Bedbug Attack Strategy
With credit and thanks to one of the members of the Bedbug Support Group, I am reposting this list of suggestions for fighting bedbugs.
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1) As soon as you discover the problem, gather up everything that is washable in the room, put it in tightly sealed garbage bags, and wash it on the hottest setting followed by an hour in the dryer. It's important to seal it up so that the bugs don't jump off on the way to the washer and infest new areas. For things that can't be washed, I have had good luck so far with a clothing steamer—buying a $60 steamer at K-Mart can be cheaper in the long run than dry cleaning. I don't think a steamer really works, though, for upholstered items, just things that can be steamed through. Once you have done this, keep the clothing stored in plastic bags away from the bedroom until treatment is complete.
2) Seal your mattress and boxspring in waterproof covers and tape up the zippers with duct tape. Throw out your pillows and seal the new ones in taped up covers as well. I think it is worth buying slightly more expensive high-quality covers (in the $40 range instead of the $10 range) because they will be less likely to rip, and a rip in the cover will allow the vampires to escape. If you can possibly throw out the mattress and sleep somewhere else while your home is being treated (a sofa in an uninfested room, a friend's house, or even on a new mattress sealed upon delivery in a vinyl cover) I think this is a VERY good idea because bedbugs like to hang out near their meal, so lots of the little vampires are probably living in the bed. If you
decide to keep and seal the mattress, leave it propped against a wall until the exterminators come so that they can spray the bed frame.
3) Clear all clutter out of the room. Throw out everything, including any upholstered furniture you believe is infested. Try to seal up everything you throw out in garbage bags before you remove it from teh room to avoid spreading the bugs. If you can't bring yourself to throw it out, wash it or steam it. You can even steam shoes and the
like. Luckily, non-porous things like jewelry and pots and pans aren't likely to be infested—bbs prefer dark little crevices. Do get rid of alarm clocks and so on. If you can't steam it or wash it and can't throw it away, your only other option is to seal it in a bag (doubled up trash bags work for larger items) and put it in storage
for 18 months.
4) Find a good exterminator who knows about bedbugs or order the chemicals and treat your home yourself, which you can do at:
domyownpestcontrol.com. This site has great info about bbs and how to treat them and I highly recommend it. I opted to treat myself because I found that exterminators were incompetent (many know very little about bedbugs and one even refused to believe I had them), overpriced (many will charge over $1000 all together), and not thorough. The best treatment for bedbugs is to spray with a combination of Suspend SC and Gentrol (the Suspend SC kills the bugs and the Gentrol prevents them from molting or reproducing—both remain active for a few weeks) and once this dries, follow up with a crack and crevice dusting with Drione dust, using a hand bellows. (This remains active as long as it is dry. Don't overdo it with Drione, a light dusting is best, the bbs will avoid big piles of it.) The Drione is really only safe for cracks and crevices but the suspend/gentrol mix can basically be sprayed anywhere and is safe once dry. I think it's a good idea to spray the floors and crown molding as well as the baseboards. Most exterminators won't do this because they're stingy with their chemicals, which is another good reason to do it yourself. You can also use the dust and spray to treat furniture—I think you can use it anywhere that won't touch skin or touch something that will touch skin. The treatment should be repeated at least three times, IMO, with a first treatment, a follow up in two weeks, and another in another month or two, and then again as necessary. If you do decide to do it yourself, you will save a lot of money (I got enough chemicals to treat my 3-bedroom house several times for $200), but please do buy a respirator.
5) Create a safe haven of your bed by encasing the mattress in vinyl (or preferably throwing it out and encasing a new one in vinyl), having the exterminator spray and/or dust the bed frame, washing all bed linens in very hot water and drying them until piping hot, pulling the bed away from the wall, and smearing the legs with vaseline. Tuck in the sheest and make sure the mattress cover and linens don't touch
the floor. (BBs can't fly, and this way they can't crawl onto the bed either.)
6) If you have any pets, treat them with frontline. The packaging doesn't say anything about bbs, but I have had good luck with this. When I didn't treat my cat he was getting bitten and was responsible, I think, for bringing bugs onto my safe haven bed, but once he was treated the bites stopped.
7) Once the exterminator has done the first two treatments, caulk EVERY crack or crevice in the room. I am planning to get my hardwood floors waxed, as well.
Discovering that you have bedbugs can be a really horrifying thing, but I think that if these steps are followed you can get rid of them for good. I followed these steps and haven't been bitten in a couple months. If you believe the infestation is severe (e.g. you are noticing bugs crawling on the walls or in rooms other than the bedroom), you may have to treat all the rooms as I've described here for the bedroom. The situation is more complicated, of course, if you are renting an apartment in a multi-unit building. Every apartment in the building will need to be treated, and if the landlord is uncooperative (refusing to treat more than once or to treat properly), my impression is that your best bet may be simply to move out, bringing only what you can wash or steam. It may be possible to control bbs pretty well in an apartment with an uncooperative landlord by exterminating yourself and caulking very thoroughly, and it's worth a try if you are very attached to your apartment.
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1) As soon as you discover the problem, gather up everything that is washable in the room, put it in tightly sealed garbage bags, and wash it on the hottest setting followed by an hour in the dryer. It's important to seal it up so that the bugs don't jump off on the way to the washer and infest new areas. For things that can't be washed, I have had good luck so far with a clothing steamer—buying a $60 steamer at K-Mart can be cheaper in the long run than dry cleaning. I don't think a steamer really works, though, for upholstered items, just things that can be steamed through. Once you have done this, keep the clothing stored in plastic bags away from the bedroom until treatment is complete.
2) Seal your mattress and boxspring in waterproof covers and tape up the zippers with duct tape. Throw out your pillows and seal the new ones in taped up covers as well. I think it is worth buying slightly more expensive high-quality covers (in the $40 range instead of the $10 range) because they will be less likely to rip, and a rip in the cover will allow the vampires to escape. If you can possibly throw out the mattress and sleep somewhere else while your home is being treated (a sofa in an uninfested room, a friend's house, or even on a new mattress sealed upon delivery in a vinyl cover) I think this is a VERY good idea because bedbugs like to hang out near their meal, so lots of the little vampires are probably living in the bed. If you
decide to keep and seal the mattress, leave it propped against a wall until the exterminators come so that they can spray the bed frame.
3) Clear all clutter out of the room. Throw out everything, including any upholstered furniture you believe is infested. Try to seal up everything you throw out in garbage bags before you remove it from teh room to avoid spreading the bugs. If you can't bring yourself to throw it out, wash it or steam it. You can even steam shoes and the
like. Luckily, non-porous things like jewelry and pots and pans aren't likely to be infested—bbs prefer dark little crevices. Do get rid of alarm clocks and so on. If you can't steam it or wash it and can't throw it away, your only other option is to seal it in a bag (doubled up trash bags work for larger items) and put it in storage
for 18 months.
4) Find a good exterminator who knows about bedbugs or order the chemicals and treat your home yourself, which you can do at:
domyownpestcontrol.com. This site has great info about bbs and how to treat them and I highly recommend it. I opted to treat myself because I found that exterminators were incompetent (many know very little about bedbugs and one even refused to believe I had them), overpriced (many will charge over $1000 all together), and not thorough. The best treatment for bedbugs is to spray with a combination of Suspend SC and Gentrol (the Suspend SC kills the bugs and the Gentrol prevents them from molting or reproducing—both remain active for a few weeks) and once this dries, follow up with a crack and crevice dusting with Drione dust, using a hand bellows. (This remains active as long as it is dry. Don't overdo it with Drione, a light dusting is best, the bbs will avoid big piles of it.) The Drione is really only safe for cracks and crevices but the suspend/gentrol mix can basically be sprayed anywhere and is safe once dry. I think it's a good idea to spray the floors and crown molding as well as the baseboards. Most exterminators won't do this because they're stingy with their chemicals, which is another good reason to do it yourself. You can also use the dust and spray to treat furniture—I think you can use it anywhere that won't touch skin or touch something that will touch skin. The treatment should be repeated at least three times, IMO, with a first treatment, a follow up in two weeks, and another in another month or two, and then again as necessary. If you do decide to do it yourself, you will save a lot of money (I got enough chemicals to treat my 3-bedroom house several times for $200), but please do buy a respirator.
5) Create a safe haven of your bed by encasing the mattress in vinyl (or preferably throwing it out and encasing a new one in vinyl), having the exterminator spray and/or dust the bed frame, washing all bed linens in very hot water and drying them until piping hot, pulling the bed away from the wall, and smearing the legs with vaseline. Tuck in the sheest and make sure the mattress cover and linens don't touch
the floor. (BBs can't fly, and this way they can't crawl onto the bed either.)
6) If you have any pets, treat them with frontline. The packaging doesn't say anything about bbs, but I have had good luck with this. When I didn't treat my cat he was getting bitten and was responsible, I think, for bringing bugs onto my safe haven bed, but once he was treated the bites stopped.
7) Once the exterminator has done the first two treatments, caulk EVERY crack or crevice in the room. I am planning to get my hardwood floors waxed, as well.
