Use Hibiclens Antiseptic/Antimicrobial Skin Cleanser while showering and they won't bite that night.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I stay at my boyfriend's house on the weekends and I can't go a single night without getting bit. My boyfriend never gets bit. This has been going on for a few months now. I thought it was fleas because his mom has 3 dogs that aren't properly bathed or groomed, but the dogs are downstairs and do not go upstairs, where his room is.
We have done several things to try and get rid of the bugs. We've done DIY flea traps (never caught anything), we've used flea and other bugs powder for the carpets, we've put baking soda all in the carpet (another thing I read online that works better than flea powder), we've sprayed the room, washed all blankets and pillow cases, vacuumed, vacuumed, and vacuumed again, and we're about to do it all over again with washing everything vacuuming and spraying the room.
There's no way it's bed bugs. We have taken flashlights and searched all over the room, edges of carpet, the bed, everything. We've searched many times and have never seen a single bug. My boyfriend also has an air mattress, not a normal one. There are no bugs whatsoever on or in his mattress. It has to be the carpet.
I'm the only one getting bitten and it's driving me crazy. I barely get any sleep at night and my boyfriend has to listen to me complain about these phantom bugs. It's putting a strain in our relationship. I want these bugs evicted, but we can't even figure out what they are. We're trying and it's really hard.
We've ruled out bed bugs, mosquitos, and spiders. There's no way I could get bit for months and never seen a web, a bed bug, or a mosquito flying around.
Also, it's only when I'm sleeping. We can lay on the bed and watch TV and never get bit. But the second I fall asleep I'm getting bit. We also work late nights and sleep all morning, some afternoons so it's not like these bugs are nocturnal, unless they're also on our sleep schedule.
Please help me try to figure out what's biting me, and what I can do about it. These bugs constantly have me in tears from sleepless nights. I'm going crazy. Nothing is working.
Thank you in advance.
You may indeed have a flea problem even if the dogs do not visit the bedroom. Fleas and flea eggs can travel via your boyfriend, you and anyone else who enters the room, however quickly and at any time, day or nite. My husband, an entomologist, is not bothered by fleas, but I attract them like bees to flowers. The information below will help you understand what is happening.
Flea eggs do not stay on your pet, they quickly drop or roll off as they do not stick to anything. The fleas you find in your house hatched from the flea eggs that fell off of your pet or fell off of you and other people. Flea eggs are tiny and opaque white or almost colorless. The fleas you may see on your cat or dog are immature fleas from eggs on the floor or outside that hatched into fleas and jumped back onto your dog. You will also see (many!) small black dots on your dog but these are only flea feces.
The flea eggs in your home and outside are the real problem. Just one female flea can produce 40-50 eggs per day. The eggs fall off into your house and outside so, either way, your dog or cat will then again attract the immature and adult fleas both inside and outside which are the children from flea parents that may still be living on your cat or dog or you.
Any dish detergent bath may wash away or possibly kill some fleas on your pet, however, not all fleas are killed. In a bath many migrate up to the head and ear area and then, once the bath is over, travel back to their favorite spots, usually on the back. If you use dish detergent, you can seriously dry the animals skin and may cause skin rashes, an allergic reaction, etc., and you are not addressing the real problem. The thousands of flea eggs that exist all the time in your house and outside hatch and then jump back onto your dog or cat (and you!). So, you and your pets are locked into the everlasting cycle in the life of fleas.
A search online for how to kill fleas brings up many ideas for bathing, applying natural and awful sprays, etc., but these only address the fleas on your pet. Rarely do they address the bigger problem as a whole. You can check this site for answers that address your pet, your home and the outside. As you will see, flea prevention is a much larger problem than just giving your dog a bath.
The only way you will become flea free is to treat the dogs with flea killers. This will take time for the flea treatments to work and money for the medications. I strongly suggest having the dogs checked for fleas and any other medical problems and then treat the dogs with prescription medication. Over the counter flea products are not strong enough to deal with the uncontrolled flea infestation in the house.
Good Luck!
