Some, however, are longer and more detailed than can fit into the page. So I have decided, from here on in, to give each its own post, and to link to that from the success stories page.

Now, I give you Collette’s bed bug success story (10/2007):

First phase, the discovery:

I had been scratching my arms like crazy at night for several weeks. This started to really impair my sleep. But I never suspected anything gross, and the reason was that my husband slept through the whole thing without even as much as a scratch. So first lesson: Not everybody scratches. One very early morning, after a sleepless itchy night, which I like to call my last night of innocence, I stumbled my way to my iMac and googled: arms itching night.

I was instantly flooded with allergies-related results, I was to take an allergy test, and find out what it is my body cannot take. Had I recently changed soap? Was Zytec right for me? I knew I was not allergic, never had been allergic to anything, and thought never will be. (Second lesson: Now, I am allergic, but the details will come later).

Buried, almost hidden, within the sea of allergy sites, one result line grabbed my attention. More exactly, one word in the line : bedbugs. At least it sounded different than the rest, I clicked. I was faced with the picture of a round-shaped brown bug, not exactly ugly. There was even a Latin name for it, and a very long story about what a terrible thing they are, and how impossible it is to get rid of them, and how they can make you scratch all night long.

I shrugged. Yes, I shrugged, so comforted by my own naiveté, that I could not possibly harbor such a repulsive thing in my very cozy pricey king-size bed. I headed back to the bed, making a mental note to self: Get an appointment for an allergy test. As I was walking around the bed to occupy my rightful side, passing by my snoring open-mouthed husband, I noticed a dark spot seemingly moving on top of my white-as-snow comforter. I got closer, and there it was, doing his morning jog, the exact reproduction of the image I had just shrugged at on my iMac screen. A bedbug, and a big one. A rounded one, which means his belly was full. Full of blood. Full of yours truly’s blood. I had bedbugs. I would never be the same person again.

Second phase, a naïve and hysterical attempt to get rid of the bedbugs:

Luckily, it was a day off. I immediately woke my husband up, and announced to him that we were infested. He had no idea what we were dealing with. Neither did I, but I knew more than him. We had to clean up. We did. We lifted the king-size mattress against the wall, and started inspecting it. We immediately found them. They were hidden under the mattress seams. We cleaned that. Should we throw the mattress away? We decided we should. So we started to shop on line for new mattresses. Nothing happens in a day, so we kept sleeping on infested mattress for a few more nights. We had an exterminator come in. A nice fellow, who quoted us $2,500 to take care of the problem, with no warranty, and a lot of prep work to be done by us. We decided we would do the work alone. I read everything there is to read about the issue on the blessed internet, ordered a whole case of deadly poisons online and we started spraying around. I literally threw half of my bedroom contents in the garbage. Everything that was worth saving, but that I could live without, I sealed in to plastic bags and stored in a container located in my back yard for a period that was set to 18 months. (Based on the assumption that the bedbugs can live a little over a year without food). Overreacting? Nope. Under-reacting. They kept biting me. I searched all the rooms in the house to finally come to the conclusion that they were only in my bedroom, but some forensic evidence suggested they might have once resided in the guest room, and then migrated to greener and bloodier pastures, my warm sleeping body.

Began the era of suspicion, which guest brought that questionable gift? We started gossiping about the hygiene of everyone we knew and had been kind enough to pay us a visit in the middle of our woods. We were mean. We were desperate. And then the worse came, the karmic punishment, my daughter told on us to the neighbor. Innocently, as a perfectly legitimate response to the question: Did you have a good week end? She decided to describe my epic battle against the bugs to my closest neighbor. We were exposed. I got sympathetic displays of support, was told that New York is infested, that it is not my fault, that I am not dirty, etc.. I spent a few more evenings spraying and cleaning. I bought a mattress cover. I bought white sheets, washing them daily, to be able to spot the tiniest intruder. My husband decided to keep our prisoners alive in a Tupperware box and experiment on them various pesticides. I was not sleeping much.