Discovering that you have bedbugs can be a really horrifying thing, but I think that if these steps are followed you can get rid of them for good. I followed these steps and haven't been bitten in a couple months. If you believe the infestation is severe (e.g. you are noticing bugs crawling on the walls or in rooms other than the bedroom), you may have to treat all the rooms as I've described here for the bedroom. The situation is more complicated, of course, if you are renting an apartment in a multi-unit building. Every apartment in the building will need to be treated, and if the landlord is uncooperative (refusing to treat more than once or to treat properly), my impression is that your best bet may be simply to move out, bringing only what you can wash or steam. It may be possible to control bbs pretty well in an apartment with an uncooperative landlord by exterminating yourself and caulking very thoroughly, and it's worth a try if you are very attached to your apartment.
posted by Caitlin at 11:37 AM
105 Comments:
thank you so much for this info.i have had bed bugs sporadically 4 3 yrs.no dermatologists could pic up on it cos its not big in australia and ive been so isolated.been misdiagnosed with scabies poured benzyl bensoate all over me about ten times in 2 months which i read can cause c.n.s damage thankyou doc!.only one doc.said scabies,the others said it was in my head but i knew cos i only got bitten at home!for the last six months ive being single cos i didnt know the cure other than moving and i couldnt afford that.im moving in a month,got cash now.thank god i googled in"ive got bed bugs" and up u came previously i,d just typed in bed bugs and got extermination company jargon.im emotionally exhausted.ive tried so many anti-deps,i split up with my barrister new b/friend cos he got the itch(and i told him it was scabies!-not so!).it nearly destroyed my life u facist little bugs.thankgod for blogsxxx kate88
I would say this is excellent advice, but speaking from experience I have the following caveats:
1) Sleeping in another room. Bedbugs need to eat and they need to eat you. By sleeping in another room, you run the risk of having bedbugs follow you and infest your sofa or other furniture.
2) Getting rid of your mattress. Unless you're pretty sure that you've eliminated most of the critters and encase both the mattress and box spring in vinyl and dustmite covers you run the risk of having your brand new stuff reinfested.
Thanks for all the great advice, just having good information is making me much less freaked out over this.
I just ordered the insecticides and like the idea of doing it myself - I know I'll be thorough and it will give me some satisfaction to fight back.
One question -- what about the freezer? I plan on freezing a couple of things like my expensive clock radio.
D
D - I'm not sure about freezing your electronics. For one thing, I think that bedbugs can survive very low temperatures. For another, I'm not sure your clock would make it. The freezing might cause condensation which could short the wiring. From what I know, the best way to kill bedbugs is to apply heat, so maybe try blowing a hot blowdryer at your clock radio for some time to drive them out? Then seal up your clock in a plastic bag. Hopefully that works.
I'm glad I found you guys. I've been dealing with this for the last few weeks....after a summer of a lot of travel....with a suitcase. It's really strange how neurotic it makes you. There's something very very upsetting about not having refuge in your own bed.
Anyway, I'm trying something tonight that I hope will work. My husband is at Home Depot buying a ton of duct tape. We've cleaned off the bed, boiled the sheets, encapsulated the box springs and have moved the bed away from the wall and threw out the rug. We're going to put the legs into the plastic cups of mineral oil tonight so the bastards can't come up the legs....but we're also going to create a double-sided fortress wall of duct tape around the perimeter of the matress. Because they don't jump or fly, we're hoping that if they are somehow coming out of the wood of the bed, or the boxspring....they'll have to pass up the sides of the mattress somehow and that's where (hopefully) they'll get stuck. This may be stupid - but I, like so many others of you am desperate. I'll let you know how it goes. Is it just me, or do you all get new white-headed bite lesions appear in the middle of the day? They flare out of nowhere. Thanks for the blog.
It's supposed to be 80 degrees where i live on Sunday. I plan to put all of my travel stuff including my suitcase and shoes and all the crap I travelled with into large black plastic lawn bags and put the bags in the sun this weekend. I'm going to duct tape them shut and fry any larvae that might be in the clothing, etc. The temperature in the bags will reach a hot enough temperature to kill the adults and larvae...according to what I read at a bed bug site:
"Put infested and suspected material in a black plastic trash bag and set it in the hot sun all day. Most
insects die when exposed to 115o F. for 30 minutes or so."
If it works it will save me a lot of money on drycleaning and replacing some things. We'll see.
Well, the duct tape would not stick to the sheets well, so, given our fatigue, we did a loop of duct tape sticky-side-out around each bed leg to see if the bb's are climbing up the bed to get to me. There is no sign of bugs on the tape this am, and I do have a new bite this morning between my fiingers - so I know they're in the bed somewhere. Even though we landered everything in hot and dried on hot for an hour, encased the box spring in air tight plastic they still came. SO.....they're either in the tempurpedic mattress (I called tempurpedic and they said they haven't heard of any bedbugs living in the tempurpedic and that the foam is not supposed to be able to host ANY organic matter...*sigh).... OR, they're in the cherry wood moulding slits in the head or foot board. I have a very nice cherry bed that has moulding which you can get a credit card in so they might be in there.
So....today we're going to get a hot steamer and steam the mouldings on the bed and try and kill them that way....before resorting to poison.
The interesting moment came when, after all of our hard work, I was getting into bed and saw a full-grown bed bug crawling across my ceiling at midnight! We captured it and it is in tupperware (duct taped closed of course). I couldn't believe that it was walking across the ceiling. We must have disturbed it somehow when we wrapped the box spring or something.......
Anyway, today I bag everything in the room and remove. We're in phase II of assault. It's war.
I'm here to mythbust: the bed bug that we caught and put in tupperware...well, we put that Tupperware in the blazing sun today and the little guy is still running around in there. So, the idea of heating bugs in plastic in the sun on a hot day is NOT true. He is in an air-tight plastic container and we fried him in the direct sun all day..... and he's still perky. We'll put him in the freezer tonight....mwahahah.
Freezer killed him and made him shrink in size from the dehydrating effects.
After suffering about a month's worth of bites, I realized I had bed bugs. I didn't want to spend serious money on an exterminator, and I didn't like the idea of the crazy chemicals they use.
I ended up beating my bed bugs on my own. I immediately threw away my box spring and frame; washed all clothes, blankets, and pillows on hot; after vacuuming, sprayed my mattress and floor with lots rubbing alcohol and other assorted household cleaners; and filled floor cracks with plain old Elmer's glue. Probably spent $75 total, including laundry.
It helped that the fuckers hadn't spread far and that I have hardwood floors and not much clutter.
Hey everyone. I happened to find this site, because I can do nothing, but look up bed bug info. I swear my apartment has bed bugs. Here are how events have unfolded for me so far.
Sept. 10th - My girlfriend noticed about 7 bites on my back that we thought were mosquito bites from a cookout the night before.
Sept. 11th-16th - My girlfriend and I would both wake up with new "mosquito" bites. Typically 2-3 each. Also, my girlfriend saw a tv show about bed bugs during this time, so I looked all over our mattress and boxspring and saw absolutely nothing.
Sept. 17th - At 3 am I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. I kept thinking, even though I haven't seen any bed bugs we have all the telltale signs (except the blood marks on the sheets and our bites weren't typically 3 bites in a line...usually one bite in one place and one somewhere else.). So, I got up and with a flashlight began to look all over the mattress and boxspring. Still nothing. I must have looked for an hour with no results. Finally I noticed a tiny brown dot in the crease of the bed skirt. It was a bug. It didn't look flat to me and I am still unsure if it is a bed bug, but it is close enough for me. I found another about 1 foot away from the first in another crease, but no more. I immediately took all of the linens off of the bed and washed them in boiling hot water...5 times. I again searched the mattres and box spring and found nothing. At about 9 am I went out and bought a steamer, allergen covers for my mattress, boxspring, and pillows, vaseline, duct tape, and some of those huge ziploc bags. I began cleaning at about 1pm. I took the bed apart and inspected the mattress and boxspring as well as the cast-iron frame. Nothing. I steamed the hell out of the mattress, box spring and frame. I also looked through and steamed our nighstands. Still nothing.
Sept. 18 - I continue cleaning. I emptied out all furniture in the bedroom and steamed it all. I washed all pillows in boiling hot water. I dried our featherbed and down comforter on high for many many cycles. I steamed the entire carpet and along the baseboards. While steaming, I found a bug that is probably the right size for a bed bug, but I am again uncertain. Aside form that I have found nothing. I ripped the bedroom apart and found nothing.
Do you think it may be possible that bed bugs are not my problem? I am trying to convince my landlord to have an exterminator come and look. Until then, I have put the allergen covers on my mattress, box spring, and pillows, coated the legs of my bed with vaseline and moved the bed away from all furniture. I am pretty sure we will be moving. Even if the exterminator can take care of all the little bastards. Oh, that reminds me, here is another important event in the timeline.
Sept. 7 - Our neighbor came to our apartment for coffee and told my girlfriend that she and her husband had been getting biten by something, but she didn't know what. it was about 3 days after this that I started to get biten.
This neighbor (we live in a 3 family home in Boston, MA, i.e. first floor is one apartment, second floor is another, etc.....we live on the third and the neighbor I am speaking of lives on the second.) has done a lot of nice things for us in the past, but once my girlfriend brought up that we might have bed bugs she completely refused to believe that she could have them. I spoke with her the next day and she was very angry about my girlfriend and I making such a big deal out of something that she was sure was nothing. She told me that there are a lot of things that could be the result of the bites.
Maybe I am just looking for someone to blame, but I find it odd that she was getting biten a few days before us and now she says she is not getting bitten anymore. So, we will likely be moving to get away from the bugs, but also because we don't want to deal with her anymore. I am just paranoid about accidentally taking some of those little bastards with me. I am sure you guys know a lot more about this than me. Do I have to toss all of my furniture? I think I could live with tossing the mattress and boxspring, the couch, and fabric covered chairs, but I can steam clean the wood furniture and be ok, right? Also, I have clothes that will absolutely shrink if I was them in hot water. Will the high heat drying cycle do the trick?
Thanks for any advice you can offer and I agree with everyone...bed bugs fucking suck.
Thank god for your blog!! I think I have the terrible bb's and have been so embarrassed that I didn't tell anyone. And it's hard to get good info when you keep it a secret. I've bagged everything and plan to have to do laundry and dry cleaning for the next 6 months, but what do you do with your shoes and belts? My shoes were in my closet, several feet away from my bed but the exterminator said to bag everything. But what do I do with them? I can't wash them or dry clean them. DO I have to just throw them out?!...the horror!
Shoes and belts are kind of tricky. You might try steaming them, but probably your best bet is to seal them up for a few months and take them out when you're sure the bugs are gone and that any that might have been trapped inside the bags are dead.
