http://bedbugger.com/forum/ Bed bug support forums en Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:16:20 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/new-to-this-freaking-out#post-69685 Mon, 22 Mar 2010 05:58:44 +0000 12bbbfree 69685@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Found one alive adult bedbug in the bed (couldn't smash it in time) and a dead one. Saw those tell-tale red/brown smears on the sheets. 3 bites on my arm. OK, so the invasion has started. No evidence of the critters anywhere else.</p> <p>What I've done: Washed __everything_ made of fabric (HOT water, HOT dry), vaccumed twice, thrown out all junk/garbage/stuff I don't need. Wiped down metal bedframe with oxyclean wipes (Not sure why, just feels sanitary!), dusted. Everything is up on shelves or hanging, nothing on the floor other than a rug (also washed), a trash can and some cleaning products. No headboard or anything made of wood in the room.</p> <p>Pillows and mattress have had anti-bedbug covers for years and I just put new ones on just in case. I steam-ironed them anyway. Moved dresser, desk, bed away from the wall so nothing touches it. Will tape up the wall outlets soon. Should I put double sided sticky tape around the feet of the bed -- if so which brand is best? Anything I can spray on the walls/baseboards/carpet/underside of bedframe that would be disagreeable to the bugs and not stink up the place?</p> <p>What now? Do I sleep at my desk instead of in the bed to prevent feeding those suckers? Should I wear clothes with long sleeves to bed? I can't move out for several months so I've got to endure them for a while. What more can I do until I get out of here? </p> <p>I'm in a dorm so they'll charge me all extermination costs which I cannot afford. It's been 2 years of zero insect bites until the new set of unsanitary roommates moved in, I suspect they brought some hitchhiking bugs from home. :(</p> <p>I will admit I am absolutely miserable over this. It is scary and nasty and just terrible. Hate feeling itchy too. :( </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/scanning-with-electron-microscope-opportunity#post-69684 Mon, 22 Mar 2010 01:47:26 +0000 Strabat 69684@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>This is an opportunity to add to our collective knowledge and have a sample scanned with an electron microscope. </p> <p><a href="http://aspexcorp.com/updates/sem-image-gallery-by-aspex-send-us-your-sample/" rel="nofollow">http://aspexcorp.com/updates/sem-image-gallery-by-aspex-send-us-your-sample/</a> </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/they-came-back-then-disappeared#post-69683 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:35:19 +0000 scaredsayscared 69683@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>interesting. i would keep staying vigilant and do a very good inspection of your room (furniture, bed, pictures, items near your bed ) prior to moving to find out if you have them. where have you checked so far? i'm not really sure on how to advise you with the move...as i'm still trying to figure out our situation here as to what's been biting us. but hopefully some others with more experience in bed bugs and moving can advise you...good luck with everything :) </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/hmmparanoid-in-ga#post-69682 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:28:40 +0000 florida st 69682@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I know what you mean! Our landlord won't hire a PCO unless we have an actual bedbug to show him, and in order to catch one we'd have to use ourselves as "bait".<br /> Some PCO's do a free inspection, but that may not help you if you haven't got signs of them. Even a good PCO might have a hard time finding evidence of such a light infestation. I think the passive monitors are the best way to go for now, and constant vigilance.<br /> I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but over the past six months I heard from so many people that it couldn't possible be bedbugs because we'd have signs. That misinformation gave me and my roommates enough false optimism to put off dealing with the problem. I truly hope you don't have bedbugs, but if you do- it's really important to have the support and cooperation of the entire household. There's a lot of work involved and it can be very stressful. Good luck! </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/poll-please-reply-if-you-have-been-on-forums-for-6-months-or-more#post-69681 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:40:45 +0000 kypest 69681@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>How many months have you been on the Bedbugger Forums as of today? Don't really know but have been visiting for over a year.</p> <p>Are you a bed bug professional? Yes<br /> In what capacity? I am the President of Perfection Pest Control, serviceing the entire Greater Cincinnati area. I also am President of Perfection K9 Services, our bed bug scent detection division. You can see our website at <a href="http://www.perfectionk9services.com" rel="nofollow">www.perfectionk9services.com</a> . We have performed over 1600 bed bug treatments in the Greater Cincinnati area as of March1, 2010.<br /> (Feel free to mention business or website briefly.) </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/poll-please-reply-if-you-have-been-on-forums-for-6-months-or-more#post-69680 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:15:39 +0000 IWearTheScarletBB 69680@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>How many months have you been on the Bedbugger Forums as of today? 2 years 3 months (since December 2007)</p> <p>Are you a bed bug professional? No, but my family probably thinks I am!...who in the hell would know all that I know about them without being a pro?!?