"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
On Thursday, June 29, 2017 at 3:14:23 AM UTC-10, Gary wrote:
> On 6/28/2017 10:31 PM, Bruce wrote:
>
> > Julie wrote:
> >> These don't look like flea bites and both cats have just been to the
> >> vet. So
> >> no fleas. I felt the first bite itching right after I killed a spider
> >> near
> >> my computer. The ones we are seeing are the same. All black and sort of
> >> thick/chunky looking. Perhaps 1/2" from end to end. Others have been
> >> posting
> >> pics of them on FB as they have them too but nobody seems to know what
> >> they
> >> are. I will do some more searching later. So far I turned up no spider
> >> known
> >> to this area that looks like this.
> >
> > I believe that spiders, as opposed to fleas etc., only bite in
> > self-defense, so to have many bites, you must have had many
> > confrontations with them that you didn't notice.
>
> I do agree with you. Spiders will only bite you in bed if it's under the
> covers and you move and it feels threatened. It's probably some other
> creature and most times it's beneficial to leave spiders alone...they
> will eat the insects that are biting you.
>
> - fleas: don't assume no fleas just because both cats have been to the
> vet. Look at the cat's fur carefully and if it has fleas, you will see
> them
>
> - bedbugs: as awful as it sounds, check your bedding carefully
> especially on seams. They only seem to come out at night while you are
> sleeping.
>
> - bird mites: I got an invasion of those a few years ago. Yard was
> infested with them and I spent 3 days crawling around on the ground
> painting foundation and retaining walls.
>
> Didn't know about them until too late so I carried them home on my
> clothes and got bit all over my body. They even got on both ferrets. It
> was a miserable 3-4 months for all of us.
>
> Once they bite you, the bite mark and all the itching lasted several
> months. I spent that summer in hell a few years ago. Hundreds of bites
> on me. I got rid of the insects fast but the original bites itched like
> crazy forever.
>
> And you can't even scratch or you risk opening them up to infection. I
> went an entire spring and summer with very little sleep, entire body
> itching and all I could do was lay there and bear it. oh man.
>
> Doctor gave me anti-itch cream but it did nothing for me. He also warned
> me not to break down and scratch or risk infection. The only "scratch"
> relief was to take a super hot shower...the hot water simulated
> scratching without rubbing the skin raw. Nightmare on my street, that's
> for sure.
We've had bedbugs. It's pretty nasty. Those things were a big problem on
this rock a few years ago but the situation seems to have "stabilized."
My solution was to isolate those things from their food - us. I enclosed the
mattress in plastic for a few months. It might have been 6 months. I did try
some insecticides for bedbugs but the most effective agent was cheap rubbing
alcohol in a spray bottle which kills them within seconds. Just don't spray
the stuff near an open flame or you'll end up dead within seconds.
---
I have seen shows on TV about them. They can live in electrical sockets and
crevices of wooden furniture. Also did research about them when my friend's
adult daughter moved back home. The reason? Bed bugs at the adult group home
where she was living. My friend insisted that she bring only clothing and
personal possessions with her. No furniture. They bought new stuff. Took all
clothing to the laundry in trash bags then back to her house in new trash
bags, just in case.