Tiny Black Bugs? - Ask Extension
Greetings from Minnetonka,
I have tiny black bugs in my sheets at an increasing rate for the past 10 days - always there in the morning, not before I...
Knowledgebase
Tiny Black Bugs? #642583
Asked May 28, 2020, 4:31 PM EDT
Greetings from Minnetonka,
I have tiny black bugs in my sheets at an increasing rate for the past 10 days - always there in the morning, not before I go to bed as far as I can tell. Additionally, I have found these on my skin, like behind my ears. I think they bite me too. I never see them move and don't know if they fly. I took a photo of these bugs, but believe I mangle them when I pick them up as that are very fragile (no hard shell that I can detect). They do not smear - I can roll them between my fingers.
Not sure how to get rid of them.
Could you attempt an identification and subsequent plan of action?
Thanks so much!!! Going crazy!!!
Patrick C
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Hi Patrick, sorry to hear about your problem. I’d probably be going crazy too.
These look like droppings to me, although I can’t tell what exactly is leaving the droppings. My first thoughts judging by the fact that you’re only finding these in bed in the morning is it could be bed bugs or lice. Or fleas if you have pets. Less likely, but still possible, some sort of roach. Bed bugs and roaches tend to come out at night which would explain why you’re seeing it in the morning and not before bed. And if you’re only in bed at night, that might line up the timing for lice or fleas too. Although aside from roaches, most of these pests leave droppings that smear pretty easily.
You could do some investigative work if you haven’t already—examine your hair (and your pet’s fur around the neck if you have one) with a fine-tooth comb. Check the seams of your bed/bedding at night with a flashlight to see if you spot any bedbugs. Check to see if there are any cracks or openings in the walls in your room which could be a hiding spot for roaches. And check the rest of the house too to see if you find these droppings anywhere else, it may give you a better idea as to what it is. If you don’t find anything conclusive and you continue to see more and more of these droppings, you likely have some sort of infestation on your hands and will want to hire an exterminator to come in and take a look ASAP.
Hope it all works out. Let us know what you find or if you have any more questions.
These look like droppings to me, although I can’t tell what exactly is leaving the droppings. My first thoughts judging by the fact that you’re only finding these in bed in the morning is it could be bed bugs or lice. Or fleas if you have pets. Less likely, but still possible, some sort of roach. Bed bugs and roaches tend to come out at night which would explain why you’re seeing it in the morning and not before bed. And if you’re only in bed at night, that might line up the timing for lice or fleas too. Although aside from roaches, most of these pests leave droppings that smear pretty easily.
You could do some investigative work if you haven’t already—examine your hair (and your pet’s fur around the neck if you have one) with a fine-tooth comb. Check the seams of your bed/bedding at night with a flashlight to see if you spot any bedbugs. Check to see if there are any cracks or openings in the walls in your room which could be a hiding spot for roaches. And check the rest of the house too to see if you find these droppings anywhere else, it may give you a better idea as to what it is. If you don’t find anything conclusive and you continue to see more and more of these droppings, you likely have some sort of infestation on your hands and will want to hire an exterminator to come in and take a look ASAP.
Hope it all works out. Let us know what you find or if you have any more questions.