</p> <p>Is your home being treated for bed bugs now? No</p> <p>Do you have a confirmed case of bed bugs now? No</p> <p>If not, how long since you had bed bugs? Spring 2008</p> <p>Do you have evidence suggesting you might have bed bugs now? No</p> <p>If not, what keeps you participating here? One word...Paranoia. I am now 2 years without BBs, but will never forget the hell of living with them. I hate travelers coming to my house (convinced that their luggage is tainted...and I'm talking about when they leave the luggage in their car!...but, then again, I used to hate anyone coming to my house period, so I guess I've come a long way). I cannot see a hotel or mattress delivery truck without thinking of them crawling all over. I will never have colored bed linens again. I still have my belongings in what I call "bed bug storage" (aka a few dozen quadruple bagged bags...that nobody can touch...that can't sit on top of each other for fear that the pressure of the top one will cause the lower one to burst a small seam where they will escape and I won't know it - yes, psychotic, I know - the strength of all of those bags is likely stronger than the foundation of our house! and imagine the space we will have once I don't dedicate an entire room to these damned bags!). I have stopped back many times over the past couple of years to browse for info. I have also recommended bedbugger to many others so that they can protect themselves while traveling. I have done all that I can to stay away from hotels myself (the next time my family has to do hotel travel for whatever reason (typically a wedding or funeral), there better be room for our popup camper...won't we look fancy in the parking lot outside the event! I did get trapped into hotel travel once for work last summer. It was a really nice hotel and I had no luggage. I took a couple of basics to my room in the XL ziploc bag and left the rest of my stuff in the XL bags in my company car (which I was convinced had bb in it from the last traveler!). Each morning, I would go to my car and get that day's clothes...boy was I classy walking through the lobby with my panties wadded up in my hand and I didn't even care! Funny...while at the training in the same hotel, there was a mouse that kept running around the training room (and this place was really fancy)...everyone was scared and upset...I couldn't have cared less about the filthy mouse...I was more upset when the other attendees would bring their purses and other bags to the training room from their sleeping rooms because I was certain that they were all teaming with bb!</p> <p>Today I came to get updated info on the lifespan of a bb. I remember reading somewhere on the internet that they have actually been found to live 2 years in dormancy...I haven't been able to find that info again tonight. I know that I read 18 months everywhere, but I just don't (or won't) believe it...I guess I think that the ones that we had were some sort of superbugs that will prove the experts wrong. I would like to get some of my stuff out of bbstorage, but am too scared...I may wait until year 3.</p> <p>Thanks for all of the good info...it has helped me a lot over the years. I do think that I am bb free at this point. We live in a single family house, so I know we were very lucky to have that advantage, but there is hope. Good luck to everyone out there suffering through this horror! </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/new-bites-or-just-flareups#post-69679 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:09:54 +0000 ihatebedbugs20 69679@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I discovered this site yesterday and found links to the study done by S and G. It was amazing reading S’ journal entries because her thoughts are exactly mine now. I’m discovering some perhaps new “bites” on the middle of my chest, neck and back. It is indeed the season where mosquitoes are coming out, but these new “bites” are NOT flaring up at all like my other bed bug bites. They simply are very small, red when scratched, and have a slight itch. I can distinguish these from pimples because pimples hurt when pressed. Also, when taking a hot shower, bed bug bites tend to feel good in my opinion under hot water, while pimples do not. The ones on my neck, chest and back have a slight feeling of this satisfaction that I got from the hot water on my other bites, but not as intense. It COULD possibly be because these “bites” are in areas that aren’t as sensitive as under the forearm as mentioned in S’ journal and feedback on that journal.. but I have had bed bug bites in these area, like on face that flared up, and on chin that flared up, as well as neck that flared up. I might note that these flared up bed bug bites were on the BACK of my neck, and these new “bites” are on the front. Also, I have had flared up bed bug bites on my chest, however, these bites were more under my nipple area, while these new “bites” are right in the center of my chest, as well as a few right to my left nipple. Perhaps location is playing role, or these new “bites” are just flare ups from irritation of something? I also might note I have a history of developing irritations on my chest, especially center of chest from who knows what, perhaps from heat, as it is getting warmer out.<br /> Ones on back are not flaring up as well, and are already scabbed after scratching them, while bed bug bites did not scab fast at all, instead, got real puffy and red, these are not.