I recommend Ivermectin for mites. I believe you can get it in pill form for human use, but they make a gel for horses that is much cheaper and still safe for people to use. My family got it for $3 on Amazon ("Apple flavor" but tastes nasty). My mom and I were both being bitten all over during the day and even more at night. I couldn't see the bugs, but my mom was finding tiny white dots that would bite and then jump off.
I keep finding little bug bites on my 3 year old's arms, I have searched her bed and no bugs, checked my cat and no bugs. Somehow these bug bites continue to appear each morning so something is biting her and then disappearing. I took her to the doctor and she said looks like a flea bite but I just can't seem to find them! How can I deter any and all bugs from biting her at night?
By Sonia H.
It appears to be a demodex mite I have had the same issue tea tree and alcohol give the most relief put tea tree in the washer when washing clothes also
You certainly aren't crazy!
I tired many things after ordering bed protectors.
I was losing sleep anxious and scratching constantly!
The SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO...
My mom has been experiencing a sensation of bugs crawling and jumping on her skin. She thinks it's fleas. We tried bombing and got the house fumigated 3 times. We moved, but the pest still linger. She can't see them, but there are tiny black specs everywhere when she vacuums. The bites look like mosquito bites and they don't seem to be red. Is there any advice you could give her?
We've been dealing with these things for a year now. Here's some background info. We think we got it from a friend's neighbor who has a lot of cats and had to be hoarding fleas for at least 20 years. My mom thinks it is a new kind of flea that's immune to everything. If anyone could please help or see if they found a solution to this problem so my mom doesn't have to suffer anymore. We also tried Windexing everything that didn't help. We even got rid of all the furniture and now have to sleep on inflatable beds, but they still stick. Also apparently they will find shelter in anything including electronics such as TVs and even phones. We also tried boric acid, but that has no effect either. So anything that's helped someone?
Please take your mom to her doctor now and explain the problem in the detail you have provided here. You must accompany your mother in the doctor's office visit to fully describe all that has been happening. A very good idea is to copy your description of the problem here to Thrifty Fun and give it to the doctor in your visit.
Your mom may have a medical problem that the doctor can provide effective treatment to help.
I agree. And if she needs to sleep on an inflatable mattress that is fine but...and please take this with the utmost respect and compassion...you need to be comfortable. This is most likely not a real infestation.
I just had to advise a young woman who thought that gnats were following her that she might have a chemical imbalance that is causing her to see what no one else can see.
There is no new strain of fleas. I am so sorry you are going through this. But DCA is right. I hope she gets better and you all can get some rest.
PS: I just checked with www.web.md and there isn't even a catagory for this.
Your mother may indeed believe she "feels" the bugs, however, she must see her doctor immediately. Her doctor can examine the places on her body where she thinks the bugs have been biting. She/he can then provide medication to treat the bite areas and prevent the bites from becoming infected. The doctor can also recommend additional medical treatment to address the bug problem in the future.
Please take your mother to her doctor immediately for help to resolve her problem. She will feel much better finding an answer to the bug irritation and receiving the best medical treatment.
yes.... Buy some cedar oil , mix 10 drops with 500mls warm water and a touch of dishwashing liq in a spray bottle. Before you sit anywhere , spray first. Also epsom salts mixed with warm water in a spray bottle can be effective ( but will leave a light mark). Both of these are not going to affect your health as other carcenogens will. You can put the epsom spray on your dogs .Add a few drops of tea tree oil to washing clothes etc. This has helped us enormously.
Please I need help identifying what's going on. I feel bugs on me at all times, and no matter how much I clean or shower, they won't go away. I thought it was gnats, but I shaved my whole body and they're worse! When I leave my home they go with me and all my friends even people I don't know can't stand to be near me. I shower like 6 times a day, so much that I'm out of soap, my washer broke, and my dryer. So I'm forced to stay home so I don't pass whatever it is.
Please, go to a doctor and tell him/her everything you are feeling and what you've done. It could be a serious medical condition.
For over 10 days now, I've been waking up with either small 3 dots lined beside each other and they look like pimples. For the past 4 days, each day it's only 1 small pimple-like bite (?), and not necessarily while I'm sleeping, but rather just when I'm lying in bed.
My flatmate is not hygienic and she has a dirty small pet which walks around the whole flat, not in my room, but I walk where it does obviously.
