Help...I am being bitten

Q: I am getting bitten by something and I think it is happening inside my house. I get these welts and they itch. I don't have pets so it is not fleas. I feel like I am going crazy.

Do you have any idea what it could be?
A: It is very possible that you have bed bugs. Bed bugs are bloodsucking insects in the family Cimicidae. Both adults and nymphs feed on humans mostly at night and people are not aware they have been bitten until afterward when welts may appear.
Distinguishing bed bug bites from the bites of mosquitoes, fleas, and spiders is difficult. The only way you really can confirm bed bugs are the cause is to find the bugs in your bed or bedroom.
During the day they hide in crevices. More than 85 percent of bed bugs are found in or near the bed, so inspections for infestations should focus on the mattress, including the seams, box springs, frame and headboard areas.
Other hiding places include under loose wallpaper, behind picture frames, and inside furniture and upholstery.
The eggs are white and very small and will require magnification to see. Once the eggs hatch they go through five progressively larger nymphal stages before reaching adulthood.
Adult are oval, wingless, about a fifth of an inch long, and rusty red or mahogany colored. They look very similar to an apple seed. They leave unsightly, roughly round fecal spots on bed sheets and around their hiding places.
The fecal spots can be

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very small and because they feed on blood, they are darkish red in color.Incidences of bed bugs have increased exponentially in recent years and can now be found in even the finest hotels and living accommodations. The reasons for the resurgence are not totally understood but appear to involve increased human travel, ease of movement of infested luggage and furniture, and changes in the pesticides available to control this pest.
Managing a bed bug infestation is a difficult task and may require hiring a professional pest control company. When you contact a pest control company be sure to ask them their experience and process specific to bed bugs.
The University of California has two publications that you probably would find helpful in managing an infestation. They are free and you can download them from the UC IPM website.

Bed Bugs, http://ipm.ucdavis.edu/PDF/PESTNOTES/pnbedbugs.pdf.

Hiring a Pest Control Company, http://ipm.ucdavis.edu/PDF/PESTNOTES/pnhirepestcontrol.pdf.

In addition, you can find bed bug information on the Contra Costa Health Department website http://cchealth.org/topics/bed_bugs/.If you are living in a multiple unit housing situation then bed bug management becomes complex because the situation might require inspection and treatment of neighboring units to assure the infestation is eliminated.
If you own a townhouse or condominium you should inform the owners of the adjoining units so they can be part of the inspection and treatment process.
If you rent an apartment, townhouse, or condominium the property owner/manger has the responsibility to maintain the unit and you will need to report the situation to them. If the latter is your situation and you want more information on your rights and how to proceed, the Contra Costa County Health Department will be having a public meeting on bed bugs, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 28, at Meadow Homes Elementary School, multipurpose room, 1371 Detroit Ave., Concord.
The focus of the meeting will be to discuss bed bug identification and management techniques; discuss tenant's legal rights and property owner/manager responsibilities; and provide a forum for the public to share their experiences living with bed bugs so the county can determine how to better assist the community.

Emma Connery is the Contra Costa Master Gardener Program Coordinator. The UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Help Desk is staffed 9 a.m.-noon, Monday-Thursday, 925-646-6586, mgcontracosta@ucdavis.edu.