I've been scouring through the internet reading everything there is to read about bedbugs, but I can't seem to find answers to my questions. So, if anyone out there can help me, I'd be grateful.
I moved into an apartment less than a month ago, only to find out after I moved in that the place had a history of problems with bedbugs, but my roommates assured me that the problem had been taken care of. Well, it hadn't. I've been getting bit and yesterday to my horror, I killed a gigantic one that was filled with my blood. I've pretty much decided to move, but I'm paranoid that my things will be contaminated and everyday, I'm afraid to hug anyone, let alone sleep over at a friend's house, because I'm scared that I am carrying them on me. Does anyone know how likely it is to carry the fu**ers on me or my clothing? Also, as someone else mentioned on this blog, the bites seem to appear sometimes in the middle of the day - does this mean they are on me biting me, or is it from the day before 'cause I think I read somewhere that the bites sometimes don't appear until a day or two later...
Thanks,
sk
sk - It's tough to say what the best way to prepare to move is when you have bedbugs. I think the general consensus has been to inspect and wash EVERYTHING at a high temperature and then seal it in plastic bags. Anything that is too large to wash or heat can be placed in storage for up to 18 months to starve anything happening to live inside it. Double check books and CDs to be sure nothing is living inside.
As for bites - I often would see them starting around lunchtime the day after I was bitten. I think this is normal for many people. Sometimes the bites can take several hours to actually appear, even though you were bit during the night.
Hi,
Thanks for the site. I just found out that I have bedbugs and am so distraught. I am trying to figure out what "level" of intensity I am dealing with and therefore what I have to do to make sure they are gone. I have been in my apt. for just over 3 months. I bought a new bed when I moved in...from dial a mattress. Does anyone know if they have a bedbug history? I started to find them about 2 months ago but didn't know what they were and never even thought of bedbugs. I found 1 on the bed, 2 in the bathroom and about 2 weeks ago another on the bed. I put that one in a ziploc to ask my super about it. Yesterday the building exterminator came by. I asked him about it and he immediately asked me if I found it in the bed. He told me what it was and looked at my mattress. He didn't really find major signs along the seams but did point out some discoloration areas that could indicate dead bedbugs inside- gross!
So I took all the linens and clothes from the room. Fortunately my parents aren't too far away so I have been doing laundry for 2 days. Everything in hot water. But I am not drying for a full hour and some stuff I haven't put in the dryer (didn't know this was necessary).
I also haven't been noticing any bites really. A couple of times I had itching that was suspicious but I figured it was mosquito bites. No major welts or anything. I am wondering if I don't have a major problem yet and therefore if that makes de-bugging easier.
I am not really unpacked in my apt and don't have much furniture. I bought a new bed today but don't want to bring it in until I am sure it won't get infested. I still have some hanging clothes in my bedroom..does that all have to be cleaned as well? Also, I am wondering about sneakers on the floor, under the bed, should I toss them? I just recently stored some stuff under the bed...foam for A/C and a table top wrapped in a sheet...should I toss/wash it all? I keep my shoes in a canvas hanging rack...but of course they are on the floor before I replace them...do I have to worry about that thing?
I am wondering if I should be worrying about the main room of the apt. I plan to do a good cleaning of the bedroom and bathroom. I have boxes in the main room and clothes in plastic storage containers on the floor. Should I wash all of those as well?
I am going to contact my landlord to see if he will take care of exterminating the building. But maybe I should follow the do it yourself plan. When the exterminator was there yesterday he sprayed my room...but from what I have read the typical chemicals used don't work on bedbugs because they are specialized for the more common problems like roaches..so did he do anything worthwhile? He was nice and seemed to know what he was doing, but this makes me wonder?
I am really hoping that they came in with my mattress, because that may mean that there isn't a major problem in the building..but who knows? Do you know anything about mattress companies being liable to reimburse?
Sorry for the long message...this is so gross and I want to make sure I take care of it. Any answers are appreciated!
HELLO-
Some direct bed bug advice would be gratly appriciated. i am looking for a good exterminaotr- i have heard a compny called Pest Away is the best bed bug company and one of the only ones that can really get rid of them, plus enviromentally friendly. but they charge $500 for the first room and $400 plus encourage to to buy specific vacuum and bed bags, ect. I heard the chemicals they use cant be shipped to NY state. Do I have any other options? Can i do this myself?
Anonymous,
I highly recommend that you join the Yahoo bedbug support group (link is in the sidebar). There are TONS of answers there, as well as real-life people who have dealt with all these issues. They can help you much more than I can.
C,
I have heard only good things about Pest Away but I have never used them myself. You can try to do the treatment yourself, but it's true that many chemicals are not available in New York State. You also have to be very careful with how you mix the chemicals and how you spray; I highly recommend using a professional service to get rid of your bedbugs.
Carpet tape works on frame/bed legs and box spring btw--it's as wide as typical duct tape, double sided and super sticky--FYI.
try diatomaceous earth (d20) - read more about it on wikipedia (no, I did not write that over there) - you can get it at www.dirtworks.net
I have bedbugs and I am moving out because the landlord is not doing all the units and my building and we have them all over - what happen to books and paintings?
I hope to hear from some one soon.
Maids2Clean can do apartment cleaning for you, apartment cleaning
Hi, great site, thank you so much for it!
We are in tight spot with our bb problem because we cannot ask the landlord for help, he evicted the last tenants who had "problems" with his building, and it's such a small town the talk would never end. Also, we have young children, poison is the last thing we want to spead around but we know we must do it.
We are among those who rarely see the bugs themselves, but I saw enough to know we have them and to know they don't go away on their own.
My main question is, we don't have access to a washer and dryer except a laundry matt, and I have confirmed that the washers there don't get hotter then 80 degrees, is this hot enough? I don't think it is. The dryers get pretty hot, but I am just concerned that that's not enough. Does anyone have a success story where they only used a hot dryer and still got rid of them? I feel like if we are going to do all this work, strip everything, bag everything, wash everything, spray poison, tape and smear and vacume like crazy (in 3 rooms!) then I want it to work, I want to be done with it and not be thwarted by too cold washing machines, know what I'm saying?
isachoroni: There's not much you can do with your books or paintings unless you want to burn them (which I do not recommend). You can inspect them carefully and then seal them in plastic, but that's about it. Applying heat would likely damage them beyond repair. Maybe someone else has other suggestions?
Anonymous: You are right; 80 degrees will not be hot enough. I think if you put your items into a hot dryer for an hour or two, that should be sufficient, assuming that the dryer gets hot enough. I think the temperature at which bedbugs perish is 115F but you might double check that somewhere.
Bed Bugs can be controlled using diatomaceous earth. More serious infestations can be controlled using the D-20 version containing Pyrethrin.
DE is non-toxic and kills a host of pests including ticks and fleas. The Pyrethrin evaporates in a day or two and leaves the fossil shell flour behind as a permanant barrier and treatment. A full description and instructions for it;s use are available at http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html
The pure form called Fossil Shell Flour can be eaten by people and fed to animals as a dewormer.
Sometimes you see this product line sold under fancy brand names for way too much money. It's just diatomaceous earth. Buy generics and save. Why pay more? John
Hi,
Does anyone know a store in Manhattan or Brooklyn where I can get NIC Dessicant Dust or another product? I don't want to order online because I want to address this tonight.
I answered my own question, above...Pest Away, recommended by a co-worker does sell products. I'm heading there today or tomorrow so then I'll know what they have, dust, spray, etc. It was difficult finding a place that sold products. If anyone knows of other places please let me know. Secondly, does Deet repel them? I've heard that it does..is there anything I can put on my skin that has worked for anyone?
Hi - I sent you an email - but since you're busy, here's a sort of copy of what I wrote:
I had bedbugs in 1997, from a pillow I bought at a yard sale, which I'd placed on my bed.
It took me awhile to figure out what was going on; I had no reactions, but would find blood spots on the sheets.
Then I dicovered their nest, in the creases of my boxsprings. Oh boy...
So, I bought soem insecticide, and sprayed the mattress and boxsprings, all over. I also put boric acid (usually sold as roach powder at the drugstore) on the bedsprings, esp in the creases. I also put a thin layer of boric acid on the carpet. (generally non-toxic to people, but keep the pets out.)
Next thing I noticed, was the bed bugs had fled up the walls, and tried to hide in the nooks of the ceiling. I plucked each one out and killed it.
I believe I did one more round of spraying, but that was it. No exterminator. Slept on the couch in the LR for awhile.
About 6 weeks later, I found one or two BB's walking up the wall in the dining room. I think that's when I did my second round of spraying.
No BB's after that.
Good luck!
Hi,
I've been dealing with BBs now for apparently a few months. Basically I started getting bites 2 months ago but figured I either had a spider or a mosquito living in my apartment. I had heard that NYC was dealing with a lot of bedbug cases, so every time I had a new batch of bites, I would inspect the mattress, walls, everywhere really and never found a thing. After vacuuming, the bites would stop for a week or so and then come back.
Then, just about 2 weeks ago, I moved into a new apartment and got a new mattress and finally found one dead on the floor. I immediately freaked out and called the building's exterminator who came over the next day to spray the room. He said he had a lot of experience with BBs and had treated cases before and said he'd come back to spray again in 2 weeks. A few days later, I vacuumed EVERYTHING, washed everything in hot water and hot dryer, put vinyl covers on my mattress and box spring and threw out a few things too.
I've been sleeping at my boyfriend's house and haven't been able to force myself to sleep in my bed again. The one night I tried, I found 2 more dead bugs on the floor at night. Is that normal after a treatment to find dead bugs for awhile after?
