ACK, Flea Bites (1 Viewer)

[Richard Travale]

I have no idea how this happened but I woke up with a bunch of red dots on my shins. At first I thought it might be an allergic reaction to something but now I think they may be flea bites. I have no idea how I got them because I don't have any pets.
The only thing that I have done differently is I stayed at a hotel this past weekend. I found the bites on Tuesday morning but they may have been there on Monday too. Has anyone ever gotten fleas from a hotel bed before? I'm really concerned that I dragged some of these buggers home with me now and I can imagine them multiplying by the thousands.

So my questions are these, first, how can I lessen the look of the bites on my legs. It's shorts wearing weather and I can't stand the look of the bites so I have been wearing pants.
Second, what do I need to do to make sure there aren't any fleas in my place now? I washed all of my sheets and blankets in hot water and vacuumed the hell out of my room but I think I had more bites this morning (I counted them as best I could). Do I need to get an exterminator in to take care of this or is there anything else I can do?

 

[Jack Briggs]

Are you sure it's fleas? Have you seen them? (They're small, black, triangle-shaped, and they jump huge distances. Their bites don't produce "small red dots" so much as a sore that itches pretty bad.)

 

[ChrisMatson]

Have you actually seen any of the bugs?
It sounds more like bed bugs, which have been a problem at some hotels for a while now.
I would call the hotel where you stayed and ask for the manager and then ask if they have had any problems with bed bugs in the past year. They may pay for your extermination fees.

Bed bugs link

 

[Malcolm R]

Definitely sounds like bed bugs, not fleas.

 

[Rain]

Another vote against fleas.

Highly unlikely you would have carried them from the hotel. They don't typically consider people to be very hospitable environments, plus they have nowhere to hide since we aren't as hairy as they like.

 

[JoeyR]

How bout red bugs? Did you go into a wooded area or tall grass?

 

[Richard Travale]

Yes, yes I did go into a wooded area with tall grass. I will have to look that up on google.

The reason that I thought it was an allergic reaction at first is because I had not seen any fleas. I used to have a dog and I know what they look like so I was surprised that they were hiding from me so well.

The thought of Bed Bugs had crossed my mind but when I googled it, the spots looked huge compared to the spots I have(mine are about the size of a felt marker tip). If it were bed bugs, would they have come home with me?

 

[Richard Travale]

This is what they look like.

 

[Mark Hayenga]

Are red bugs the same as chiggers? It sounds like it could be those, very easy to get in tall grassy areas. If so, coat the bumps in nail polish and wait a few days/a week. I think that'll kill them.

ETA: they look a little small for chigger bites, but still might be. I dunno.

 

[Kevin Hewell]

That's a myth.

 

[Richard Travale]

One thing that I should mention is that they don't itch. I thought that flea bites itched like hell.
I looked over my bed and couldn't see any bed bugs but now I'm really freaked out that I have brought some home if in fact that is what the bites are.

 

[Mark Hayenga]

So much for Boy Scouts being educational I guess

 

[JoeyR]

Red bugs and chiggers are the same.

http://medent.usyd.edu.au/bedbug/

Bed Bug site, it must be bed bugs because if it was red bugs you would be scratching

http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/pe...d-of-chiggers/

 

[Richard Travale]

Everywhere I read says that bed bugs are an itchy situation as well.
I did what I thought was a pretty thorough exam of my mattress and boxspring and found no sign of bedbugs as described on those websites.

 

[Jim_F]

Any birds roosting on your house? It used to happen to my upstairs neighbor in my old apartment in the spring/early summer. The baby birds took to wing and the mites looked for a more sedentary meal.