SOMETHING biting me!

[samio77]

Hi All,

This is my first post on Thai Visa, though i have read it for years.

My girlfriend and I live on Koh Tao near Chumpon. For about six months now unknown creature/s have been biting us in our sleep.

The bites aren't numerous and maybe once every two weeks, but leave a little red bump, that if you squeeze or touch it has a very sharp pain that lasts over a month.

Anyone had this before??! I REALLY want to kill the the little suckers!

I hope someone can shed some light on this for us.

[Kwasaki]

Sounds like bed bugs to me, if your bed and mattress is not new.

http://www.orkin.com/other/bed-bugs/bedbug-bites/

[samio77]

Thanks Kwasaki, But it's not bed bugs, I thought that too, but could not find them anywhere and the bites aren't the same.

Someone suggested once it may be a tiny mite of some sort. I'm at the point of possibly moving house.

[Kf6vci]

Try a steamer - boiling hot water should kill them. Go over the whole floor... Or try an insecticide.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Draw a circle around the bed in ant chalk, spray bed with mozzie killer.

If that doesn't stop them, then it's bed bugs, they hide in the joints of the bed.

[scoutman360]

Wash everything in hot water. If you don't have hot water, add a little bleach to the wash. that will kill any mites. Send your pillows out for cleaning also. Cover your mattress with plastic under the sheets. Spray insecticide all around the bed posts, under the bed, etc. You can find foggers at some stores. Seal any open food and fog your room. Don't open doors or windows unless you have screen coverings. That should do it. Worked for me.

[samio77]

OK! I'll try everything, thanks guys.

[giddyup]

Don't rule out scabies.

[weegee]

Wash the area you were bitten with Dettol, daily for a while

[Farma]

Are the bites itchy? Do they get small blisters on them after a day or two?

It could be fleas.

[inzman]

Bedbugs, they hide in the seams, hard to see tham.

[Beetlejuice]

To the OP:

My guess is that the bites are caused by red ants. Unlike black ants the red ants don`t usually invade a house in large numbers although this does happen on occasions. Sometimes the odd red ant will get into the house and into a bed. Some people including myself can be extremely allergic to red ant bites. Even the most minute of them can give toxic bites that can take long periods to heal.

My advice is; check outside your bedroom windows to see if there are any red ants running along the window frames, walls or on nearby trees.

[seajae]

I get the same thing and to stop the itch/pain I use Topicorte, works great. I put mine down to ants, dont see them in the house but I have had the same bites outside as well. I find that squeezing them and removing some of the poison?(a clear liquid that comes from the bite) from the bite and applying topicorte for 2 days works ok and gets rid of it. Havent been able to find the culprits yet though.

[ryanhull]

try zam-buk balm from 7/11

[Rooo]

They are little spiders. I've had them several times, you will find 2 little incision marks in the red area.