I can't stand not being able to sleep in my own house. I'm completely paranoid about even goign in the bedroom. Tonight, I'm going to try to sleep there after putting carpet tape on the legs of the bed. ugh...
my first time meeting these awful bugs!!!! It is soo depressing as if we don't have enough problemss....what a HUGE waste of time AND money to get rid of these fuckers. I am amazed. AND lumpy (huge itchy welts on my beautiful skin) I mean how come nobody invented some thing to wipe these thing out easier, a machine with warm blood in it so they can all go get trapped and DIE in it. I writing this blog bcoz i ve been crying today and fee l like I should move. Im sleepin in LR and working alot so cannot tackle the problem til tomm. Well at least I don't feel alone..thanks for all ur advice peeps who have blogged.
I guess il bookmark this page coz ill b checkin in alot.
Please I am nervous because of that. Has beem 2 months that I notice bites on my kids (5 and 6 years old), and I dont know what really works. I live in Massachussetz and I have her that this bb is almost everywhere. I heard epidemic in Boston and surrounds, NYC, Australia, Europa, ...
I wish to know Why they don't talk so much for the public to know more about it.
Please if someone knows any staff that really worsk to get ride of this crestures tell me. I don't know what to do . If someone that lives around Marlborough, Ma and Knows any place that sell staff to get ride of bb.
Thank god I am not the only one that has been going true.
Tomorrow I tell all my history.
I am a professional pest control operator and have over 20 years experience. You recommended the use of Suspend SC. You should know that is illegal under Federal law. It clearly states on the label that it can only be used, stored, and handled by licensed professionals.
You are asking untrained individuals, often with emotional issues clouding their judgement, to use a toxic material that the Federal government feels requires proper training in safety and handling.
This is irresponsible and dangerous. Finding a reputable pest control company might seem difficult but they are out there. None of the methods you suggest are out of the norm for mainstream companies. What is necessary is hard work, diligence, and the cooperation of the tenant.
Please think about this recommendation before putting it out on the internet.
Jack, for the record, these are not recommendations but suggestions, and I have not written them, merely reposted them. Secondly, they specifically state that a knowledgable exterminator should be your first recourse. And third, of course had I been aware that Suspend is illegal to purchase, I would not ever endorse using it. However, I do think it odd that if it is federally illegal, that the everyday lay person can purchase it without a license. Perhaps those selling it should also be more aware.
I slept at a "friend's" house two nights in two weeks (the last two weeks in October) and suspected that she had bed bugs after the second time I slept there because later on the next day I saw the same type of marks that I saw the first time I slept at her house. Also, that night she slept on the couch and it had looked like she set up her bed there because her real bed was stripped (no pillows, blankets, etc.) except for a sheet (after a long night of drinking I just passed out on her bed). Anyway, I freaked out and steam cleaned my bed and furniture when I got home. I left a pan of water under my bed and three to four days later saw a full size dead bed bug floating in the water. I steamed everything again and called an exterminator. The guy didn't see anything on the mattress but he saw a few dark spots in the wood in my bed frame which he believes could be from them. I slept in my bed two days ago and didn't get any bites but I also put mineral oil all over the legs of my bed and it's not touching the walls. I am so mad at this person because I know that she knew when I slept at her place that she had bed bugs yet she didn't say anything to me. I called her and she said "Oh my God, I'm so sorry if they're from me, I haven't noticed any bites on me." But a few days ago she told me that she bought new sheets and a new comforter set because she was "getting tired of her old ones". Also, the exterminator put these little tent-like things all over my apartment so that he can tell if I actually have them and where they're located and I saw the same things at her place. I think this girl has mental problems because she invited friends over to her place for a party! Can you believe it? I gave her this look like "are you insane???" Finally she asked another one of our friends to have the party instead. I told her that she's going to have to pay the $650 for the exterminator. I may also have her pay for all of the dry-cleaning and laundry that I've had to do. This is going to cost almost $1000. I'm a student so that's a lot of money!!! She said that her exterminator is coming in a few days (when she's not there) but I have a feeling either a) she's already gotten rid of her problem so the exterminator won't find anything or b) she's lying either about the exterminator actually coming or c) she'll lie about what he's found. She'll do this so she doesn't get blamed for this. That's her M.O. I know I got them from her because my neighbors aren't having any problems. I really can't afford to do all of this but I have no choice. How should I ask her for the $? Also, I'm supposed to be going to my sister's house for Thanksgiving and I'm really nervous because I don't want to give them to her. Does anyone have any ideas about what I can do to prevent the spread of these things? Should I just cancel the trip? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this already, but bed bugs are attracted to co2 and warmth. We have a mild infestation on the 3rd floor of our building and have treated the infestation 3 times. We thought they were all dead after the second treatment but they came back a few weeks later.
The room that they are in is currently vacant, so we can go to town there and hopefully kill them all.
We are getting one co2 tank, and a heating pad, and some tubing. We are going to create a bed bug trap. Since bed bugs are attracted to co2 and warmth, they'll go to the trap and then stick to it. I will post again and let you know how this works...
well the BBs are here in Brooklyn NY too. maybe I'm dence, but I think I've been living with them for over 6 months. my sister who had a huge ongoing problem that never seemed to go away is the one who I belive brought them to my father's house of witch I just moved back into. I take care of my elderly father for years, and only from time to time do I not live with him. so I'm not too upset that I had no idea he had bedbugs, after all there were no visual signs (not that I would know what to look for at the time). to make matters worse, my ex-girlfriend's building is infested, I'm sure of it now. we thought that the building may have had a bad "mosquito" problem as even I got about 1 bite each night. and looking back at all the talks to other tennants, I can now see that it's not a mosquito problem at all.
with all the news about BB problems in NYC and with my sister's NYC apt being infested, you would think that I would know what to look for, so to speak. but sadly my sister was always hysterical about the whole ordeal, and never gave me any hints. her rantings were more of the line that they are eating her alive and are in her hair, bed, stuff. what can I say, the info from your blog site and others helped alot in understanding the problem.
of corse I also have the Flu, and it's not like my 87 year old father can help in any way. he uses a walker to walk, so I'm the one cleaning up before the exterminator comes on monday (it's Sat night/early Sunday morning...who can sleep?) OMG, I realy need to sleep, but I'm all skeeved out, and wake up an hour or two after falling asleep...or is it the cough that wakes me?
so I'm going to use MiteBuster's services for the extermination. no idea how good they are, but they seem to know what they are doing, by making me prep the dressers for spraying too. they vac the beds and put dustmite covers on the beds after spraying. they might even vac the carpet in my bedroom for an added price, and I'm sick so F the money. let them do some extra work.
I also have a leather L shaped couch that is infested too. I hope they will help me by opening the bed side, and turning upside down the recliner(s) side to spray inside the couch...it's 2 years old and $3000 or so. I can't just get rid of it.
I'm also buying the New York bedbug kit from domyownpestcontrol.com for the extra use on the couch that I'm sure I'll need. it comes with two cans of Bedlam, a can of Gentrol, and a duster that uses Drione dust. I figure that with a little extra work in the bedroom days after the extrerminator leaves I might help kill off anything that wasn't killed or newly hatched nimphs. I also think that without any extra work by me in dealing with the couch, I'll never get it back to feeling safe on it. so I will spray and dust at least 2 times in the living room as well as the inside of the couch.
I'm so suprised that the problem is not far larger then it is. I do understand that ther is a huge problem, I'm just glad that there is only two visual signs of them...my dad's bed, and the couch. my bed has no visual signs, but they are there.
washing will have to be done after the exterminator leaves, remember I have the Flu too. yes, lucky me. but everything is bagged up outside the bedroom.
I have a plan thanks to many of the blogs and websites. I hope that this ordeal will not be the horror that it could be...I can't belive that I will not be with my family and frinds this Xmas, as I'm too afraid to bring extra guests with me. so much for getting a brand new car to drive my father around this winter. well it's ultra late and my depresion is starting to grow. I'm sure I can hold out for at least 4 more hours before I deside to sleep in my bed and feel likie bugs are in my hair, or go on the couch and know I'll get more then a bite or two. at least monday is just around the corner.
I thankfully do not have them, but I found out my building is listed on these lists. What can I do to prevent an infestation??
Whoa! Reading all this is making my skin crawl even more!
I'm pretty sure that I have BB. I am getting small marks all over my chest and stomoch area. It's hard to tell if they are bites or not though. I thought I had BB a couple of yrs ago and I had an exterminator come and do the whole bit. Now I feel itchy in my bed every night and wake up w/ marks on me. The thing is, I've never seen a BB, I have searched, and my "bites" are inconclusive.
Can someone give me a surefire test to know if I have them before I start throwing away and cleaning every thing I own!
thanks
T
How about microwaving?!? Haha.. microwaves react with water. Water is in most living things, isn't it? Does anyone know whether microwaving various things (like my wallet, for instance) can "cleanse" the critters?
Also, what about computers?? Someone mentioned alarm clocks and other electronics.. Any advice or stories pertaining to this??
hi. is there a method for steaming clothing? (ie, how long should it take per item, about? )
thanks!
mbg
how long should one steam clothing? what else do i need to know to make this method effective ( i have way too many non-washable items to make having them all cleaned an option...)
thanks!
mg
what are the proper methods for steaming clothing? how long per item? what about shoes?
thanks!
mg
sorry for posting that 3 times -each time i got an error message, but apparently the message was mistaken ;)
mg
Hi. Anyone hear of an aerosol spray called Good Night by Sprayway? It says it is good on baseboards. I think that is where they are!
jt
Steaming is very effective. I do it regularly on everything, clothing, bed, dresser, closet. Remember that it is water, so things that dont like water... Also it must be hot enough (hold it close to the target) and long enough (a few seconds). I learned this the hardway, checked it by hand until I burned myslef a bit. Beyond 8-10 inches away it is lukewarm, 1-2 inches are burning/killing hot. It causes some of the floor poly to peel off a few week later. One has te repeat extermination routines at increasingly rare intervals, up to 2 years. You can get rid of the bulk of the problem in 2-3 months, then minor comebacks are likely. Do it again, relax, you'll win in the long run: the last one will die from loneliness 18 months after living in hiding... just make them paranoid.
