If you're being bitten at home in Montana, the first step is working out what's doing it, because fleas, bed bugs, bird mites and mosquitoes all need different treatments. We look at where and when the bites happen, inspect the likely hiding places, confirm the cause and then treat it properly. Guessing and spraying usually wastes time and money.
Reading the bites
Bites alone can't confirm a cause, and people react differently. But the pattern, timing and location give strong clues:
- Around ankles and lower legs, worse after walking through the lounge or garden: often fleas, especially in homes with pets.
- In lines or clusters on arms, shoulders and neck, noticed in the morning: often bed bugs.
- At night, with a crawling feeling, after birds nested in or under the roof: often bird mites.
- On exposed skin in the evening, especially near the patio or open windows in summer: mosquitoes.
Why Montana homes see a mix of biters
Montana's mix of newer homes, complexes and estates close to open veld brings each of these biters in a different way. Many households have dogs that are walked on common grass and veld, bringing fleas home. People move in and out of complexes and rentals regularly, and furniture moves with them, which gives bed bugs a chance to arrive. Newer roofs with gaps under tiles, and solar panels, are popular with pigeons and mynas, whose nests carry bird mites. And hot, wet summers with plenty of standing water after storms bring mosquitoes.
The four usual culprits
Fleas
Small, dark, jumping insects that live on pets but spend most of their life cycle in carpets, pet beds and shaded soil. See our Montana flea control.
Bed bugs
Flat, reddish-brown insects that hide in mattress seams, bed bases and headboards and feed at night. They arrive in luggage and second-hand furniture. Read bed bug treatment in Montana.
Bird mites
Tiny mites from bird nests that move into the house when the birds leave or a nest is removed. See bird mite control in Montana.
Mosquitoes
Summer evening biters breeding in standing water around the garden.
How we find and treat the cause
We start by asking you a few questions: where the bites are, when you notice them, whether you have pets, whether you've travelled or bought second-hand furniture, and whether there's been bird activity in the roof. Then we inspect: mattresses and bed frames, pet sleeping areas, carpets, the roof space or nest sites, and the garden for standing water. Once we've confirmed the cause, we treat it with the right method: residual treatment of carpets and pet areas for fleas, a detailed bed and room treatment for bed bugs, nest treatment and room treatment for bird mites, and resting-site treatment for mosquitoes.
You won't need to move out for any of these. Let treated areas dry before children and pets go back onto them.
What people get wrong
Spraying the bedroom with a shop insecticide before knowing what the biter is. If it's bird mites, the source in the roof stays active. If it's fleas, the main population is in the lounge carpet and the garden. If it's bed bugs, the spray won't reach the eggs in the bed frame. Another mistake is assuming bites must be from the house. Sometimes they're from somewhere else entirely, like work, school or a car.
A local tip
Before you call, do a quick check. Run a torch and a credit card along the mattress seams and the headboard. Look at your dog's belly and the base of the tail for flea dirt. Look up at the roof and solar panels for birds. And walk the garden for standing water. Even if you don't find the answer, you'll help us find it faster.
What does it cost?
It depends on what the biter is and how established the problem has become. A flea treatment in a small townhouse is fairly simple. Bed bugs need detailed work and follow-up visits. Bird mites depend on how easy the nest site is to reach. If the bites turn out to be mosquitoes, removing standing water may be all that's needed, and we'll tell you so.
For more detail, see biting insect control in Pretoria, and we also treat biting insects in Lynnwood.
We're SAPCA registered with 25 years behind us, and our 3-month guarantee means that if the biting starts again within three months of treatment, we come back. Call 012 012 5526, or WhatsApp us a photo of the bites and anything you've found.
Questions we get asked
Can you tell what's biting me from a photo of the bites?
Sometimes, but not reliably. The pattern helps, but we usually need to inspect the likely hiding places to confirm.
Why am I the only one in the house getting bitten?
People react differently. Others may be bitten too but show no marks, so don't rule out an infestation.
Could the bites be from something other than insects?
Yes. Skin conditions and allergies can look like bites. If we find no evidence of insects, see your doctor.
Do bird mites and bed bugs look the same?
No. Bird mites are tiny, barely visible specks. Bed bugs are flat, oval and about the size of an apple seed.
Will one treatment stop the bites?
For fleas and bird mites, often yes, once the source is dealt with. Bed bugs usually need a follow-up visit.