all go to the doctor to make sure you do have them for there could be alot different things you could have! I had a friend that was told she had them and had to go through all the meds and found out from another Doctor that she never had them in the 1st place and that the meds did her more harm then good! Then she has a skin problem due to all the meds the 1st doctor prescribed to her. Also insist on a blood test that will truly tell if you have them do not let the doctor look at your body the by it alone tell you, you have them OK! The skin meds do work but it can't have some serious side affects! Be very careful and see a doctor! Good Luck!

R.: First, let me start by asking--how did the "family friends" find out that they had "bed bugs"? Is this something that a physician told them?

I do kknow there is a such thing; however, from what I know, bed bugs are parasites that you cannot see and they don't bite you! They are from your own skin shedding at night. As our skin sheds; so do our bed bugs...however, this sounds odd that they are literally "biting" you.

Do you have pets? Or is there an animal around your house? Like, you neighbors dogs that stay outside? If there is any possibility that they are fleas, a simple "fogging" of your house and shampooing your animal will take care of them. I think you should definitely seek medical advice about this one!

Good luck and please let me know what the doctor says. I am very interested in learning more facts about "bed bugs" if, in fact, your physician thinks that's what's biting you! Again, I have never heard of bed bugs biting. they are micrscopic insects. And, if you regurlarly wash your bedding, then you should not have problems. However, fleas are a completely different story!

Have a great day!

S.

Make sure bedbugs are your problem. If they are you must call an exterminator and get rid of them.