Bites

[scarlet]

I just spent 2 weeks on our new (to us) Catamaran, and I have been waking up with bites on my upper thighs. They are grouped (most of them in 3's) which to me, looks like bed bugs. The whole inside (which doesn't have very much in it) has been cleaned, and every nook and cranny explored, and, not only have I seen NO sign of bed bugs.. I've also seen no sign of ANY bugs, except an occasional fly, or stink bug that got in the door. We don't even have any spider webs on our boat. To be completely thorough.... I've removed ALL "fabric" items on the boat (except the matresses which I have examined with a flashlight,) and I am meticulously going through every item, looking for any signs of bed bugs, and sanitizing them in the washer (with boiling water thrown in) and drying them on super high setting. I've used all precautions as recommended.

Again, I haven't seen a single sign of a bed bug. NO bugs, no dead carcass, no bug excrement... no blood stains. NOTHING. I'm at a loss as to what is causing my bites.

Our boat is now winterized, and is in Delaware, so we will have a long cold winter, and hoping that any unseen bugs die in the cold...

Does anyone have any idea what else it could be? or something else to look for? or any treatments you think might be needed?

[sailorboy1]

Fleas

I bug bomb the boat 1-2x a year

[ThereAndBack]

If it is fleas you need to bomb, then wait a while and bomb the boat again. The reason is that flea eggs are not effected by typical treatments so you have to kill the live ones and then kill the next "crop" before they reproduce.

That said, I doubt it is fleas, you can usually see them. Not to get too personal, but are you sleeping with cloths on? Under covers? Hatches open or shut? etc. No-see-ums can def leave nasty bites that last a long time and they are very hard to detect.

If it is bed bugs, I also suggest next season at the start of the season, putting all the mattresses in large black plastic bags and putting them in direct sunlight. Bake em.

Side note, deet is effective against bed bugs, but treating yourself and your sheets with it isn't always nice.

[sailorboy1]

I never have had to rebomb the boat. And I can’t see a flea went it is biting my ankles under the table.

[ThereAndBack]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I never have had to rebomb the boat. And I can’t see a flea went it is biting my ankles under the table.

Good for you, you've never seen a serious infestation.

[sailorboy1]

It’s serious if one bites my ankle!!!!!

[scarlet]

I have dogs.... And they sleep with me.... And neither of them have fleas. Not saying that it can't be fleas... Just that it would be odd to be bitten by fleas if my dogs were free of fleas.

I will just say that I don't sleep naked. And all the hatches were closed because it was really cold while I was there...

I wonder if it is some type of a mite? Funny thing.... My husband showed no signs of any bites.

[gamayun]

Put a lamp on the floor near your bed with a bowl of soapy water underneath. Leave on overnight. Better yet, leave on and leave the boat for a while. If it is fleas, they will seek out the warmth and you'll find them when they land in the bowl.

[MrChris]

Little groups of a few bites would incline me to think it is you have nits, headlice, not the boat.

[laika]

Another possibility is fiberglass or epoxy itch. Have you been sanding any glass recently?

[scarlet]

Originally Posted by MrChris

Little groups of a few bites would incline me to think it is you have nits, headlice, not the boat.

Nits? I don't have lice... I have bites on my legs.. not on my head... I have no sign of lice... and I have had no new bites since returning home...

[scarlet]

Originally Posted by laika

Another possibility is fiberglass or epoxy itch. Have you been sanding any glass recently?

well.. my boat is fiberglass... and I have been standing on it.. would that show up on my legs?

[AndyEss]

I think a photo of the bug bites and there general
vicinity might help identification.

[Sojourner]

Are the bites in a line? Multiple bites in a straight line are very very classic bedbug marks, because the things often do not crawl on you, just stay on the sleeping surface, and the way they feed means they often need more than one puncture, hence the multiple bites in a straight line. Mozzies and fleas don't do this. Pics on internet don't look accurate because they usually show people who have apparently been swimming in a sea of bedbugs, but if you only have a few (at the start of the infestation) there will be LINES of bites. Even if you don't find any bedbugs, look harder... I once battled literally TWO bedbugs for a solid six months (not on the boat thankfully). Good luck....

[JPA Cate]

Hey, Sojourner, how did you finally find them, and identify them?

And get rid of them?

Do you know why they did not multiply?

Serious question. And thanks for answering.

Ann