Third phase: Getting smart and desperate

By then, I was almost philosophical. I was thinking I am being tested by some higher powers. Had I been a believer, I would have certainly gone far into that path. My husband, on the other hand, was simply happy the house was getting cleaned much more frequently. Have I mentioned he slept though the whole thing? Well, he did. I, was not sleeping at all. First I had adopted an anti-bug attire to go to bed: Socks, PJ pants stuck into the socks, long sleeves shirt stuck into the pants, rubber bands on the wrists, and insect-repellent spray all over the whole package. Probably the part that my husband did not really appreciate, this attire was not working for him, go figure. And then I read that bedbugs will find their way to your blood no matter what, and will not hesitate to bite your eyelids. I got the hint, and took the socks off. Bite my feet, if you want. They did. I was sleeping by periods of 10 minutes, waking up at every real or imaginary itch on my body, and immediately grabbing the flash light to catch the perp in action. My husband had KGB inspired dreams, I had no dreams at all. Why didn’t I move to a hotel or another room? Simple, they would have migrated out of my room, and I wanted them in there. Also, it had evolved into a principle. They will not drive me out of my room and my bed. I started following them at night, and establishing theories about their habits. I was now able to recognize them at their different stages of life, the egg, the nymph, the adult. I knew their hours. I knew their paths. I learnt more and more about them. They are not social, they are resilient, they scatter when threatened, and they can go dormant for months if needed. And the more I knew, the more I realized it would be very hard to exterminate them. By the way, before the bedbugs, I honestly believed every life form should be respected. Like I said, I will never be the same person again.

Then one night, I got bitten by a tiny one, a baby if you will, very energetic. That was one bite too much. I stood up in the middle of my room and started crying uncontrollably. My husband opened an eye and looked at me, he then asked me to turn off the light because it was disturbing his sleep. He was smart enough the next morning to deny any remembrance of that request, and claimed he was probably sleep-talking. Nevertheless, I moved to the living room, and ordered him to keep sleeping in the bedroom as a bait. Which he did, gladly.

Fourth phase: War and victory

And one day, I knew. I had to kill them all, in all their stages, wherever they were, whatever it took. Obviously the pesticides were not working. They were only killing me. By then I was highly allergic to the Drione powder I had purchased to allegedly melt their disgusting little bodies. I was sneezing twenty times in a row every time I moved an item in my bedroom. I had read that the diatomaceous earth I was practically sleeping in could cause cancer. (Editor’s note: see response below.) I was slowly dying, and they were in great shape. It would have to be mano a mano. The conventional way. I had to go to battle against them directly, not hidden behind a sprayer.

I made the smartest purchase of my life, I bought a dry steam cleaner. $1,500 of killing steam. This would be my weapon of choice. And I went to war. The war lasted 8 straight hours, during which I went through every inch of wood and mattress in my bedroom, with a flashlight in one hand and a steam nozzle in the other. I crawled into unbelievable spots, I moved unbelievable weights, I was super-human for a day. I made no compromise, did not skip one crevice, I followed them home. I found them, everywhere. I found their eggs, found their hiding places, sometimes in the tiniest little nail holes. And I steamed them. 310 F of burning steam. They did not have a chance. I knew that even one survivor could mean re-infestation. Then I left the room and took a shower. I had a cold beer. And I came back into my bedroom, sparkling clean, smelling like a dry-cleaner shop. And I knew they were gone. I just knew. Since then I have been sleeping like a baby. So does my husband, but he always did. They are gone.

Some will say maybe they scattered, maybe they are hiding, maybe there are eggs. I know there aren’t. They are ALL dead, I killed them one by one with my bare hands.

This is my recommendation: No pesticides. Just steam and good hard work.

Colette

—————

Editor’s note:

Thanks Collette!

I have a few comments.

First, we generally recommend professional pest control operators (PCOs) because they can often get rid of bed bugs faster and more fully than self-treatment. Pesticides are imperfect, but in many cases, necessary.

