# How do I know if its fleas or possible bedbugs? Totally grossed out...



## Sage_SS (Jun 1, 2007)

Hey everyone! Three months ago we moved onto 6 acres of mostly forested land. We have a 4 year old golden retriever, a 9 year old cat and a one year old cat who recently had 5 kittens. Aside from the kittens, our pets are both indoor and outdoor, they go where they want when they want.

Previous to moving here, none of our pets has ever had fleas. We had them in our house when I was a kid, but I don't really remember much other than seeing they jump onto my white socks.
Our dog has been itching like mad for the last week and a half or so, and tho I've been checking her, I just found fleas yesterday. Yuck. Poor doggy...
I went in the house and visited the kittens, who are about 2 weeks old, and when I picked one of them up, I saw a flea scurry into the fur. Double yuck. All five of them have fleas.

My dad had a nap on the couch in the basement last week and said he was bitten a whole bunch of times by something. We've walked around the basement but not found anything, so whatever bit him must be in the couch.

I woke up this morning with about 8-10 little red bites along my bra line. They're itchy too. About 2 months ago I found bites like this along the hairline of my daughters neck as well. But not since.
Could these be flea bites? Since I've never seen bedbugs or bedbug bites (tho I looked at pics online this morning, but I can't say for certain what these bites are) I'm not sure what I should be looking for.
I'm going to the vet today to get Advantage for the pets.

plllllllleeeeeaaaase offer some advice!!! I'm unsure what to do.


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## ma2maya (Jun 12, 2003)

Sounds like fleas to me.


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## Ackray (Feb 11, 2004)

It sounds like fleas to me too. A bad case of them.

I'd start with frontlining all of the non-baby animals and doing some MAJOR cleaning and flea spraying.


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## Sage_SS (Jun 1, 2007)

ugh..

does anyone know if the ones that might be hopping around in the carpet will die if we use the advantage on the animals?


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## Nature (Mar 12, 2005)

Fleas don't often bite above the legs unless its a SUPER BAD infestation. I have a thread somewhere about bed bugs that include pictures of myself and my girls bites. Bed bug bites are often thought to be flea bites, *BUT* since you have a flea presence it is more likely thats what it is.

trust me.... you want it to be fleas... much much easier to get rid of...


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## Sage_SS (Jun 1, 2007)

but I know its not a super bad infestation. I've looked at sat and waited and watched and I haven't found ONE on anything other than an animal.


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## armonia (Mar 24, 2002)

The red bites on your bra strap and on your daughter's neck sound like chiggers.

And you have fleas, too.

Bedbugs could be in the couch and can be carried on barn swallows and other birds that nest around awnings and live in the wood of a house.


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## Nature (Mar 12, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage_SS* 
but I know its not a super bad infestation. I've looked at sat and waited and watched and I haven't found ONE on anything other than an animal.

Then the bites on other parts of the body and the couch are almost certainly not fleas. If the infestation isn't bad, they won't stray far from the animals. And if you can't see them in the carpets, or anything.. than its not bad yet.

I know nothing about chiggers, but I will say its possible to have bed bugs and not see a darn thing for a LONG time. Ignore what all the articles tell you about seeing tell tale bed bug signs. There often are none except bites for quite awhile.

All I can say is, if they are bed bugs they will eventually find where the sleeping people are and move there as well.


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## abac (Mar 10, 2005)

I had bites all over my body, usually in groups. So did ds. Dh, not so much.







:
I never found a single flea on any of my 3 cats. I was babysitting 2 children for a friend of mine, and she found 3 fleas on her couch after she received may bites. (She has no pets.) I was walking through the grocery store one day and I kept feeling myself getting bit. I took off my sweater and turned it inside out and voila! A flea. And I'm positive they were fleas, I found more than one and I examined them closely and compared them with pictures of other bugs, including bedbugs. All of the fleas that I found were on me, or my clothing. They would be burrowed right in amongst the fibers of my clothes. I was sitting outside one day and picked 5 off my jeans in a matter of minutes.

I didn't seem to have trouble with them in my house anywhere other than in our clothing. Like I said, none on the 3 cats. We were picking them up outside, probably from sitting on the deck. (Apparently, they like to leave their eggs under nice, shady decks.)

You CAN have flea bites all over your body. Look into treating outside around your house. Focus on shady areas. Keep the grass cut short. Borax and diatomacious earth can be sprinkled around teh grass near the edges of the house, or under decks.

Good luck. Fleas drive me CRAZY!!!


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## Nature (Mar 12, 2005)

Ahhh yes, but those would be more apt to be sand fleas or some other kind. Cat and dog fleas prefer canine and felines to humans and will use them as a host first. And they don't usually bite other parts of the body. Sand fleas or the like don't care where they bite. And they love humans!







Which it sounds more like what your problem was since you noticed them a lot outside.


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## Rhonwyn (Apr 16, 2002)

If you treat all the pets for fleas with Advantage, it will also kill the fleas inside. Not sure exactly how it works but when the fleas snack on your pets and then hop off, they die.

