mogs Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 For about 3 weeks I have had several of these red spots, very itchy every day or night. They're not mosquito bites as they usually come up different with a raised area around the bite, these bites are nearly always in areas of the body like behind the knees, around the overhanging belly area (i'm ashamed to say I have one),under the armpits with a few on more obvious places of the body like legs and arms.I don't know if I am getting bit when I go outside or if there is something in the house that is doing it.I've tried a deet insect repellant which seemed to help a few times but I covered myself in it last night and still ended up with fresh bites this morning!We do have cats and dogs but they don't have fleas, I've thoroughly checked them all with a flea comb religiously.Any suggestions, I'm getting desperate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Your cats and dogs may not have evident fleas but there may well be eggs and larvae still in your furniture. They do sound suspiciously like flea bites to me (I'm ashamed to say I get them myself in spite of smothering myself, my pets and my home with every product known to man and I still find the little blighters.) I've just ordered some of this stuff:http://www.vetuk.co.uk/flea-products-house-flea-sprays-c-3_419/indorex-house-flea-spray-500ml-can-p-677in the hope that it will help because so far it seems to me that no matter what I do I can't exterminate the bally things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose (& Greyman) Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Snap mogs. We too have cats but they are just not like the flea bites I've had before. Mine are red blotches with very small white heads and I'm covered, my OH less so and my son not at all. Neither the cats or the furniture have any sign of fleas and they have just started the last week or so as the weather got cooler. I've ordered some bombs to fumigate to try to eliminate any indoor pests but I'm puzzled by what it can be.If the cats have fleas I have always been able to spot them and any bites are usually fairly limited. Reading your post it sounds exactly like me !edit: that spray sounds good coops. Think I may place an order too ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogs Posted September 30, 2010 Author Share Posted September 30, 2010 What are the bombs greyman and where do you get them? Yes these are red spots, some with white heads, sometimes there is also what looks like a trail of red as though the blighter has dug its heels in and walked across me, do you have that too?My OH also had some, but not as many as me and our daughter none at all. We've been outside cutting wood and strimming in the garden so I don't even know if they come from outside or not. Also makes me wonder if they could be bites from dust mites or bed bugs (don't know if these bite or not).I agree, if my animals have had fleas I've never had bites and have spotted them with the flea combs.Thanks Cooperlola I think I'll get some of that too just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Looking at this list of products on the UK market:http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_8?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=bed+bug+spray&sprefix=bed+bug+it does seem to me that the sprays have much in common, be they for fleas, bed bugs or whatever. I'm sure I read somewhere that it has been a "good year" for bed bugs - and not just on the Compostelle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Borax powder is a good cheap flea killer, should be able to get it from equine sources where it's used to treat horses hooves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 I'd be a bit concerned about any reaction to borax being worse than the bites! These days natural products are much more common in the treatment of lice in horses:http://www.medicanimal.com/product/~louse-powder/~product_id=3054I've trawled a few equine sites, Teapot, and so far can't find any borax products, even for hooves. Do you have a proprietory name, or do you know what hoof problem it's used to treat? Thrush?A bit about boraxhttp://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingsworkfaqs/a/howboraxworks.htmand more on the household friendly flea-killing versions etc on the market HERE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachapapa Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 la nymphe octopode de trombicula autumnalis.....commonly called aoûtats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Once again though, Pacha, the treatment for these (what I call harvest mites) is pretty much the same as for fleas as far as I can see (although a good shower will see them off which is not the case for those little eff chaps!