I have posted this on another forum so I apologize if you see it twice!
I need some help figuring out what might be biting me. Around 7/15 I spent some time outside in a fairly grassy and rural area. I made a poor decision to wear shorts and sandals while hanging out around dusk. During that time I knew I was bitten by mosquitos on my legs and arms. I went home and noticed regular mosquito welts on my arms. One day later, while lotioning after a shower, I noticed there were additional welts on my ankle/foot. These welts appeared on areas not covered by the leather on my sandals, but some were grouped together/in a line.
These welts did not get as big as most of my other mosquito bites, and they took longer to subside. As of now, the swelling is gone, but darkened skin remains. This did not happen to the bites on my arms.
Due to the fact that the welts were on skin not covered by my sandals, I assumed that they were also mosquito bites of some sort. To be on the safe side, I inspected my bed. I noticed two small black dots on my mattress, but honestly couldn't determine if they were new or old.
No signs of bugs were found. I vacuumed the carpet in my home and went through the vacuum bag-no signs of bugs were found. To help my bedbug checks in the future, I then decided to flip my mattress to the other side which was completely white Nothing else popped up for a few weeks.
Fast forward to yesterday: I noticed a line of small flesh colored bumps with white centers down my arm. I occasionally get bumps on my body that eventually harden and (warning: gross) can be picked/exfoliated out. I've always attributed this to body acne.
Yet, I've never had bumps form in a straight line-which made me think of bedbugs. These bumps do not itch. After discovering them, I thoroughly examined my mattress, box spring, bed frame, floor boards, electrical outlets and bedding. I did not find any bugs, casings, or new stains. My bed does not have a headboard, and has minimal furniture in it. I checked my cat's space in my home as well-no bugs found. I'm supposed to have overnight company soon, and I am thinking I will need to cancel their stay at my home-but how long will it take to be sure that things are okay?
My questions for you folks: Are these bedbug bites? How do I catch the bugs? Am I just overreacting because I sometimes encounter folks with bedbugs due to my volunteer interests?