</p> <p> I also sent an email to an entomologist I found online who has responded to me in the past, but here is the question and situation I described to him, I would like your feed back on it as well:</p> <p> I have a quick question for you.. I found 2 black spots on the pages of this book I was reading, (Imagine a book closed, and when you turn it up you can see the 2 spots, the spots were not on ONE page) and when i scratched them they did not smear, but they kind of turned reddish, with some reddish getting scratched onto the surrounding area of the initial black spot. This book was on my desk and nothing else on my desk, or my desk itself had a black spot. Could it possibly just be ink from a pen? I read that the black stains of bed bugs would usually just smear if rubbed, the spots on my book pages had to be scratched for anything to move/change. </p> <p> I also thoroughly checked my whole room today, from under the carpet, shelves, under shelves, cracks of every single thing in my room. I did not find any traces of spots, shells and bugs, even though I probably wouldn’t find any to begin with.</p> <p> I also found 2 smudges on the baseboard of the wall near my closet while vacuuming, and I bent down to smear them to see if they smeared, and yes they both did.. I foolishly did it really fast without examining them so I could not tell what they really were, but when I smelled my finger it smelled sort of sweet, kind of like deodorant. I would’nt really know what it could be though..now on the wall its just faint smears of some sort, darkish color. Also noted under baseboard is a slight crack that separates floor from wall, and if I do have bed bugs this is a possible hiding spot.. I plan on sliding a card under the wall all around the wall to see if anything gets crushed or caught onto the card..I’d assume I’d find something stuck to the card if bugs were hiding </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/can-you-use-ddvpnuvan-in-your-car-with-stuff-in-it#post-69678 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:58:27 +0000 wchicago 69678@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>hey florida st.<br /> if your trunk is not reasonably airtight, its not going to be effective. how about sealing nuvan and stuff in bags and THEN keeping them in your trunk if you're worried about fumes escaping bags into your apartment? there would never be enough fumes escaping from sealed bags into your car to hurt you, but you will have a reasonable shot of killing whatever bed bugs might be in the bags.<br /> and if you just nuvan the car, but keep all the windows down for 20 minutes, etc, then you're letting out the vapors every day, so again, not so effective because the vapors won't have time to build up and kill the bed bugs. ddvp is a fumigant. it has no residual. the bed bugs have to breathe in a concentrated dose for a period of time for it to kill them.</p> <p>so, to clean your trunk - another option is to get your car "interior detailed" instead - they use powerful vacuums EVERYWHERE, with detailing tools to get into every nook and cranny. and they steam clean the carpet and upholstery. that is actually much more likely to nip any potential problem in the bud than ddvp with you using the car (and thus opening and closing the doors, windows etc and letting vapors out) . then dust with de if you want -but the detailing should probably be enough. a couple of us on the board got our cars interior detailed to treat them -its not even horribly expensive. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/bed-bug-dog-in-halifax-nova-scotia#post-69677 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:48:03 +0000 FreetoSleep 69677@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Hello! Happy to say there is a fellow in Dartmouth who has a bed bug dog now! He has been great giving me information and I'm very much considering using him. His name is Brian and is at least worth contacting. As of a few weeks ago he was going to charge me $130ish for an inspection, so that's an idea of the cost. Better than more treatments that you're unsure about. </p> <p>He has a website at Bed bud Detectives . ca </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/how-not-to-spread#post-69676 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:40:29 +0000 wchicago 69676@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>hi noway</p> <p>the friend who has bed bugs (the one you're worried about potentially spreading them to you and others), is his apartment/apartment building being treated? does he know his landlord is legally required to treat? i'm just thinking if your husband could grab that many bugs, nymphs, eggs, in a jar -well, it won't be hard for a pco to find evidence in that guys apartment then, will it? :)</p> <p>i'm so sorry you're going through this, and really sorry that your husband seems somewhat cavalier about it (you'd think, having endured the mite bites, he'd realize he doesn't want to mess with bed bugs) maybe explain to him that an acquaintance on the board has been bitten by both bed bugs AND dog mites -and believe me, the bedbug bites were way WAY worse. also, i (like you guys) got rid of the mites in a matter of days after my dog started treatment - but the bedbug saga, yup that lasted 4 months and cost THOUSANDS of dollars. so really, it would behoove him and his friend to be careful.</p> <p>thus, i second folks suggestion of your husband showering and changing into bagged clothes upon arrival home and his potentially exposed clothes go straight into the dryer. his shoes stay outside the house. his friend should also shower and change into fresh hot dried clothes before getting into your husbands car.</p> <p>is there any way your husband could take him to run errands like once a week instead of three times a week? less work/risk for all. i hate to say "shun the bed bugged" and i promise you i'm not, but if your husband and his friend are not willing to take precautions, than the less contact you have with that friend, the less risk of infesting your home (which is so not fun, seriously, its one of the most miserable things i've experienced - was actually more miserable than my divorce, more exhausting than fighting a life threatening flare of lupus, more anxiety producing than my tenure review, etc. it was just plain and simple, 4 months of tedious, stressful, expensive, and definitive non-fun). i encourage you and your husband to take every possible precaution to avoid having to go through it.