Are these fecal remnants? They don't look exactly like other pics but at the same time are very suspicious.
This is the underside of my box springs. Three separate slats, far from one another, had marks like this. They sort of smeared when I wiped at them in a dusty dark smear type of way.
Thank you.
20160619_181230 by t s, on Flickr
20160619_181015 by t s, on Flickr
20160619_172655 by t s, on Flickr
I have become very nervous that I have bed bugs. I have torn apart my room and living room. I noticed a couple from what I am assuming bites along my hairline. Not sure if it is from bed bugs but I also noticed some marks on a futon mattress (don't smear), marks on box spring smear and are cleaned up completely with water, and and some bugs in my room. Please let me know if any of this looks bug related.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/45909586@N08/27174646563/in/album-72157667294833893/
I've gotten a few bites that might be indicative of bed bugs and found this stain on the comforter today. Any idea if it's fecal? Smears slightly when wet.
Two images (one with flash, one without) are available here: http://imgur.com/a/Y5P2s
Have found one of these crawling on my bed, and the rest on the floor (all below or close to a heater that's turned off since it's summer). They are all about 3mm in length.
Bites on my calves, thighs primarily.
Edit: had difficulty uploading pictures - if you click the "null" hyperlinks it takes you to uploaded image.
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Hi, I'm a homeowner in Bloomington, Indiana, and I need a recommendation for a reputable PCO.
Some tl;dr background for those patient enough to read it:
I discovered that we have picked up bed bugs, for what I believe is the second time. We had a scare about 16 months ago, when our college age son found a live adult biting his wrist, while sitting on our futon couch. I'm a biologist, so I spent some serious time reading up on current information about bed bugs, and we began carefully inspecting all of the most likely locations in our house, where they might harbor and nest. I used a blue LED light and a magnifier to inspect, and found no direct evidence anywhere, that we had an infestation. Since my son had been rummaging around in his messenger bag shortly before being bitten, we thought it likely that he may have picked up some hitch hikers while on campus. In spite of no other evidence, we assumed we might have a low level infestation, not readily obvious yet.
We encased all bedding, moved all beds and furniture a few inches away from walls, installed climb-ups (and some home made versions, because of very large furniture legs), thoroughly vacuumed every inch of every furniture cusion, crack, and crevice; the baseboards, floors, around door frames, etc.
All clothing and bedding was bagged in its native location, then washed and dried using the superheated allergy setting on our washer and drier. All clean laundry was placed into closed plastic bins until we completed treatment steps.
Treatment consisted of meticulously steaming all woodwork and furniture with a vapamore primo MR-100 steamer, followed by application of Bedlam Plus to furniture, and Phantom 2 to cracks and crevices. After allowing a couple of hours drying time, a light dusting of Cimex was applied with a bellows, under baseboards, door and window frames, behind switchplates and electrical socket plates, and in furniture joints (especially bed frames). Any visible powder was wiped up with a damp cloth to prevent having it become airborne.
As a biologist, it made the most sense to me to treat the house by starting in the locations least likely to harbor bed bugs (like the kitchen, which has no seating area in it) and then work our way closer to likely locations for nests. I don't know if that's valid, but it seemed wise to try to prevent dispersal by pre treating the less likely areas first.
We followed up with a repeat treatment of vacuuming, steaming, Phantom 2, and Cimex after 30 days. We never saw another bug, or any evidence of hidden bugs. I continued to monitor for several months, with no signs of an infestation at all.
And then I got busy. And got complacent. Sigh. And here we are. We most definitely have them. My son caught one on his pillow at 5am last Friday, and when I inspected his bed, found clear signs on the encasement of the box springs. Fecal streaks/splotches. And since he had just done laundry a couple of days prior, I began looking in the laundry room, and found two very dead bugs on the laundry room floor. So, at this point, I'm concerned that we might have a more widespread issue, and that a professional is necessary. I don't think we have had an ongoing infestation, since only recently did my son mention that he had some unexplained bites, which led him to start monitoring his room again. I have carefully inspected all of the likely locations (office chairs, places where I like to sit and read, our bedrooms, etc.) and have found no other evidence. Only one corner of my son's bed has obvious signs.
If the pros here have any suggestions or comments, I would love any help in deciding how to proceed. Luckily, I'm not the squeamish type, nor is my son, and he doesn't seem to be particularly allergic to the bites. (Good and bad--good for him on a personal level, but it may mean we have had an ongoing problem, if he doesn't react to the bites.) But I am a homeowner, and I need to protect our living environment, my investment in the property, and our sanity. I also don't want to spread this problem to anyone else. Luckily, we live with no nearby neighbors on some acreage, so at least we don't share walls with anyone.
