Bugs in the towel? Bites that look like Mosquito bites or hives?

[Henley0]

Hi all,

I've been hosting for 3 years now and keep all my rooms really clean, but a current guest of mine who has been staying for a week now reported to me last night that she received a few bites while in the room she's staying in. The bites look like mosquito bites or hives, not bed bugs so I felt a bit reassured that this may go away after she clean the towels and sheets. Today, she updated me that she found the bug and sent me this picture:

Does anyone know what that is?

Please advise if anyone has experience with this. To be honest, this is quite stressful thinking about the worse case (whether guest will sue me, future of reservations, and the guests in the 3 other bedrooms that are in the same house).

Providing a refund for her remaining stays is something I don't mind at all. I'm also planning to be transparent and to share that there may be some sort of bug with the other guests in the same house. 

I also came across this thread that seems to talk about bed bug scams though I don't feel like the guest has been pushy about things, but rather concerned about her bites and contaminating her belongings.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Bed-Bug-Scam/m-p/1320587#M286119

[Helen3]

Having bed bugs doesn't relate to how clean you keep your place @Henley0 

if you think you have bed bugs get an expert to come and check.

have a look at Airbnbs policy on insect infestations  you will need to get your place fumigated and allow at least two weeks between guests .

you can't have other guests continue to stay if you have bed bugs 

do you have any reason to think she's scamming you ? 

[Henley0]

Thanks Helen. That's good information.

I don't have any reason to think she's scamming me other than paranoia. 

[Colleen253]

@Henley0 Presumably, the guest wishes to check out since she’s uncomfortable. I would strongly suggest you encourage that along. If she digs in her heels and wants to stay, with refund, she’s very likely scamming you. Advance her checkout date and offer to refund her unstayed nights or her entire stay if you like. The thing you want to prevent at all costs is the guest going to Airbnb and mentioning the word ‘bug’. They will immediately suspend all your listings and require you to have pest control services in. 

Take care of the issue with the guest first, then assess the rest of it later. If the other guests haven’t complained of bugs, this could be a scam, or an isolated incident. By the way, that bug does not look like a bed bug. 

[Henley0]

Thanks Colleen. Unfortunately, she's already contacted Airbnb support even though I've offered a refund for unstayed nights. She didn't stay in the room last night but left her belongings there since she doesn't want to bring the bugs with her just in case.

The bug seems to be a flea suggested by users in another forum.

[Colleen253]

Oh dear @Henley0. What is she requesting through Airbnb? Have you had communication from Airbnb? Your listings appear active as of right now, so that’s good, but brace yourself. 

[Henley0]

Thanks Colleen. Your responses have been really helpful. I have an update which will be useful for any hosts experiencing this in the future. 

After the guest reached out to Airbnb, they called me and asked if I wanted to provide any sort of refund. I told them the same thing I told her which is give her a refund for all unstayed nights. They also told me that my listings are good because the guest explained to them that she could only find one bug and they confirmed that the one bug she found is definitely not a bed bug. They said my place is definitely infested so all I need to do is do a clean and I'm good to go. 

I hired a pest inspector anyways and he looks around and couldn't find any flea or other pests. I asked him to insecticide the room anyways and he offered to also do the surrounding of the home. He said since the picture shows only one flea, she likely brought it in herself as fleas are easy to pick up just by walking outside even without pets. 

So the guest gets her refund and I offer to do additional inspections by using flea traps just to be extra safe. We are waiting for those results now before she comes to pick up her belongings. Unfortunately, she decided to write a nasty 1 star review for me. :frowning_face: 

[Colleen253]

@Henley0 You got very lucky with the right CS rep. They normally wouldn't react that mildly to any sort of vermin complaint.

[Sarah977]

@Henley0  It's hard to tell as the photo gets fuzzy when I try to enlarge it, but that insect looks like it has antennae. In which case, it isn't a flea. It actually looks like a baby cockroach. But as far as I know, cockroaches don't bite.

[Brian2169]

@Henley0 

https://www.fleabites.net/

[Sammy-L-0]

Do you allow pets? Someone might have brought fleas in.

[Henley0]

I don't allow pets. To my knowledge, there were no pets in the entire home. I look at my ring doorbell frequently, but there's a small possibility someone snuck a pet in. 

[Laura2592]

@Henley0 we have a condo in New Orleans that we use only ourselves (not on Airbnb). I visited in September after the hurricane and my legs were ridiculously covered with bites. I was CONVINCED we had bed bugs as I had welts everywhere so I was panicking. This place had been vacant for 2 years and all bedding and furnishings were brand new (we purchased the place in April) so I thought I had somehow contaminated it. I was so miserable with bites that I had to take Benadryl. 

Turns out, because of the trash piling up after the hurricane the fleas and mosquitoes were insane. Every time I walked out of the house I got eaten alive. I had attended a party on a friend's porch with one leg facing the street as I leaned on the railing and chatted. That leg was covered in all exposed areas with gross welty bites the next morning. I had pest control come to my place to remove the "bedbugs" to inform me that the real issue was leaving the house, not being in it. 

I would suggest getting a pro out to do an assessment. Tell  your guest you are calling Airbnb to find her a different place to stay. There is really no other way to satisfy this issue. 

[Henley0]

Thanks for the info! Your story aligns with what the inspector told me. Even when there isn't a hurricane, fleas can be caught just by walking outside! You can be unlucky! He suspects that the guest caught it since it was only one. When there's a flea infestation, it's very apparent and you can see it.

[Brian2169]

@Henley0 @Sarah977 @Laura2592 

At first glance I thought "immature roach" but after enlargement and enhancement what I thought were antennae looked more like long hind legs similar to a cricket -- or flea.

Fleas are ubiquitous. All animals host them. As far as I know they can't live on human blood but they don't know that and they will try.

I'm sure that I have been bitten by fleas because I live and work with animals, but I don't react to the bites so I don't know.

Other people are not so fortunate.

There is also no evidence that the bug in the picture is responsible for the guest's complaint.

My best guess would be something picked up outside, such as chiggers. Or fleas.

Incidentally, witch hazel, Tiger Balm, "ChiggerRid" and other proprietary substances are effective for relieving the itchiest. Ask at the nearest pharmacy.