</p> <p>and now that your husbands friend has plenty of evidence -GET HIM TO TELL HIS LANDLORD TO GET A PCO!<br /> i am so so sorry you're going through this. how very frustrating.<br /> good luck! </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/they-came-back-then-disappeared#post-69675 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:08:12 +0000 buggedagain 69675@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Hi<br /> The first time I never saw any of the signs but I caught two of them climbing on the wall and had them identified. This time there hasn't been any signs and I haven't seen any anywhere... </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/how-not-to-spread#post-69674 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:55:06 +0000 noway 69674@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>We continue to be bite free. I don't know if they have spread them anywhere else. The whole buiding must be infested. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/how-not-to-spread#post-69673 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:34:39 +0000 cilecto 69673@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <blockquote><p><cite>noway - 9 hours ago <a href="http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/how-not-to-spread#post-69661">&nbsp;&raquo;&nbsp;</a></cite><br /> Thanks to both of you for your replies.<br /> I will research and figure out what we need to do. The stubborness is the biggest problem.."I haven't spread them yet, why is it riskier now that we know it's definitely bed bugs?"</p></blockquote> <p>It was risky then, you just didn't know it. It's risky now. Every day the bugs multiply and the risk grows a bit greater. If I cross the street each morning without observing traffic or signals and haven't been hit by a car, does not mean there's no risk of it. I've been lucky.</p> <p>The converse to this is if you've tolerated a rash for weeks or months and just discovered it's because of BB, take a breath. Reality has not changed significantly, only your understanding of it. The infestation has been growing over time and will continue to do so, but not a lot will change if you take a few days to work in a more planful way.</p> <p>Guess you don't know if you haven't spread them. You do your best not to. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/three-months-10-treatments-no-success-help#post-69672 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:32:07 +0000 FreetoSleep 69672@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Also, speaking of my PCO possibly not being good. I have a storage closet that is next to the room that originally had the worst of the infestation. At the initial visit, he claimed that because there were no bodies in the storage closet, there would be no bugs in there. He's full of shit, isn't he? I've been doubting it for a very long time. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/does-your-reaction-to-bites-change-over-time#post-69671 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:24:29 +0000 FreetoSleep 69671@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>This is a good question. I've been getting all manners of bites. While getting ready to wash a bag of dirty sheets that I had sealed, I got 5 large, angry red blotches that looked like giant bee stings. They itched for weeks, but none of my other bites were every that bad. Some seem very tiny. Could this be anything to do with age of the bugs?<br /> If you've been treating them at all, perhaps they're smaller and don't effect us more. Anyone know more? </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/how-not-to-spread#post-69670 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:21:45 +0000 FreetoSleep 69670@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>The real question is "How do you know you haven't spread them?" </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/depressed-and-anxious#post-69669 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:20:33 +0000 fmlbedbugs 69669@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Also, what are my responsibilities for telling my neighbors?</p> <p>My landlord claims that she has spoken to my neighbors to ask them if they have been experiencing bedbug bites but that they have all said they aren't. I don't know if this is true, or what kind of questions she asked them to verify an infestation (for all I know she just generally asked are you being bitten by anything?)</p> <p>I"m becoming more and more convinced that I need to get out of this apartment and if that's the case, then I may need to leverage my silence against my landlord to get out of the lease. If they are already treating my apartment and I agree to keep quiet about it so that I can cancel my lease, am I setting my neighbors up for infestation? </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/three-months-10-treatments-no-success-help#post-69668 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:18:43 +0000 FreetoSleep 69668@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Thank you both. </p> <p>I have never actually met my landlord, just the supers. The landlord is a mythical creature who gets all the profit and none of the trouble. They don't seem to get it at all. After my third treatment I was told it was TAKING TOO LONG and should be DONE BY NOW. They claim no one else has them, but i don't really believe them. </p> <p>As far as moving out, I've read this method and am wondering how reliable it may be. Someone my mother knows put everything they owned in a uhaul for three days with some kind of treatment/pesticide/bomb/something and moved afterward. Is this a decent idea or doomed to fail? </p> <p>Today I picked up a bottle of stuff with DE in it and an