How Do I Find Out What Bug Is Biting Me At Night?

Could house spiders be behind the bite?

We have several house-infesting spiders. These eight-legged pests are predators. When they enter your home, they may accidentally bite you if startled. The result of a spider bite varies by spider. Here are a few facts:

• All spiders have venom, but most do not have venom potent enough to impact human health.
• Most spider bites result in a red, itchy welt.
• Some spider bites have an ulcer at the center of the wound.
• Certain spiders, such as brown recluse spiders, have potent venom that can cause flu-like symptoms or necrosis.

If you wake up with one bite on your skin, it could be a spider bite. Spiders are nocturnal creatures that roam through structures, searching for prey during the night. While not prone to biting people, it does happen from time to time. 

The anatomy of a flea bite

If you wake up with more than one bite, you may have fleas, particularly if you have a dog or a cat. Fleas are often more active at night and can establish themselves in beds, couches, chairs, and other furniture. You can get bites from these insects during the day, but your initial bites will likely occur at night. Here are a few facts to help you identify flea bites:

• Flea bites are incredibly itchy and are likely to be inflamed.\
• Several fleas will likely bite you, leaving a random bite wound pattern.
• If your pet sleeps on or next to your bed, you can get flea bites while sleeping in your bed.
• You can get flea bites when sitting on the couch if your pet gets on the couch.

Use these facts to help you determine whether you have a flea problem. You can also use a flea comb to check your cat or dog for added proof of a flea infestation.

What about bed bugs?

You may have bed bugs if you wake up with lots of bites. These biting pests are notorious for biting their victims at night. Moreover, they don’t just bite once, but usually a few times. For this reason, you only need a few of these pests to leave a lot of bites on your skin. Here are a few facts you should know:

• A bed bug feeds in three spots close to each other. As it bites and crawls, it may create three bites in a line or zig-zag path.
• Bed bugs often feed together in one spot. When each bug follows the pattern above, you can see a path of bug bites on your body.
• Bed bug bites will vary in intensity depending on your skin type, age, and how many times you’ve been bit. You may see hardly any sign of bites or have lots of bumps with an extensive rash.

If you think you have bed bug bites, you can inspect your bed, particularly your mattress seams, upholstered furniture, or wooden furniture, to find evidence. Look for tiny nymphs, white eggs, shed skins, black excrement, or brown stains.

Mosquito bites can sneak up on you

It is possible to wake up with itchy mosquito bites and think that something bit you in the night. But consider that a mosquito bite can take hours to itch. If you find bites on your skin and think you might have gotten bites outdoors, you might have mosquito bites. Since mosquitoes bite once, the bites will appear randomly on the skin rather than looking like a path of bites.

How to eliminate spiders (if they’re the culprit)

What can you do about spiders? You can take steps to drive them out and keep them out. Here are a few quick tips:

• Remove indoor and outdoor webs.
• Clear out cluttered spaces indoors to remove hiding places.
• Address indoor fly issues to remove the food source.
• Use a caulking gun to seal gaps.
• Remove exterior habitats near your home, such as stacked branches or construction materials.

Of course, if you have spiders in residence, it may be because you have other bugs around. Consider signing up for year-round home pest control services with Greenway Pest Solutions to eliminate spiders and the bugs they eat.

Flea control for New Mexico homeowners

A big reason homes get fleas is the fact that dogs and cats bring them in from outdoors. There are steps you can take to reduce fleas in your yard.

• Deter rodents by removing yard clutter that rodents hide in.
• Trim vegetation to reduce hiding places.
• Clean trash receptacles and keep them covered.
• Remove bird feeders—or simply place them far from the house.
• Treat your pets under the direction of your vet.
• Vacuum carpets regularly.
• Clean pet beds and your bedding if your pet sleeps on your bed.

Contact Greenway Pest Solutions for professional flea control and relief from an active flea infestation. Available for homeowners in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and throughout our New Mexico service area, our flea control services include:

• A comprehensive inspection.
• Exterior flea control.
• Interior flea control, if necessary.
• Installation of exterior flea bait stations.

Moreover, our flea control service targets fleas and another biting pest – ticks! That’s right; this service also eliminates ticks in your yard and includes the option of setting up tick tubes and tick bait stations. 

Bed bug control

Preventing bed bugs isn’t as cut and dry as keeping other pests out. That’s because they don’t crawl in from outside. Instead, they are introduced by belongings, secondhand furniture, and even people. Once they get in, they won’t go away without assistance.

At Greenway Pest Solutions, we offer comprehensive bed bug control that eliminates adult bed bugs, nymphs, and eggs. Contact us at the first sign of bed bugs!

Take the bite out of mosquitoes

Are you getting mosquito bites in your yard? Greenway Pest Solutions offers seasonal mosquito control to keep these pests from breeding and living on your property. We use a mixture of inspections, fogging, and mosquito trapping stations to get the best results possible.

Contact us to schedule an initial mosquito inspection or a free quote to get started. Your Greenway Pest Solutions service team looks forward to helping you prevent mosquito bites.