That said, steam absolutely does work. Some PCOs use it and later apply dusts or sprays. PCOs may also use steam in lieu of other treatments in sensitive cases where pesticides might pose a problem to residents. It certainly can work well for individuals who do their research and (as you note) do a lot of hard work.

We do have to keep in mind that it will not work if the steam cannot penetrate every place where bed bugs are living and laying eggs. (For example, this can be deep within a sofa, or inside the wall.) If steam alone, as per your tactics, did not work, or if readers wanted to be sure they got rid of bed bugs quickly, they might combine steam and then pesticides and/or freshwater DE (all properly applied, of course). We haven’t heard again from you, and we hope they were all killed, but in most cases, it would probably be best to have some residual pesticide or food grade DE waiting in case they pop out.

I note that you used a $1500 professional steamer. Less expensive dry steamers in the $400 range can be found in the Useful Stuff page and have been recommended by readers and PCOs. (Dry steam, we’re told, is better than the wet steam cheaper steamers put out, because that can lead to mold and mildew growth, along with its own health issues.)

Regarding diatomaceous earth: first, you should not be sleeping in it, and it should only be used in small amounts and in crevices that won’t be disturbed. Used correctly, I have read that food grade freshwater DE should be safe. If you have articles suggesting otherwise, please share them.

On the other hand, inhaling any dust, or drione, is not a good thing, and so your sneezing was a sign something was wrong.

Thanks again for sharing your story! Steam has many fans in our readers, and your story will no doubt inspire many who are willing and able to do the work.

• Bed bug dog Joni: fighting bed bugs in New Zealand and Australia
• more on bed bugs in New Haven: they’re only using steam cleaning?!?
• Tales of bed bug woe: Allergicgirl’s questions
• Bedbugs in literature

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Hello,

I’ve just found your website doing research on my own problem. I live
in Doha, Qatar (Middle East) and have been suffering through what I am
convinced is a bedbug infestation. There are some things I don’t
understand though:

- I don’t get bitten in bed, only when I sit on the couch
- my husband and 2 children don’t have any bites, only me and one
other child (I’m sure they are bugs, the pictures of the bites look
exactly the same)

We live in a place where external spraying is continual because there
are a lot of roaches around - one of the joys of living in a desert. I
don’t think the spray they use for that would work on bedbugs if I had
them spray inside - would it? I have small children, so I don’t like
the idea of them spraying things I can’t check up on.

Our house is a stand-alone house, not an apartment, and the walls are
concrete block, not wood. I don’t think there is any wood in the
construction of the house at all. Not even drywall - it’s solid
cement, marble or laminate floors.

My husband has sprayed in the house (an American product that says
it’s safe for kids and pets and kills bedbugs), paying attention to
the places where I’ve been bitten, but I don’t know how effective that
will be. We have a maid here and our house is immaculately cleaned and
laundered, so cross contamination throughout the house would be
minimal. But things like packing everything into ziplock bags is just
not realistic given that I have 3 small kids.

The emotional toll this has is unbelievable, especially when doctors
here tell me it isn’t insect bites (because they get a little puss
welt sometimes so I’ve even been told I have chicken pox) and no one
else is really being affected. And, it’s gorgeous weather here now,
and I feel very self-conscious about showing any affected skin - it’s
gross! Antihistamenes help a little bit, but it’s nutty to have to be
on medication to get rid of this - it’s the bugs, not me!

Thank you so much for your help,

Bedbugged in Qatar

Hi Bedbugged in Qatar,

Sorry you’re dealing with this.

First, have you seen bed bugs? They are very hard to diagnose based on bite appearance alone, and we don’t all get the same reactions. Other conditions like folliculitis and scabies can cause similar marks sometimes. On the other hand, it is very common for only some (or none!) in a household to react to bed bug bites. It is not unusual for one partner to react while the other partner and kids don’t. They may in time, or they may not. Dr. Michael Potter says up to 50% of people do not react to bites. It does not mean they are not being bitten. The bed bugs could also be in their beds or rooms.

