http://bedbugger.com/forum/ Bed bug support forums en Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:16:58 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/just-need-to-share#post-69540 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:25:11 +0000 DougSummersMS 69540@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>BedBugMan</p> <p>Here is a link to a publication that lists the actives that are available in the US. </p> <p><a href="http://www.ipmctoc.umn.edu/Control_of_bedbugs_in_residences_US_Commercial.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.ipmctoc.umn.edu/Control_of_bedbugs_in_residences_US_Commercial.pdf</a></p> <p>The list is in the table at the end of the article... it was written in 2006, but there have only been a few changes in the last four years... DDVP strips have been registered in most states now and some new tradenames have been added. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/difficult-situation-bed-bugs-ill-tenant-uncooperative-neighborsmgmt#post-69539 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:23:25 +0000 cilecto 69539@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Serenity: This is sad and frustrating, and for the most vulnerable, may not improve until people make an ugly scene. Here's a thread I started a few years back about this <a href="http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/bedbugs-and-aids-parallels-and-lessons-a-rant" rel="nofollow">http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/bedbugs-and-aids-parallels-and-lessons-a-rant</a> and a link to a Wikipedia article of the kind of action AIDS activists took in the early days (when people with AIDS were treated worse than stray dogs) <a href="http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/bedbugs-and-aids-parallels-and-lessons-a-rant" rel="nofollow">http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/bedbugs-and-aids-parallels-and-lessons-a-rant</a></p> <p>That said, I'm a little concerned about what you're finding and how you're reacting. A dead bug on the window sill is cause for concern, not panic. And why would it take "several" pros to make a positive ID? Wouldn't one good definitive ID do the trick? Are you entertaining doubts? And the bug on the ceiling is anyone's guess. (My uneducated guess would be that if these are BB, then the units above you have a problem and have treated (properly or not).</p> <p>So, what would I do in your case (for lack of other advice)?<br /> - Be vigilant but go on living. Keep inspecting. Consider the new beacons. Don't go all-out just yet.<br /> - Relieve your physical symptoms (if any).<br /> - If the building does not care, take conservative (non-repellant) measures to check the spread, i.e., caulking, vacuuming, alcohol, detergents (like Murphy's) and perhaps (carefully applied) DE. and keeping your items bagged.<br /> - Take the necessary precautions to prevent spreading the bugs to visitors or to the places you and she visit (to the extent reasonably possible. Bear in mind that if "society's" response to people in need is "I don't want to hear it", perhaps the individual's responsibility to society needs to match that.)<br /> - Try to do nice things for each other.<br /> - Your GF has probably pared down her stuff, so prep, if necessary, should be easier.<br /> - The room-mate situation is tough. Suspicion of BB may drive away room-mates and room-mates increase your GF's stress level (and also potentially introduce BB). You might want to consider a medium to long term situation that does not involve room-mates (after careful shopping for a BB-free place and a carefully executed move).<br /> This is a tough battle, hang in there. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/just-need-to-share#post-69538 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:04:39 +0000 bedbugman 69538@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>5 treatments and still active? Is this usual for U.S bb infestations. What actives / formulations are available in your state? </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/just-need-to-share#post-69537 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:58:58 +0000 DougSummersMS 69537@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>You are following the right path... </p> <p>Ypu have a PCO... have isolated your bed and are securing the cooperation of your neighbors.</p> <p>You might want to consider passive monitoring devices for long tern surveillance or hire a qualified K9 team for holistic inspections of all of the units. </p> <p>A good K9 team should be able to inspect six units in about one hour.</p> <p>The experience of having your life turned upside down by a small insect is foreign to most people... It is hard to create a good analogy that relates to their experience... feeling misunderstood certainly adds to the stress .</p> <p>Hang in there... I think the steps that you are following will lead you to a successful outcome. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/just-need-to-share#post-69536 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:34:19 +0000 HopingforEnd 69536@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>After looking at this site for several months, I finally decided to join and post. I have had so much good advice from this site and I dare say, I would not have lasted as long and sane, without all of it (special thanks to freakedoutandbroke who I could totally relate to). I really need some encouragement by those who truly understand how I feel. Several friends know and have been so supportive but really don't understand the level this has disrupted my life. So many of you have faced much longer struggles. </p> <p>My fight began 16 Dec when I got curious about the second bug I found and looked it up on the Internet. To my horror, the only description it fit was a bedbug. After looking at this site sometime in the middle of the night that first night, I followed instructions as to where to look and found 1 on my box spring, 1 at the head of the bed, and 1 on leg of bedside chest. Fortunately, I react to bites and within 5 days, I had 16 welts. Some of them scarred me. I called PCOs the next day and settled with a national company mostly due to the long guarantee and the good customer service feel I got from them (still do). I have had five treatements since that day. I am still finding them (1-2 per week or two) which is less than in the beginning. The treatments have reduced the number and frequency. I haven't had any bites since the first ones in Dec. I own my condo so this has all been my expense and wow, it has been alot! My PCO (and I agree) believe that my problem started with the condo below which the co-owners (a construction company and a landscape company) rent out to 4-5 seasonal workers. My problem appeared very shortly after they left for the season. sigh...</p> <p>I agreed with the PCO about leaving pamphlets in the doors for the 6 units in my general area. I am part of a large building with several entrances and a group of 6 units around each of those. I also personally spoke to several of the tenants and they were suprisingly understanding. I have decided to send all of the building owners/occupants a letter letting them know about the problem and to inspect and seek treatment. I am sending a letter to the owners of the one below me asking them to contact me for a problem that may affect their unit. I want to speak to them instead of tell it in a letter. I am afraid they wouldn't call otherwise.</p> <p>I found a little blood stain on my pillow last night and it freaked me out some. I do have acne and it could have been that. I have my bed encased and isolated (legs in metal bowls with oil in bottom). If one is on there, I don't know how. I take shower before bed and put on pjs that stay in my bed (take off there and wash 2x week). I wipe my feet off with alcohol before climbing into bed. In the morning I leave the pjs in the bed and take a shower and get dried and dressed while standing in the shower. My work bag and purse are in bags from the moment I walk in the door along with my coat and shoes. I put on my shoes and socks outside after I leave and yes after I wipe off my feet with alcohol. I can totally relate to those talking about OCD. This really brings it out in you while going through this. </p> <p>Hopefully I can live a normal life again one day. On good days, I feel like a fighter and feel God's presence. On bad days (like today), which are fewer, I feel like I can't possibly live the rest of my life like this and no one understands. I am a follower of Christ and believe that He will not give me more than I can deal with, but some days it is so hard.</p> <p>Anyway, thank you for letting me unload and I thank you so much for all of your posts, responses, advice that I and other new fighters have clung to in very dark moments. God bless you!! </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/is-it-unethical-to-live-with-bedbugs#post-69535 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:45:42 +0000 buggyinsocal 69535@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p><blockquote>am I just a chick with super-sensitive skin an an overactive imagination</blockquote></p> <p>I just want to be totally clear.</p> <p>It is entirely possible that some of the previous bed bug bites were reactions to other pests in the apartment. If you had carpet beetles when you previously had bed bugs, you might have been reacting to both carpet beetles and bed bugs, in which case, it's possible that some of the bug bites you thought were bed bugs were carpet beetle reactions.</p> <p>I point this out because our society is awfully quick a lot of the time to chalk up to "women's minds" things which often have actual physical causes, and what you said there in the last bit made me worry that you (or someone else later) would read the post as suggesting that the reactions are all in your head.</p> <p>The reason I bring up carpet beetles or other pests is not to suggest that you're imagining the bites or the spots. It's simply to point out that having conclusive proof of bed bugs in the past is not an infallible indicator that you didn't also have another pest.</p> <p>It's possible that you have bed bugs now. It's possible that you have carpet beetles or fleas now. It's possible that you've had both all along, or only one or the other.</p> <p>Unfortunately, given that bed bugs can be so hard to detect, part of the process of dealing with the issue is the same process that electronics repair people or computer tech support staff go through: eliminating one possibility at a time by changing only one variable at a time.</p> <p>If you can conclusively eliminate the possibility of an adjacent infestation, great.</p> <p>If you can conclusively eliminate the possibility of carpet beetles, great. </p> <p>Ruling both or either out will move you closer to getting to the root of the problem.