What's eating me?

Ames

I seem to have some kind of infestation of bity things.


Last night I got a few - maybe about half a dozen - bites on my legs. It felt like being stung - a small focussed pain that got stronger and stronger until I moved and it stopped. According to my googling, the fact that I felt it means it's not bed bugs.


This morning I've looked at the bites and they're smallish bright pink lumps with a dark pink/red dot in the middle. They're in a random pattern.


The thing that's confusing me is that they're not itchy or painful, which seems to rule out bed bugs and fleas, but I'm not sure what else they could be.


I've checked the mattress and there are quite a few black dots on it, which I'm assuming are droppings. I also found a couple of bigger black bits which were striped, like skin or part of a cocoon?


I've had some holes appear in clothes, and seen a few moths, which could be connected but probably isn't.


Can anyone shed any light on what they could be? And how to get rid of them?


TIA.

teddysmum

You could test the possible droppings by putting them on damp toilet roll or kitchen paper. If it was a blood feeding thing, like a flea, a pink area will spread on the paper ie it's blood.


A gnat or midge will take several 'bites'. I was often attacked by them, as a child, but old people probably aren't to their taste.

Callie22

Do you have pets? If you do I'd think that it's more likely to be fleas, as afaik they tend to go for your legs, and bedbugs your torso. As far as I'm aware moths don't bite humans - I know my gran had a terrible infestation of clothes moths years ago and nobody got bitten, it was the damage that was done to the house that was more painful!

I'd strip the bed, clean the frame down and then treat the house with a general insecticide. If you do have pets remember to chuck your hoover bag away and put a flea collar in the new one, just so you don't reinfest the house.

Blackpool_Saver

Could it be woodworm?

Blackpool_Saver

http://www.woodwormtreatment.com/wood-worm-symptoms.php

Hmmm, read descrption

Ames

No pets, but I think there's a mouse squatting in my walls. I had a few of them a few months ago and caught and got rid of them, but I think there's one that's escaped the traps.


The bed frame's metal so shouldn't need treating, although it's broken and sagging so there could be gaps in the underneath bit that's home to crawlies.


I'll change the sheet to a white one tonight, so that I've more chance of seeing whatever they are if they come out to feast again.


I'll go do the damp toilet tissue test now...

Ames

I don't think it's woodworm, having read the link. The bites aren't in a pattern, they're not near blood vessels, the centre's red not yellow, and there's no itching.


Although the bit about it attaching to clothes does fit, because the first bite came from my jeans, as if there was a thorn or something sticking through (but there wasn't anything visible).

theoretica

Blackpool_Saver wrote: »

http://www.woodwormtreatment.com/wood-worm-symptoms.php

Hmmm, read descrption

Do read description - it is a nonsense hash up about bed bugs with 'woodworm' put in a few places. Unless the OP is particularly wooden (or papery, they also eat books) she will not be getting eaten by woodworm.

OP can you clarify if this is a daytime or night time attack? I though at first it was night time, but then you mention being bitten through jeans. I once thought I had been bugged by something and it was only midges which had for some reason decided to get inside my clothes.

Ames

It's mainly night time but there's been one or two during the day (afternoon/early evening) whilst watching TV.


The black specks stayed black specks on damp toilet roll, they didn't bleed.

Ames

I've just had a thought changing the bedding - I sleep with a feather duvet, maybe that attracts mites or something? Or maybe it's the quills from the feathers that are pr!cking me and perhaps causing an allergic reaction? I'm always finding feathers stuck in clothes so that explains the jeans too.


I'll take an anti histamine tonight and see how I go.

helcat26

dot in the middle says fleas
http://www.medicinenet.com/image-collection/flea_bites_picture/picture.htm