Second, the term “bed bug” is a misnomer. They can certainly infest your couch or sofa, or other upholstered chairs. They can even be in cracks and crevices in the concrete structure or in wooden furniture (especially in gaps, where you won’t see them–they love to squeeze into tight spaces and hide). Sofa infestations are often caused when a family member or guest has bed bugs in their clothing or in a bag brought from inside and placed on the sofa. I would personally treat more than just the couch and surrounding area, because you do not know that you and the one child are only being bitten there. Bed bug bites can appear up to 9 days later, though most of us think we get them within a day or so after being bitten. It’s extremely unlikely you feel the bites as they occur, even if you think you do. Therefore, you and the child may also be bitten in bed or other locations. And the husband and other kids can also be bitten anywhere in the home and not react.

You said, “We have a maid here and our house is immaculately cleaned and laundered, so cross contamination throughout the house would be minimal.” Actually, I would not assume this was so. A maid going from room to room cleaning could certainly carry and spread bed bugs around. They can be sucked into a vacuum and crawl out in another room, hide in a rag being carried from one place to the next, and so on. They could even be in your maid’s pocket or cuff and go from your home to hers (or the other way around). I don’t want to single out the maid, though. Any family member could also port bed bugs from place to place in clothing or in a book or bag or other item.

In a stand-alone home, the bed bugs either were there before you moved in (if you moved in the last few months, this is possible–and you may have been bitten for even a few months before reacting to bites) or were brought in. They could have been brought in via someone who traveled to a hotel or visited others in their homes. But they can also come from everyday “travel” via buses, taxis, trains, planes, or even from the workplace, school, or by purchasing something in a shop or bringing home dry cleaning or laundry. You should read our travel FAQs which include advice on how not to spread bed bugs to others, as well as how to avoid picking them up in future.

Now, assuming you have bed bugs, you are right: it’s the bugs, not you, that is the problem. You have to get rid of them, so let’s consider your treatment options. We’re often told that one factor in the resurgence of bed bugs in North America is the abandonment of routine baseboard spraying for roaches (which are often now dealt with via gels rather than sprays). So it is possible that the chemical that’s being sprayed might help against bed bugs, but it might need to be used in a different way. I would suggest you try to find out what they use (the chemical’s name), and one of the professionals here might be able to comment on it.

I am not sure what your “American product that says it’s safe for kids and pets and kills bedbugs” is. If you give us information on that (product name) it may help. It is probably not a pesticide with a residual that keeps killing, but might be a mechanical killer (a dust containing diatomaceous earth, DE, which kills bed bugs that walk through it) or a contact kill spray (which only kills bed bugs you spray directly). Many professionals in the US will use some combination of the three. Used alone, of the three, the third (contact kill spray) is seriously unlikely to solve your problem, because you are not going to be able to find and spray directly anything but a small fraction of your bed bugs.

I know you are concerned about safety, as all of us are, but the best thing, truly, is to get someone in there who has real pesticides and knows how to use them safely. That includes knowing what to use, and where, and also how long to tell you to stay away. They need to understand that you have kids (and pets, if you do). The good news is that many countries outside the US have pesticides available which may be more effective against bed bugs than what is legal here. I value safety, and my understanding is that many substances banned here would be safe if used properly. As much as you may want to avoid pesticides, it is also worth noting that if you don’t treat properly now, the bed bugs may spread and multiply to the point that many more pesticides must be used to eliminate them. Before you ask, moving is generally not a solution.

Since you live in a city, I would assume that someone there–some kind of professional– knows how to get rid of bed bugs. It may take some asking around. (Remember that locals and expats who could afford treatment probably would not expect to have to put up with bed bugs). But you really do need help with this. And maybe not just from the person who sprays outside for roaches, unless you confirm they know about bed bugs and how to treat for them. Trying to fight this on your own with a contact killer will be impossible, and even self-treating with a dust will likely take longer than a method which incorporates pesticide sprays with residuals. Someone there knows what to do, and it’s a matter of finding them.