Hi,
Have had begbugs in NYC since the summer. The neighbors have them and no matter what I try, they return every month or two, probably from downstairs. So, we're thinking of moving and I am torn about what to do with our electronics, mainly two computers, a printer and a wireless router (Oh, and my son's brand new PS2) Most of these are in a room that has never been infested to my knowledge, but I'm still worried about taking them to a new apartment. Also, my son's laptop is often plugged into an outlet in the room where we have had the most problems. What are the chances there are bedbugs in this stuff?
I have had pretty good success with Spectracide containing .20% Permethrin available at Home Depot, anything with more permethrin the better, immediately after sprating the corners and sides of my room, the bastards came running out on the wall. I had a good time with a stick smashing those mofos.
You can beat them.
Does anyone know how long bed bugs can survive in an apartment if no one is there for them to feed on? I travel a couple of weeks a month and wonder if they will die if no one is there to feed on, or does how much time it would take for them to die.
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I didn't know there was such thing as bedbugs until several months of living in my apt with an infested used mattress. I had to toss the old mattress and buy a new one which cost me alot of $$ since I don't make that much from my job. I didn't realize my new mattress can get infested quickly. When I first saw these tiny blood spots on the new mattress, I almost cried. I am too embarrassed to tell anyone and my apt managment company won't hire anyone to do inspection saying, "I never heard such a thing, you're the first. Do you have pets? Maybe you need to throw away your mattress. We are not gonna pay $75 for someone to come in and not find anything." So I called Terminix with free inspection. They were useless, they didn't even pay attention to the blood spots I had pointed out on my new mattress. I can tell they have no experience in getting rid of bed bugs. I guess here in LA, it is uncommon. I captured a dead bedbug and a dead carpet beetle in a plastic bag and showed it to him. He can't identify the bedbug but he is certain about the carpet beetle. I know that carpet beetle was not my problem. He gave me an estimate in which i will eventually take to my apt management but I had thought of getting rid of those disgusting pests myself. I've been living in my apt for a year and have not seen one live crawling bedbug but keep getting bitten. This was emotionally draining for me as well as financially. I have anxiety and sleep with the lights on since i've been reading about them coming out in the dark. I waited 2 weeks for my mattress encasing I ordered to arrive from NY, thus while sleeping on the couch in my LR. My gas bill skyrocketed because the LR was so cold I had turn on the heater to sleep everynight. I almost got sick one night for not turning the heater on but nursed myself back to health. After my encaseing arrived, I called the carpet cleaners which with many phone calls and $$ haggling, one company was able to make it on a weekend. This took about another week. This motherf_ker was trying to rip me off by saying i may need special chemicals for my dirty carpet and throwing out outrages prices. I almost clubbed him when he left. Three weeks of sleeping on the couch, i was bitten on my face the last day I plan to sleep there. i was so freaked out, they must have followed me to the LR. I dusted my couch and near carpet area with DE. I was so scared to sleep on my bed even though it looks safe with the bedsheets laundered, mattress and boxspring encased, zippered and taped, my carpet clean, and DE all around the edges of the walls and carpet. Day one on my bed: no BB bites (i was happy), 2nd day: checked myself in the mirror no BB until 5pm.. i was scratching my face near my eye and felt a welt. I am frightened again. I am so scared.. help!!!
Hello everyone,
I too am suffering from bed-bug infestation. I moved into my apartment almost three months ago, and I'm about to have my fourth exterminator visit (paid for by my complex's management), which is ridiculous. Though reading what you all have been through, four visits seems like small potatoes. When I told my exterminator that I had hired this particular moving company, a light bulb switched on above his head, and he stated that they've had problems with this company before regarding bed bugs. Hmmmm. It makes perfect sense because they "wrapped" my bedroom furnishings in cloth, padded encasements to protect them during transport, and someone else they moved before me must have had infested furniture. What is my recourse here? If I had any sort of proof that it's from them, I'd sue them. But I don't. Ugh. All I can say is don't ever hire College Bound Movers. Tell your friends.
I'm also wondering if I should get my complex's management to agree to have the exterminator come to treat my apartment on a bi-monthly basis. They've been very accommodating with this problem - they haven't tried to raise my rent or sneak in any fees. Then again, they probably don't want the infestation to spread to other units, or garner bad publicity. I could throw them under the bus, but I know it's not from the apartment - it's from those negligent movers who don't launder their furniture coverings or spray down their trucks!
HELP! I am getting bitten but can't seem to find the "infestation". I found one bug in the bed...it seemed to be dead...but I can't find any others anywhere else. I've checked the matress seams with a magnifying glass and there were none. I've searched the headboard, dressers, wooden floor and all "hiding" places around the room and haven't seen a bug. What now?
i just found BBs. i've suspected the little mofos for months (we moved into the apt about 6 months ago and started getting eaten alive after that), but both my building's exterminator and my pediatrician misdiagnosed the problem (they have been mostly feasting on my 2 year old), I assumed they were spiders that my son had picked up at the park.
If (for various reasons) I suspect we got them from my neighbor below me: even if I burn everything I own - which i am tempted to do, will i get them again? HELP!
My two year old has been the victim of our bed bug problem, and it's been going on for about 5 weeks already. Our pediatrician said it was eczema/ dry skin or scabies...so I went to one Dermatologist, he said Scabies...went to a second dematologist and he said dry skin/eczema...none of the above mentioned professionals are right. I have Bed bugs and i've spent over $100 just finding out what it is and get precriptions for what it was not. So upset about this. We live in apt also and tomorrow as a matter of fact they are sending someone. Just reading what needs to be done is stressing me out. I have a 7 month old and a 2 yr old and doing all that stuff is a lot of work. Hope fully it is something we brought in from elswhere and it's not a major infestation. We cannot move right now, so we really need to deal with this problem. I'm glad I was able to read what you all wrote it really helps! THANKS
I work for a company that offers a non-chemical method for pest control and can offer a few words of advice.
First of all, bedbugs are extremely difficult to eliminate. And do-it-yourself measures won't entirely fix the problem, but they might mask it for a while.
Thermal Remediation from TEMP-AIR is the safest, most effective , and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical fumigation or applications. Basically, we heat up a space to 120 degrees F, hold it for the period of time required for that size of space so that the heat may fully penetrate the cracks and crevices, and it achieves a 100% kill rate. This method is 100% chemical free, safe, and effective.
Chemicals only work when applied directly to the bedbug itself, but heat can penetrate where chemicals cannot. Also, you will not have to throw away your mattress or other furniture because the heat will penetrate deep within the materials and kill any bugs inside.
We use a wireless, remote temperature monitoring system throughout the space to ensure the the target temperature is achieved, and so that the space does not incur any heat damage. Temperatures of about 120 degrees F are lethal to most insects, provided they cannot escape to a cooler location.
I'm not saying that using heat is the only answer, but heat, coupled with one or a mixture of the other methods, may cure your problem once and for all.
Mattress Encasements:Regarding a statement from earlier posts, encasing the box spring and mattress will deny bugs access to inner areas of the mattress, and any bugs inside will eventually die. However, no matter how good the encasement is or what it's made of, no encasement will keep bed bugs from crawling onto your bed and biting you.
Click here for a good article from Pest Control Technology Magazine on multiple bed bug treatment options.
A good reference for any pest problem is the National Pest Management Association.
Regarding getting a new mattress:
I live in Manhattan and I had the problem for a few months. It wasn't until I threw my futon mattress away that the problem was resolved. I believe that the insecticides being sprayed on the mattress did not penetrate the tough canvas covering, which had holes where the stiching was (I believe the bugs were safely protected in the mattress). Once I threw the mattress away (which I labeled as having bed bugs so no one on the street took it) I bought a $30 or $40 air mattress and (uncomfortably) slept on that until I was certain the problem was solved. Only then did I buy a new mattress. I encased the mattress in dust mite coverings which are specifically supposed to prevent bed bugs from getting in (some dust mite encasings don't do this).
This is a HORRIBLE infestation but it can be treated. Have hope.
For Jessica, who works for a company that offers thermal remediation:
What is the name of your company and are you located in NYC? I can not find any exterminators that use this method in Manhattan and it sounds great.
I am finally going to sleep in my bed again after $300 on an exterminator and countless more dollars in rubbing alcohol and double sided tape. I also used a permethrin-based (12%) bug bomb twice.
Also,
I am starting a site called bedbugdonations.com
You can come and post your story. Prospective donors have already contacted me as being interested. Just need some stories.. and I'm sure ya'll have lots.
I tried getting info from the "Thermal Remediation" link above but the link did not work. Can you redo the link PLEASE! This sounds like a great idea, and I was actually thinking of turning on an electric heater room by room on high to try to kill them, in conjunction with chemicals. Please redo link. Thank you!
Hi- I was wondering if anyone could answer this question. I am almost certain that I have bed bugs, based on several articals I have read, and the look of the bites I am getting- 8 to 10 new ones every night, but my husband is not getting bitten. Why? I can't believe that I taste better.
Sorry about the bad link, you can try this one, Thermal Remediation from TEMP-AIR, or type in our web address www.thermal-remediation.com.
A couple of responses to above posts:
Thermal Remediation in NYC
No, we don't have a Thermal Remediation certified pest control operator in NYC at this time. I think that there is hesitation in the industry to adopt heat for this application because the concept is fairly new and because there are many limitations of using propane-fueled heat in the city. That's not to say that our regional office may not be able to help you. To find out more info on your specific application, feel free to contact Greg Grabow, Thermal Remediation Nat'l Sales Mgr, at 800-836-7432. He should be able to tell you if heat is even a viable option for the structure in which you reside.
Electric Heat Use
Using electric or propane heat for pest control are not a do-it-yourself remedy. I strongly adivse you to call a professional who is trained in heat applications. Otherwise your run a high risk of fire and/or structural damage. A space heater alone will not work, becuase very calculated air movement is necessary. There are also many other precautions to take (i.e. securing sprinkler systems, etc) - so like I said before - DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME - CALL A PROFESSIONAL.
