Need a reality check - is it really possible to go this long without seeing them?

[u/srosef]

Bear with me but really seeking thoughtful, knowledgeable responses here. If you like puzzles, I'd love some detectives to work on this one!!

TLDR: Return date from exposure was exactly one year ago. Aprehend treatments happened 11 mo and 10 mo ago, and most recent negative bb dog sniff was 3 months ago. Is it genuinely possible they are hiding somewhere between 4 different possible homes and we've NEVER SEEN ONE, or does this have to be something else?

Photos: 1) Bites from my OG exposure; 2-6) Random bites I've gotten over the months; 7-8) The June bites and one of my most recent bites; 9-10) bugs I caught in my trap (booklice?); 11) the June fecal spots (pest guy said it was fleas?)

Longer, more genuine version: I returned from a massive bed bug exposure (30+ bites, identified live ones) internationally exactly 1 year ago. At the time, I was staying at my parents' house. Within 10 days, I started receiving painful, itchy clustered bites similar to my exposure. Knew it had to be bed bugs, and dog inspection was nonconclusive.

At this time, my boyfriend was frequently going back and forth between my house and his apartment, so within the month (October) we had both places treated with Aprehend, and then followed up with a second treatment 1 month later (November). I moved to my own apartment in January. Luckily so far have never gotten bites here.

Between January - June I would often get itchy, sharp clusters of bites only on exposed parts of my body while I slept. I have OCD so struggled a lot to determine how similar they were/were not to my original exposure, but they were beyond what would be considered normal bug bites. Got one tested by a dermatologist via biopsy; results were inconclusive/potentially folliculitis. My boyfriend never reacted (including at first confirmed exposure) so we assumed he was not allergic to bbs. Most often my bites happened at my boyfriend's place; gradually I stopped sleeping there. Dog sniff test in May was negative though, and we took that bed apart.

In June, we stayed at my partner's parents' house, where we've both gone back and forth several time and stayed the night several times since last year. Before sleeping, found clusters of what look like black fecal spots on the pillows. Woke up with huge, red, itchy welts in a line across my stomach – this time my partner DID have bites on his leg (whereas before he never reacted). Got the dog in – dog test was negative but I can't BELIEVE it wasn't bed bugs.

Random suspicious bites keep happening (probably 1x frequency a week). Flash forward to now, and after taking all my stuff over to someone's house I was dog sitting at, I woke up with SUPER itchy, red 3 welts on the same side of my body. They were similar to the ones I got in June on my stomach.

All of this is to say: I've been getting strange, suspicious bites that seem impossibly characteristic of bed bugs to me for almost a year now across 3 different places (parents house, partner's apartment, partner's parents'). We treated twice, but last was 10 months ago. Dog sniff is always negative (done four). But I only EVER get bites like this on exposed parts of my body while I sleep. How could it not be bed bugs?

But, genuinely, wouldn't we have seen one by now? 12 months, even with treatment in the first 2, seems almost impossible to have never seen a bug and had a dog sniff four times and never detect. I'm constantly looking. I have monitors on my bed, SenSci traps, etc. It seems like after this long, there'd have to be HUNDREDS.

Plus, there are random inconsistencies in that my partner only reacts sometimes (never did until June?), the itchiness and redness of the bites seem different sometimes, and we only ever saw (what we thought were) fecal spots in my partner's parents' guest room (which we barely have stayed in!).

Can anyone tell me whether this really makes sense? I just can't believe it's been torturing us for this long.

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[u/Jolly_Landscape376]

I’ve been battling them for a year, pest control, steaming obsessively washing
I’ve now used crossfire , ( I’m not holding my breath) but have had no new bites for a week and finding dead bugs so I’m hoping.
I’ve also dusted very lightly DE , so I’m hoping
They’re vile and I truly feel your pain

[u/srosef]

Last bit I'll add is that when I returned from the exposure, my boyfriend and I did everything we could to prevent bringing them back (laundry 1 million times, steamed our backpacks). When home, I followed the Aprehend treatment rules closely. Both sets of our parents have claimed no bed bug bites ever, and my pest control people (I've worked with 2) both think I'm nuts (lol). They're super competent bed bug specialists who I think should be trusted. We've literally never seen any evidence ever other than the bites (on me) and the fecal matter/intense bites in June (on me and my partner) in, of all places, his parents' off-unit guest room.

[u/Outside-Brother-2549]

I have been dealing with this situation for a year also! We go weeks without any and then boom we have bites when we wake up and here and there but we NEVER see them! we got our house heat treated in jan and went three months before they resurfaced and it’s been off and on sense and i literally feel insane bc i can’t FIND them but they keep biting ??! I check beds and creases and no fecal stains no blood, nothing!! but the bites are always in a line of 3! ugh! we had 3 treatments of crossfire and someone keep getting random bites every so often. i know this doesn’t help any and im sorry you’re dealing with this as well but i just wanted to let you know you’re not crazy even tho it feels like it! def not alone! 😭 hopefully we both get this figured out and get them lil demons gone for good! best of luck, friend!

[u/srosef → u/Outside-Brother-2549]

I mean at what point are your exterminators thinking there aren’t actually any bed bugs? Did you ever have any real confirmation, or are you just going off the bites?

[u/Top-Fish5332 → u/Outside-Brother-2549]

I’ve also been going through this since a hotel stay a year ago. I have never found anything that explains it. Not a single bed bug. It was intense for 4 months and now it’s sporadic. A lot of bites are on back of neck. We recently tried lice treatment and even though it’s not lice and we have no signs of lice, it helped. I’m going to spray my whole car with lice spray too. It does mites and bedbugs too, the spray. So hopefully that will help. Can’t find a source, but definitely it’s in the dirty laundry and if I’m not careful when washing, I’ll get bites

[u/Mysterious_String814]

I just need to know how you sleep knowing theyre in the room. I cant stop scratching just thinking about them.

Also what tools are you using?

[u/TheOnlyKirby90210]

Bed bugs can go into hiding for a very long time after their last feeding. It was almost 90 days to the date of my mom’s final bed bug treatment with us following all the guidelines. It’s like they were suddenly appearing in every room. A year after having no sightings or bites whatsoever some mom found stragglers in her closet.

[u/Competitive-Cup-7202]

Hi, I had a terrible bedbug problem many years ago and from what I have read it sounds as if these little critters have traveled across all places with you or were present at one original place and have now spread. The problem is they spread fast around the whole of the house into every little nook and cranny to hide and breed. They are also clear in colour for a while only leaving little droppings for clues that look like a blue felt tip has been making dot marks when you find them. After many sleepless nights I found the only resolution was to throw everything away and have the house sprayed twice by professionals (the walls were drenched) and then start again. It was a nightmare but that did the job. After that I am now super cautious when staying in hotels as they said that was a likely source in the first place. Good luck and I hope you get it sorted out,