As far as washing and bagging stuff goes, it may be less crucial if you have a newer infestation (though the longer you live with bed bugs, the more they will spread). If they are in your sofa, they can be picked up in the clothing of those sitting there. Washing and bagging all clothing, linens besides bedclothes, etc. is not always necessary, from what PCOs tell me. If you really are resistant to washing and bagging, I would start getting real bed bug treatment of some kind, and go from there. It’s possible that will be enough, though follow-up treatments may be necessary. And in the meantime, you can declutter and bag washing done in the interim.

If you find out what is being used as a spray, some of the professionals here or on thebedbugresource.com are likely to be able to tell you more about it and its use.

I hope this helps. Let us know if you have questions and definitely let us know how it goes.

Bedbuggers and professionals: got anything to add or correct?

• Penelope Trunk: bed bugs as a lesson in “taming materialism”
• Tales of bed bug woe: Allergicgirl’s questions
• FAQ: Bed bugs are crawling on me all the time. I am being bitten all day long, no matter where I go!
• Bed Bugs in NYC schools: DOE spokeswoman Marjorie Feinberg needs better bed bug information

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Starling said she went back the motel, captured some of the bugs and gave some to Gaston County health officials. Specialist Doc Thompson said they found three or four bed bugs in 20 of the rooms. He said the bugs can’t carry disease, but they can cause dermatitis. He said he advised the owner of the steps needed to get rid of the bugs and gave them 2 weeks to start with exterminations.

Officials “found bed bugs in 58 percent of the rooms available to daily rental.” I would venture that if they found 3-4 bed bugs in 20 rooms, even more may have infestations. PCOs tell us finding bed bugs in infested rooms is not that easy.

But that’s not the whole story.

Eyewitness News asked why the health department couldn’t just shut down the motel until the bugs are gone. Thompson said that a motel has to get a grade of 70 or less before they can shut it down. Even with the bed bugs, the Super 8 had a rating of 85. He said if they do not take steps to get rid of the bugs by next Thursday, then he can serve them with a notice of intent to suspend. Then after 30 days, if nothing has changed, the department can pull the motel’s permit and shut it down.

The hotel manager told journalists, “she has an exterminator who comes by once a month.”

Whatever routine treatments a building already gets won’t necessarily do it. I hope the hotel manager is getting good advice from a PCO who knows bed bugs, and that they’ll do everything they can to get rid of bed bugs quickly.

Once a month treatments are not likely to eliminate bed bugs. In my understanding, “the steps needed to get rid of bed bugs” include more frequent, aggressive treatment as well as ensuring infested furnishings are properly treated or discarded.

It is not clear to me whether even having bed bugs in all the rooms would constitute a grade below 70, worthy of shutting the hotel down, or if other violations would be needed to dip that number low enough. This is wrong. Bed bugs are a serious problem, even if they are not known to spread disease. Hotel guests who stay one night and port bed bugs home with them can bring home a problem that causes thousands of dollars of damage and months of suffering.

I am not litigation-crazy. I agree with some bed bug lawsuits and not others.  But if someone stays in a hotel room known by a hotel to have bed bugs, and gets bitten or brings bed bugs home, I hope they’ll sue the pants off that company.

It is very disturbing that customers will apparently continue to rent the 20 bed bug-infested rooms. Not only is the hotel given two weeks to even begin treating for bed bugs, which is far too long, but it appears they can keep renting out those rooms.

If they don’t exist, new regulations should be put in place to prevent hotels from renting infested rooms.

• Ventura County motel closure makes many families homeless at Christmas
• Alton, Illinois, motel: blaming the bedbug victim
• Rockford, IL: half of Red Roof Inn shut down due to bed bugs
• entomologists podcasting; bed bugs and disease; another bedbugged motel closed; Singapore, Hawai’i

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The inspection was prompted by tenants’ complaints to the health department. However, Ortega expected to–and found–that many more units were infested than the number of people who complained.

