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bcoates13 · Jun 30, 2009, 10:02 PM

I got a couch from my aunt last year and I noticed that after sitting on it for a long time I'd get tiny, itchy bumps. She said she had never had a problem with the couch. I've looked at pictures of flea and bed bug bites and it doesn't look like that. They are skin colored, not red. I never feel crawling and I've looked for bugs. I'll also get bumps through my clothes. My ex used to get them too. I've been away for a year, and when I sat on my couch for the first time, I got bumps. A bug wouldn't be able to survive that long without something to feed on right? I was thinking it might be something in the material that I'm sensitive to, but I more often get the bumps on covered areas. I love this couch, but I'm really puzzled. Any help?

Catsmine · Jul 1, 2009, 02:09 AM

If you are being bitten, there should be some irritation at the site of the bite. Do the bumps go down? After how long? The only bugs I can think of that cause that are the small mites referred to as "chiggers," but they are normally an outdoor problem.

Was the couch stored outside in an outbuilding, garage, or on a porch?

Have you tried steam cleaners on the couch?

rsyrsy69 · Jul 29, 2009, 12:04 AM

This sounds very similar to my problem. My wife and I wake up in the morning with bites. These bites look and itch just like mosquito bites. Except they are almost always in covered areas like upper thighs or buttocks. They itch for a few days and then go away. I think they are coming from sitting on the couch because we sometimes notice them before we go to bed. I never see anything crawling and never feel the bite when it happens. The couch is leather and has never been outdoors. We bought it shortly before moving to Hawaii and have had it for a little over 2 years. I would get rid of the couch or replace the cushions if I was certain that's where it was coming from. Any ideas?

Catsmine · Jul 29, 2009, 02:51 AM

Rsyrsy, is this a new phenomenon? I infer you've been in Hawaii for around two years. Has anything else new happened in the house since you moved in? Are there marks at the site of the "bites?"

You need to check for environmental factors that could either be causing this directly (like allergies or sensitivity) or promoting these unseen "bugs."

rsyrsy69 · Jul 29, 2009, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by Catsmine

rsyrsy, is this a new phenomenon? I infer you've been in Hawaii for around two years. Has anything else new happened in the house since you moved in? Are there marks at the site of the "bites?"

You need to check for environmental factors that could either be causing this directly (like allergies or sensitivity) or promoting these unseen "bugs."

Relatively new. Moved to Hawaii 2 years ago. When mother in law visited 6 months ago(stayed in guest bedroom) she complained of mosquito bites in the morning. I knew it wasn't mosquitos because we don't have them in the house - you usually know when a mosquito bites you and can see them more easily. She speculated it could be a spider bite, but I doubted that as well because of the frequency (typically 1 or 2 bites every night or every other night).

Now, within the last 2 months, my wife and I have been biten as well. I started researching on the internet and seems very much like bed bugs, but I have yet to see any, but admit I haven't looked very hard. Last night, I inspected all around the couch and saw no signs. They could also be in our bedroom, but I suspected the couch because I have fallen asleep there several times due to sheer exhuastion from long hours at work and wake up about 3am to go upstairs to bed and noticed bites.

It is starting to become regular that we get bites several times a week, but probably not every night. What I found odd is that the bites are almost always in areas that are "covered". For me, they usually are around my waistline, upper thigh, or buttocks.

I plan to start searching around the beds now that I think I know what I am looking for. I am afraid they may be in both bedrooms and near my couch. Don't know where they came from, but we have to do something about it, but I don't know what.

I think first step is to identify the "bug" and then call a professional.

Catsmine · Jul 29, 2009, 12:21 PM

Identification of the problem is the first step in ANY problem solving.

Check your bedsheets before you change them. If it is bedbugs you will see small brown flecks of dried blood smaller than black pepper. Bedbugs are messy eaters.

You might try leaving a piece of tape rolled backwards into a sticky loop on the couch at night to see if you can catch anything. Dishes of water warmer than the room have sometimes caught insects as well.

dandgroe · Jul 31, 2009, 07:32 AM

I have been having the same problem as rsyrsy69. For the past few nights I have woken up with what looks like bites on the back of my thighs. No one else in the family is having this issue. We all sit on the couch together. It has happened on both the couch & the bed. My 2 year old has not even been affected and he sneaks into our bed during the night. IF they are bed bugs how do I rid myslef of them from by bed and my couch?

dandgroe · Jul 31, 2009, 07:32 AM

I have been having the same problem as rsyrsy69. For the past few nights I have woken up with what looks like bites on the back of my thighs. No one else in the family is having this issue. We all sit on the couch together. It has happened on both the couch & the bed. My 2 year old has not even been affected and he sneaks into our bed during the night. IF they are bed bugs how do I rid myslef of them from by bed and my couch?

dandgroe · Jul 31, 2009, 07:35 AM

I have been having the same problem as rsyrsy69. For the past few nights I have woken up with what looks like bites on the back of my thighs. No one else in the family is having this issue. We all sit on the couch together. It has happened on both the couch & the bed. My 2 year old has not even been affected and he sneaks into our bed during the night. IF they are bed bugs how do I rid myself of them from by bed and my couch?

Catsmine · Jul 31, 2009, 04:05 PM

Dandgroe, you triple clicked on the "submit" button. You can delete a couple of those in the "Edit" section.

