Help identifying pest problem
Hi! I’m hoping to get everyone’s opinion because I’ve been dealing with what seems like an environmental arthropod problem for several years, and despite multiple pest control visits and doctor appointments, no one has been able to identify the cause.
It started in San Francisco while I was living on the top floor of a house with a flat roof. We had a mouse infestation, and my downstairs roommates had bird feeders (it’s possible there were bird nests on the roof above my room). Around that time I developed intense pinprick/stinging sensations, especially at night or when I got hot, along with tiny itchy red bumps. We fogged multiple times, and things only improved after removing the carpets (I had layered rugs on top of built-in carpet). I also had to have my car fogged because the problem spread there. I found adult carpet beetles multiple times in that house and once saw what looked like a tiny bug, but nothing was ever identified. We did find a few beetles in the house and a bug that the pest control company said they couldn’t identify. Also, at my house in San Francisco, I was the only one out of 5 people who was getting what looked like bites (see pictures).
After moving to San Diego and unpacking items from storage, the exact same symptoms returned. Freshly washed sheets and pajamas feel better at first, but within 2–4 days they become unbearably itchy again. The couch also gradually becomes unbearable to sit on. Heat makes everything much worse, and I often wake up at night with pinprick sensations and new tiny red bumps. Two doctors thought it could be mites, but no species was ever confirmed. My sister and dad also developed itching and bumps, and my sister even had a small patch of hives. I’ve also found adult carpet beetles several times in my current home, including multiple over the last few days, and glue traps have caught tiny brown insects (possibly booklice, springtails, or another storage pest). I’m not convinced carpet beetles alone explain the recurring “recontamination” of bedding or the nighttime symptoms. Based on this history, what would you consider the most likely cause, and is there a particular mite or storage-associated pest I should investigate?
I’m just looking for answers, as getting fogged helps but seamingly only for a little bit of time and this has been going on for years without knowing the cause and how to treat. It’s exhausting.