Insect bites under clothes ? (Page 1)

Maybe it's something you were exposed to at work. Have you asked anyone else you work with if they have the same thing?

no one else at the shop have it. Just my father and I.

What type of work do you do?

I do ironwork, welding, and gates.

It seems strange that it is just you and your dad. I wonder if you are both allergic to a chemical you are working with. Maybe the others aren't bothered by it. Have you and your dad done anything else lately together like hunting, fishing, or any other type of outside activity?

No out door activity. We have not used any weird chemicals either. I did go to the dermatologist and she told me that it was insect bites. The problem is that I have not found any bugs in my apartment, either have my dad. Another thing I find strange is that it doesn't happen every night. I figured if it was something in my bed or apartment it would happen every time I go to bed. Or am I mistaken?

Sounds like flea bites, given that all bites are in areas under clothing. Fleas can live dormant in carpets, upholstery and cracks in floorboards for months and reawaken in warm conditions. I would get our workshop and home treated for a flea infestation, and also treat any pets.

quest,

Did you ever find out what this was?

I'm having the same problem... The difference is i saw the bug... It is between red & brown..it looks like a lady bug... The same size but flatter...It craws

These bites have stop almost completely, is strange I never did anything different. If any one still have an answer as to what it might have been I would like to heard it. Thank you in advance.

Hi Guest19-

Although it's a year later and you may not care, I believe I have an answer for you.

When emit carbon dioxide from our pores and when we breathe out. Bugs are very attracted to carbon dioxide. That is how they identify their food source. Have you ever been to an outdoor event and noticed that bugs (flies, bees) fly around some people but not others? This is because some people emit more carbon dioxide than others, and the amount we emit can change due to eating habits and the hygiene and health state of the body. Poor digestion and hormonal changes can effect how much CD we put out through our skin. Since the 2 of you are related, it's probable you have bodies that work similarly with regard to digestion and hormonal activity.

My guess is, since you work together and no one else in your family had the problem, perhaps you and your father ate similar meals while on lunch or experienced the same stresses at work, causing your bodies to emit more carbon dioxide. The body can take up to 2 weeks to expel the waste products from poor digestion and excess hormones. After the body cleans itself out from those things, carbon output would be less, making you less noticable to pests.

Other than that, the only other possibility I can think of is that you both had an allergic reaction to something you handles on that got on you. Even if it;s something you've handled before, your body's reaction can change for exactly the same reasons I mentioned above.

Take care:)

But I'm glad they're gone!

I've had a similar condition for the past 8 summers. At first I thought it was mites from the bird's nest outside the bedroom window. So I eliminated that possibility, and have had no nest close by for at least 6 years. My wife had them, too. (Now deceased.) Never got a diagnosis. They're like large mosquito bites, all underneath clothing, and appear to happen when I'm in bed. No trace of anything, although if it's mites, they're so tiny it's hard to see them. I hate to replace my expensive latex mattress, but may have to. Those bites come only in the summer (Massachusetts). They often come two or three close together, and they itch like hell!

I've had the same problem. No bites for months or even a year, and then suddenly a cluster of them. And, yes, they do itch like hell. They often show up late afternoon or early evening, when I haven't been home all day, and they get bigger and itchier for about 3 years. I have 2 cats who NEVER go outside, but I've become so paranoid about this that I keep checking them for fleas. None! An RN that I work with said that she thinks that they might be hives due to an allergic reaction. Your guess is as good as mine. I, too, never see any bugs.

I am so glad to see that I am not the only one with this problem! I researched everything I could about bedbugs. I thought that must be what I had. However, I cannot find any evidence of them. Also, my husband hasn't had any bites at all. The bites are all in areas where my clothes are tight, underwear, bra, etc. I live in Texas so I thought of chiggers, but I don't know where they would have come from.

sounds like harvest mites to me, look it up on wikipedia

Glad I found this thread and that I am not alone (although I live alone). For me too, this is a summer only, under the clothing affliction and in past years has always been generally between the navel and knees although I presently have one cluster on a bicep. Seems like chigger larva or fleas and after reading all above I'm leaning toward chigger larvae, and thus no solution. I've had cats for years (mainly indoor but they do go out briefly under my watch) so I suppose it could be fleas.

I am in the united states army, I have the same problem. At first it was chiggers bitting my ankles but i have an invivisble bug that only bites inside of my shirt, and it is only in some of my clothes. I have washed it many times but it will not die, but there is a ring of bites around where my sleeve cuts off and then a straight line of bites down the side of my body. I cannot see a bite mark like a flea or anything else it just gets itchy and bigger then a normal bite.

Has anyone gotten any answers? I, too, have mysterious bites-- all around my underwear or bra lines or on my torso. I seem to wake up with them although I don't always notice them right away. They itch like crazy! I never see any evidence although I'm pretty sure it's a bite because there's a center 'puncture' mark. This is driving me crazy!