I haven't seen any bugs and I went to a skin doctor, who found it totally normal and simply prescribed a cream in case they itch. He told me it's not bed bugs. The thing is, I don't find it normal and I'm suffocating not knowing what to do.
I tried telling her, but she said she is not being bitten, and no way it's the pet. I can't move out because it's extremely difficult to find something. I have been trying for months.
What do I do? Are they mites? Are they fleas? The pet has mites for sure, she told me.
Your problem is pretty common, especially in the summer months.
It is not unusual for the problem to effect one person and not another one although they live in the same house.
It is difficult to identify the real cause of a problem like this but occasionally a dermatologist can help with treatment - but not always solve the problem. May be an expensive trip also.
It is possible the dog has mites but in any case you should insist on your roommate giving the dog a weekly bath with blue Dawn liquid dish soap as this will help eliminate fleas and mites.
Actually, your bites could be from numerous type of insects so do a little research and see if you can pinpoint your particular problem and try some of the suggestions offered.
Just remember this - moving may not solve your problem as you may just carry the problem with you.
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For several months now I have been getting bit by something. I know what it's not. It's not bed bugs or fleas. These bites welt up like mosquito bites, but they're not mosquitoes either. It is too cold for them. I live in south central Kansas. Anyhow, the bites turn up in weird places like my elbows, toes, and tops and bottoms of my feet.
I just wondered what it could be. I have checked for bedbugs and turned up nothing, flea bites leave tiny dots on me. The itch from any bug bite for me itches deep down and uncontrollably. My husband and I and our 4 kids live together in this house and yet I am the only one who is getting eaten alive. I just want to find out what I am up against. Thanks.
It could be bird mites. My niece had them in Boston and needed an exterminator
My 3 year old daughter keeps getting bitten, in the house, sometimes at night, sometimes during the day, by unseen, unknown bugs! They are very red, and incredibly itchy. She is miserable, and as she itches, the bites becomes huge lumps and welts, and even sometimes have a red ring around them. She will get 8 to 10 at a time. First, how do I help her itching, and secondly, how do I get rid of any bugs in the house? What can I use that is a natural product? We are very conscious of chemicals and pesticides and don't want the effects of those around our daughter either!
Hey,
I have been fighting the same type of bites. I thought at first it might be bed bugs but had my house checked and it was not. Know I think it was some type of mites or scabies...So I started researching just like everyone else. I came across tinyurl.com/
I am very skeptical about everything I do not know about, but since the bites kept coming and I did not want or have the money to go see the doctor, I tried it. It's not too expensive and it works! I read a post were someone said to take a bath and put about 20 drops in the bath and bath for 20 minutes or so.
I did this the first time. It was good, but not strong enough for me. I did some more research and read that Tea Tree Oil is one of the only 100% concentrated oils that is safe to apply directly. Now I do not recommend it for all as it is strong and you will feel a slight burning sensation, but wow. So what I do is shower and scrub with soap. Then rinse and fill the tub half way or so. Put in 40 drops or so or just apply directly (100%) to my bites. I usually do not even rinse again as the oil acts as a repellant after it dries.
It has been two weeks, no new bits and the old bites are all healing. You will see that Tea Tree oil treats many things besides killing mites. Acne, fungal stuff, etc. I highly recommend it. I am not a doctor and am not claiming to be. I just want to share my success as those of us that have had these horrible experiences know just how bad life can get.
There are other size bottles available, but I have used thee one ounce bottles already, so four ounces seems to be the way to go.
Take care and give it a try you will not be disappointed!
I have been feeling something move under my skin and people kept saying I was delusional but I know I wasn't. I finally found what it is and as intelligent as I am I have never seen anything like this. So I need someone else's intelligence to point me in the right direction.
So this first picture shows the top of the creature. But this thing easily separates itself sometimes shooting off "babies" off its back. It puffs itself up to look bigger just like a toad. But here's the thing, those babies that separate from this big one can use ANYTHING to hide. From your hair, nails, mucus in your nose, ear wax, saliva or plaque in your mouth, water, pretty much anything.
