Bug Bites -- Ideas?
Wondering if anyone has ideas about mysterious bug bites that are attacking my daughter, aged 14. They are mostly singular raised bumps. Sometimes two are together. They look like mosquito bites, but are not. They appear mostly under clothes on legs and arms. They itch. They seem to be appearing on a somewhat regular basis. My husband and I seem to be immune. In retrospect, maybe we have had these bites 1-2 times, but certainly not on a regular basis. I am not seeking medical advice. Just ideas. Thanks in advance for any advice that you share.
Jan 16, 2021
Parent Replies
There are a lot of possibilities. One is mites, such as bird mites or rat mites. They can be clustered in one part of the house, or one person can be more sensitive. They are very small, almost invisible, but they can be seen if you are really looking for them. They are not as hard to get rid of as bed bugs, because they aren’t really meant to live off of human blood. They might come in if a rat has died nearby or in your attic or something. You should also check for bed bugs, especially at the corners of her mattress. Another possibility is that she’s having a kind of hives. It’s probably not fleas because they would be clustered in threes at least some of the time. Undisturbed, a flea will often bite you three times about an inch apart.
I think they may be spider bites. I have been getting them sporadically for the last two months. Try a product called SssstingStop, a gel in a tube available at the Berkeley Bowl and maybe at Pharmaca. Using it a few times a day, and if needed for a few days, greatly lessens the itching and the inflammation. It is super helpful and effective.
The other things to do are vacuuming furniture and changing sheets often.
Do you have an animal? Two of my kids got the worst flea bites, while I only rarely got bitten. I finally got the kids a Vit B supplement gummy, and the bites literally stopped happening. Of course the gummy vits made the kids want to take them every day.
My 17 year old son gets these too, although less frequently. What are they?!
Don't have an answer for you... but our household is experiencing this, too! More specifically, our 15-year-old daughter and my husband have been experiencing this over the last week or so. We don't think it's mosquitoes, and we don't think it's fleas (we don't have a pet, and we haven't seen any fleas). Meanwhile, I haven't had any bites at all. It's all very mysterious... and very itchy for my husband and daughter. I'll be very curious to hear if others have ideas about what this could be!
Flea bites? After moving to Berkeley I had this problem where I would get very itchy bug bites. My husband did not get bit or did not notice the bites but for me they were very itchy for 2-3 days and would take at least a week or two to fade away. I never would have thought of fleas since we don't have pets but one day I was in bed and I saw this tiny little bug and when I tried to pick it up, it hopped away. I eventually managed to catch one and identify it. If the fleas are in her bed, she will get bug bites under her clothes (at least that was my experience!). You can likely control them with thorough, frequent vacuuming and washing all of the bed linens. Because of the flea life cycle it works best if you vacuum frequently for a month. You and your husband may not reach to the bites (like my husband).
We had something similar a few years ago and thought it might be bed bugs. We vacuumed a lot and sprayed a lot of rubbing alcohol, and the problem went away. I don't know if it was bed bugs, but whatever it was it worked. More info here: pestkill.org/bed-bugs/rubbing-alcohol
I second the post about mites. We get these invisible bug crawly feeling and bites every year or so, often after the onset of the rainy season, and have no pets. I think it is a Bay Area thing. Some family members feel it and others do not. Years ago I was searching BPN and found the recommendation to vacuum thoroughly then freeze the vacuum bag before next use (otherwise they somehow stream back out!?). I was SO grateful when it worked. This takes care of it! Sometimes in one vaccum or sometimes in 2 vaccums a couple days apart. As a preventative just always take the bag out and freeze after vacuuming...weird but effective!
Hi, this sounds familiar. Strange, singular itchy bumps, only under clothes, and only on my daughter. No bugs to be found anywhere. We sent photos to our MD, she sent to dermatologist, here was the diagnosis: Pityriasis-rosea. Common, harmless, resolves 6-8 weeks. They gave us a prescription for topical anti-itch, and recommendations for specific OTC creams, body wash, etc. Of course my daughter didn't use any of it, and the bumps eventually went way. I hope your situation resolves as easily.