Category Archives: Bed Bugs Idaho

Hi everyone. I'd love some help ID-ing these as bed bugs, body lice, or carpet beetles. Sorry for the poor quality of the images, and thanks for any help you can provide.

Set of images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/102295490@N03/sets/72157635656040473/ Best image with no blood: http://flic.kr/p/fXSita Best image with blood: http://flic.kr/p/fXSCg8 Video of bug crawling on green bedsheet: http://flic.kr/p/fXTX9X

The basics:

The smaller ones are smaller than the "O" in the word "DOLLAR" on the front of a U.S. quarter. I caught 37 of these small guys in my bed, on my bedside table, and on my legs this morning. They looked like flecks of dirt crawling around. They're about the size of poppy seeds, which makes me think lice. I'm pretty sure the large ones are carpet beetles.

The story:

My roommate in Los Angeles began getting bites a few weeks ago, thought it was lice, treated it, and stopped getting bites. I returned home to LA from out of town and started getting bitten shortly thereafter. The bites seemed to happen while I slept and I got them a few nights in a row. Then he began getting bites again.

We found a few bugs in the seam where the carpet meets the wall. We taped them to index cards and thought they were bed bugs. We called an exterminator. He seemed very unprofessional, said the bugs we caught were bed bugs, and quoted us at $840 for the whole unit (it's a 2-bedroom coach house).

Our landlord asked us to get a second estimate, so I called Isotech because they came highly recommended on this forum. The inspector came, looked at my initial index card with the larger bugs, said they were carpet beetles, and told me to clean and vacuum the room thoroughly. I was relieved. This guy seemed much more knowledgeable than the one from the other company.

However, I thought I might still be getting bitten, and this morning at 5AM I caught the 37 much smaller bugs. I put them on new index cards and called Isotech again. The guy asked me to text him some photos, which I did. He thought body lice and double-checked it with their expert who confirmed lice.

Basically, I'd like confirmation of lice here on the forum, just to be sure. To be clear, I'm really happy with Isotech. The guy came once, correctly identified my first specimens as carpet beetles, and correctly noted no signs of bed bugs (no obvious fecal matter). Then, he helpfully spent time looking at my photos and talking to me on the phone. He's been great.

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Bed bugs or body lice? Help ID [a: mites] « Got Bed Bugs ...

Jim - The pic posted yesterday is the same bug posted at the top of this thread. I just scanned it for better clarity.

Lou - indeed, I mean to say swallow bugs.

I have to admit, it doesn't seem that hairy, but it's hard to tell given the tape it is under. I looked at the guy under a microscope and he certainly has hair - all over the back and around his face.

Some of the reasons I thought it was a swallow bug were that we found them active in the day, we reliably find them near the windows where there is lots of sun. None of us have any bites or have seen any blood marks or feces on our sheets and the bugs don't seem to cluster in our beds. We also have dozens of swallows nests directly outside our windows.

This was a neat guide to the differences between the bat bug, bed bug and swallow bug: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05574.html

Well, then I am at a loss. What should I do next?

If they are swallow bugs I can't legally remove the nests and we are stuck with them. Any treatment would on work on the indoors and still leave the house susceptible to more swallow bugs! Apparently swallow bugs go dormant in the winter when the swallows leave - would this solve the problem if we made sure to prevent swallows next year?

If they are bed bugs then that's a whole other story... one I shudder to think of.

Any advice on next steps?

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ID Help? Bed bug or swallow bug? « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

Bed bugs feed on human blood, can hide in the smallest crack or crevice and can live over a year with no food. They are VERY hard to get rid of. They have not been shown to spread disease; but, their health effects include reaction to bites, loss of sleep, anxiety and depression. Myths| Fact Sheets (Toronto Public Health)- 13 Languages| Bed Bug Basics (pdf)- English | Hmong | Karen | Somali| Spanish| Bed Bug Prevention and Control - English | Karen | Spanish

What They Look LikeAn adult bed bug is the size of an apple seed (3/8) and thin as a credit card. They are brown to reddish brown, have six legs and no wings. Life Cycle| Identifying Bed Bugs

Bed Bug HabitsBed bugs feed on human blood. Your breath and body heat are basically an eat here sign to bed bugs. If they can, they will feed every 3-7 days. They come out at night to feed for 5-20 minutes and hide the rest of the time. Adult bed bugs may live over a year with no food. Bed bugs are NOT a filth pest. That is a myth. Bed bugs do not care if your home is clean or dirty, they only want your blood. Signs of Bed Bugs | Where They Hide | How They Spread