Biting on person and not another
Since my previous post, I've not joined your ranks as someone who's been attacked by bedbugs. I recently stayed at a hotel and noticed the telltale bites the next morning (even though I checked the room for bedbugs at check-in as I religiously do.) My significant other was not bitten at all, so I did some research into that phenomenon. According to Rick Cooper (well known bedbug control industry expert - www.cooperpest.com), only one person being bitten is entirely normal. In my personal experience, and from what I've read, it seems to me that women are more likely to get bitten than men. But as far as I know, there's nothing scientific to back that up - it's just my observation.
hello everyone, thanks for all the info on ur site and i cant help but wonder if we have bedbugs here too...hmmm! this really sucks big time. i am a single mother of two children under the age of 6 and we just moved into a 3 bdrm upper floor house andeven though we have lived here for the past 5 months nothing has happened before now. both my 3 yrs old daughter and i have been bitten a few times. they are really itchy especially at night. i am a neat freak and i use alot of bleach so i really dont understand. people come over and they always ask if i have kids here how come its is always so clean? so....where else would they live...i dont see any bugs anywhere or on anything!!!! i am stuck on what to do cuz i feel the landlord wont do anything to help out with the problem as i am having problems with my fridge and have to defrost it every 2 months and so on...and the fact of moving is too pricey...sooo again i am stuck....*sigh*...and also we dont have pets either so i dont know what else to do....does anyone have any sujestions?????
this is how it went...for all those readin this please dont thinkn im racist cus im not imjust aggrevated i dont even like these ppl any ways...i lived in my old apt for like 9 months and outta the 9 months i have itched for atleast 5 months...thats when tj moved out and these nasty ass white ppl moved in ....rumor was they found their furniture on the street and bought it in so after a months in a half or so we steady thinkin the bites we been gettin is fleas...but our dog was str8 clean come to find out 2 months later they have bed bugs and they gettin the same types of bites we are...they called the health dept. and sum1 came out to look and said yes thats what it is... so they vacate outta the bedroom that they were sleepin in ...mind you there bed room was wall to wall wit mines...they vacte and sleep in the lr so they are goood no bites nuthin...them motherfuckers migrated in my bed room i have a baby and he sleeps in our room his bed was next to the wall...we discovered the bugs and we chucked his bed..days later we scratchin our skin off like thers no 2 mmorrow we chucked our bed now we just sleep on the floor on a air matterss them things are a pain in the ass..so a month later we still itchin so we buy boric acid DIDNT WORK so we move and since we dont have a bed and no furnitre only clothes which i washed and kept them outside the house till i did was em umm we got our tv's and like a wicker table and a nother table toys and we still gettin bit the fuck up i dont have $$$ cuz i dont have a job i gotta take care OF my baby maintain the house and pay rent bills and other shit wha the fuck am i posed to do i dont wanna tell the landlord cuz i dont want them to find out the bugs came from us and he tell us to leave or something i am mentally and physically torn we havent had a good days sleep in months and now they are still here wat should i do me and my boy friend cant sit
up and keeptakin turns watchin for bugs every three hours bnut i cant take it
f i throw away everything i own wwill they go away or no i nned hlep i been stuck in myhousse for months cuz i look horrible my body covered in red spots and im always itchin like a fiend my son looks like he got the monkey cuz he covered in red bumps idk please help me
sorry about your problem, but if you're not racist, don't label the nasty assed people as white. They are just nasty assed, as anyone can be, white, black, or purple.
To the person who is battling bed bugs while taking care of your 87 year-old father: wow! Good luck to you and your dad. That's so much work!
The last few weeks of my life have been dominated by these things. Not many people understand and in a way that's good because I can't keep talking about it or thinking about it. The oblivious keep my mind off the situation.
Then I get home and watch tv and run my fingers over what I think are new bites. Or maybe they're old ones. Or maybe I've got hives from the stress and always washing my clothes in extra detergent. The possibilities stack up in my mind and then all fall down. I haven't got much left to give.
I'm cashing out some of my IRA and moving next month. But I'm in NYC and who the hell knows if the place I'm going next won't have the same problem. I don't make that much money and the places I can afford that aren't too far from Manhattan seem infested, too, according to the bed bug registry.
I wish everybody the best of luck. Thanks for the site.
What does it feel like when bed bugs bite? Something is biting me in my bed at night the last couple nights but I don't know what it is. Can bed bugs live in California? I thought they were east coast critters. Also, can they live in Temperpedic mattresses?
email me and tell me please!!! foxystardust@gmail.com
How do you deal with bed bugs for things like musical instruments since guitars can't be put in a freezer or in extreme heat? also, what about computers?
I found this "Best Yet" product. They claim that it works better than anything else. Did anyone try it? is it real?
http://www.cedarcidestore.citymax.com/catalog/item/3580888/3196860.htm
http://www.cedarcidestore.citymax.com/page/page/4633404.htm
My husband, son and I have been temporarily staying in a hotel until our home is ready for us to be moved in. Last week my husband had got bit about 10 times. The hotel manager sprayed a new room and we moved into it. He reimbursed us only $10 for laundry but could not do anything for us as far as dry clean only items. After being in the new room evrythin seemd to be fine till this morning he was bit once again. Is that common to only get bit once or twice? I am so disusted and feel so helpless. I DONT want to take these nasty things into my new home and have my son exposed to it. What further action should be taken? and what do I do about all my stuff... luggage, playpen, etc! HELP!!! nikki@ebatty.com
bugs, sprays, asthma and anaphylaxis
I lived in a great loft in downtown Toronto for 4 years. The building became infested, nothing was said and the problem spread. They used a lot of pyrethrin spray and Diatomaceous Earth to treat the problem on their own. That, plus the chemical sprays applied by fumigators (the problem became so outrageous that it was hopeless) plus the constant bites put me into the hospital in serious respiratory arrest (asthma had significantly worsened in the weeks before from the sprays and powders), anaphylactic shock and intubated for almost a week. I never went back there again, losing most of what I owned and unable to sort through my possessions because of the severe health risk.
My point is this: if anyone uses a spray or Diatomaceous earth on their own, the stuff can be fatal to people with allergic reaction when that person is also exposed to bed bug venom (they inject an anaesthetic-like venom into their host to numb the bites). I looked it up and had trouble finding resources about anaphylaxis and bedbugs but because of the severity of the infestations, that's changing too.
We have to stop being so secretive about a problem that does not always reflect on our own lives.
If all else fails, nuke 'em!
Thanks and good luck
What a disaster- my friends went to the Sahara hotel in Las Vegas & left their luggage on the floor. In the morning they work up with at least 12 bites on each of them. They had complained & of course the hotel did not believe it. Check www.tripadvisor.com before you go on a trip. People have posted bedbug issues there- in case anyone is travelling.
My friends had to burn their luggage as it was infested. They also needed to call in the exterminators 3 times. Unreal!
Please post your infestation - at
www.mappost.org/bedbugcity.php
I keep wondering how severe and widespread this problem is. I live in Ohio and I just discovered these nasty creatures. The first one I saw boldly walked across my pillow as I sat up in bed one morning! I started shaking and crying. I took it to Varment Guard and they identified it for sure. They want $500 just to get started and they don't even seem to know much about them! I don't HAVE $500! I can't believe landlords will not pay to exterminate them! What the hell is wrong with these people? I don't know where these bastards came from. I WAS a big thrift store shopper - not anymore! Why don't landlords realize that if they don't help the FIRST person in the complex who reports it (me!) that the problem will become huge???!! I even offered to pay them back in payments if they would just pay to get this thing done NOW!! Can you believe the landlord's rep actually told me that she thought it would be STUPID to waste that kind of money or worry about it since I have only seen one bug! Well I listened to her and yesterday I saw another adult AND a nymph! (Put them in a ziploc bag...cringe and get sick to my stomach every time I walk by it) Aaaarrrgghhhh!!!! It's leaving me an emotional wreck. I tried to sleep with the light on for 3 nights straight until I was wiped out the first time...I would shake and sit up and search every few minutes..Then, after I finally started turning the lights off, I STILL did that with a flashlight for a few nights. I WAS getting ready to move in with my elderly father to take care of him, but I don't want to bring him this nightmare! I bought some sprays at the grocery store that claim that they kill them...I was up til 4am last night trying to get my courage up to even move the boxes in my room and look for them...I suspect they may be hiding in some boxes full of personal records...or in the walls or carpet or books or...GOD only knows!!! I'm afraid to move stuff because I don't want to spread them. I have put double sided carpet tape all around my bed...I don't seem to have much of a reaction to the bites...if that is what they are, they stay real tiny and go away (they may be just zits...or shaving bumps etc.)....but the imaginary bugs crawling all over me (my back, my scalp, my stomach, legs...creepy crawling) is enough to make me want to go see a shrink! I'm so terrified I can't even figure out what to do and so embarassed...how do you tell friends and family? I keep reading that it is not because one is "dirty" - but that is the stigma.....I was actually yelling at God yesterday! Somebody help! I wonder how many people are like me and so embarassed that they don't tell anyone? Does anyone know about the product called Results Indoor Insect Control...the site www.diatect.com contains LOTS of great testimonials...I'm tempted to try this stuff but I can't even afford THAT unless it is really going to work.....anyone have experience with it?
WAIT! WAIT! I just read on the University of Maine's website that only adults can survive temperatures below 50 deg Fahrenheit! So...If we bomb & spray & dust the adults, then turn the thermostat WAY down (to about 45) all day while we are at work for several weeks in the winter...will that eventually work? Should kill all the nymphs that hatch before they have a chance to lay eggs. Will my pipes freeze?...I wouldn't think so at 45deg. What do you all think?