attractant, as well as bedbug effective Raid. They may or may not be the best idea, but I'm desperate. I LOVE this apartment, the location and having my friends in the same building (no, no signs in that apartment) so I'd rather treat it and get them out than move.. but whatever necessary. In a building with like.. 300 units though.. is it even possible to get rid of them completely? </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/depressed-and-anxious#post-69667 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:38:04 +0000 fmlbedbugs 69667@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <blockquote><p><cite>cilecto - 24 minutes ago <a href="http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/depressed-and-anxious#post-69666">&nbsp;&raquo;&nbsp;</a></cite></p> <p>David Cain had a 1-9 scale posted here some time ago, perhaps you can search for it. That said, it did not indicate how hard it would be to treat. Also, you've taken some steps that (IMHO, I'm not an expert) can give you quick relief but could mask the level of infestation. (Example: you duct-taped some potential points of entry. That's great as long as the tape stays down and I'd counsel you to keep it there, but there may be untreated bugs behind it that may come into play if the tape is later compromised).</p></blockquote> <p>See this is precisely what I'm talking about. I can't live in constant fear that if the tape is moved bedbugs will come scurrying out. However, since my landlords refuse to even investigate whether my neighbors have bedbugs beyond (supposedly) asking them, I'm wary of taking the tape off and potentially letting in more bugs from my neighbors.</p> <p>I don't want to live with my entire room taped up. Local laws say that I can break my leaVe if my landlord is not taking sufficient steps to eradicate the problem. The problem is that they have called a PCO, and this early in the game it may be difficult to prove that they aren't doing exactly what they are supposed to or making a diligent effort to address the problem. My only hope may be to ask the landlord and hope she'll be happy to see the back of me while tossing out the possibility of a court battle over it. I don't want any compensation, just to be able to move! If they had acted sooner, anyway, I wouldn't have spent so much money on doctor's fees and medicines so I hold them responsible for that at least. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/depressed-and-anxious#post-69666 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:05:23 +0000 cilecto 69666@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>FML, Sorry. I've had to deal with GAD, too, unrelated to BB, so I'm with you. </p> <p>Having few belongings is a blessing in disguise. That said, what are the laws in your city regarding who's responsible to treat? I need to cut in on something Kieran said "... you can rub down furniture with rubbing alcohol and that will kill them...". This is not 100% correct. Alcohol is a "contact killer". This means that any bugs you hit with it ***directly*** will die. Contact killers have no "residual" power, and they do not affect eggs, so if you rub down an item with a contact killer and didn't access every nook and cranny (including the ones where the BB actually harbor), the bugs coming out (or hatching) later will not be killed. Also, as long as we're on the topic, many on the board have noted that 70% alcohol is ineffective, you need 90%. Also, alcohol will damage many surfaces. There are other contact killers you can use, many soaps and shampoos kill on contact, "Murphy's" vegetable oil soap is oft-cited and is gentle on wood and painted surfaces.</p> <p>It's understandable that people might get skittish about having you over. Please try to treat yourself nicely, though. Take some time to enjoy the outdoors, good food, music, whatever helps you through the night. Also, perhaps you can adopt some kind of protocol for going out and confidently let your hosts know that their safe, maybe things will loosen up between you and your friends/family.</p> <p>David Cain had a 1-9 scale posted here some time ago, perhaps you can search for it. That said, it did not indicate how hard it would be to treat. Also, you've taken some steps that (IMHO, I'm not an expert) can give you quick relief but could mask the level of infestation. (Example: you duct-taped some potential points of entry. That's great as long as the tape stays down and I'd counsel you to keep it there, but there may be untreated bugs behind it that may come into play if the tape is later compromised)</p> <p>Storage is tricky, too. Items placed in storage without being sealed can easily support continued infestation (as your bugs feed on rodents, if necessary) or can be re-infested by other people's items. The time for storage is also a point of contention. A bug's lifespan varies on stage and temperature. They tend to live longer at 50-60F than at 90-100F. So, one year may be overkill, but according to many sources, may not be sufficient.</p> <p>In any case, you'll find a lot of wise counsel and compassionate people here. Welcome and best of luck. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/they-came-back-then-disappeared#post-69665 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:55:54 +0000 scaredsayscared 69665@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Hi Buggedagain,</p> <p>Did you see evidence of bed bugs prior to spraying and treating last spring? Just wondering because I have been having a similar bite pattern as you. I got my first sign of bites back in December with 30 or so bites and then went 30days with nothing, then had more bites every 1-2weeks but only a few at a time, and now it's been almost another 30days and I've had zero bites again. We have never seen evidence of bed bugs so we have choosen not to treat until we do, thinking it might have been something else biting me and my son. So we are staying vigilant for signs right now. Just curious if you knew 100% by seeing them or signs that you previously did have bed bugs because if not it could be something else biting you? </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/three-months-10-treatments-no-success-help#post-69664 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:33:55 +0000 cilecto 69664@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I'd be less concerned with what chemical your PCO is using and more over his (and the landlord's) thorougness in treating your place and adjacent units. I get the impression that either he doesn't understand what this is all about or he's counting on turning over apartments every year while he bobs and weaves his way out of really solving the problem. </p> <p>You might have also "suddenly" discovered a BB infestation because one or more of your neighbors treated with a repellant substance (like a fogger). Or, you might have noticed it more obviously when all the hungry bugs came out to feed when you returned after a break. BTW, have you posted your place to bedbugregistry.com? </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/toddlers-guardrail-remove-or-not-remove#post-69663 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:28:43 +0000 cilecto 69663@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Welcome, Mongrels: Sorry to see you here. Some thoughts:</p> <p>&gt; I brought the bb's in when I moved even though I inspected EVERYTHING</p> <p>Don't beat yourself up. They also could have been introduced via the truck and could well have been in your new place. Most of all, if you're in an apartment, don't give the management ammunition to pin this on you, do not verbally speculate on how you got BB.</p> <p>&gt; I'm pretty sure I saw some bb nymphs crawling on our shoes which I promptly and stupidly killed </p> <p>No biggie. If you have BB, you'll find others. The nynphs (if they were really BB) you killed will not be feeding on you or making babies who do.</p> <p>If you are in a situation where your pros are not up to speed, please read some of the guides on the "Resource" page on what it takes to properly inspect and treat. This may empower you to be a better advocate and possibly to pick up the slack where your PCOs are lacking. And hit us with your questions and issues. We have lots of smart and compassionate people here.</p> <p>WRT to the rail, is it part of the bed or does it slide under the mattress? Is it one of these? <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Regalo-Hide-Away-Bed-Rail/dp/B000CSEE48" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Regalo-Hide-Away-Bed-Rail/dp/B000CSEE48</a><br /> The one above comes apart into small pieces, which could be treated with heat (ie in a packtite or with a good steamer) and the tubing can be taped and caulked shut. If it's been treated with pesticide, steaming it may be an issue (ask this question), as steam may disperse the ingredients. Even if the pesticide did not penetrate every inch of the railing, if bugs pass through the treated areas on their way to or from feeding, they may well die.</p> <p>I don't know about the mechanics of exporting packtites, perhaps start a thread about that, or ask David James (Mr Packtite). </p> <p>Sorry about the dryer costs. Are you doing this to treat all your stuff or just day-to-day? I ask because bugs die at 113-122F. If you get all your item to that temp, you're done. Measure your dryer's temperature and see how hot and how long you really need to go (allowing for thick and layered parts). Also, (IMHO) when you're bagging items long-term, you need to get them "really, really dry" to prevent mildew and odors. When you're going to use or wear the item soon, you can (IMHO and I'm not an expert) get away with less that 100% dry, as long as you got to target heat. </p> <p>Please take this "one-day-at-a-time" and allow treatments to work (and escalate if they don't), don't panic in advance that they won't.</p> <p>Best of luck. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/three-months-10-treatments-no-success-help#post-69662 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:19:43 +0000 theJ 69662@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <blockquote><p><cite>FreetoSleep - 13 hours ago <a href="http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/three-months-10-treatments-no-success-help#post-69656">&nbsp;&raquo;&nbsp;</a></cite><br /> Can you request the a PCO switch pesticides? Or are you just talking about using your own for self treating?<br /> I'm also wondering, I know sometimes it takes a while for bites to show up. I haven't physically seen ANY bugs in weeks, but I have tons of new bites. Could it be taking this long to show?</p></blockquote> <p>I really doubt they'd take that long to show up. I'm betting you have a few lurkers hiding underneath the carpet, in a crack in the bed frame, behind a light switch, etc. </p> <p>It sounds like either:<br /> A) the PCO you hired isn't very good.<br /> or<br /> B) someone else in your apartment complex has them, so they keep returning.</p> <p>Not everyone has a reaction to the bites, so someone could have 2000 of the things and never know it. I don't get the welts, so if it wasn't for my wife, we'd have no live bed bug detector.</p> <p>I'm actually in a similar situation. My landlord was cooperative at first, but when the problem didn't go away after 2 treatments, they refused to pay for anymore treatments or allow a professional inspection of other units to make sure no one else had them. I firmly believe that in a situation like this, the only option is to move out and take all precautions to not take them with you. Because the landlord is not going to have any sympathy if they've never had bed bugs before, and they'd prefer to turn a blind eye to the situation if no one else is complaining (rather than find out multiple units were infested).