So sorry you’re going through this — both of you.

The possibility of infesting your own home is a real one but with some effort, you should be able to minimize the risk. The Travel FAQs include information about how to avoid carrying bed bugs from place to place which may be helpful to you.

As for helping your relative do what needs to be done to get rid of bed bugs, this is not easy. One thing to consider would be whether there is a social worker or caseworker who can help you support your relative on this issue.

Please come to our Bedbugger Forums (you might consider reposting your message there) where you will get more responses and support, perhaps from others in the same boat.

I travel a lot for work and was wondering how long bugs can be in your apartment before you get bit? I last traveled on June 29 and was bit for the first time on July 18.

I also want to know how easily they you can spread them from one place to another. If I want to sleep at my boyfriend’s home could I easily transport them to his apartment through my clothing. Or if he slept at my apartment can he easily bring them back to his apartment?

If no one has seen any bugs but I am still getting bit, does that mean my infestation is minimal? How quickly do they reproduce?

I washed all my bedding in hot water and dried it in the dryer for an hour, and I still got bit last night, does that mean they are probably living in cracks rather than in my bed?

Could I be infesting my office space by wearing clothes from home that I could potentially bring back to my apartment even after it is fogged and all that?

Do you have to throw out anything that can’t be washed and dried?

If they can live up to 18months without feeding how do you know if you have ever really gotten rid of them. What if you move apartments in that amount of time, could you potentially think they are gone and move them into your next apartment?

If I am getting bit by them, isn’t that more proof than actually spotting one?

If I changed out of all my clothing into new items bought at a store and left my soiled clothes outside my boyfriends apartment would that assure that i didn’t bring them into his apartment or could larvae attach to your body or hair from your soiled clothing?

I need some peace of mind. Please help!!

Now, I have finally added a separate section at the bottom specifically addressing how the points made may be applied to avoiding the spread of bed bugs to the workplace, car, etc.

debbie, sorry I missed your post also. Bed bugs live in the home, not on a “carrier.” While it might be possible for a bed bug to hitch a ride on a cat and so go from one room to another, or onto the bed, it is highly unlikely for cats to pick bed bugs up outside. Bed bugs prefer to live with and bite people, so it is likely your bed bugs either walked in (as from an attached property) or came in on a person’s clothing or in their bag or a parcel.

Please come to our Bedbugger Forums and repost your message there: http://bedbugger.com/forum/

You will get many more replies and lots of support.