Unidentified Bug Bites

[tangomonster]

I'm not sure that is what biting me. But something is----indoors! I get quite a few bites when I'm inside, with the windows closed. I have no idea what it could be, but they itch and swell. I"M MAD AS H*LL AND NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! Since I don't know if that last statement is making any insects tremble in fear, I need to take action. I'm ready to engage in chemical warfare!

Does anyone have any suggestions for good bug repellants? I need something that is effective but not greasy since I just may be using it indoors....

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Bedbugs?

Or, if the little welts have a red center, think fleas.

 

[shoe]

Please don't take this the wrong way-could it be fleas?

 

[Sarah in SC]

Might be redbugs, aka chiggers, that you got outside and are showing up after the fact.

 

[REWahoo]

Might be redbugs, aka chiggers, that you got outside and are showing up after the fact.

If you spent anytime in [-]Texas[/-] grass & weeds, the little b@stards will show up 12-24 hours later. They like to attack where skin is tender (behind knees, and other nether regions) and can drive you insane!!!!

 

[Sarah in SC]

Preaching to the choir, RE! Yeah, I've worn me some redbug step-ins before!

 

[BOBOT]

Know your Enemy

If you spent anytime in [-]Texas[/-] grass & weeds, the little b@stards will show up 12-24 hours later. They like to attack where skin is tender (behind knees, and other nether regions) and can drive you insane!!!!

REW, I share your view of these loathsome beasts. I dread the advent of late spring/early summer, when they seem to be the worst. Already I have several bites in the tenderest areas, despite precautions taken. Last year 2 bites became seriously infected, requiring a course of antibiotics; the welts took months to disappear.

FWIW, from my trusty Barnes: Invertebrate Zoology:

Larvae of the of Trombicula are the familiar chiggers, or redbugs. The six-legged larva emerges from an egg, which has been deposited on the soil. .... In attacking, the host's skin is bitten and the young mite feeds on the dermal tissue, which is broken down by the external action of proteolytic enzymes. Feeding takes place for up to ten days or more; then the larva drops off. ..... Although chiggers can cause severe dermatitis, they are of much greater medical importance as vectors for pathogens, such as Asian scrub typhus..... The intense itching that results from the bite of a chigger is caused by the mite's oral secretions and not, as commonly supposed, simply by the presence of the mite. Scratching quickly removes the mite, but the irritation remains for several days (no sh**). The application of fingernail polish to "kill" the mite is therefore of little use as a cure.

I respect & revere nature & am tolerant of most of her creatures .. but I really, really hate chiggers.

 

[HFWR]

Saber-toothed crotch crickets...

 

[Sarah in SC]

Saber-toothed crotch crickets...

Amen! what a great description of the little b@st@rds!

 

[JPatrick]

If you spent anytime in [-]Texas[/-] grass & weeds, the little b@stards will show up 12-24 hours later. They like to attack where skin is tender (behind knees, and other nether regions) and can drive you insane!!!!

Gosh!! Texas sure doesn't sound like a good place to live

 

[REWahoo]

Gosh!! Texas sure doesn't sound like a good place to live

An Ozarkian with highly developed perceptive skills. Amazing.

 

[Nords]

I'm ready to engage in chemical warfare!

Tango, it's been nearly 96 hours since your last post to this thread. You really need to check in with a status report before [-]Dr. Strangelove[/-] REWahoo feels compelled to get out his flamethrower and initiate chigger-eradication procedures in your neighborhood...

 

[TromboneAl]

Flea Bites:

Chigger Bites:

Bed Bug Bites:

Do NOT click here (shows shark bite).

 

[Sarah in SC]

T-Al, on behalf of all the folks who, like me, are still slaving away at our desk jobs, I just want to thank you for having the time to post those pictures (and the link to the mangled hand). Bravo! I snorted soda out of my nose!
YECH!

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Just realized what I wrote..bad bad bad

 

[Rustward]

It woulda been ok if you had omitted the fourth one...

 

[packrat44]

Trombone,

You are bad! But you get the point across very well.

 

[tangomonster]

Tango, it's been nearly 96 hours since your last post to this thread. You really need to check in with a status report before [-]Dr. Strangelove[/-] REWahoo feels compelled to get out his flamethrower and initiate chigger-eradication procedures in your neighborhood...

While I would appreciate REWahoo's efforts, I guess they would be futile since---according to Al's photos---they seem to be flea bites.

And yes, I do have a pet. A totally indoor cat. I'm quite sure he doesn't have fleas. There are neighbor's dogs who live close by and who I come into contact with, but their owners insist they don't have fleas. So it's still a mystery....but I have the rest of my FIREd life to determine the cause/solution.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Bimmerbill]

I despise chiggers with a passion... them little buggers ate me up last time I was playing army down in Ft. Bragg, NC. I think I still have scars.

 

[Khan]

While I would appreciate REWahoo's efforts, I guess they would be futile since---according to Al's photos---they seem to be flea bites.

And yes, I do have a pet. A totally indoor cat. I'm quite sure he doesn't have fleas. There are neighbor's dogs who live close by and who I come into contact with, but their owners insist they don't have fleas. So it's still a mystery....but I have the rest of my FIREd life to determine the cause/solution.

Thanks everyone!

You (the human) can bring fleas into the house. It only takes one to hop onto your foot somewhere.

Been there, done that, don't want a t-shirt.

 

[toofrugalformycat]

I once rented a room in a flea-infested house. Shampooing all the carpet helped a great deal.

 

[F-One]

Get a flea killer for the cat (like Frontline) and shampoo carpets like toofrugalformycat suggested. This took care of our problem. When it is spring / summer we treat our indoor cat with Frontline just to stop anything like your experiencing from happening.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Borax laundry powder in carpet and rugs is amazingly effective, and cheap. Doesn't help those of us in hardwood/tile land, though. Borax will also kill roaches.

I fight and lose, expensively, every year. What we spend on flea control could feed an army! But with 4 dogs and 5 cats right now, it is inevitable.

 

[two4theroad]

www.beyondpesticides.org/alternatives/factsheets/FLEA%20CONTROL.pdf -

The first thing I did was get rid of all the carpet in the house. It helped alot. I have tried all the indoor cures and they all work pretty well but without control of yard fleas they just continue to come in on the pants legs and any indoor-outdoor pets one has. My DH found bifenthrin

Bifenthrin Information, Bifenthrin Products - Free Shipping

and it works wonders. We put it out in the spring or early summer and it has cut back on pet fleas by 90% and we now see only an occasional indoor flea.

And yes, we do live in TEXAS, where even the bugs are tougher.

2fer

 

[mtmozart]

Chigger bites can vary depending on your immune response. On me they look a lot like flea bites but last much longer. I have found that they can be defeated by washing and soaping with HOT water (esp. one's legs). This kills them but will not stop the itching from the bite. Two hot showers a day with lots of soap and washing clothes (esp pants) that have been out in the grass or bush will stop the bites.

Fleas are much easier to deal with, treat the cat or dog and flea bomb the house. Hoover like mad. Repeat if necessary.

Fleas are far easier to control than chiggers--of which nature will supply in unimited numbers (until the outside temp goes below 40--then they DIE!)