I just wanted post the facts. If anybody has any advise, please help. At this time we are willing to consider all the options:
When did this start:
* My wife started experiencing bites sitting on particular a sofa in the
family room. The family room is right next to the backyard. My wife started
complaining about this to me seriously may be between one and two months ago.
I am not sure about the timeline. But this is not issue in July for sure.
I originally discarded saying she could have just dry skin and just apply some
lotion. This is our TV watching sofa so we both usually hang out on this brown
sofa after kids go to bed. I could be getting bites too, but I am usually
oblivious to those kinds of things. So not so sure, whether I had any bites.
* It definitely got intense in the recent month since my wifes complaints got
more frequent and more serious. The I have started noticing that my daughter
has been getting bites too. I could see bumps on her skin looked mosquito bites
and some times multiples. The places are where ever she had exposed skin. Nose,
Neck, back of the ears, forehead, the hips and outer thighs when she is in
diapers.
* For my son, he gets red skin(exposed area) but usually no bumps. sometimes he
gets bumps as well, but not as much as my daughter.
* I started experiencing the pricks. Odd locations, like my palm of the foot and
hand. Also on the temple, stomach and back area, knees, shoulders, neck, elbow.
I also had this weird feeling that something crawling on the skin once in a
while. I got mosquito bite like bumps when I experienced the pricks on the side
of the body. These locations and symptoms hold good for my wife as well. But she
gets bumps easier than me.
* I have couple of other sofas in the living room. Initially sitting on them was ok
But we noticed we started getting bites on them as well.
* In the last two weeks this thing extended to our bedroom and the kids bedroom,
kids bathroom and the loft. It got more intense.
* All this activity started usually in the evening after 4pm and got intense
until late night. Early in the morning is usually good. Atleast it's not as bad
as the evening.
* Last week we stopped sitting on the sofas altogether and we still got the bites
in the evening when we sit stationery at some place, like before the computer or
reading a book, magazine.
* In the kids bedroom usually we sit on the ground to read books to the kids. We
start to get the bites after 10- 15 minutes.
* We never got any bites on the head. Though I have seen late last week both my kids
were scratching their heads on occassion. I have not seen that with me or my
wife.
* The furniture was all bought brand new by us and we had them for more than 5
years. Never experienced any problem like this before.
* Sometimes when we rub off the area of the bite, we saw one or two small black
specks( size of ground pepper flakes). I bought 3x magnifying glass, but it
was not enough. They seemed like something, but not sure. Sometimes they look
like red stuff with tentacles, some times they looked like stiny red stringy
or black stringy things. For all we know it could be just fuzz. Now, we are
waiting for the results from the Vector Control department. They gave us some
insect glue strips. I put them in the house at various places for three nights.
What have we done, so far:
1. We started vaccuming more often and when we got a chance. The vaccuming the
furniture was pain.
2. We called the pest control to check for bed bugs and fleas. Terminix and orkins,
both said, we dont have either bed bugs and ticks. Although they pointed we have
ants problem, some oriental cockroach( leaky water heater) problem and possible
mice problem( I caught a couple earlier in the year and have not seen since).
I checked mouse traps I left in the garage and behind the refrigirator. There are
no mice in those traps. I threw away the traps altogether.
3. Took my daughter to the doctor to ask what kind of bites are these. She told
my wife, initially those could be hives. But after my wife insisted about the
experience, she told us to call the County Vector Control.
4. Since Vector control was taking very long to come out. I have decided to fog.
That's when I started this post.
5. We fogged and stayed in the hotel tonights after. When we came back we were still
getting bites in all the places in the house. When we vaccumed, it felt like it
helped. We have been just vaccuming and laundering with Borox, ammonia and where
possible bleach.
The list of things that changed recently with the family and the house are:
1. My kids started preschool for the first time in September 1st week (both at the
same time and the same school)
2. There was a bushy vine on the common wall between my neighbors and backyard. It was
completely cut in September or beginning of October( cannot remember when exactly).
I have seen some small birds there on the bush many times.
3. I had a large peach bush. In the past one month (dont remember when), I cut all the
branches off after harvesting. There was a huge population of black ants. I have
the ants problem for a years. I usually have that under control, but could not
completely eliminate the ants. When we brought the fruit into the house(200 - 250
fruit) some ants and some fruit flies came in. But I took care of the flies and the
ants.
4. I have bought an used car in October from some private party and got the interior
steam cleaned a week after I bought. The guy I bought from is a software engineer
working for a well known company. I googled him before I bought. He is the second
owner and owned the car for four years.
5. We have very large park and a creek at the end of it. I have seen some rackoons
in the street before. Squirrels are very common in the area where my house is.
I have never seen either rackoons or squirrels go to or on any house in the
area.
6. We used to have pigeon problem, I put the spikes almost six years ago and I have
not seen pigeons going on my roof in the recent years. Although I have seen some
small birds in the backyard. My neighbors havee taken care of the bird problem
as well.