</p> <p>Honestly, it sucks because if the law isn't on your side, probably the only thing you can do is turn in your 30 day notice to vacate, and then follow all the necessary steps to make sure you don't the things with you. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/how-not-to-spread#post-69661 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 07:48:02 +0000 noway 69661@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Thanks to both of you for your replies.<br /> I will research and figure out what we need to do. The stubborness is the biggest problem.."I haven't spread them yet, why is it riskier now that we know it's definitely bed bugs?" </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/hmmparanoid-in-ga#post-69660 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 06:12:50 +0000 Paranoid in GA 69660@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Florida St, thanks for that info. Not quite what I WANTED to hear, lol... if you know what I'm saying... but I'll pass this on to hubby. </p> <p>I'd actually wondered about whether my detailed cleaning is hindering the ability to detect a light infestion, but since at THIS point hubby doesn't want to hire a PCO, the idea of "letting it go" by not being so rigorous in my cleaning is abhorrent to me. </p> <p>It's a catch-22 that I'm sure other folks can identify with. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/san-francisco-311-and-bed-bugs-in-sros#post-69659 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:04:51 +0000 Nobugsonme 69659@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>New blog post on San Francisco's push to get SRO (Single Room Occupancy) tenants to call 311 about bed bugs and other problems. Notable: 73.4% of Mission SRO tenants have bed bugs.</p> <p><a href="http://bedbugger.com/2010/03/19/bed-bugs-in-san-francisco-sros/">Check it out.</a> </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/does-your-reaction-to-bites-change-over-time#post-69658 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:46:02 +0000 florida st 69658@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I noticed something weird- my first sets of bites were agonizingly itchy and lasted more than two weeks. I got bit about every 3 to 6 weeks for about 7 months. Over time, it seemed like the bites were getting less itchy. They still looked horrible but I didn't suffer as much, and they healed a lot faster.</p> <p>Anyone else had this experience? Do you develop some kind of resistance to the allergens? Has anyone heard of someone who is reactive becoming non-reactive or less reactive? </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/depressed-and-anxious#post-69657 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:29:49 +0000 Kieran 69657@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Well, I’m inclined to agree with you, moving may be the best option, especially seeing as though you don’t seem to have a great affinity with your current place anyway. I have considered that option myself, but I love my new place, and I did bring the bugs here unwittingly, so I feel a kind of responsibility to stay and sort this out. Plus my landlord is really great about it.</p> <p>If you do decide to move, I guess I don’t need to tell you how careful you need to be when moving. If you live somewhere hot, you could leave all your stuff in a car or van for a few days in the sun. This will kill any bugs.</p> <p>It may be an idea to talk to your neighbours, then you can know for sure. If the apartment has a serious problem then it’s probably a good idea to get out while you can!</p> <p>With regards to your landlord, I’d advise the following steps if you want to leave ... firstly, ask him if it’s ok, say that given the circumstances you think it’s reasonable. If that doesn’t work, write a letter (an official kind of letter) stating your intention to leave and the fact that because you have a severe reaction (which can be backed up by your doctor), and there is a significant risk of re-infestation, you cannot stay on health grounds. There’s probably some legal act or legislation that you can quote (if you’re in the UK it’s something like the housing act – requirements for landlords to do such and such) and quoting that might be a good idea, but you’ll need to research a little. I think after that he’s very unlikely to take you to court, given the costs involved etc. Also, with regards to him stalling, this is evidence of him not taking reasonable steps to deal with the problem – clear grounds for a break of the contract.</p> <p>Could you keep your things in storage for a year? That would be the best way, then you’d know they’d be bug free when you’re back. If you go away for a year, when you come back the bugs will have died or gone elsewhere looking for food, but maybe just next door, and if the building does have a problem then you’re back to square one. Best thing is to talk to the other residents, I know you may think that is difficult, but it’s the best way for you to understand the scope of the problem.</p> <p>One thing I will say – watch out for scratch paranoia. I have that. Not everything that itches is a bug, and sometimes even thinking about them will make you itch. Only go by the evidence – actual bite marks – small black dots (blood spots could just be acne, especially on or near the pillow), and the pitter-patter of tiny bug feet in the middle of the night. Just kidding. Try to stay objective, given the lengths you’ve gone to, and your reactions to the bites, I’d say you have a good chance of success, and you will be able to know when they’re gone. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/three-months-10-treatments-no-success-help#post-69656 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:17:53 +0000 FreetoSleep 69656@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Can you request the a PCO switch pesticides? Or are you just talking about using your own for self treating? </p> <p>I'm also wondering, I know sometimes it takes a while for bites to show up. I haven't physically seen ANY bugs in weeks, but I have tons of new bites. Could it be taking this long to show? </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/hmmparanoid-in-ga#post-69655 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:55:52 +0000 florida st 69655@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I think a good PCO or a dog inspection is really the best way to tell what you're dealing with. But it IS possible to have bedbugs for a while without seeing signs of them.</p> <p>I was getting bites about every 3 to 6 weeks for 6 or 7 months. I read about bedbugs and knew exactly what to look for, and not once in those 7 months did I see ANY evidence (no bugs, no nymphs, no fecal stains or bloodstains, etc). I even woke myself up around 4am a few times to see if I could catch them in the act. My roommates were convinced it was something else, and we didn't take action.</p> <p>Then I actually found one- on me- in broad daylight.</p> <p>I don't want to alarm you, but it is possible to have a "light" infestation, where you don't see signs (other than bites) for a while. I think this has to do with two factors- regular laundry (I also wash my sheets at least once a week) and the bedbug's life cycle.</p> <p>If you have an infestation brought in on a piece of furniture, there's already probably a fair number of bedbugs in the house. But if your infestation came from a "hitchhiker" or two, it takes a while for the population to build- especially if you're cutting down their numbers with regular washing of laundry. Newly hatched bedbugs must feed 5 times before they molt into adults and start laying eggs. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/can-you-use-ddvpnuvan-in-your-car-with-stuff-in-it#post-69654 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:34:58 +0000 florida st 69654@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Hello, thanks for the input. I am treating my car because I had a lot of possibly infested clothes in the trunk, and my roommate used it several times to move dirty laundry that might have been harboring bugs or eggs. Also, I am moving out and will be using my car to move all of my stuff- I don't want to risk re-contaminating.<br /> I spend about 20-30 minutes a day in my car, tops. I figure with the windows rolled down, it's probably less risky than having several trash bags of stuff with nuvan strips in my house. My plan was to dust the interior of the car with DE (just on the floor) so that if any escaped from the trunk into the rest of the car, they'd eventually be killed. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/three-months-10-treatments-no-success-help#post-69653 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:31:33 +0000 kitep 69653@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I had a similar problem. Switching pesticides made a humongous improvement. Went from Suspend-SC to Phantom.</p> <p>Good luck! </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/they-came-back-then-disappeared#post-69652 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:19:21 +0000 buggedagain 69652@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Hi I had bed bugs late last spring I told my land lord and a company came in and sprayed three times over two months and I was fine. One day while cleaning the apt I decided to clean the walls the next day I took a nap and I woke up with bites all over my back. It was bed bug bites just like before but I couldn't find any bugs neither could the company. I was bit about once every 1-2 weeks, but I haven't been bit in about 3-4 weeks. Whats happening? Has anyone else had this happen? Do I still have them? I'm moving soon should I still go through all the precautions( any points on this would be helpful)?<br /> forgot to add:<br /> I got them form a friend who lived in an infected building so they didn't start out here.<br /> no one else in the building has complained of them </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/bed-bug-shell-shock#post-69651 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:20:36 +0000 bedbuggery 69651@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I have been BB free for about 19 months and yes, I still have a newfound strong physical reaction to flea and mosquito bites. I also still have what is apparently permanent shower urticaria. My skin is still destroyed and I have little "scars" that look like freckles and what looks like a fresh pin prick on my inner wrist that has been there since I got the bugs. </p> <p>The issue I would like to bring up, however, is the PTSD that my counselor mentioned may be a result.<br /> There are two types of PTSD, short and long. The first happens to people when their life is risked or a love one dies. The second mostly happens to people in war, hence the term "shell shock." It occurs due to serious or prolonged trauma. For me, getting bit was potentially very dangerous with my allergy and I seem to still suffer from the symptoms a long while later. </p> <p>Here is a fact sheet;<br /> <a href="https://health.google.com/health/ref/Post-traumatic+stress+disorder" rel="nofollow">https://health.google.com/health/ref/Post-traumatic+stress+disorder</a></p> <p>I very curious about PTSD cases expanding in the last couple of years due to BBs.</p> <p>Personally, I still worry about being bit as it could be very dangerous or fatal for me.<br /> On a much smaller scale, it's like coming home from a war and knowing that there are snipers on rooftops in your city..... very disconcerting. </p> <p>The mental battle may be far from over for many. Find someone to talk to. Wave a sign in your street. Whatever you have to do to get support. </p>