Bedbug?
Location: Upstate New York
March 20, 2011 7:55 am
My son found this on my chair. We searched high and low and found no others. Is this a bedbug? The pic is the best I could do since he is so small. For a size reference, the container he is in is a 2TBSP medicine cup.
Signature: AC

Bed Bug, possibly

Dear AC,
The photo you have submitted is entirely too blurry to make any definitive identification impossible, but it might be a Bed Bug. The general shape and markings appear to match those of a Bed Bug, as you can see from this photo on BugGuide.  Most of the Bed Bug ID requests we receive are actually Carpet Beetles, but in your case, we believe you have the real thing.  You should immediately seek professional assistance before you have an infestation, and since you have an actual specimen, you can verify the identity of this creature at your Natural History Museum or at a University before you spend the money on any eradication methods.

Is it possible to have one bedbug? I found one on my chair but I went through the entire living room (all furniture, behing furniture, crevices etc) and found nothing. I also checked all beds and mattresses and found no brown or red spots or shells or anything. Could one have gotten in without “infesting” me?

At this point, anything is speculation since the photo is not conclusive.  We repeat: “since you have an actual specimen, you can verify the identity of this creature at your Natural History Museum or at a University before you spend the money on any eradication methods.”

Bed bug?
Location: Cincinnati, OH
December 20, 2010 11:52 pm
Hi BugMan,
I’m sort of freaking out here. My boyfriend went to crawl into bed and found this crawling under the pillow. He swears to me it’s a bedbug but I guess I just don’t want to believe it. This is the only one I’ve found ever, and I just throughly cleaned our bedroom and house yesterday. We tore the mattress and sheets apart and searched under the bed with a flashlight (the cover under the box spring is still on the bed) no signs of feces or blood spots, eggs or other bugs. We searched the base boards, and all the cracks and crevices by our bed and have come up with nothing. We have also never had any bites or anything that looks like a bite or itchiness. We have 2 dogs and maybe one of them brought something in tonight? But I want to know definitely if this is a bedbug. It’s not quite as fat as some I’ve seen online and it seems fairly big for a bed bug probably the size of a dime or so… and flat like a bedbug.
Please help. I won’t sleep tonight, but I just wanna know.
Thanks!
Signature: Stephanie

Possibly a Bed Bug

Dear Stephanie,
Most of the images we receive of suspected Bed Bugs are actually Carpet Beetle Larvae, Stink Bugs or Pantry Beetles, and your image is far to blurry to make a conclusive identification, however, this creature does actually resemble a Bed Bug.  Keep vigilant and continue to search for possible Bed Bugs until you are certain that you do not have any of the nocturnal, blood sucking creatures that have been getting so much media attention in recent years.

Bug Idnetification
January 23, 2010
these bugs started showing up last summer in our log home. We have a bat problem that we are trying to remedy. Reroofing and reunsulating. These bugs are found mostly up in the loft and master bedroom. But have also been seen all over the house. They are biting myself but not my husband (he’s a logger) and I believe they are occaionally biting the 2 cats and dog. The bite leaves quit a welt and is very itchy for days(similar to a flea bite). The bug seems to want to bite multipe times. It is not truley nocturmal but I am getting bitten alot at night. I am a Veterinary Technician and I have never seen this type of parasite. Can you please help ?
Mary MacKenzie
Algoma Mills Ontario

Swallow Bug

Hi Mary,
Your insect is in the Bed Bug Family, Cimicidae which is represented on BugGuide, but we don’t have the necessary skill to definitively provide you with a species.  We suspect, due to the description in your letter, that this is probably a Swallow Bug, Oeciacus vicarius, which may be viewed on BugGuide.  According to BugGuide:  “Bugs lay eggs that hatch in 35 days; nymphs mature in 10 weeks; adults are long lived and will mate and reproduce as long as food is available. Adults disperse to other nesting colonies by clinging onto the feathers of the host as it seeks for suitable nest sites. During the fall and winter when the birds are absent, the adults either seek alternative hosts (e.g. mice, bats, other birds) or remain in the empty nest- the bugs can survive for up to a year without food.“  If your log cabin is in a remote area, we doubt that this is a Bed Bug, but Swallow Bugs and the related Bat Bugs, also pictured on BugGuide, might bite humans if their primary food source vanished.  The reroofing may have removed a bat or swallow population in the loft.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to ascertain from your excellent microscope photo if this is a Swallow Bug, a Bat Bug or a Bed Bug.

