Bedbug Bites or Mosquito Bites in Richmond?

A summer evening by the river, a window left open, and a morning with bites on the arms: most people would think of mosquitoes first. Sometimes that is right. The trouble is that bedbug bites can look almost identical, and the difference matters, because mosquito bites stop when the weather turns and bedbugs do not.

Timing

Mosquitoes bite whenever you are exposed: in the garden at dusk, on a walk, through an open window. You often feel it or hear the whine. Bedbugs bite while you are asleep or resting for a long time in one place, and you almost never feel it. If new bites appear in the morning, night after night, even with windows shut, that leans towards bedbugs.

Pattern and Place on the Body

Mosquito bites tend to be scattered, one here and one there, often on ankles, legs and anywhere left uncovered outdoors. Bedbug bites are more likely to be on skin that touches the mattress or sticks out from the covers: neck, shoulders, arms, hands, face. They sometimes run in a short line or a small group where the insect fed more than once. Those are tendencies, not rules; either insect can produce either pattern.

Season

Mosquitoes in this country are mostly a warm-weather nuisance and fade as it gets colder. Bedbugs live indoors in the warmth of a home, so their bites carry on through autumn and winter. Bites that start or continue in December are far less likely to be mosquitoes.

Why the Bite Alone Rarely Settles It

Reactions differ widely between people. Some come up in large welts, some in small red dots, and some show nothing at all, so in a shared bed one person can be covered while the other has no marks. Fleas, mites, other insects and several skin conditions produce similar marks too. That is why a photograph of a bite is not enough for us, or for anyone else, to give a firm answer.

The London guide to bedbugs or something else goes through the other causes. What does settle it is evidence in the bed itself:

• Small dark spots along the mattress seams and piping.
• Pale shed skins in the seams, the bed frame joints or behind the headboard.
• Rust-coloured smears on the sheet or pillowcase.
• A live insect, which you can seal in a bag or jar and keep for us.

If you find signs, or you keep getting bites with no explanation, an inspection starts from £120 and gives you an answer before you pay for any treatment. If bedbugs are confirmed, treatments start from £220; the Richmond page explains heat and chemical.

Looking After the Bites

Whatever caused them, try not to scratch, as broken skin can become infected. A pharmacist can suggest something for itching, and a GP is the right person if a reaction is large, spreading, painful or not settling. Call 999 for any signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face or throat or difficulty breathing.

Do not move to another bed to escape the bites if you suspect bedbugs; the insects tend to follow. And bites are only one sign; do bedbugs make noise covers other things people notice at night that turn out not to matter.

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