I all for killing the bugs etc but I always dry outside in fresh air with rotary washing lines I think the clothes smell and feel fresher without a doubt.
thermal remediation sounds great, but all i can find on the internet about it implies it is only good/safe for commercial use. does anyone know if there are any companies that offer similar services for homes?
also, how contagious are these things? i don't know if i have them or not, but i'm assuming i've been bringing them home from my boyfriend's apartment (i kept getting bitten whenever i slept over, and he finally found a bug a couple weeks ago). since i've never been bitten in my own house, what are the chances i have them now too?
I just moved into a friends house. here is the problem- there are 11 adults and 3 children in this house. it is a 3 bedroom one bath house. as if that isn't bad enough, the entire house, the entire housing development, is infested with bedbugs. i mean INFESTED. i have seen them crawling out of the electrical outlets, and out from under the baseboards. the owner of this house has called exterminators and tried to get rid of them herself. they hadve bombed the house and under the house and in the ceiling. the bedbugs wont go away. someone said the wood was infested when they built this community. i'm not going crazy or anything from these bites, because i have had worse, but it is extremely annoying. i went through the whole 'i can't get in bed' mindset, but i fixed that by buying a 450 thread count shiny comfertor. the bedbugs cant seem to get into the blanket, thank the goddess, and i wrap up tight in it every night. i still get bitten, just from sitting in the living room. this is a massive infestation, affecting the entire house. the floors are hardwood- if i were to make my bed in the center of the floor would that help? i am the only white person in this house and since i've moved in the bugs have left the children alone and come after me. good for the children, but what the hell is that about? my biggest broblem is that i can't treat the house for bedbugs withoug going out and treating the entire community, every car and house, so i want to know if there is anything i can do to keep them from biting me. any type of body spray or lotion. and also, i would like to know what works to keep these bites from itching. my ankles look horrible because i scratch in my sleep. how long do the bites last? do the bedbugs stay on me when i'm out during the day? am i going to spread these damn things to my mother's house? and now, after reading these blogs, i'm afraid to move. i don't want to spread them to a new place. what can i do that wont cost a lot if i choose to move? my budget is... well, i have no budget. gas costs to much. i need all the help i can get. since i use a public computer to get online, please email me at sylverash_moonfox@hotmail.com
thank you.
I brought these little pests home to Massachusetts from a trip to Utah, where apparently the population of BBs are growing steadily too. I believe it was because I was staying in a hotel next to an air force base, so it was prime because many people visiting and such. In any case, I brought them back home (single family home with 4 other people) So they're eating all of my family members including myself, which makes me feel super guilty. The psychological effects on myself I can say, at first, were intense. Guilt and the feeling of helplessness, willfully getting into bed each night knowing they were there. I then took initiative to eradicate them from my room, because at the time they were only biting me. I vacuumed and cleaned my mattress, washed all clothes and bedding in hot water, dried them. This helped for less than a week before they spread to the rest of the bedrooms in the house. Persistent little things, not to mention they seemed to be reproducing really fast.
I've ordered Diatect "Results" which is basically DE. I have to wait for it to come in, but I ordered the 5 area kit.
In the meantime I'm getting another round of paranoia but I'm trying to keep it at bay with rationalizing it as best as possible. I have to remember that I HAVE to keep sleeping in my bed, regardless, so that they don't go into hibernation and so they keep coming to the food source. I have to remember that they do not spread disease, and luckily I am not allergic to their bites. (though my mom gets hives which signified to me they had gone to her bed.) Overall they do not do much harm, they feed every 5 days on average and cause mosquito-bite type bites. In a way, I am trying to force myself psychologically to become willful bait instead of helpless bait. I have not yet seen one of these things, but I know they're there.
Once I get the Diatect powder in, I will start the assault. I plan on preparing every one of the rooms, removing clutter, (which my room is filled with, so it will be difficult) cleaning all bedsheets and clothing again, and then beginning spraying the dust barrier around the bed, on the mattress, and in all suspicious cracks in EVERY bedroom. This will be a 4 week process so I'll post regularly on the progress and if there are any results. I've heard good things in general about DE. But as for psychological impact, remember there are worse things out there. Be thankful they do not carry disease, and know that they are beatable. Put yourself above them and get into your bed at night and convince yourself that you have the upper hand, because you have a plan and willpower to get rid of them.
"I called tempurpedic and they said they haven't heard of any bedbugs living in the tempurpedic and that memory foam is not supposed to be able to host ANY organic matter"
Lol is that true????????
Is it completely necessary to wash or steam EVERYTHING? Including books, computers, etc?
I mean, bed bugs prefer wood and natural materials, not metal or plastics.
I recently moved to a new apt 3 weeks ago, and after about 1 week started getting the "bites". I thought it was outside bugs or something, but my father mentioned out of the blue "bed bugs". I then googled them and freaked, but followed everything I'd found about searching for them, etc. Alas, yesterday I went and bought some Bayer inside/outside spray, sprayed the baseboards of the bedroom and found a dead one this morning...I have it sealed now in a baggy. I'm going to have to inform my landlord..asap. I went out and bought covers for my mattress as well at the brand new futon couch I just bought 2 weeks ago. To top it all off, I had just move to the new place, because my old place had flooding issues. Now I will have this to deal with. I'm hoping the landlord takes immediate action, if not I dont think I can stay here with the bites several times a week. However I do think the Bayer indoor/outdoor spray must do "something" as I mentioned I found a dead one soon after I sprayed that stuff on some baseboards....
It was very interesting reading all of the different comments about the ways the nasty critters called bed bugs have affected us. I have been dealing with them for about 6 weeks now, with not much success I might add. I am a traveling therapist and must have rented furniture with the BB's in/on it. The furniture company did come and remove all the furniture, the apartment complex had an exterminator come in, and then new furniture replaced... Well, about 10 days later, I found a baby BB in the corner crease of a pillow. Furnitur people came to take all the furniture again to "cook" it at 145 degrees, the carpets were steam cleaned and sprayed again. This time I had to remove me, my bird, and 3 cats to a hotel for 3 days while they did all this stuff to the furniture and apartment. 4 days later, there was an adult BB just hanging out on the side of my sheet.... Don't know what to do. My clothes have been washed and dried for long periods of time, placed in plastic ziplock bags, I've pitched numerous things, the mattress and box spring, and new pillows are still in the plastic. I'm living as sparsely as possible now, but they are still here. I believe that my 3 cats have been bitten while they sleep under the covers during the day. I did read one comment where the person used Frontline for the cats which I will get on Monday. I feel trapped here, as I don't think I can move to another apartment as I might take them with me, even a hotel for the weekend, etc.... I can't sleep, always waking up thinking something is crawling on me, checking the sheets, covers, all crevices a few times a night, I even try to sleep with a light on, but I've still gotten bitten, so I don't think they really care.... I'm crazy with anxiety as to what to do... Haven't tried the powder stuff around the walls, etc, that may be the next step... Help!!!!
Hi Shawn,
I feel bad for your situation as well. Since I found 1 dead bug bed in my "new" place i've been searching daily found another today. Needless to say it isn't the best 4th of july weekend i've had ;-) I called management today to leave a message that I think my apt. is infested. Also went downstairs below me to ask if they'd had a problem...and they literally just moved in as well....hmmmm. Anyhow, I'll see what management says...I've ziploc bagged the 2 "specimens" i've found so far for evidence, of course as well as the bites i've recieved-which are obvious when I have them. I have now moved into the living room on my brand new futon-which i've quickly sealed with a vinyl cover and put double sided tape on the legs.... I know it's best not to move around too much-but I already think the whole place was infested anyhow...not just the bedroom. Did your pest person use the powder? What did they use the first time?
So i came up with an idea today for ridding shoes, etc of the bugs. I put my shoes in my closet into a black plastic bag, put it on the front seat of my car, after sealing it very well. and have left it in there all day. It is very sunny out/with outdoor temps in the 90's-only guessing inside the car in a black trash bag, tightly wrapped it must have reached well about 120 degrees. I put a thermometer in the car, and it was so hot, it didn't register the temp. When I took it out, the temp started at 120-so i'm guessing the car's inside temp was WELL about that. Just a cheaper idea on how to heat your items in the summertime. I would just make sure to tightly wrap the bag. I used a twisty and duct tape.
This is my first ever blog comment! Too bad it's because I now realize after reading all of the other comments that I too have bed bugs!! I've just ordered from ACE hardware store a spray called Sprayway Good Night, says it's guaranteed to work and it's also cheap $8.54 for two 16oz cans!? Anyone out there used this? I picked my bugs up from a hotel at the beach, funny thing is I thought that my bites were sand fleas or mosq. bites. The second morning I did notice some blood on the sheets, just thought that I must have scratched the bites during the night. I want to sue the hotel, the housekeeper must have noticed!!!! Now my daughter has also been bitten. I have searched for the bugs but haven't seen any. I'm lucky that I have any skin left on my legs from scratching them until they bleed!!
From what I've read the bb are back because of the ban on DDT. Lucky us, yuck. I'll let you know if the Sprayway works.
Good luck out there!!
I have a suggestion for cleaning books and other things that can't be washed in hot water...
zap it in the microwave for a minute or so. You figure anything can't survive that. Freezer is also a good option if you have room. Also- steam iron the f#* out of clothes. It's about getting creative.
good luck
Please please please let me know if the Sprayway Good Night works. I have bbs and it's mortifying. My super gave me the spray to use and I'm praying it works.
Just want to make sure everyone is reporting their bed bugs for future renters/home buyers on http://www.bedbugregistry.com/. It's a really great site. I just wish there was more media coverage on this. I had no idea they actually existed and I could have done many things sooner rather than later.