If you made it this far, thanks for listening, and thank you to the forum owner for this amazing resource. I look forward to comments.
Hi! I need to someone to identify if this is a bed bug or not! Sorry they aren't the best of pictures!
I know what adult ones look like but I'm not sure if this is a baby one. Please and thank you!
Ps I found it crawling on my bed around 1am! But I also had my window open last night. It's also about 2mm
Thanks!
Hi,
I tried everything I thought I needed to destroy the risk of getting bed bugs from a hotel.
One week later, I had tiny flat pinkish red marks randomly disbursed on my legs, moderate-serious itching (in a widespread area), one blood stain on my mattress cover, confirmation through the bed bug registry that hotel has had bed bugs as recently as a year ago, and a whole lot of anxiety. Now it's been three weeks and I still have itching and marks.
I know it is a little early to be upset, but I can only do light physical activity without getting hurt and I don't have anyone who would be able to help me get rid of bed bugs if I had them. Anyone who is willing to read sort of a novel and give me your input would be highly appreciated. I understand it's only opinions 
--
When I got to the hotel, I was very tired and the only thing I did was to briefly check the headboard, mattress edges, and under the bed. And when I got back from my trip, I washed everything in hot water and dried everything except for my shoes, which I tried to put in a hot car but that's probably not enough (I read something saying that it was at the time). And I sprayed non-cloth items with rubbing alcohol. I didn't have any signs of bites at the time.
I went to the doctor a few days after the marks started appearing, and she ruled out scabies. Antihistamines didn't do much to stop the itching. I've set up active monitors, and after 3 days of leaving my apartment I haven't found anything. (How much can I rely on them?) I've looked as thoroughly as I can, looking under the mattress, on the other side of my headboard, around the edges of the mattress, etc. I really, REALLY don't want to tell my landlord if I don't have a reason to be worried, because I'm pretty sure the lease said I'm responsible for paying for everything. And I'm moving to another unit soon. And my landlord is in the process of showing my current apartment.
Thoughts?
I have some teeny tiny bugs in my apartment, and I'm not sure what they are. At the same time, I've had a bunch of mosquito-like bites cropping up (armpits, inner thighs, behind the knee - but nothing on my "trunk"). I keep finding these bugs, often just casually walking down my hand, or in another instance, across the screen of my phone. Not sure of they're biting me, or if it's coincidental and is making me feel paranoid.
I stripped my bed and didn't see anything pointing to bedbugs (plus they are SO SMALL, and active in the day time).
Anyway, here are a couple photos. Any ideas? I appreciate any help!
For scale:
A close up using a macro lens:
I wiped a couple of stains off from underneath my wooden futon frame. They wiped off completely with just wet kleenex. However, the stains on the tissue are reddish brown! The stains wiped out, no signs of the stains having been there. I'm a reactor and have had no bites. Also my climbups have been clear. Help! What could it be? Do bedbug stains wipe out so easily? Could it be anything else? I bought some bedbug blue. Can I test the kleenex?
Hello! I just found this one behind my couch.. at first I thought a coackroach, but the striped back is freaking me out. Expert advice needed please!
I found this on my bed after feeling something on my neck.
Is this a bed bug? It is exactly 2mm in length and has one vertical line right in the middle of the abdomen instead of horizontal lines but i cannot be sure. Also i think it also had wings underneath the split on the abdomen. It tried to open them i think but i couldn't fly although i didn't see it actually open.
I am just freaking out and will probably have nightmares.
Any help is welcome.
Hi I have found lots and lots of yellow spots on one half of my fitted mattress protector (not a full one just covers top). Could anyone tell me what they could be from? Are they to do with bed bugs? I would have thought the bed would be crawling in them if they are leaving this many spots. I have climb ups installed as I'm unsure I have a bed bug problem. So far 2 bugs I have posted have been booklice found in them. Any suggestions. Many thanks.
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I have no other signs of bedbugs but I do have intense anxiety! Help!
EDIT: they are coming off easily when I scrape with my fingernail. Also, I already know I am a reactor and have had no bites. Is this dirt? Or bedbug feces? It's so hard to tell!
Hi!
