Getting Bitten At Night But No Sign Of Bed Bugs

One of the things parasitic pests like bed bugs are known for is the discomfort they cause at night. These are nocturnal creatures that feed on blood and only do so when their host is still (sleeping).

When bitten by these bugs, you will likely wake up to severe itches on your skin.

Here is a guide on small bugs in bed.

No Sign Of Bed Bugs, But I Have Bites

Now, one frustrating reality is that pests responsible for such bites might prove elusive. Your search is likely to prove unfruitful, especially when you don’t know where to look.

So, are you getting bitten at night but have no sign of bed bugs? Do you wish to find and or identify the causes? This article helps out with that.

Getting to The Root Cause of the Problem

After waking up to find bite marks, the instinct is to investigate or get to the root cause of the problem. Bed bugs won’t usually hang around your skin after a meal.

They return to hiding, slowly digesting their meal and laying eggs. So, inspecting your body for these pests should be ruled out.

• Knowing Where to Look

To determine whether bed bugs bite you or not, you need to know where to look. If these pests aren’t found around their usual hideouts, it’s possible a different problem could be responsible for your bites.

So, where do bed bugs hide? A summarized answer will be in several places.

For a more thorough search, you’ll need to look at the seams of couches and chairs. Of course, a flashlight is required to illuminate the inspected areas adequately.

You’ll need to also search between cushions and curtail folds. Drawer joints are additional areas to inspect.

In electrical appliances and receptacles, bed bugs will also hide beneath wall hangings and loose wallpaper. Also, consider search screw heads and junctions between walls and ceilings.

Your mattress is a hotspot for their activity. As such, you might want to have it inspected.

You’ll likely find reddish or rusty stains on your bedsheets and mattresses. These mainly arise when bed bugs are crushed whenever you turn while sleeping.

If bed bugs cause the bite marks you see, they should appear in all or some of these areas.

Do Bed Bugs cause your Bite Marks?

Doubts usually come up after searching for bed bugs in all the areas mentioned without results. Here, you may have to consider other possibilities as well.

Are the bites isolated? Such could be due to spiders. Another possibility is that fleas may have bitten you.

If so, such bites will mostly appear around your ankles.

Fleas will be a possible cause of bites if you keep pets around. These parasitic pests may infest such pets.

Bed bug bites typically appear around the face, feet, neck, and arms. Your arms are also likely to have some bite marks. One clear sign of bed bug bites is the itch that follows.

In the absence of bed bugs, other likely causes of bites at night include those from mites and mosquitoes. So, you’ll have to be open to the possibility of other pests like spiders, fleas, mosquitoes, and mites.

Examining Bite Areas

When you realizeyou’ved been bitten, you’ll need to look closely to see the type of bites and the areas where these bites are.

Here, narrowing down on the culprits will require looking at individual pest bites as follows;

• Bed bug bites

Is your skin itchy?

This is a possibility that bed bugs have bitten you. However, it’s only possible and not a confirmation because other pest bites are also itchy.

You’ll likely notice the bite area is swollen and red with bed bugs. Such bite marks will come with a dark red center.

What more? You might also notice the bite marks appearing in a line or a group within a small area of your skin.

Blisters or hives might appear at bite sites, with feverishness being experienced in some cases.

• Spider Bites

Spider bites cannot be ruled out. Some species are nocturnal. However, even these rarely bite until they feel threatened.

Bites from the not-so-venomous spider types of spiders will also seem like those from bed bugs.

However, close examination will reveal rash, swelling, itchiness, and red welts on the skin. Bites from spiders are mostly isolated.

This is because they only bite for defense purposes and not for feeding.

• Flea Bites

As mentioned earlier, fleas are a strong possibility responsible for your bites if you have pets. This is because pets are considered more suitable flea hosts.

While this is true, fleas won’t pass the opportunity of feeding on human blood when the opportunity presents itself.

Bite marks should be around your ankle, feet, knees, elbows, and armpits. Ordinarily, such bites should remain around the ankle.

However, when you sleep, these pests can easily hop onto any area of your body for a quick meal.

• Mosquito Bites

Mosquitoes are considered among the most deadly pests due to disease spread. Your bite marks could be a result of mosquito activity.

Such sites aren’t mostly serious; nevertheless, dangerous viral diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, etc., can be spread.

• Mite Bites

Mites could be responsible for your bite marks when you sleep. Although these critters mostly live on rodents and birds, they could also end up with human hosts.

They feed on blood, and their bites always show signs like swollen skin, red rash, itchiness, and inflamed bumps.

Call For Professional HelpOur discussion shows that the causes of bite marks on the skin cannot always be attributed to bed bugs.

Bed bugs’ presence can be easily detected by looking at many areas.

When these pests aren’t found in likely spots, then its possible bite marks are due to other pests’ presence or activities. A professional pest control technician should be able to help identify the causes and treat them accordingly.

With the tips, it shouldn’t be challenging to figure out pest bites. Investigation of root causes and subsequent treatment is performed by following the simple guidelines provided.