No pets, have been getting bitten for two months.

QuestionsCategory: Flea InfestationsNo pets, have been getting bitten for two months.
Marie Dubey asked 7 years ago

Hello,
This site has been extremely helpful. A lot of good tips and information. Thank you for this.
I have been looking over your site for about two weeks now and cannot seem to find answers to my unique situation, so here it comes.
I went on a cruise vacation in August. I was back home for a day when I noticed two mysterious insect bites on my lower leg. I didn’t think much of it until the day after next I had two more, again on my lower leg. I didn’t know what was biting me, when, or where, but I wasn’t taking any chances. My mind immediately went to bed bugs, so I buckled down to try to do whatever I could.  I already had a mattress and boxspring cover, so I washed the bedding on hot and dried for an hour on high. While that was going on, I vacuumed and steam cleaned the mattress and boxspring and also my upholstered furniture. I used a spray called Sterifab on my bed frame, the mattress, boxspring, and on furniture. I then used a long-acting spray Bedlam Plus in cracks and furniture joints. After a week with no bites, suddenly, I’m being bitten again, two at a time on my lower legs. I had a bed bug inspector come by, but we could find no trace of ANYTHING, anywhere. At my own request, even though there was no physical evidence of any bugs, I had them heat treat my apartment. The temperature was about 140 degrees F for about 5 hours or so. They also sprayed some sort of soy-based mixture all on the carpet and along baseboards and cracks. After a week of STILL getting bitten, the exterminator did a second soy-based spray for free. The bites stopped for seven days. I got one, single bite near my ankle yesterday.
I finally saw it though. I was saving my legs when I saw a small, spot on my foot. I assumed it was a piece of lint and brushed it off. The little thing jumped! It was so fast, that I thought I imagined it at first! It was too quick to really look at it, but I could not crush it with my fingers, and I soon turned on the sink and washed it down the drain. I went to wash my sheets, and found clearly a single dead full adult flea under my covers! Since it was dead, I got a good look. It was dark brown and glossy and appeared to have long hind legs, to me, all the distinctions of a flea. I have since seen another live flea, also during my morning ritual.
It is likely that I was so focused on the issue being bed bugs, that I overlooked fleas, as they are so very tiny and can easily look like lint or crumbs if you don’t know what you’re looking at. However, I do not have any pets. My boyfriend has a dog, but is up to date on his monthly flea treatments, and I have not found any fleas on the dog, nor has he ever scratched himself. My boyfriend has never been bitten, either. I live alone in an apartment. My upstairs neighbor has a cat, but they never let it out.
I do not know how I could have gotten fleas, but without a resident pet (my boyfriend’s dog never comes over), why am I still dealing with this two months later? In the past, I vacuumed 2 to 3 times per week when the bites started, but have recently been doing it every single day (this includes upholstered furniture as well as carpet). I have a Shark Rotator Pro Lift-Away vacuum with a great pet hair tool. I wash my bedding three times per week. I run my clothes through the dryer on high for an hour before getting dressed. I am at my wit’s end. Any recommendations on getting this to stop? A lot of your other responses to people without pets seem to point to the problem resolving itself in relatively short order, since human blood isn’t the best nutrition for them, but like I said, it’s going on two months now. An insect infestation is pretty much my worst nightmare. Thank you in advance!

1 Answers
Adam Retzer Staff answered 7 years ago

Hello Kim, thanks for the compliments on the site.

Your situation definitely sounds strange. Cat fleas (C. felis) and dog fleas (C. canis) can’t survive on human blood. So, it’s unlikely that these are the pests that are biting you, since you haven’t had animals in the apartment.

Cat and dog fleas are the dominant species found in domestic settings. However, there’s also a species called the human flea (P. irritans). Unfortunately, I don’t know as much about this species because it’s fairly rare, and this website focuses on C. felis, the dominant species of dogs and cats. You may want to consider researching human fleas.

Regardless of the insect or species, it sounds like you taken all the correct actions to eliminate an infestation. It’s strange that you’re still dealing with this problem. The best advice I can give is to continue vacuuming regularly and laundering your bedding.

If possible, try to get a picture of the fleas the next time they pop up. Then you can get a positive identification here, elsewhere online, or from an exterminator. Flea traps are useful for catching and identifying the pest.

Sorry I can’t offer more help. I hope this problem is resolved soon.

Adam

Marie Dubey replied 7 years ago

Thank you for such a quick response!
I did try sticky traps as well as the DIY trick of filling a shallow dish with soapy water under a nightlight, back at the start when I was trying to identify the culprit. I did not catch anything.
As far as I can tell, nothing is actually living on my person, rather grabbing a quick bite then disappearing. Alas, I do not own a cell phone. I know, I am the last person in North America without one, but as such, do not always have a camera handy. I figure by the time I go get it, a live flea would be gone. If I happen to find another dead one, I will keep this in mind.
I am going to try a chemical spray that is specifically geared towards fleas, I think. If that doesn’t work, perhaps a professional specializing in fleas. I do live in a town that is in a very rural area, so professional options can be limited.
Thanks again for your help!

Adam Retzer Staff replied 7 years ago

One last piece of advice: Ensure the spray you use contains an insect growth regulator, either pyriproxyfen (Nylar) or methoprene (Precor).

Marie replied 7 years ago

Hello,
I wanted to follow up. I sprayed my apartment with Raid Flea Killer Plus Carpet & Room Spray, which contains methoprene. I sprayed it on a Friday night then went away for the weekend. I vacuumed every day for three weeks after spraying. I then stopped precautions, by tapering down the number of times I vacuum per week, and such. I have not experienced a bite since! Over a month without a bite makes me optimistic that they are finally gone. Spraying with an IGR really helped to put the last nail in their coffin. Thank you for the information and advice!

Adam Retzer Staff replied 7 years ago

I’m glad to hear things are working out. Thanks for the follow-up.

Top