Are These Bed Bug Bites On My Leg

by Anna Stephanie
(Everett, WA)

I was just wondering if I have a bedbug bite. It appears to only be on my right leg, and in rows of 2. It has increased in number everyday. Is it a bedbug bite?

Editor Comment Bed Bug Bites on Leg

Dear Anna,

It's impossible to tell from your description if you have bed bug bites. There are some things you can do to confirm if bed bugs caused the problem.

1. Do the bites have a clear center at the site where the bed bug punctured the skin? Bed Bug bites have a center which is a different color than the surrounding area. Typical symptoms include a raised, inflamed, reddish wheal at each bite site, which may itch intensely for several days. The bites also go away to 2 to 5 days. If they persist, it is probably due to another cause. See the pictures on this page for examples of bites.

Also, did the bites occur under your clothes. You can try sleeping with tight fitting clothing or sweats with socks over the ends. Bed bugs will rarely travel under clothing to bite. If the bites clear up, then you can suspect bed bugs. If they continue, then look for another cause.

Bed bug bites are an allergic reaction, so no two people will have the same reaction.

2. Try and find a bed bug in your home and have it identified by a local entomologist at a University, Cooperative Extension or by an Exterminator. Start with the bed, by using a flashlight and a wire brush or credit card edge to reach deep into the seams along the mattress. Also look for signs of bed bugs on the mattress, which would be red, black or brown marks.

If you are mattress is completely clean, and if the bites do not have a clear center, I'd doubt that the problem is due to bed bugs. Of course to be sure, you can either show your bites to a dermatologist or call in an exterminator. To get a few quotes from exterminators, Service Magic will provide up to 3 free quotes.

Best of luck solving the source of your bites. If they are bed bug bites, act quickly, as one female can lay up to 500 eggs, quickly expanding the size of any infestation.