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u/PuzzleheadedEase569

r/whatbugisthis r/Bedbugs r/Bedbugadvice
Found a single bed bug - what now?
▲ 3 r/Bedbugadvice+1 crossposts

Found a single bed bug - what now?

After staying away at a friend's, the morning after when I went to change my bedding I found a single bed bug (pictured below (crushed in the photo)) under my bedsheet.

I stripped the bed and checked the mattress and bed frame - found no other evidence of them. No damp spots on the mattress (including the seams), no obvious signs of eggs or other live bugs, no blood. I threw away the mattress protector and washed the bedding. I sprayed the bed frame/under the bed with bed bug spray and vacuumed the mattress before putting my clean sheets back on later. My bed is already pushed away from the wall slightly.

While I can't be certain, it seems the little bastard may have migrated from my visit the day before, and the lack of other signs of bugs supports that. I seem to have a bite on my leg, so it may have fed. I'm not sure if anyone can tell if it looks male or female to know if it may have laid eggs? Does it look like it fed recently in the picture?

https://preview.redd.it/v5jgk7srewth1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac16f16612eb966734a029dd82416639b7c6f4a1

My plan was to get one of those zip-up plastic mattress covers, and possibly a steam cleaner since I don't think I can wash all my clothes at 50 Celsius without ruining them and I have a low-heat tumble dryer.

I can't use interceptors as I have an ottoman style bed where the frame touches the floor all the way around. Using double-sided tape would also probably be suboptimal as the frame is upholstered and my bed sheets would likely drape over the side of my bed and stick to it.

I thought about getting canine detection but from my brief research have heard mixed things, not sure if that is a good way to go or not.

I've also seen people recommending Diatomaceous Earth, but also seen that it can be toxic and doesn't slow them down that much? I'm UK based if that makes a difference for what treatments are even available. This is in a house, not apartment, and I'm the owner so I'm responsible for dealing with it.

Is my initial plan for plastic covers, a steam cleaner and simple vigilance enough for now or do I need to go further?

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u/PuzzleheadedEase569 — 9 days ago
▲ 3 r/whatbugisthis

Is this a bedbug?

Was doomscrolling at night in bed with the lights on when this thing crawled out from under me - it's 5mm long so it's the right size, however it's not oval shaped. From my quick research online it's either a bedbug that's fed recently (they can go sort of tube shaped after feeding?) or it's some sort of beetle.

This is actually the second time this exact scenario has happened to me in the span of about a week. I wrote it off the first time after a brief panic but now am getting worried. I don't think I've ever spotted a bug in my bed before that. The photos are from after I gently crushed it using a tissue. The bug from the last incident looked the same.

The one thing calming me is I can't see obvious horizontal lines on its abdomen which bedbugs seem to have. My bed frame is second-hand from a friend, it was kept in his garage for about a year, but I didn't spot any bugs on it when assembling it and it's been in my house for 6 months now without incident (until this) so I wouldn't have thought that was an obvious sign.

I'm UK based. The only other bug I think I can potentially identify it as is a furniture beetle - I do have wooden panelling right behind my bed's headboard and apparently furniture beetles like wood, but I haven't seen any obvious signs of damage to that like you might expect, so I'm just not sure.

u/PuzzleheadedEase569 — 4 months ago
▲ 1 r/Bedbugs

Is this a bedbug?

Was doomscrolling at night in bed with the lights on when this thing crawled out from under me - it's 5mm long so it's the right size, however it's not oval shaped. From my quick research online it's either a bedbug that's fed recently (they can go sort of tube shaped after feeding?) or it's some sort of beetle.

This is actually the second time this exact scenario has happened to me in the span of about a week. I wrote it off the first time after a brief panic but now am getting worried. I don't think I've ever spotted a bug in my bed before that. The photos are from after I gently crushed it using a tissue. The bug from the last incident looked the same.

The one thing calming me is I can't see obvious horizontal lines on its abdomen which bedbugs seem to have. My bed frame is second-hand from a friend, it was kept in his garage for about a year, but I didn't spot any bugs on it when assembling it and it's been in my house for 6 months now without incident (until this) so I wouldn't have thought that was an obvious sign.

I'm UK based. The only other bug I think I can potentially identify it as is a furniture beetle - I do have wooden panelling right behind my bed's headboard and apparently furniture beetles like wood, but I haven't seen any obvious signs of damage to that like you might expect, so I'm just not sure.

u/PuzzleheadedEase569 — 4 months ago