I have been getting these bites every year in August. At first I thought they were spider bites because of clusters. After searching the internet, not spiders. I go outside several times a day to feed the birds, and the ground is very sandy back there. However, I never see anything on me or feel myself getting bitten. I am right now tearing at myself because they itch so bad. The bites are mostly along where the elastic of my underwear is. Somebody, help!

Wow, I have been having exactly the same problem!
Those big 3 - 4 bites on a same area make me crazy itchy, and they always bite underwear or under the pjs only in summer. However, only I got bites in my family until yesterday - my 9 years daughter got the same bites underwear last night, and she almost cried for the crazy itchy.
I live in Massachusetts, and my husband grew up here but never got bites like me and daughter.
I really hope somebody will know about the bite.

Has anyone found out the culprit? I have been battling 1-3 bug bites at a time this summer. I wake up with an itchy bite...never more than 3. They are INTENSELY itchy for 2-3 days, but the bite does not go away for 2 weeks. The bites are always on my torso and under clothing. I never get them on exposed skin. Any ideas? It is driving me crazy. On a side note, my husband has not had one bite .

I had the same symptoms as a lot of you. Itchy bites, sometimes one, sometimes 2 or 3, mostly on covered areas. My husband never go bit. It turns out that some people are allergic to them and some not. I have the good luck to react like crazy.

We had our house checked by a trained dog, and yes we have bed bugs. We had the house heat treated, and I'm not sure whether it worked or not.

The original poster could have bed bugs in his clothes, but they are probably in the bed. It's a real nuisance and consumes your life getting rid of them.

Good luck to every one who has them

Hello Ritama,

Any update on whether the heat treatment worked?? I'm having a similar issue to many on here and had an inspector come check out the sleeping area...he said he doesn't believe we have bed bugs, but can't guarantee it. He mentioned the dog, but that alone is $375.00 and then the treatment is around $1000.00. I don't want to spend that kind of money if it's not going to work :/ Please let us know!!

We had the house treated, and the dog says we're bug free. I had a bite about a month and a half after the treatment, but we also had a mosquito in our bedroom at that point. The bite looked like a bed bug bite. To be sure we got a new bed bug proof cover for the mattress, washed or heat treated the bedding and night clothes, and sprayed our wooden platform bed with about a half quart of 91% alcohol. No bites for about 10 days, which is pretty good, but it's like waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Also please do not make the mistake of thinking that because you were sitting on the couch and a bite developed that the bugs are in that couch. They could have come from anywere. It takes about two days or more for bites to develop.

Has anyone figured out any answers? I have been getting bites on and off for years. Always thought they were spider bites. Had the bug guy out 3 times this fall. Got 17 bites in one week through my clothes while sitting on couch and in bed. My daughter gets them too, but my husband and sons do not. My bug guy said it wasn't spiders, bed bugs or fleas. He is baffled. My dermatologist said its bites and suggested mites. So we thourougly vacuumed the mattresses and couch. Bought mite protectors and pillows. Sprayed rubbing alcohol over everything after washing blankets in hot water. Then today while sitting in the freshly cleaned couch I got another bite! I may go crazy. I don't know what to do! Any suggestions?

bkent122, Don't go crazy according to online research you will have to repeat you cleaning regime a few times to rid yourself and home of mites. Keep fighting!
My problem is, I still don't know what's doing on with me. I too am the only one in my house being biten which makes family think it's in my head for some reason!
I have steamed entire bedroom top to ottom including all funiture, carpet and bed. Have spraed all kinds of things for bed bugs as it's the first thing that comes to mind when bitten in bed, have covered EVERYTHING in DF?bed bug dust and have not slept in bed in a week. This is insane the fear and discomfort.
Am expecting guests in next 2 weeks and the thought of them coming is stressful with all of this happening. If they were my family I would tell them now is not a good time, but they're husband's and remember he don't believe anything is happening except his wife going crazy!!

Yes everyone thought I was the crazy one too because out of the four of us, I was the only one. Fortunately, or unfortunately for me, I had a really dramatic reaction, with welts the size of nickel and a large red region around it. Once the dog confirmed the presence of bed bugs, nobody argued about doing something no matter how much it cost.

I would not let anyone into my house because if it is bed bugs, they don't want them. We actually bought a unit to heat the suitcases of everyone that visits. We do not want them to go through what we went through, and we don't want anyone bringing them into our house. My BIL visited a few weeks ago, and he stayed in a hotel before he come here. We heated his suitcase to 120 deg. for a few hours just to be sure he brought no additional visitors.

Clean again, but do not count on using pesticides. The bugs are now mostly resistant. You need to use heat or freezing. The heat needs to last for awhile so unless you steam so that it penetrates all the way, it's useless. Alcohol is good if you can actually get it into contact with the bugs and eggs.