ext. for pests bothering kids at night besides bed bugs?

Our new apartment was fairly dusty when we moved in and our 4 year old seemed to be getting bites of some sort at night (they have lessened since moving the bed to living room). After talking with a few bed bug people it seems that there may be carpet beetles and/or fleas causing the problem, but probably not bed bugs. Before committing to treating for bed bugs, it seems a good idea to check out these other possibilities. If you are a tenant or homeowner who has dealt with this (and you don’t have any affiliation within this industry), any reccomendaitons for a good exterminator who can distinguish between various pests that would bother kids at night? The grownups aren’t having this problem. Thanks in advance. Lee

imini

in Exterminator 12 years and 7 months ago

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imini | 12 years and 7 months ago

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Thanks – still not sure who the pest is but clearly there are lots of possibilities besides bed bugs. From what I understand, carpet beetles don’t bite but cause allergic reaction that can manifest like mosquito bites, and are noctural like bed bugs. My guess is that it isn’t just mosquitos. Maybe fleas, but there weren’t any animals in the apartment and don’t seem to be in neighboring apartments, or dust mites. Going to try diamataceous earth, caulking, obsessive vacuuming, and other stuff before more toxic or drasatic measures. It does seem that with climate change and very mild winters the bug-human dynamic is changing.

brokedown | 12 years and 7 months ago

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Green Apple Pest!  http://www.yelp.com/biz/green-apple-pest-management-solutions-brooklyn They’re totally reliable, and they guarantee their work. They’re also easy to work with. (I’m not in the industry; they cured us of carpenter ants last summer.)

Amym718 | 12 years and 7 months ago

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Could they be mosquitoes? Our pediatricians have confirmed several times over many years that they can be attracted to 1 individual in a household–even in the same bed. And they definitely hang around until a good killing frost and come in when the nights start to cool off.

daveinbedstuy | 12 years and 7 months ago

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Flea bites occur as a pattern of 3,4,5, 6-8 of them in a row, close together.

shirleys | 12 years and 7 months ago

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When I first moved into my home I was bitten by spiders.  I instantly had a reaction and it took days before the swelling went down. Every year about this time I have to spray the exterior and interior of my home with Ortho Max Defense bug spray.

elbow | 12 years and 7 months ago

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i don’t have an exterminator to recommend, but maybe this will help. I kept getting bit by something at our weekend place and i couldn’t figure out what it was. I finally found the source – some rain-sodden potted plants. There was some kind of fly or aphid that eventually laid some visible eggs on the leaves and stems. I got bit while pulling off the eggs and throwing them into the ocean. The bites didn’t swell as much as mosquito bites, but tending to itch again a day or two later. Highly annoying.

boredatwork | 12 years and 7 months ago

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Hi We dealt with a large infestation of carpet beetles (identified by an exterminator).  From our experience, they do not bite human adults or chilldren, but feast on wool clothing and carpeting.  You can usually identify them by dark spots on carpets or small holes in wool clothing.  We used Essential Pest Control (718) 768-4960, who have been helpful with other infestations as well.  But for carpet beetles, constant vacuuming and washing and dry cleaning seemed to be the most effective.