AvoidingBed Bugs The best way to deal with bed bugs is to not get them in the first place. You can avoid bed bugs if you knowtheir appearance andhabits. Preventing Bed Bugs| Preventing and Getting Rid of Bed Bugs Safely - English| Spanish| Chinese Michigan Manual for the Prevention and Control of Bed Bugs(pdf)

I want to...Get a Bug Identified | Dispose of Infested Mattress/Furniture| Resolve a Landlord Dispute

Getting Rid of Bed BugsThe best choice to get rid of bed bugs is to hire a pest control company.There is little to no chance you will get rid of all the bed bugs in your home without hiring pest control. If you do not have the money to hire pest control, there are steps you can take to cut the number of bugs in your home. Hiring a Pest Control Company| Bed Bug Insecticide Guide (pdf) | Controlling Bed Bugs Yourself

I am aRenter | Landlord | Home Visitor | Traveler | School | Health Care Professional

The MN Bed Bug Hotline - 612.624.2200University of MN - Let's Beat the BedBug | MN Bed Bug Fact Sheet (pdf)

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Bed Bugs – Ramsey County PH

Questions? Enter keywords in search box below:

- How to identify and treat an outbreak -

Summary: Bed bugs (often spelled "bedbugs") are small blood-sucking insects. While still relatively rare in the US bed bugs have recently become important pests in motels, hotels, and other high traffic places. Learn how to identify bed bugs and prevent bites from these critters.

Bed bugs are flattened (unfed) broadly oval insects, and about 1/4" long (see photo right) when full grown. As they feed and fill with blood they become less flattened and more "football" shaped (see front and side views). These true bugs (Hemiptera) are reddish brown in color and lack wings even as adults. E-mail images to our Insect Id Service to confirm an infestation.

Bed bug larvae (nymphs) look like small adults and there is no pupal stage between nymphs and adults. All stages of bed bugs, except eggs, bite to obtain the blood they need in order to grow.

common misspelling: bedbug (no space); since bed bugs are true bugs the proper spelling is "bed bug" with a space between the two words.

Bed bug (4th instar larva, unfed) - about 1/5". After feeding bed bugs become less flattened, more rounded.

Bed bugs bite at night and hide during the day. Hiding places include the seams and folds of mattresses, cracks and crevices of bedside furniture, floor moldings and other protected spaces (see Bed Bug Hiding Places). They can survive long periods off the host without feeding, or they may feed on an alternate warm-blooded animal but humans are their preferred host. Heavily infested rooms often have a distinctive odor which is produced by scent glands on the bugs themselves. While digesting a meal bed bugs excrete black fecal material (digested blood) that accumulates where they hide and is characteristic of an infestation.

Since bed bugs don't fly, and not able to walk very far on their own, they rely on us to move them from one place to another. Rooms generally become infested because bed bugs are carried into the room on our belongings (see How to Clean Belongings). The bugs can hide themselves in pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, backpacks, towels, clothing, and so forth, when transported from an infested room to one that is not infested.

Bed bugs bite with piercing and sucking mouth-parts, similar to mosquitoes, and bites result in local swelling and irritation like a bad mosquito bite. Bites can occur in lines or clusters. Bed bugs do not transmit human disease.

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Bed Bug Pictures, Symptoms and Treatment | Preventing Bites at ...

Bed Bugs

What are Bed Bugs? Bed bugs are small brownish insects. They're about 4 mm long (1/8 in.) and visible to the naked eye. They're active at night and can usually be seen along the seams of mattresses. They feed on human blood.

Bed bug infestations may cause irritating, itchy bite reactions, and anxiety. Over the past few years, bed bugs have been spreading in large cities worldwide.

Where Can I Get More Information?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has many resources on Bed Bugs. Click here to go to their site.

In addition, other online resources have been compiled. To link to this lisk of resources, click here.

IYou may also call Eastern Idaho Public Health District's Infectious Disease program if you have questions about Bed Bugs.

Infectious Disease Program Eastern Idaho Public Health District 1250 Hollipark Drive Idaho Falls, ID 83401 208-533-3152

Continued here:
Bed Bugs - Eastern Idaho Public Health District