Still getting bites after finding one bed bug

by Carol
(USA)

For 11 days I was getting bites, with a huge rash all down my arms. I went to 3 doctors before one decided it was bed bugs. I found one adult bed bug in my chair. I haven't seen another, but something is still biting me, now over and over in one spot about the size of a quarter. Do the babies feed in a smaller area? I'm allergic to them. I've sprayed inside the chair with high-proof rubbing alcohol and scrubbed it with baking soda. An inspector came 2 days later and found nothing. I feel defeated.

Editor Response

Hi Carol,

We're sorry; this is exhausting. Young bed bugs bite and feed the same way adults do, and there's no evidence they bite in a smaller area. Bite patterns vary a lot, so the pattern alone can't tell you much, and repeated itching in one small spot can have other causes, so mention it to your doctor. One adult in a chair you sit in often suggests there may be more nearby, even if an inspection missed them; careful visual checks miss about half of light infestations. Please stop using rubbing alcohol: in Rutgers lab tests, spraying it directly on bed bugs killed at most about half of them, and it's flammable, so it's a fire hazard. Instead, vacuum the chair's seams and crevices, consider having the chair treated or steamed, and put interceptor cups under its legs and your bed's legs to catch bugs. Save any bug you find on tape for identification. Since you're allergic, ask your doctor about treatment for the reactions. See our guide to the signs of bed bugs.