Look, I've figured this thing out and I can tell you a million things about it if you ask me later. But I'm trying to see if anyone has ever seen anything like this? Did I mention that it has something like tentacles? I have video of it moving and some under my skin and nails moving. Even in my eyes. You tube latanyatate@gmail.com please help me cause thing thing is literally eating me!!Something is biting me. I have 3 small bites on the back of my upper arm. The entire back of my arm is red, swollen, itchy, and warm to the touch. This same thing happened about 3 weeks ago, but on my forearm with the same symptoms.
Both times I was sitting on my couch when I was bitten. What could this be? My partner has not been bitten at all.I'd say bed bugs or maybe fleas. Even if you don't have pets, you can get them coming in from neighbour pets.
Something is biting me on my arms, and I have never seen the bug that bites. I sit or lie on a leather sofa. My floors are tile with an area rug. I have three small dogs that are treated monthly with Revolution.
Two of the dogs are fine, one is having a terrible time scratching. The vet keeps saying allergies, but I no longer believe this to be true because he is getting worse. I see no insects in my house, on the dog or on myself.
I live in southwest Florida and at first thought it was an insect we call Noseeums. The temperatures have dropped along with humidity so the Noseeums are no longer around. I am open to any and all suggestions.
By Wanda C.
Check for bedbugs. They are pretty sneaky and hide a lot. They usually are active at night. Check around the seams on your mattress and box spring and on the underside seams on your sofa. They leave little poop stains where they hang out. They are a pain. Good luck.
We just recently moved to North Carolina from Florida and we were living here for about a month already when this started. My 4 year old daughter, for the last few weeks, has been getting bitten by something. I've had them come out and check for bed bugs and they said no bed bugs. I've gotten rid of their beds (both my daughters sleep in the same room) and bought them brand new ones with plastic covers. But, my little girl keeps getting bitten. I moved her to the living room and she stopped getting bit for 4 nights. I put her back in the room and she is getting bitten again. My landlord told me to buy spray and spray the beds anyway.
He can't and won't do anything about it. I've never gone through this before, ever. I need to fix this problem, but how do you fix something you can't see and that no one believes you have. The marks are all over her and they look like ant bites. Another reason I know it's not bed bugs is because with bed bug bites the redness spreads and hers don't. They stay small and have a head like ant bites. I've even taken her to the doctor and the doctors said they aren't bed bugs and they aren't mites. What do I do? Please someone help!I have read hundreds of questions and replies over the net for 15 years, but I believe our "bug" problem will never be solved. I have given this in other posts and threads, but no solution. We moved into a new upscale neighborhood builder's house in north GA around 2002. It was never occupied or owned.
The first week here my wife and I began to itch and itch. We thought it was our imagination. We went to several known dermatologists, nothing was found. They gave us horrible meds that sparingly worked, but made me ill. We thought it was Savannah sand mites-gnats from moving boxes in storage. I don't know. No one knows! Our son visits and feels it. Our neighbors do not have this.
We have used every solution, I mean every solution mentioned here and beyond. We have cleaned and cleaned, vacuumed, sprayed, sprinkled, and powdered for over a decade. Some work for a short period, then they return. (I've just learned to live with it.) (Our friends and siblings joke about it now.)
They went away for a few winters, but now return all year. It only happens when we are in this house. They seem to be in the cement slab and carpet, but not everywhere. In my cement garage work area, they bite fiercely. In my corner den with carpet, they attack any time or season, mostly in the day. One small corner area of the kitchen (has tile) and they bite.
We have received so much advice, but it continues. We wonder if the house has an evil entity. Moving out might be the only method to survive this ridiculous problem. We are so tired of trying to solve this! Please, what bug lives for 15 years in cement and carpet and is immune to everything?
How do we get rid of invisible bugs or mites in my car? We drove across country and my cat and dog are itching and scratching all the time.
Flea treatment didn't work and I can feel my ankles being bitten while driving. I never see any bugs. Help please!Make sure you have no mold or other moisture in your car. House plants, cold water vaporizers, humidifiers, and dirty air vents can be sources of airborne mold spores, mildews, and bacteria that could cause skin reactions that feel like invisible bugs biting on your skin consistently. (From invisiblebitingbugscure.blogspot.../
Another website says spraying yourself and the area with original Listerine helps as well.
Good luck...