OK, a bit off-topic, but some people here seem to know their insects.

For a couple of weeks we've been a bit concerned we have had bugs, as we keep on getting bitten at night and occasionally we have been finding bits of insect in the bed, though with my 50-yr-old eyesight it is hard to be sure they are insect fragments as opposed to bits rubbed off clothing (my socks are especially prone to shedding fragments). Though having caught what I presume to be the offenders, I'm fairly sure they aren't bedbugs. But what?

So, finally, yesterday, my wife caught a live insect in the bed, and boxed it, but only after manually killing it. But examining this 3-4mm object? The best I could think of was to take a photo of it with the macro setting on the camera and try to blow it up on the computer. Unfortunately it was a bit squashed and the technique was rather less effective than using a microscope, which in our case we have not got. And being squashed I wasn't really sure of its true shape. I could just about see that the abdomen is segmented, which is true of bedbugs, but many other insects also.

But then later yesterday evening I was just sitting there in the front room and I found an insect walking up my shirt that I'm pretty sure was just the same as the one I had recently been examining, and it did seem to attempt to bite me from time to time when it got onto my hands, though I persuaded it not to.

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. Though it did have the tiny head and swollen body typical of various biting things. Nothing in the insect book seem to correspond very well. My best guess at the moment is that it is a true bug, ie same family as a bed bug, though I'd need a microscope to be sure that its body layout corresponds.

Any thoughts on what this might be, why it is in my bed at night, and is it going to sod off of its own accord when the seasons turn?

Fleas walk once they're on their host. They jump to get on to their host, or to get away from your fingers, but otherwise they walk (presumably because jumping when you're on a host makes it quite likely that you'll land *off* the host)

To my eye they do look pointed at the rear, but it depends on what you mean by pointed.

Dark brown and shiny is right for flea.

Are you finding any blood rich faeces? ie do any of the little black bits in bed turn into red smudges if you dampen the sheet around them?

Fleas tend to leave lines of bites, usually on warm bits of your body. I wonder whether they actually bite at night, or whether they bite all through the day, but it's the warmth in bed that makes the bites itch.

Bed bugs, according to google, will bite on faces.

Whatever they are, think it is highly unlikely that they will move away when the weather turns. You need to get them identified and sorted as soon as possible. Fleas are easier to get rid of than bedbugs.

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.

In article ,
lid says...

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.

I agree; I more often spot one crawling than jumping, and "shiny" also
matches flea. On humans, flea bites are quite distinctive (round and
bright red). Fleas are smaller than bedbugs.

Bedbug shape and size varies with age (scroll down to see chart
http://www.bedbugstreatmentmethods.co.uk/). I have only encountered them
once and iirc the bites were much more raised and itched a lot more than
fleabites.(good pics on the site above)

Janet

In article , Sacha wrote:

A bar of soap also works well for catching them, or so my novel-reading
tells me!

The L-shaped room?

Regards,
Nick.

"echinosum" wrote in message
...

OK, a bit off-topic, but some people here seem to know their insects.

For a couple of weeks we've been a bit concerned we have had bugs, as we
keep on getting bitten at night and occasionally we have been finding
bits of insect in the bed, though with my 50-yr-old eyesight it is hard
to be sure they are insect fragments as opposed to bits rubbed off
clothing (my socks are especially prone to shedding fragments). Though
having caught what I presume to be the offenders, I'm fairly sure they
aren't bedbugs. But what?

So, finally, yesterday, my wife caught a live insect in the bed, and
boxed it, but only after manually killing it. But examining this 3-4mm
object? The best I could think of was to take a photo of it with the
macro setting on the camera and try to blow it up on the computer.
Unfortunately it was a bit squashed and the technique was rather less
effective than using a microscope, which in our case we have not got.
And being squashed I wasn't really sure of its true shape. I could just
about see that the abdomen is segmented, which is true of bedbugs, but
many other insects also.

But then later yesterday evening I was just sitting there in the front
room and I found an insect walking up my shirt that I'm pretty sure was
just the same as the one I had recently been examining, and it did seem
to attempt to bite me from time to time when it got onto my hands,
though I persuaded it not to.

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. Though it did
have the tiny head and swollen body typical of various biting things.
Nothing in the insect book seem to correspond very well. My best guess
at the moment is that it is a true bug, ie same family as a bed bug,
though I'd need a microscope to be sure that its body layout
corresponds.

Any thoughts on what this might be, why it is in my bed at night, and is
it going to sod off of its own accord when the seasons turn?


Bed bugs have to shed off their skin 5 times to grow to an adult and that
might be what you are finding in your bed.
My money is on bed bugs.
Have you recently gone abroad? You can bring them back on your
suitcases. There seems to be a severe infestion in London postcodes.
It might be fleas if you have a cat or dog, but fleas do not shuck their
skins in your bed.
Bed bugs do.
I would get a pest control firm in.
Tina

On Thu, 17 May 2012 03:01:29 -0700 (PDT), Judith in France
wrote:

Ugh, I've never seen a bedbug or a flea but if I suspected they were
in my bed, I would steam the mattress. When I let the Gite, I steamed
the mattresses after guests had gone. My dog is treated monthly with
Frontline. I am fanatical about these things... since we found we
had death watch beetle in our beams, they were not easy to get rid of
and cost an arm and 2 legs for the treatment.

The death watch beetle only bores into wood that has already been
softened by fungal infection. Getting rid of the beetle was just one
step in a house I owned. I finished up with concrete beams.

Steve

--
Neural Network Software. http://www.npsl1.com
EasyNN-plus. Neural Networks plus. http://www.easynn.com
SwingNN. Forecast with Neural Networks. http://www.swingnn.com
JustNN. Just Neural Networks. http://www.justnn.com

echinosum wrote in :



Any thoughts on what this might be, why it is in my bed at night, and is
it going to sod off of its own accord when the seasons turn?




You should read this.

http://tinyurl.com/dxazj8z

Hope it helps.
Baz

In article ,
says...

On Thu, 17 May 2012 03:01:29 -0700 (PDT), Judith in France
wrote:

Ugh, I've never seen a bedbug or a flea but if I suspected they were
in my bed, I would steam the mattress. When I let the Gite, I steamed
the mattresses after guests had gone.

Seems you don't know much about where bedbugs live or how to eliminate
them.

Janet

Janet wrote in news:MPG.2a1f082f578461f398b518
@news.eternal-september.org:

In article ,
says...

On Thu, 17 May 2012 03:01:29 -0700 (PDT), Judith in France
wrote:

Ugh, I've never seen a bedbug or a flea but if I suspected they were
in my bed, I would steam the mattress. When I let the Gite, I steamed
the mattresses after guests had gone.

Seems you don't know much about where bedbugs live or how to eliminate
them.

Janet


Let me guess.... You know!

Baz

In article ,
says...

Janet wrote in news:MPG.2a1f082f578461f398b518
@news.eternal-september.org:

In article ,
says...

On Thu, 17 May 2012 03:01:29 -0700 (PDT), Judith in France
wrote:

Ugh, I've never seen a bedbug or a flea but if I suspected they were
in my bed, I would steam the mattress. When I let the Gite, I steamed
the mattresses after guests had gone.

Seems you don't know much about where bedbugs live or how to eliminate
them.

Janet


Let me guess.... You know!

No guesses; you don't.

Janet