Swallow Bug

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Do I have bedbugs??
September 27, 2009
For about the past two weeks, I’ve been getting at least one bite per night. I don’t know what it is! Help!
The bites started mostly on my lower body with a few on my hands. The first few nights I woke up with severe itching and several bites – more than a dozen each night! The bites went from the soles of my feet and in between my toes to the backs of my calves and seemed to culminate in a giant cluster on my hip that swelled up to about the size of an Oreo cookie – it looked like a group of 6 or so bites. A couple mornings later I woke with a handful scattered just below my collar bone. I’ve had a few on my arms and one on my stomach, but I’ve lucked out and haven’t gotten any on my face (knock on wood).
At first the itching lasted a few days but for the last 3-4 days, the itching has been isolated to one day, is not as severe, and I have only been getting a single bite per night. As the bites have healed, they have left an area of hyperpigmentation… I can still see where the bites I got in the beginning were – they almost look like little bruises now, but they’re not tender.
I only got bit when I slept in my bed – I slept on the couch one night (I just couldn’t stand the bites anymore!) and was bite free! My husband has not gotten ANY bites, though!! Could whatever’s biting me prefer my blood to his? Are they maybe just on my side of the bed?
We have set off a bug bomb and changed the sheets. I also gave my cat a flea treatment just in case. Interestingly, I have been finding scabs around her collar (maybe a coincidence?) – this started a few days before I started getting the bites, but I have not seen the cat scratching herself. We also put out some adhesive rodent/insect traps, but have not caught anything on them.
Today I found a strange little bug that I’d never seen before. I found it on my knee… crawling about on my jeans in the middle of the day. I saved it in a cup and my husband took a photo when he got home. You can see our little bug in the photo next to a dime and the head of a pin. It’s super tiny and mostly round, about the size of a sesame seed. No wings. Six legs. Brownish, kind of opaque. Do you think this critter is the culprit? Can you tell me what he is? I was thinking maybe a baby bedbug… but obviously I’m no expert! I kind of hope that’s not what he is because where there’s babies, there’s got to be grown-ups!
I am sick of these bites and want the bugs GONE! Thanks so much!
Tarra
Astoria, Queens, NY

Immature Bed Bug

Hi Tarra,
We agree that this is an immature Bed Bug.  You can see a photo on BugGuide that matches.  During the day, Bed Bugs hide from the light, and they can be found between the mattress and box spring, between the base board and the wall, and behind pictures hung on the wall.  Good luck with the eradication.

Immature Bed Bug

Eric Eaton comments
September 30, 2009
Daniel:
The couple with the bed bugs needs to seek a professional extermination service, or have the landlord do so if they are renting.  Bed bugs are one of the few household pests that really requires the professionals.  The eradication process is very invasive, though, as you literally have to take apart the bedroom and furniture to get to the bugs.  Be prepared for at least three visits from the exterminator, and probably more to guarantee the success of the effort.
As for Tarra’s husband not getting bitten:  he is, he just isn’t reacting to the bites.  Every person’s immune response is different, and clearly Tarra is more sensitive than her hubby.  She should make sure her symptoms don’t worsen, and see a physician if they do.
Lastly, bed bugs often ignite legal warfare as well, as landlords seek to hold tenants responsible, even if they are not the ones who introduced the bed bugs.  So, I always recommend seeking legal advice when approaching this kind of problem.  Yes, good luck with the eradication!
Eric

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