On Wed, 16 May 2012 09:32:11 +0000, echinosum
wrote:


I'm pretty clear that this is not a bedbug. The most clear reason for
this is that it is laterally flattened, like a flea, whereas a bed bug,
so far as I can find out, is flattened topically. Also it is very dark,
pretty nearly black, though very dark brown on closer examination, and
shiny, whereas bedbugs, especially younger ones, tend to light brown. It
clearly isn't a flea, as it walked over me with the locomotion similar
to that of a beetle, and it had a pointy end at the back.

The locomotion you mention could well be a flea - it's a fallacy that
they just hop about; they will only hop if disturbed. Most of the time
they just happily run along.

Catch an unsquashed specimen and take it to your GP or a friendly vet
or knowledgeable pet shop owner.

Cut some strips of clear sticky tape and have them handy to dab gently
on any offenders you see. "Magic Tape" with an end folded over can be
stuck happily to a bedside cabinet or headboard, for example, and will
peel off easily and still sticky if you pull the folded bit (this
avoids the "curling up" effect).

When the cat got a flea or two a while back, I used one of those
sticky peel-off type rollers to catch them and the cat now expects to
be "groomed" with one every evening Really good for removing loose
hair at moulting time!

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the asylum formerly known as the
dry end of Swansea Bay.