So long story; I live in a two bedroom apartment with my roommate and about two weeks ago her cousin came to town to stay for a couple of months for an internship. She and her share a room. A few days after being here she said she had been bitten by something and it seems to have been bed bugs. I only ever found one BB in my room (our rooms are right next to each other) since then. When the exterminator came I asked him on a scale of 1-10 how bad was the situation and ten being the worst. He gave it a two. He said everything was in my roommates room. He did not find anything in my room at all. But he treated the whole apartment. I also asked how long did he think they had been here. He said about 3 months maybe 4. After the treatment we only found one BB in the living room and we think it was dead. (We sprayed it with rubbing alcohol before checking to see if it was alive.) Since then it's been 10 days and we have yet to see a live or dead BB. BUT now I feel like I'm overthinking things and stressing myself out. Recently I noticed a bump on my leg and on my face. And I can't tell if it's a BB bite or if it's a hair bump or pimple. I know for a fact that I react to BB bites but I have no been bitten at least not to my knowledge during the whole time. The two bumps I found was one on my inner thigh(first and second picture) and one on my face. There is only one bump each in the locations. I break out randomly at times so I can't tell if it's because of stress or if there are still left over. Mind you I have bed encasments and my bed is not touching any walls and my bed frame is a slipper metal that I don't think is claimable for them. Anyways I just wanna make sure these bumps are either what I think they are or something else. The one on my inner thigh wasn't itchy but the one on my face occasionally itches. Sorry for the long post but I hope you have the time to read it and are able to answer back. If anything I said doesn't make sense. Feel free to message me directly to discuss!
Bed bugs are literally driving me mad.
about 6 weeks ago I noticed bites on my arms after visiting home (I lived in another state for work). Dr. said it was scabies and treated with cream. Next trip home the bites came on arms and legs. Dr. said they were likely bed bugs. Hubby checked and sure enough found a few bugs in our bedskirt and box spring. I had a PCO out within 2 days and they treated our bedroom with 2 sprays. 2 days later we found bugs in son's room. I had a second PCO come out and they treated the entire house with 3 different sprays. Fast forward to now. We have had 2nd treatment.
I am the only person that is allergic. I now live in the home full time and I feel I am losing all sense of reason. I find both dead bugs and have found a few live ones between both rooms. Hubby says they are likely trying to escape. I am certain they are trying to escape to me!
I am now investigating thermal remediation, but have seem multiple mixed reviews. We live in a single family home. We are fairly certain that the bugs came from a hotel stay. I have purchased a zappbug heater for future prevention. We have encased all pillows, mattresses and new boxsprings. I have intercepters under bed wheels. We are approx. $2400 into this and now a heat treatment will add $2000 more for our entire house. Hubby says we don't need it, but I want it for peace of mind.
Question is this: in a single family home with all of the above precautions (plus one remaining chemical treatment), how likely is this to work? Our home is in the Chicago suburbs and not cluttered at all. I am just a wreck!
I am quite sure this is a bedbug ... but could someone(s) confirm it?
Next to a dime, to confirm size:
And yes, I have been getting bites, in little rows, that look just like the bites others have posted. And yes, I just returned from a trip staying in air bnb rentals.
Woe is me!!
We have confirmed bedbugs in our bedroom (confirmed by pest control inspector), primarily in our wooden bed frame (but not in or on the mattress, which the bb seem to be avoiding because it is latex). We killed all live bb by hand, used rubbing alcohol to kill any eggs on the frame, taped up all holes on the wooden frame, and have been bite free for 4 nights since we did so. But we did find a bb on the wall in the bedroom last night. We have seen no evidence of bb anywhere else in the home. Some other key pieces of information: we are renters, our landlord has informed us that we are responsible for treatment, we are in a town home with houses on both sides and are close to certain that the bb came over from our neighbors' house (they informed us about their bb about 2 weeks before we started getting bitten; I think their treatment of their home drove them over to us).
I have spoken to two reputable pest control companies in MD that do heat treatments. One suggested that we need to heat treat the entire home because we do not know where the bb might be hiding and we should play it safe since we are moving. The other company said that if we have a K9 inspection and the dog doesn't find evidence of bb in any of the other rooms that we are safe to pack and move the things in the other rooms and get them into a storage unit immediately after the K9 inspection. Then we can treat just the affected floor of the house with heat treatment (the second floor where the bedroom is). What should we do? We absolutely do not want to bring the bb with us, but the cost of treating the whole house is exorbitant. And if the dog only finds bb in the bedroom, it is worth it to treat the whole house?
One additional question: after we dry our clothes in a dryer on high to ensure that all bb and eggs die and seal the clothes in contractor plastic bags, do we have to worry about the bb getting on the outside of the plastic bags and hitching a ride that way?
I thought I'd start an new thread since existing threads on this topic are old.
I did read previous threads and found several people recommending Rose Pest Solutions. (I also read recommendations to avoid Ace and Redwine.)