My roommate noticed bite marks at the beginning of August but had no idea what was biting her. I was not being bit and thought maybe she had a mosquito in her room. Last week she found a bedbug on her shower curtain and then proceeded to examine her matress etc. I still had nothing in my room so we cleaned her room top to bottom and shampooed her carpets. We bought matress and box spring covers for both our matresses. I then noticed I was being bitten and it was the most uncomfortable feeling ever. It itched so much! We used Raid Max foggers last Sunday. (contains 1.71% cypermethrin) I vacuumed the entire house every day and shampooed the carpets twice this week. We both washed all of the bed items two or three times. I ordered a power steamer from sears and sprayed all of the edges of the rooms and all furniture including bed frames. Today I moved every piece of furniture and only found one live bug the rest we all dead. We also were sprying with the raid ant spray that had the same chemical as the foggers. Tomorrow we will use the foggers again and then again next week. Everything we read said to spray 3 times and the egg incubation period is 7-10 days. Neither of us has had any bites in a week, however I am still paranoid and will continue to vacuum, shampoo and steam the house for a few more weeks just to make sure.
Hi! I am wondering about the toxicity of dust insecticide, I am about to dust all of the bedroom with Drione and wonder whether I should worry about applying it to the mattress. I plan on encasing the mattress after the dusting.
Ok I tried this and worked.
1) You need to be out of the room.
2) I found this DIY "mosquito trap" This is the link:
http://www.diyhappy.com/quick-and-dirty-mosquito-trap/
This will create the CO2 necesary for the bedbugs to be attracted
3) Put a cloth mantel around it, to the floor, leaving the top hole uncovered (the mantel it's for the bugs to climb.
4) Hover over the trap a nightlight so it will create the heat source.
5) The bedbugs will sense the CO2 and the heat, Thus getting trapped and drowning in the bottle.
Presto!!! a home made bed bug trap
how many bugs did you catch with your home made bed bug trap and was it a small infestation or a large infestation?
hi i was wondering what u thought of thermal remediation i saw it on bedugsite.com
it looks like they bring giant heaters to kill the bugs
I am dying. Washed everything I could to find out that I don't have a place to put. My living room is full of bags with clothes. I am stupid. My friend gave me her old drawer full of bugs. My instint told me to throw that thing away. But I felt sorry for my friend, because she had all the trouble to bring that hard wood drawer. My husband is going to kill me with his words. "I told you not to get used stuffs from nobody!"
He is in New York and we live in L.A.. He is coming back tonight!
I called my apt manager and told her to let the owner know. Most of the tenants are seniors. I don't want nobody to get the bugs. I am really sad. I have a baby at home and a 6 years daughter who's being bitten every night.
I sprayed the bedroom with the sprayaway and found 5 dead bugs. One was as big as a rouch, the others were as small as a sand.
I hate myself. I told my friend to check out her house, she paid no attention. Meanwhile her home must be infested.She has no reaction to bugs bite, neither her kids. But she told me her husband her some bites around his legs.
I live in an apartment complex in Michigan. This is my story. I still am uncertain how I got them. I have cats but they rarely go outside (2), I was given a bed from a friend, she is super clean and i had been to her condo, she has no bugs. I also went to a bible study and the girls thought they had fleas on a couch, I didnt see any fleas. Fleas jump and I didnt see fleas. They had been given used furniture (they are students) and recently told me they had fleas on there bed. Only the bed. So fleas normally jump and go really throughout the home. They are less liley to be on one peice of furniture and I never saw any jumpers when I was there.
I found out I had them because, I had a firend visiting for one week, and I sleep like a LOG. I gave him my room, he found the buggys. I had noticed I was itching at night but I didnt get any bites. Not only did he get bit but he found the problem. So thats embarrasing. HE helped me :-) get rid of the mattress and box spring, clean the carpet (hoping to drown anything) and called the apartment complex for it to be sprayed. I had googled the issue. It said they are hard to get rid of. That is why I called the complex. So Eradico (pest eradicators) came over. The maintainance man had to drill 1/4 inch holes, every 14 inches mid wall, throughout the apartment. Inlcuding closets but said they dont nomrally like bathroom or kithchen. I washed everything (twice). For delicate dry cleanables I put them in the dryer only, as heat seems to kill them, for about an hour. I have a white bed spread, so I noticed when you kill they die there will be a red or brown spot where they were squashed, since they are filled with blood. No red spots on clothes only bedding.
Overall to clean the carpet and do laundry it was about $200. Eradico, sprayed inside the walls and the furnitures. They also had to treat apartments with adjacent walls to me. Though they did not find bugs in them. One neighbor was upset about it. I care but, bugs or mad people. So...
At first i was a little scared and not quite paranoid but you dont know where can you go.. because I didnt know where they came from. It is now 2 months since the first spraying. I have seen 3 bugs since. One the day they sprayed, he was pretty close to dead, one about 9 days later and a tiny one on the couch just a couple days ago. I also encased my other mattress and boxspring in a plastic fully enclosed zippered cover. We threw out all pillows in the infested room too.
They sprayed the second time today. I'm not a hunter but, these little critters do not get to eat me. I am very busy I need to sleep when I can. I get crabby when I can't sleep. If the apartment complex wont spray then check if there is a regulation.
I know after the first spraying, they were 99.9% gone. If you saw the mattress that we threw out, you would wonder why I didnt get bit.
Hopeful in Michigan
Has anyone used the Cryonite service? It freezes the bugs to death and supposedly has a high success rate. I'm having a rep from Bell here tomorrow to check our rooms. My roommate has bugs in his room. Sprays and powders that he's been using haven't killed all the bugs, only some, unfortunately.
Who would have ever thought that a pest could cause so much distress.
A simple getaway to a neighbouring city is turning into an awful nightmare!
I got bedbugs from a hotel a few weeks ago. I noticed the bites on MY back (not my husband's) first, brushing them off as random acne. Then I noticed the little brown spotties on my sheets, from their (what I found out was) FECES. Fantastic.
I looked up the 'symptoms' and confirmed my fears further by checking out my mattress and finding the brown spots.
I am SO upset. It's only been one day since I found them, and already I feel stressed, I can only imagine what's yet to come.
I've ordered a bed bug package from http://www.deadbedbugs.com/ for $170.00, washed as much laundry as I can in my waking hours ($15.00 and rising) as well I'm doing to have to rent a storage space to clear out all the things from our tiny apartment, which is looking to cost a couple to several hundred.
This $200.00 for two nights in a hotel room to "get away" has turned into a nightmare that is costing us financially, emotionally, psychologically and physically.
Spread the word to your loved ones so they know to watch out before it's too late!
I'm so upset. I just moved into a co-op apartment and I discovered a bed bug and bed bug droppings. I called the Super and building mgt both who swear that I must be the problem. I don't feel good about this situation at all. I just moved into this apartment with brand new furniture. The Super doesn't understand, bed bugs can live up to a year without biting anyone. I just want this problem fixed and not ignored or worse blamed on me.
A Memory Foam Mattress is great because they are resistant to dust mites!
Try a memory foam mattress or topper. This will solve the problem of unwanted vistors in your mattress.
I think that when it comes to dust mites, bed bugs and allergens the best solution is the allerzip mattress cover and boxspring cover. They are comfortable to sleep on and have been tested exstensively by independent research laboratories. Protect-A-bed bed bug encasement covers are an effective tool in helping to manage a bed bug infestation. A great Do-it-yourself pest control company like www.ePestSolutions.com carry the full line of mattress encasement systems and easy to use kits specific for bed bugs.
We love to answer questions so don't hesitate to email us at info@epestsolutions.com
There is some bad advice being given on this blog regarding the washing of clothes and bedding!
The wash part of getting rid of bed bugs is important but the drying portion is paramount.
Bed bugs can survive 120 degree F heat for days according to the Nevada Health Department and the CDC in Atlanta!
The average home dryer does not get that hot and even if it did, the bed bugs must be exposed to a higher temperature than that CONSISTENTLY for a minimum of 25 minutes!
The ONLY way to insure that the bugs are eliminated is to utilize a commercial dryer with computerized controls at a temperature of AT LEAST 140 degrees F.
This is a main cause of reinfestation of bed bugs in the home! The exterminator does his job but the home owner brings them back in with the laundry that was not done properly.
Go to http://bed-bugs-toronto.blogspot.com/ to learn how to do your laundry properly and reduce the chances of not having to go through this all over again.
Just discovered that I have these critters. Im sleeping on a chair tonight. I usually hate pesticides and weed killers, but in this case I will make an exceptions. I want a guy wearing a hazmat suit packing a flame thrower and the strongest, nastiest, bad for the environment, crap available (I don't care if it's radioactive). He can spray it right in my ceral bowl! I want these basards dead.
We have been dealing with this problem for a long time. Unfortunately live in a heavily infested neightborhood in Williamsburg Brooklyn and have a landlord that wont do the necessary fixes.
Started a year ago, we threw out our whole bed, sealed up and/or cleaned all our linens. Have had at least 8 sprays and cleaned. But then the bugs moved to our sons room and the whole nightmare started over again 2 months ago. Then we got more serious as if we were not serious enough the first time. We hired the dogs and paid the big bucks...$1100.00 for a more propper inspection, inwhich we found out that the bbugs are in the heating system.
Now we actually have purchased a new house and dont want to bring any bugs with us. So, our increadibly expensive plan is this: We bougt a box called the Pactight which heats everything up to 120 degrees for up to an hour (it does not work that great as it takes 5 hrs to heat everything to that tempature. It cost 350.00). So we are living with our choice in this box hoping it will work, have put all our clothes, towels, and sheets already and will move on to books, cd's etc. Next we are putting everything into large ziploc bags. We will place those ziploc bags into airtight boxes. We will move all those boxes to our new house. If anyone has any suggestions on reasonably priced airtight containers could you please let me know!!!!!!??????
This really is a nightmare and we are now refusing to pay rent so have a feud w/our landlord now. Our infestation, on the face of it never seemed that bad (we only saw 2 live bugs a year ago, and since then have only been bitten three times), but it goes to show you that these little f---ers are really hard to get rid of.
Any help on finding those boxes would be great and any other info that anyone has would also be great.
you guys can even email me directly at bbughelp@gmail.com
Hello.I am a flight attendant and would like some advise to pass on regarding bed bugs in the hotel room.
Thanks
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