Complaints about bugs at 23-25 Temple St. prompted the inspection, Ortega said.

Given the tenant complaints his office received, Ortega said he expected the infestation to be even more widespread than what inspectors found.

“Sixteen is still a significant number,” Ortega said. “If they don’t hurry up and deal with it, it’s going to keep growing.”

He added, “the minute we left, they should be calling the pest companies.”

The building’s owner, 23-25 Temple Street Realty LLC, is expected to have exterminators come in as soon as possible, Ortega said. They’re required to spray not only the infected rooms, but also the adjacent rooms and the rooms directly above and below, he said.

Because the 16 rooms were scattered throughout, most of the building will have to be treated, Ortega said.

The owners also have 35 days to correct general maintenance violations, which range from the illegal use of extension cords and hotplates to unsanitary toilets and covers missing on wall outlets, Ortega said.

Health officials will do a follow-up inspection after the building owner has had time to spray for pests and correct the violations, he said.

I wish that all health officials were as wise to bed bugs, and as proactive as these.

I also wish every building owner (whether it’s a hotel, apartment building, rooming house, or whatever) would read this. All too often, people try to get away with treating only the units of people who notice and complain about bed bugs. And in such cases, they will often find bed bugs popping up again and again.

I am also glad to see this because it shows a case where people with bed bugs called a health department and got some action. Readers often tell us their landlords are not dealing with bed bugs, and they don’t know what to do. Or if their landlord is helping them, the problem is still hard to treat.

Well, even though your city health officer may not be as clued in about bed bugs as Nelson Ortega is, why not give them a call?

Cities and counties do not realize how many people have bed bugs unless you tell them. So please, consider googling your city or county health department and giving them a buzz.

And a reminder to tenants, landlords, and government officials alike, anywhere: take a hint from Nashua Deputy Health Officer Heidi Peek, who is quoted in the article as saying:

“The reason I really wanted to get in there, I had a hunch there were people who weren’t reporting (bedbugs) – which we found to be true.”

At least 50% of people bitten by bed bugs do not react to the bites, according to Michael Potter.

Many of these will have no idea they have them.

Many more will know they have them but fear being blamed and not report it.

Still others will simply put up with the situation (unbelieveable, yes, but we hear it time and again).

Do not assume people are bed bug-free simply because they say they are.

And certainly do not assume they are bed bug-free simply because they do not call a city information hotline.

Especially if calling a city information hotline is the least intuitive thing for them to do, as in the case of NYC tenants with bed bugs. Do you hear that, New York City HPD? If you want people in NYC to call a number to tell you they have bed bugs. You have to tell them to do it.

• More bed bugs in Nashua, NH: rooming-house tenant goes to court
• Nashua, N.H. laws may change in part based on recent bed bug cases there
• Still more from Nashua, New Hampshire: fewer bed bugs at 23-25 Temple St.
• Lexington, KY vs. New York, NY: a tale of two bedbugged cities

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newyorkshitty.com » ‘Tis The Season: Don’t Let The Bedbugs Bite!

miss heather of newyorkshitty.com shares a current photo of suspected bed bug refuse at the Astral Apartments in Greenpoint, and shares an article from exactly 121 years ago, decrying the need for “quality affordable housing”, free of vermin.

Glenwood Springs Post Independent - Valley News (Colorado)

“Tom Cornwell, president of the Colorado Pest Control Association, will be speaking to representatives from hotels and motels, … and public and housing personnel from 11 a.m. to noon Friday, Dec. 7.” Public education is the key to beating bed bugs.

Stamford, CT: The Advocate - Flooding and failing health leave residents seeking help (flood evacuees get bed bugs in hotel)

“During the spring nor’easter, a Stamford senior housing complex was flooded, and residents were forced to move to a hotel temporarily. Upon returning home, residents discovered their building was infested with bed bugs.”

Some Crazy Garbage: Away, ye critters

A blogger’s first-hand account of a Pest Control Operator’s visit. Yes, google alerts sends me multiple such posts a day from various “newbites” around the world. But this one was entertaining to read, even as it conveyed the tale of woe you have come to expect.

