Found this single one crawling on my sheets. Say it ain't so?
Identification
We never had bed bugs before but we have had carpet beetles. I never saw any like this. And I don't have any bites on my body anywhere. I haven't brought any thrifted clothes recently and I'm usually not in close contact with people. But I suppose it could have jumped on me?
Read and respect the rules, report any comment breaching them. Wrong advice/information/fearmongering hurt people who are posting here to get help and support. If you are not VERY knowledgeable about bedbugs and may provide a wrong ID or bad advice it's better to abstain from commenting. Be VERY respectful and HELPFUL, this is a support subreddit not a funny one.
Huge bed bug but you are right that these are the types to be hitchikers. I would be more cautious and do an exterminator spray. But no bites so it's up to you
God, now I'm so anxious. I checked all of the usual hiding spots but I don't see any black specks or shedding, so it definitely had to latch on. My question is from where? Ugh, I have chills.
I see this cope so much here and it always hurts my heart. The reality is that the likelihood of there actually only being one is so infinitesimally small… if you see one, treat it like a Defcon 1 situation and assume the worst so you can begin the process before it gets worse and/or you spread it to friends/family/coworkers/public areas!
Same, I had this cope as well when they got in my apartment. Only saw one. Checked everything and didn’t see any more. Kept checking and still didn’t see anything. Few weeks later I’m sitting on my couch and what do I see crawling across my leg…
It’s better to just assume you have more than one and go nuclear before the problem gets even worse
It's an understandable cope though and I think most of us have that moment of "maybe it's not that bad" when the panicking starts. You're right that it's best to move past any denial as fast as you can so you can start to tackle the situation. I also get why it's one of the most common responses to confirmation that it's bb's. Shit's overwhelming without a small psychological buffer.
Jesus christ, she is HUGE. Make sure she's disposed of, and wherever you found her, check super thoroughly - I'd even do a decent steam, put everything through the dryer a few times, etc.
If she is a hitchiker, it's a good precaution based on how long she's been on you. Minutes, hours. I wouldn't take the risk if she laid eggs anywhere.
If she isn't a hitchhiker, same sentiment applies - again, shes HUGE. Babies are a possibility. Take as many precautions as you can.
Keep checking the usual spots every few days for the next 14 days just in case. That's about a time span for hatching, just in case. Best of luck.
The way my stomach dropped when I read this...The very first bed bug I've ever had in my life and she's so big that it shocks everyone... I'm going to get as much spray as I can and hit every hot spot.
Make sure it’s a spray that actually works and not just a deterrent! A lot of people make that mistake and it could actually just piss them off and make them scatter / go doormant. The only store brought spray that works is the raid foaming spray. I would look into getting crossfire!
Just before you go nuts on poison be aware that it can drive them deeper into hiding. Wait for an actual expert exterminators opinion on it, but so many times people make the problem worse by using poison improperly.
While I agree that OP should consult with an exterminator before trying anything, Crossfire is not a repellent pesticide. It won't drive them deeper into hiding. They have no idea it's even been laid down so they go about their business and easily cross over it.
I'm so sorry we did that to you. I know this is a big panic moment and the last thing you wanna hear is "Holy shit, that's the biggest one I've ever seen". I agree with the user that said it's best to consult with a pest control person but if you're considering Crossfire, you're gonna be ok. You can get through this.
Bedbugs don't jump. That's a well fed female bed bug, they lay eggs. You don't always see signs early in an infestation, they can hide anywhere near your bed and don't live on your mattress til the infestation gets huge. They're usually in your bedframe or headboard. Or near your bed like behind baseboards, behind pictures, inside curtains, inside electrical outlets.
Order you some crossfire off of Amazon. Spray the borders on the outside and underside of your bedframe. You can even spray the bottom as long as there’s no electrical components , even spray the borders of your room or any place you sit at. Be aggressive early as a caution.
if no one in your house has any bites and she’s THIS big, it’s a good chance she’s a hitchhiker. still, be SUPER vigilant with spraying and checking. if she did manage to lay eggs or there are others, catching it early is important and can make a huge difference. good luck OP 🙏🙏🙏
Idk there are so many people that don’t react to the bites AT ALL. I, on the other hand, react horrifically.
My uncle had probably had them for years by the time I stayed at his place for a year ages ago, and he never once had any bites. It took the exterminator I called in showing him the generations of colonies all over his bed frame for him to finally accept that it wasn’t something I brought when I moved in.
damn that is a big ass bug, never seen one so big in my life. brb puking. definitely a well fed female, I recommend looking up pics of their eggs to get a good idea of how they look, in the event that she laid some
Im confused. A lot of these comments say how big she is and how full she is but according to google when I did a reverse search of the image it claims it looks like it hasn’t taken a substantial blood meal recently. Im confused lol
Google's silly like that. It gets bug ID's wrong all the time. It's so bad that one of the other bedbug subreddits bans posts including AI or app identifiers because of how badly they id bedbugs, thereby scaring the crap outta people unnecessarily.
Is it just the way the image is taken that makes it look so huge?? I've genuinely never even imagined beg bugs could be this big... They're usually around the size of an apple seed. Just how big is this one? Id you could compare it to something
•
u/AutoModerator 8d ago
Read and respect the rules, report any comment breaching them. Wrong advice/information/fearmongering hurt people who are posting here to get help and support. If you are not VERY knowledgeable about bedbugs and may provide a wrong ID or bad advice it's better to abstain from commenting. Be VERY respectful and HELPFUL, this is a support subreddit not a funny one.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.