Are bedbugs seasonal? and other questions…?

Question by J M:
Are bedbugs seasonal? and other questions…?

Wow. I am going nutty here. I hope someone can help me please!! Here’s my story:
I have had this used (from a friend) mattress/bed for about 3.5 years now. I’ve had lots of bites occasionally over this time in the summer. When I checked the mattress early on I saw nothing. My two roommates don’t get bitten while they sleep. Last night I looked on the seam of the bed to find what appeared to be dried blood clumps. I thought. I could swear that was similar to something I had seen when freaking myself out online at work today. I am sitting across from my bed freaking out with my mom on the phone all evening. THEN I SEE A FREAKING BUG!!!! It was a small (but not TINY) black bug. I immediately thought for sure it was a bed bug. I tossed it in the toilet and continued my panic. The more I see pics online though, the more I think that this is NOT a bed bug. It does not seem to be the right color at all. I captured it from the clean toilet water and have it in a container now since I could not get a good picture of it to post. I continued scouring pics searching for whatever I had seen that looked like what I see on my mattress. I was TERRIFIED to look anywhere else on this mattress. Just a little bit ago I took a pin and scraped at this “dried blood” and notice that…umm…it looks like…umm…fur….from my cats. Weird thing is, it entirely looked brownish red…like dried blood might. Neither of our cats are this color.

1. Do bed bugs take the winters off?? (I only get bit in the summer…and only sometimes) Are bedbugs seasonal in any way?
2. Could a bed bug be black?
3. I was under the impression that this dried blood stuff could be their feces stuff…since that is what they eat…but all I can find now online are pics that show black stuff and the actual bugs, or a flat out blood stain, like…probably directly from the human upon the moment of suckage.
4. Do bed bugs like to bite your face? Someone suggested, if these were bedbug bites…why wouldn’t they bite my legs or arms or body that is under the blankets closest to them…why my face? They think this means it had to have been some other type of bug.
5. Would my cat be showing any signs of trouble with bed bugs? Mine sure isn’t.
and of course…back to the main question:
Does anyone think this is bedbugs?
Thanks for answering. My cat isn’t scratching at all though. My bites are not around my ankles, they have been on my face lately, with some on arms and legs. I wish I knew what this was!!!
Thank you SO much for your time and comments. I am thinking it isn’t bedbugs, which is awesome, but I can’t imagine it is fleas if my cat is not scratching at all. Oye. Who knows. Thank you again though!!!!

Best answer:

Answer by Surfergirl
I think its fleas from your cat, they come out when its warm & your cat scrathches them off onto your bed & they do leave dried blood. Fleas do live OFF the body. Get some flea stuff for the cat & see if it helps.

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Tagged as: bed bugs, bedbugs, cat, face, questions..., seasonal, toilet water

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