If you're the only one being affected, what do you do/where do you go by yourself that might have bugs or irritants?

adventure9 · Oct 23, 2009, 08:45 PM

I have had the same problem. I covered my bed and my son's bed (and pillows) in bed bug zip-up covers. I only get the bites (in those same areas you described) when I sit on the couch. My son never gets bit. The some of the bites are a 'trail' (like scabies... eeewww) and some are not. They don't persist like scabies (I'm grateful for that!). The only thing that makes my story different is that I noticed the bugs as soon as my movers delivered my furniture. (yes, it was in storage for a few weeks before they delivered it.) I treated the bugs and now they're back, two months later. The couch is GONE tomorrow. What kind of couch material will not harbor bugs??

adventure9 · Oct 23, 2009, 08:45 PM

Sorry for answering your question with a question... wish I could help.

Catsmine · Oct 24, 2009, 02:26 AM

Originally Posted by adventure9

i have had the same problem. i covered my bed and my son's bed (and pillows) in bed bug zip-up covers. i only get the bites (in those same areas you described) when i sit on the couch. my son never gets bit. the some of the bites are a 'trail' (like scabies...eeewww) and some are not. they don't persist like scabies (i'm grateful for that!). the only thing that makes my story different is that i noticed the bugs as soon as my movers delivered my furniture. (yes, it was in storage for a few weeks before they delivered it.) i treated the bugs and now they're back, two months later. the couch is GONE tomorrow. what kind of couch material will not harbor bugs???

Vinyl and leather provide less harborage for insects, as those materials are less porous to burrowing insects. Since you have seen these insects, can you post a picture so others with this problem can see if they are the same as what they have?

adventure9 · Oct 24, 2009, 03:53 PM

Catsmine - I haven't seen the insects. However, I did a lot of research last night and there is NO doubt they are bedbugs. AND I believe I have found a REMEDY for anyone who doesn't know a safe means of getting rid of them (even if you live in an apartment complex where they can travel between units!) is 'diatomaceous earth' (sp?) or 'DE'. I still haven't researched where to find it, but it's a powder you can put anywhere the bugs may be found (every crevice in the house!). Again for you apartment dwellers, you can put DE in the walls to keep it from traveling between units! (yes, you'll have to put a tiny hole in the wall.) it dehydrates the bugs over time (I believe it can take as long as a few weeks? ). So, if you are patient and want to remain healthy, this is the way to go :) I'm going to take this route because I would much rather spend my money to support something completely healthy, no carcinogens! 5 lbs treats 2500 sf; I believe it's about $25 for 5 lbs. It's all about supply and demand... if we demand safe products we will get them. OH, the best part is that you do not have to re-treat!! They claim it is effective FOREVER. Do your own research on DE... it almost sounds too good to be true...

Catsmine · Oct 25, 2009, 01:10 AM

adventure9, you did surprisingly well on the spelling. I've used diatom dust for years (that's an industry shorthand that was once a brand, like kleenex) It's actually made of silica crystals from the shells of diatoms, very small sea creatures.

Bedbugs is a possibility. One way to confirm it is finding small brown(ish) flecks of dirt in the affected area. That's blood that they've digested and excreted.

The thing about bedbugs is that you need to look everywhere to find all of their hiding places or they'll come right back. That includes the walls, floors, ceilings(!), and every crack in every piece of furniture within 30 feet, and hope they haven't spread further already.

Exterminators don't treat apartments for bedbugs. They treat buildings.

Good Luck

adventure9 · Oct 25, 2009, 01:15 PM

Thanks :) Spelling is one of my strong suits. Killing bugs, on the other hand, not so much :)

Umm, my couch is brown-ish and I have a teenage boy; there is no way to tell if anything is dirt or bedbug droppings. I have brown hardwood floors too.

CEILINGS... wow! My ceiling is made of (painted) wooden planks; there cracks between each one. I guess I will make a paste from the DE and put it around the ceiling perimeter? If these bugs were here before I moved in, I can't prove it, so I can't get the landlord to pay for exterminating the whole building. And I have a fireplace. How can I treat a fireplace? What a nightmare. I still think the bugs only like my couch... that's the only place they attack me (but not my son... I still don't understand that but I'm incredibly grateful!) I will have to dust the couch to death before I give up and throw it out (mainly because it's morally irresponsible... and I don't know anyone with a truck... joking).

Anyway, I've ordered the DE so now I just have to wait. Just out of curiosity, do some pest-control companies give free consultations?

Catsmine · Oct 25, 2009, 01:54 PM

Most reputable companies offer a free inspection and estimate. They use it to get in the door so you'll have a harder time telling them you're going to do it yourself.

The industry joke is that EVERYbody has pest control, some just spend more on it than others and some are more effective than the others. A flyswatter from Dollartree is pest control.

adventure9 · Oct 25, 2009, 01:56 PM

After a little common-sense thinking, I realize that the bugs only attack me on the couch because the bugs feed late-night/early morning. The few times I've been on the couch alone late at night, after son is in bed, I've been attacked.

adventure9 · Oct 25, 2009, 02:03 PM

Gotcha. Well, I'll hold out for now.

Haha! I like the dollar-tree comment.

Hey, one more thing... one of my next-door neighbors has mice/hamsters. Could those cause any infestation?

Thanks for your answers, by the way :)

Catsmine · Oct 25, 2009, 02:21 PM

Mice and hamsters can cause you only a couple of problems. If they're well cared for, you shouldn't have to worry about hantavirus from their droppings or fleas carrying the black plague (wait, those were rats) but if you live in a ground floor apartment the natural predators of mice could come looking. Then you'd have to put up with Samuel L Jackson getting tired of "snakes on a plane."