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogs Posted September 30, 2010 Author Share Posted September 30, 2010 I've been trawling through signs and symptoms of different types of bites and have come up with this sitehttp://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th5i.htm#harvestmiteI think they are the same as aoutats? Tonight i've used a repellant particularly for these so I'll see how I get on, I've barely been outside today either, just to hang washing so maybe I won't be so itchy tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Yes Coop's it's used for hoof thrush, I would like to see/read the ingredients for the louse powder or the material safety data sheet (MSDS).Remember laundry booster?Borax is reasonably safe to humans unless eating it! I believe it shrinks dogs testicles though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose (& Greyman) Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Yep, looks like aoutats to me. Nasty little critters and I've never seen one on me.The bombs should work for all crawling beasties - these are the ones I bought. http://www.petremedies.co.uk/product.asp?strPageHistory=search&numSearchStartRecord=1&strParents=0&CAT_ID=0&P_ID=226&btnProduct=More+Details. I couldn't find any in France so this was the cheapest I could source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachapapa Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 [quote user="cooperlola"]Once again though, Pacha, the treatment for these (what I call harvest mites) is pretty much the same as for fleas as far as I can see (although a good shower will see them off which is not the case for those little eff chaps!)[/quote]Are you sure; they have 8 feet not 6 like insects: insecticides not best for them.One of a large variety of acariens.They dont actually drink blood like insects but eat protein and each of the many holes that an individual leaves itches like eff.[:)]With the dry weather they were late this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogs Posted September 30, 2010 Author Share Posted September 30, 2010 does this mean that I may only have a few more weeks to suffer these horrible things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Back to the bicarb and aloe vera then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachapapa Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 [quote user="mogs"]does this mean that I may only have a few more weeks to suffer these horrible things?[/quote]Keep away from moist shaded areas of lawns, the larvae which do the damage are minute 0.2 mm and go for moist areas of the body. At low altitude unlikely to be problem after september.The larvae only have six legs.[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 In case what you have are fleas from your pets, you can get something called ADVANTAGE here in the U.S. A simple drop behind the head & between the ears and they are gone. If they do not sell it in Pet Stores in Fr or the UK, I'm sure its available online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 [quote user="pachapapa"][quote user="cooperlola"]Once again though, Pacha, the treatment for these (what I call harvest mites) is pretty much the same as for fleas as far as I can see (although a good shower will see them off which is not the case for those little eff chaps!)[/quote]Are you sure; they have 8 feet not 6 like insects: insecticides not best for them.One of a large variety of acariens.They dont actually drink blood like insects but eat protein and each of the many holes that an individual leaves itches like eff.[:)]With the dry weather they were late this year.[/quote][:D]I'm no expert, Pacha, except in so far as every insect, mite, bug or whatever on planet earth absolutely adores me.[:-))] (Nice to be loved isn't it?) The info' is just from websites which seemed to recommend much the same products to exterminate the little critters. But I'd be inclined to use Teapot's recommendations first myself as they are far cheaper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachapapa Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Savon de marseilles will move them.[8-|] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogs Posted October 1, 2010 Author Share Posted October 1, 2010 Well last night's efforts of repelling still didn't work, during the night I seemed to have fresh bites and this morning too. Yesterday I only went outside to hang out the washing and was no where near grass.Today I've swotted something that looks very much like a tiny beetle, I caught it in the bedroom so WHACK. Do harvest mites come inside? Maybe it was one of my earlier bites that had hatched ???Tonight i've smothered myself in perfume, i'm hoping it might keep the blighters away if I am being bit inside the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 [quote user="mogs"]Tonight i've smothered myself in perfume,.[/quote] [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 I hope the little critters didn't regard that as an open invitation and invite all their friends along! [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogs Posted October 2, 2010 Author Share Posted October 2, 2010 well actually, it worked - i seemed to get up today with no fresh bites for the first time in about 3 weeks. Maybe coincidence, who knows but I'll persist and see. Mind you I also stayed away from any grass yesterday and I did swot that little critter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Aoutat bites seem to take several hours to show up with me. So if I get bitten during a walk in the afternoon they don't start to itch until the next day.I think they sort of bury into the skin, so I get a pin and dig them out - that stops the itch .[blink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogs Posted October 2, 2010 Author Share Posted October 2, 2010 Aoutat bites seem to take several hours to show up with me. So if I get bitten during a walk in the afternoon they don't start to itch until the next day. I think they sort of bury into the skin, so I get a pin and dig them out - that stops the itch ouch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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