Please help guess the pest...

chompie

OK so i didn't know where to go with this, but for the last 2+ years I and one other family member have been getting itchy welts/pimples occasionally rashes or maybe bites? 
We also get like a burning sensation when itching (not from constant itching but like a searing burn when you scratch an area of the body) 
We have inspected for Bed bugs* laid traps, have leg traps on beds, have encased mattresses in protectors, fogged (twice) put Diatomaceous earth basically everywhere, including on our bodies (it is the stuff that is safe for animals) and can find no actual evidence of bugs...

Except for what can only be described as 'crumbs' wherever we have been sitting/sleeping, little crumbs can be found (that are not from eating or anything we have put down) 

The relative is becoming obsessive and constantly scratching and/or feeling for these crumbs.
I can find nothing on the internet that sounds even remotely like this.

We have been to the doctor, thinking it may be scabies and were told it was not (treated ourselves for it anyway)

I have checked all known areas where these things reside even with magnifying glass and black light and nothing.

Bedding and clothes are basically hoovered/washed/dried every day or two (at most)

Has anyone ever experienced anything remotely similar?

It's now getting to the point where we are going to have to call in outside help but i am just worried that someone will come in and find no evidence of anything but still recommend a treatment (or worse lie and say something was found...) 

Bites/spots/marks are mainly on shoulders and back of the head, but can also be on the back, side, (and backside) stomach and legs (also we both sleep clothed and bites are often under clothes, including very tight clothes and under hair on head) 


*Only thing that made us think it could have been bedbugs was we occasionally found little dark brown seed looking things that were very shiny and smooth (no apparent legs or appendages) but as we eat Warburton's seeded batch which has seeds that looks identical to these we assumed it was just stray seeds from that.... I saw this website for identifying bugs but not sure these crumbs warrant that... (and don't want to send them some Seeded batch )
https://www.cimexine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ID-Form-Cimexine22.pdf

I'm hoping someone can either offer some assurance as to help that we can get or has experienced something similar?

Thanks for listening/reading.

Rosa_Damascena

We can't help you medically (forum rules apply) but if you post a picture of the crumbs we could help. The seeds you describe sound like linseeds (flaxseeds) but I do wonder where crumbs come from if no one has been eating in that spot.

Re: the rash - the pattern of exposure will help you narrow down the cause. Keep a diary charting when the lesions appear and where including what you have been exposed to prior (ingested and environmental factors). You'll eventually work out what the allergen is by a process of exclusions but it may take a while.

Green_hopeful

Bed bugs cause a series of bites in a row. My son gets bites but I don’t react. He kept getting bitten when staying at my mums and they were three or more bites in a row. She lived in central London where bed bugs are rife. 

I got bitten by bed bugs in a hotel. I woke up in the night and found six fat bugs in the bed. I didn’t react at all. They had clearly been biting me. My point is that some people react more severely than others. 

Have you tried your environmental health team at the council. I suspect they will have advice. 

GSDMum

Could they be mosquito stings? We don't always hear or see these blighters. I got stung this week when I let the dog in the garden before bedtime. Not everyone reacts to mosquitoes. Perhaps ask your local chemist for advice re antihistamine tablets or such like. 

Edited to add.... Re the crumbs, could they be carpenter ants? https://www.quora.com/I-noticed-a-pile-of-crumbs-by-the-base-board-and-then-saw-ants-by-the-base-board-and-I-was-wondering-why-they-do-that?top_ans=352838516

ButterCheese

Do you have any pets?  Pics of the "crumbs" might help.  They may also be your skin flaking off if you've been itching a lot.  Possibly could be flea eggs too, they are tiny and white and very hard to get rid of.  They can actually filter down into your duvet, hatch, and fleas come out through the duvet cover.  This happened to us.  We had to get the duvet tumble dried in a comemrcial dryer, plus we treated it with bombs and spray

chompie

Green_hopeful said:

Bed bugs cause a series of bites in a row. My son gets bites but I don’t react. He kept getting bitten when staying at my mums and they were three or more bites in a row. She lived in central London where bed bugs are rife. 

I got bitten by bed bugs in a hotel. I woke up in the night and found six fat bugs in the bed. I didn’t react at all. They had clearly been biting me. My point is that some people react more severely than others. 

Have you tried your environmental health team at the council. I suspect they will have advice. 

The reason I'm doubting bed bugs is in all this time we've never found a body, fecal matter or shells. 

chompie

GSDMum said:

Could they be mosquito stings? We don't always hear or see these blighters. I got stung this week when I let the dog in the garden before bedtime. Not everyone reacts to mosquitoes. Perhaps ask your local chemist for advice re antihistamine tablets or such like. 

Edited to add.... Re the crumbs, could they be carpenter ants? https://www.quora.com/I-noticed-a-pile-of-crumbs-by-the-base-board-and-then-saw-ants-by-the-base-board-and-I-was-wondering-why-they-do-that?top_ans=352838516

No they don't feel like mosquito bites and there have been no signs of mosquitoes.

chompie

ButterCheese said:

Do you have any pets?  Pics of the "crumbs" might help.  They may also be your skin flaking off if you've been itching a lot.  Possibly could be flea eggs too, they are tiny and white and very hard to get rid of.  They can actually filter down into your duvet, hatch, and fleas come out through the duvet cover.  This happened to us.  We had to get the duvet tumble dried in a comemrcial dryer, plus we treated it with bombs and spray

No pets, but the first time we noticed it was when a young relative came and shared a bed with the person who has suffered the most and she has a dog and cats.

Initially there would be a tingling sensation on our face and when we went to feel the area that was tingling there would be like a little crystal like something was coming out of our skin. (Which is what led us to scabies)
When I went to the doctor last I had one of these that had just happened and showed him and he was quite dismissive and without really looking just said "that's skin" 

Fleas could be a possibility but still I woke think there would be some visual evidence. And don't they usually jump around? (Also bites are mainly upper body which seems to go against fleas' MO.

I will picture some crumbs when I get the chance.

JIL

Our neighbours had starling nests in their loft space. They got infected with bird mites.

Get the crumbs on some sellotape and if there is no charge send it. ( it's not far away from me, I never knew of its existence)Then you know what you are dealing with.

Some questions.

Where on your body do you get bitten?

Does it happen all year round?

If you put down Diatomaceous earth, does the problem resolve for a period?

Do you live in an area that has biting spiders?

I really sympathise, I got 6 bites a few months ago. I was convinced it was bed bugs. I used the steam cleaner on every inch of the bedroom, even though there were no signs. 

PipneyJane

I don't have any expertise in identifying pests or bites, but this morning I remembered a story about body lice.  Could they be a possibility? 

The story I remembered was from the trenches in World War 1, where everyone and everything was infested.  The soldiers used to run their lighters along the seams of their trousers, which caused the eggs to pop and die.  Ironing would have the same effect, as would very hot steam.

HTH

Pip