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“I’m being bitten all over!”

“What are these red spots on my skin!”

“I feel them crawling into my eyes!”

It was my first client of the day..8 am Wednesday and STILL RAINING 8 days straight.

My client displayed her left inner arm toward me, revealing hundreds of red dots like pin-pricks all over the skin.

She had tried everything..Aerogard, Rid, changing to unperfumed soap, incense, olive oil, pyrethrum sprays. In desperation, she had even heeded the doctor’s advice. She now bunked at her parent’s backyard caravan, the only way a good night’s sleep was possible.

“Am I going crazy?” She was barely whispering.And that’s when I discovered the cause.

I had been there before.

She and myself had been in this conversation for about 10 minutes, both standing beside the kitchen bench. The itching was now spreading above my knees.”GOTCHA” I quietly announced.”What do you mean?” she asked defensively.

Then I HAD to start scratching my stomach..they were all over me too!!

Paper lice (book lice) are often, as this case turned out to be, the culprit. You can’t see them but you can sure feel them! Places like office stationery archive rooms, paper files, carpeted areas covered by furniture and even second-hand book stores and furniture items are often infested by this invisible little icher.So, having identified the cause as being a UNIDENTIFIED BITING INSECT or “UBI” a successful treatment can be undertaken.

In the old days I would fog the house or even fumigate the house with dichlorvos (DDVP). Since, however, withdrawal of the product by legislation for that type of use about 18 months ago, I have changed tactics.

In this case, I treated the house with a Synthetic Pyrethroid misting, and after re-ventilating the house after 3 days vacant, my client moved back in. The result?

MAJIC

My point is this…Unidentified biting insects need proper identification and, often, a qualified Pest Management Technician is a good first point of call. More later..