Do I have no see um bites or bedbugs?
Jan 6th, 2015, 08:04 AM
#1
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Do I have no see um bites or bedbugs?
I am currently in a rented condo on the beach in Sanibel and have been here since Saturday night. I am suffering miserably from bites on both legs, feet and ankles. They are tiny raised bumps and itch like theres no tomorrow! I've looked at pictures online of both bites and bedbug bites seem bigger and redder. Can anyone advise me on what I should do?
Jan 6th, 2015, 08:50 AM
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Do check the bedding as suggested but having been bitten by no-see-ums just last summer on Sanibel your description sounds right. Any of the tourist shops on Sanibel will have anit-itch creams and ointments.
Jan 6th, 2015, 09:37 AM
#6
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I checked the sheet but dont really know what I am looking for. I dont see any bugs. Theres nothing on the sheets but a few pieces of lint.
Ive not been in any brush. Just on the beach.
Ive not been in any brush. Just on the beach.
Jan 6th, 2015, 09:51 AM
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Also, no see-ums are really bad at dawn and dusk. I have never been bitten and a friend of mine got eaten up. If you are on the beach at dawn or dusk make sure you have bug spray, also be careful to not sit outside at any restaurant if you are susceptible. It takes a few days to go away. I go each summer to Sanibel and for what ever reason, no see-ums don't like me which is OK with me.
Jan 6th, 2015, 09:52 AM
#9
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Jan 6th, 2015, 10:02 AM
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If you've have many bites, not just two or four, then you should see some evidence of bb's. On the sheets there would likely be some little brown or rust spots (poop and blood). Or on the walls nearby. BB's aren't active during the day so check in the crevices of the mattress piping -- it is a common place they go during the day. Or behind wall outlets. The bugs are about the size of an apple seed. Their bites tend to line up in a row, often three.
If someone else slept in the bed with you and wasn't bitten, probably not bb's. Anyone else bitten anywhere in the condo? Could be fleas as mentioned. Or no see ums. Sorry it's happening though.
If someone else slept in the bed with you and wasn't bitten, probably not bb's. Anyone else bitten anywhere in the condo? Could be fleas as mentioned. Or no see ums. Sorry it's happening though.
Jan 6th, 2015, 10:46 AM
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Since bites are only on your legs, I doubt if they are from bed bugs. I have similar bites, when I returned home from a beach vacation. We'd had dinner by the sand our last night, and my travel companions and I all broke out into red bites all over our legs-- about two days later.
Jan 6th, 2015, 01:10 PM
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Tab's point was my first thought: bedbugs would not bite you only on your legs and feet, they would bite you all over. So it's not bedbugs.
To check for bedbugs, pull off all the covers and examine the sheets for black or rusty brown specks--that's their poo. Then pull off the sheets and check the mattress for the bugs themselves: they will be the size and color of a watermelon seed and clustered in seams.
When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras: at the beach these are either noseeum's or sand fleas, both outside, so don't fret.
To check for bedbugs, pull off all the covers and examine the sheets for black or rusty brown specks--that's their poo. Then pull off the sheets and check the mattress for the bugs themselves: they will be the size and color of a watermelon seed and clustered in seams.
When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras: at the beach these are either noseeum's or sand fleas, both outside, so don't fret.
Jan 6th, 2015, 02:41 PM
#16
Sounds like no-seeums. They have been really bad some places this season, way worse than usual (Puerto Vallarta). I bought a can of OFF (with 25% DEET) and sprayed every time I went out. That helped.
Jan 6th, 2015, 02:55 PM
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DEET works!
For the existing bites, any over the counter anti-itch cream will help a bit, but I have found that ice packs provide a lot of relief. (You can wet kitchen towels and freeze them inside ziplocs for a DIY option.)
For the existing bites, any over the counter anti-itch cream will help a bit, but I have found that ice packs provide a lot of relief. (You can wet kitchen towels and freeze them inside ziplocs for a DIY option.)
Jan 6th, 2015, 02:57 PM
#18
Nothing helped me once I was bitten. Believe me I tried everything! But the bug spray kept me from getting bitten up any more, once I realized what was happening. I was unprepared because I've vacationed in PV 20+ times and never even had one insect bite. Everyone was talking about it (and some people walking around looking like they had the measles).