Bed bug bites tend to be in groups of three. They call it breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bedbugs would most likely be in your mattress and box springs or in suitcases placed under the bed.

Good luck!


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## Sage_SS (Jun 1, 2007)

yuck... and grrrr.... bugs like fleas and bedbugs totally and completely gross me out since they can take over a whole house!
I bought the advantage today, and some Capstar to use for the next couple of days so that I can give our dog a bath today. She's soooo not used to being outside so much but I just can't stand the idea of fleas hopping off her onto us! Our other cat is outside most of the time, he only comes in to eat. And the mama cat comes in, feeds her babies and goes back out.

Chiggers? What are those? *groan*....


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## Nature (Mar 12, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rhonwyn* 

Bed bug bites tend to be in groups of three. They call it breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bedbugs would most likely be in your mattress and box springs or in suitcases placed under the bed.

Good luck!

I'd say more specifically in lines, they travel the length of the vein sampling. Since they can and often do bite more often than 3 times. Also, they might prefer to live close to you in your bed.. but they can also be in your carpeting near baseboards, and inside nearly everything you own.







Narrows it down doesn't it?

We had an infestation for 10 months before we ever saw even ONE bed bug. And our beds, mattresses, dressers, etc were not infested at all. They are in our carpets.


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## armonia (Mar 24, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage_SS* 
Chiggers? What are those? *groan*....

No one else has heard of chiggers? Welcome to country living.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Entomolog...ing-office.htm

http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/hot0...ot8-12-02.html

http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/L-1223.html

http://www.visitwimberley.com/ubb/Fo...ML/000414.html


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## armonia (Mar 24, 2002)

From a Link Above:

Question
I recently changed jobs and I have noticed that I am being bitten in my office. *I have a few bites on my legs but most of the bites are on my upper torso right along my bra strap.* *The bites resemble a mosiquito bite and itch very badly. I can feel it when I get bite but I cannot see a bug.* We have had the carpets cleaned and I have used some Home Defense bug spray but that does not seem to help. My first thought was that it was chiggers since several of our employees work out in the field but I didn't think chiggers would survive indoors. There have also been a few other people in the office around mine that have gotten bite as well. I keep a close eye and can tell when a new bite appears and it is definetly coming from the office. HELP !! This is driving me crazy !!

Answer
*The fact that you describe the bites occurring along a tight spot such as a bra strap points directly to chiggers. Chiggers usually bite along tight clothing spots like elastic waistbands, bra straps, sock lines and such. Chiggers can survive long enough indoors to get onto a human host and bite. Once you have an itchy bite, the chigger has already left you.*
The field employees can bring them in on their clothing and pass them around. *Pets can do the same thing at home...get chiggers in their coat and then pass them to you when they come indoors.*
Consider an insect repellant that contains picaridin as the active ingredient. It lasts a long time and is not as unhealthy as DEET.

For more information, do a Google search for "chiggers."


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## ma2maya (Jun 12, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage_SS* 
Chiggers? What are those? *groan*....

A chigger is the larvae of a type of mite. Typically they are found, or find you, in woodsy areas though not exclusively. There are usually one or two "bites"(they actually use you as a host) that tend to be little red welts and itch for what seems like forever. Honestly, if I had a choice between being bit by 10 mosquitos at once or one chigger, I would choose the mosquito.

Not to get you freaked about chiggers. The larvae tend not to hang around on/in you for more than a few hours or just die pretty quick. They just leave you with a nice little parting gift of an itch that cannot be satisfied.

Still say you've got fleas.

Kathy


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## Sage_SS (Jun 1, 2007)

so I checked chiggers out online, and after looking at some nasty, near whole body infestations, I had almost decided that it wasn't that. Then I saw some pics that looked JUST LIKE what is on my side! *cry* I'm so grossed out, I don't even want to sleep in my bed! What can I do?
From the info I got, they're tiny little things.. ugh..


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## Live~Laugh~Love (Dec 21, 2004)

Come live with me lol


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## armonia (Mar 24, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage_SS* 
so I checked chiggers out online, and after looking at some nasty, near whole body infestations, I had almost decided that it wasn't that. Then I saw some pics that looked JUST LIKE what is on my side! *cry* I'm so grossed out, I don't even want to sleep in my bed! What can I do?
From the info I got, they're tiny little things.. ugh..

I saw some of the pictures online, too, that were big huge bumps and I have never seen chigger bites look like that. That is why I didn't post them.

Chiggers look more like large mosquito bites and they last longer, and they itch and a dot in the middle gets a little crusty.

I think your dog and cats are bringing them in from the woods. They do not really live inside so should not be difficult to get out of your house, just have to deal with the pets bringing them in. Bugs are really bad this year due to all of the rain.

I live in the city now but when I lived in the country my daughter and I would get a few each year. I would get one or two on my bra strap area or waistline.


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