Anonymous wrote:Some pest control companies have bed bug dogs that can inspect. We had one come years ago, and it was really cool to watch this little terrier work. I cannot remember the company.

American Pest uses a bed bug dog. I'm sure other do as well. But I agree with others that this does not sound like how you would encounter a bed bug.

Some pest control companies have bed bug dogs that can inspect. We had one come years ago, and it was really cool to watch this little terrier work. I cannot remember the company.

We had 2 different pest companies come inspect for bedbugs after one of my kids developed a nighttime torso rash, and by their own admission neither could tell bedbug vs carpet beetle. (we wound up not having bedbugs, we did have a few carpet beetles, but neither was the source of my son’s rash in any case!)

Anonymous wrote:Could it be a carpet beetle?

This. It's possible it was a carpet beetle.

Could it be a carpet beetle?

Anonymous wrote:It could have been a tick.

Ah man, I found a possible tick crawling on me hours after a walk the other day and just googled "tick vs bedbug"...actually relieved it was most likely a tick.

Anonymous wrote:It could have been a tick.

It definitely wasn’t. I should have mentioned in my OP that I took a macro photo of the thing and it is definitely a bed bug or close relative.

It could have been a tick.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The most likely scenario is that it was never a bedbug to begin with. There are so many tiny black bugs available to choose from. Why assume it's a bedbug?

I took a close up picture of it and used Google Lens, which agreed. It is either a bed bug or a close relative, for sure.

Google lens is not always accurate. This weather will drive all sorts of insects toward your cool, comfortable house so you're going to start finding random creatures near your entryways. Just squish them as needed and stop using google lens on every bug.

I took a macro picture of it and it’s identical to a bed bug, but also bat bugs and swallow bugs and some other type of bird bug.

But in the rare chance it was a bed bug, I’d love help knowing what to look out for in the coming days/weeks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The most likely scenario is that it was never a bedbug to begin with. There are so many tiny black bugs available to choose from. Why assume it's a bedbug?

I took a close up picture of it and used Google Lens, which agreed. It is either a bed bug or a close relative, for sure.

Google lens is not always accurate. This weather will drive all sorts of insects toward your cool, comfortable house so you're going to start finding random creatures near your entryways. Just squish them as needed and stop using google lens on every bug.

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure that was a bed bug? It doesn’t sound like one

That’s what I thought too, which is why it was odd to see it on the floor in the mudroom and assume it must have fallen off the package. It could also be a “bat bug”, but we don’t have bats, that I’m aware of.

The picture I took, it’s so clearly a bed bug or a close relative.

Anonymous wrote:The most likely scenario is that it was never a bedbug to begin with. There are so many tiny black bugs available to choose from. Why assume it's a bedbug?

I took a close up picture of it and used Google Lens, which agreed. It is either a bed bug or a close relative, for sure.

Are you sure that was a bed bug? It doesn’t sound like one

The most likely scenario is that it was never a bedbug to begin with. There are so many tiny black bugs available to choose from. Why assume it's a bedbug?

Two days ago, I randomly stopped home around noon and saw a bug not moving in our mudroom. I picked it up, realized what it was, and squished it. There was no blood, just tan bug guts.

Later that night we fully inspected everything: beds, around beds, couches, chairs—pretty much all fabrics. If it hadn’t been for me coming home, we’d have no idea. We’ve not been bitten, have no blood in the sheets, no signs of eggs, no discarded molts, no poop. Just this one random bug.

Earlier that morning I HAD recieved an Amazon package that was delivered by a person in a personal vehicle. I brought it in and quickly tore the box down to take out to the curb since it was garbage day. The thing we ordered was in a cardboard package, and I’ve inspected it thoroughly for eggs or anything else.

Could it have been a random hitchhiker?

So, what now? What should I be looking out for in the following days? For the past two mornings I’ve stripped sheets to look for blood and have found nothing. I keep checking crevices and things and see nothing. No bites. No sign of anything had I not stumbled upon that single bug. Any and all advice as we wait and see, please!