So ... I called them - Rose Pest Solutions 513-481-9630. Got a very pleasant and careful man, Paul Stacy. I appreciate him for being honest and saying I had too much clutter for a professional to really treat the place. Priority is getting rid of the clutter.
Now that it's summer and HOT around here, he said it would work to put stuff in a closed black trash bag in the sun to heat up. Just one day would do it, he said.
He also approved my idea of covering the mattress, springs and pillow cases (I already ordered Hospitology Sleep Defense covers).
And approved my idea of puffing silicone dust between the mattress and springs (I already ordered CimeXa Insecticide Dust from Amazon). He said go easy with it, though - just a puff, once every three weeks.
Also approved my plan of putting Bed Bug Traps under the beds and sofa legs (also already ordered from Amazon).
THE BEST NEWS: he thinks it's possible that I only had the one bedbug!! Okay, I find this highly unlikely, to be honest. But I do hope that it's only a few!! And that the silicone dust between mattress and springs will dispatch with them.
Hi all,
I am extremely upset to say that after nearly a year of no bugs, they are back. This afternoon I found two adult bed bugs crawling around when I suspected something and inspected my box spring, as well as some fecal marks on the box spring encasement--although not a ton. Both bugs were old, when I crushed on the blood looked quite old and dark.
Both my mattress and box spring is encased and I could not find any holes. Could these be stragglers? Coming from a neighbor? I brought the bugs in from a road trip last summer (discovered them in August of last year) and thought I got rid of them after four chemical treatments, drying everything and DE. I don't really react to the bites, but after months of checking and not finding anything last year, I stopped doing regular checkups. And here they are back again.
What's my best course of action? Repeat the same process as last time? I'm just so upset at to why they're back again. Thanks, as always, for your help here.
Hi,
I'll start off by saying that I've read multiple related posts here on bedbugger, as well as the 2010 NYT article about K9 alert services...so I'm definitely aware that the overwhelming response will be "Show me the evidence" or "Confirm before you treat."
But I would appreciate others' input and past experience, especially if anyone has shared my scenario of a landlord who decided to pursue treatment anyway.
============================================
THE SAGA
I've experienced bites starting ~9 months ago but only rarely, 4-5 episodes max. Typically only 1-2 intensely itchy red bumps that would arise on the top of my foot/ankle or rarely hand/wrist. After the first episode, I was worried for bedbugs [neurotic New Yorker, I know...], so I did a thorough inspection of the mattress, box spring, and rest of the apartment. No evidence. Decided to encase the mattress and isolate the bed [pulled away from the wall, no linens touching floor, Climb-Up interceptors].
Over the past 9 months, my boyfriend and I have typically respected the "Make your bed an island" rule...but occasionally have lapsed since the bites happened so rarely. The boyfriend has had a similar number of episodes - but never more than 1 lesion and mild enough that we would debate if it was even a bite.
I could never find evidence, so we didn't request an evaluation. [See - I was trying to follow the whole "Stay calm and wait for visual evidence of bedbugs" advice!]
3 weeks ago, I develop nearly a dozen bites to both my feet and ankles over <24 hours, to areas that were covered by sneakers/socks [making mosquito bites unlikely]. My dermatologist friend evaluated my rash and told me it was "papular urticaria" which in English, translates to "itchy bumps." Good thing I didn't have to pay her for that medical advice. Her top concern based on the distribution and the fact that I didn't have any other exposures, was bedbugs.
So I called my landlord, who arranged for a PCO to come inspect the apartment. I was not able to be present for the inspection but reportedly the dog alerted to both my sofa and my bed. However, as you already know from the post title, the human examined my sofa and the bed [although granted, the mattress was already encased] and found NO evidence.
The landlord without consulting us started treatment that same day - sounds like steam.
We were directed to do dryer for all clothing, Steri-Fab for everything else non-electronic, vacuum for 3 days, and "declutter" [maybe our PCO is actually Marie Kondo?!?].
The PCO is returning 2 weeks after the initial visit to repeat treatment.
Other units in my building were not investigated. They did check common areas [halls, laundry room] and reportedly no alerts.
============================================
SO MY QUESTIONS ARE:
A) Should I debate the treatment with our landlord? He's a nice guy, and technically it's him paying the PCO bill. But my sanity is also being taxed by all the steps we're going through...for a hypothetical infestation.
B) It feels like we have to go through with the steps recommended by the PCO, since otherwise when he comes back for the second visit, he's going to report to the landlord that clothes weren't in contractor bags, etc. For anyone who went through this situation, did you do it 100% - or only the steps required? For example, we weren't told to do anything about bookcases and their contents.
Regardless, it feels like an exercise in futility.