• Bed bugs at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec
• Portland’s public housing and bed bugs
• Comment dites-vous le bed bugs en français?
• Surrey, B.C. public housing infested with bed bugs

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The same day that we ask, with Rene Laraine, what might be causing his bed bugs to persist despite nine bed bug treatments by licensed PCOs, Nicholas Brown brings to mind similar concerns.

Brown, chronicling his bed bug experience on the Huffington Post, is now well past his seventh week. He has had five treatments (so treatment intervals are not the problem in this case). He is planning treatment six, the last one before he moves.

Again, I would bet money on the neighbors as source.

Like many of us, on this blog that was originally dubbed “Your foxhole, in the war against bed bugs” by its avowedly pacifist creator (yes, people, that’s how much I hate bed bugs), Brown mobilizes the war metaphors for his final assault:

Day 52

There comes a time in most insurgencies when you should cut your losses and leave. Maybe the enemy was more persistent than you imagined; maybe he was better at hiding; or maybe the weapons you used against him were inadequate. In any case, no one has ever accused the United States of pulling out of a conflict too early. And while I am all for America, I dont wish to repeat her mistakes.

I have returned from the farm and the squalor that confronts me confirms that the bedbugs are winning in our apartment. Yes, we have inflicted casualties. Yes, we have damaged their infrastructure. But at the end of the day, there are more of them than there are of us and we cannot win their hearts and minds. Moreover, there is great suspicion within the building that our downstairs neighbors are harboring bedbugs. Despite several requests, they have refused sprayings in their apartment. The bugs, we suspect, hide downstairs until the toxins in our place wear off and then return in greater strength. We can only assume they have training camps. We are keeping diplomatic channels open, but are not optimistic about pacifying either our apartment or the one below us.

We are calling in one more spraying, but the backbone has fallen out of our effort and we do not expect success. Our departure wont involve an embassy swamped with desperate refugees, but it will involve the horrid logistics of moving, made all the more awful by the necessity of inspecting and poisoning or freezing every item before it is packed away. Its a depressing thought, but honestly not all that much more work than washing, drying and sealing away all your clothing and papers and other possessions. Now come the slow logistics of apartment hunting, brokers fees, and long Saturdays devoted to subway rides and open houses. We are optimistic though. In the neon-lit consumerism of the new American Christmas, minor commercial miracles happen all the time. Uncle Bob might get some nose trimmers from the Airmall catalog; Delores might tip a busboy; and cousin Herbie may finally give in to those Debeers commercials and propose to that on-again off-again cocktail waitress he has been seeing for years. And maybe, just maybe, we will find our own minor Christmas miracle: a small apartment thats reasonably priced, relatively clean, and blessedly uninfested.

Unfortunately, we’ve heard from readers who moved almost nothing, took extreme precautions, and nevertheless brought bed bugs with them. In some cases, they chose new, equally infested quarters. Maybe they even rented a truck with bed bugs. But in most cases, they probably simply managed to move their bed bug despite precautions.

It’s worth moving during treatment, and treating at the other end. Yes, anonymous poster who raves when we mention pre-emptive treatment, we know “preventive” treatment isn’t supposed to work. But we know too many nice people who felt they had to pay for treatment in their new digs. This isn’t preventive, it’s reactive.

Good luck to Nicholas Brown. Unlike Amanda’s saga on Apartmenttherapy, I do hope we get to hear the end of the story.

• Nicholas Brown’s “The Bedbug Chronicles: Part 6″ sounds pretty familiar
• bed bug news for 2007-11-09
• The Huffington Post: Nicholas Brown’s bed bugs, volumes 3 and 4
• The Huffington Post on bed bugs

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• bed bug news for 2007-11-15
• How to avoid bed bugs, according to Texas A&M’s student paper
• Bed bugs at Berkeley will be treated with… say what?
• Stanford bed bugs: university fights back

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