</p> <p>If your skin is predisposed to be sensitive in the first place, exposure to DE and chemical pesticides might have made it even more sensitive. That should also be taken into account. However, saying so doesn't mean that the skin reactions are all in your head or that you don't have bed bugs--it's just more data to put into the pot that needs to be sorted out to see what's really going on. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/clothes-steamers-as-heat-treatment#post-69534 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:41:47 +0000 bedbugsyuck 69534@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW GOOD CLOTHING STEAMERS ARE AS FAR AS HEAT TREATING A BED????<br /> because seriously, we REALLY don't have enough money for an exterminator, or to heat-treat the house.<br /> 3 kids in college = NO MONEY!<br /> AND I can't wait until the new bed bug trap thingie comes out, because it's supposed to be cheap. does anyone know which bed bug trap thingie i'm talking about? and if so, how effective do you guys think it is? how effective are the traps in general??? (the ones that spray out CO2 and are supposed to mimic a sleeping person, so bedbugs walk to them and get trapped.)<br /> also, WHAT IS THE CHEAPEST WAY TO GET RID OF BED BUGS?!<br /> please leave comments and suggestions. THANK YOU! </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/cimex-lectularius-a-poem#post-69533 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:01:38 +0000 freakedoutandbroke 69533@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Creeping filth clings to me<br /> Tendrils in my mind<br /> Taking quiet sips of my solace.</p> <p>Itches, twitches, scratches<br /> Travel my body<br /> Like birds taking flight, landing, leaving again.</p> <p>Hope and hopelessness,<br /> Like sunrise and sunset,<br /> Each bound to make way to the other.</p> <p>My dreams rise up like welts,<br /> Leaving mysterious marks on white sheets.</p> <p>I surrender to sleep,<br /> To darkness,<br /> To the kiss of my enemy.</p> <p>~FOAB </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/is-it-unethical-to-live-with-bedbugs#post-69532 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:52:10 +0000 freakedoutandbroke 69532@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Thanks you guys, and I apologize for my pity-party. I'm definitely not the toughest trooper on the forum. There are so many of you guys (I am thinking of Bait at the moment) who show incredible tenacity, and I admire that. I am too quick to give up.</p> <p>To answer some questions: I am PRETTY sure it's still bedbugs... I have skin issues and since discovering bugs in my apartment (caught one live day 1 after moving in) I have had several very different bite-like occurences and I have to say I'm not sure if all are bedbugs, some are, or none are. I have had bites that look:</p> <p>-Mosquito-bite-ish (welted, incredibly itchy)<br /> -Itchy, red areas of my skin (the tops of my shoulders, on two occasions)<br /> -Classic hives (neck, behind ear, etc)<br /> -Pimply (most recently, a row of pimply looking red dots appeared between my index and middle knuckle)- not particularly itchy. I sometimes get those types of bumps on my fingers in the spring, but not in a row like that.</p> <p>I have had "idiopathic" (i.e. "we don't know what causes this") hives in the past, before bedbugs, so I could dismiss those as just my body being wacked out. The itchy red areas COULD be from the dry area here, but the intensity of the itching was pretty severe and localized, even when using lotion. The mosquito bite things and pimply things bother me most. Got some of the mosquito bite types reecently, but near a burn that is healing, so possibly that was just irritation?</p> <p>As for the spot, I found one on my pillow that is very watery, light rust colored. Reminds me of the spot in this photo but larger:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lou_bugs_pix/4183578703/in/photostream/" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/lou_bugs_pix/4183578703/in/photostream/</a></p> <p>I think the PCO is competent... I spoke to him on the phone and he knows his stuff. He also went through his own infestation. The only evidence he has seen has been the spots on my sheets. That, and the weird bites, have been all the evidence I've seen since that one live bug.</p> <p>I have climbups, encasements, DE everywhere, the whole bed frame has been treated...</p> <p>Not sure if the adjacent units are infested... The office has never mentioned having them inspected. And I am pretty sure that we are actually the source of the infestation, from some used Uhaul packing pads (long story, feel free to read my other posts) and I sort of doubt that what we brought in with us and started treating the day after, would have already spread to the adjacent units. It really has been a pretty low-level infestation, despite my whining.</p> <p>Chicago, I always appreciate your level-headed advice. Thank you.</p> <p>Persona non bugga, love the name, thank you for the perspective/reality check. </p> <p>Gonna take a deep breath now... try to figure out if I really have them or not (I keep trying to get the hubby to follow through on making the dry-ice detector thing) and then talk to the office. </p> <p>What do you guys think? Am I seeing true evidence, or am I just a chick with super-sensitive skin an an overactive imagination? </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/found-a-new-one-after-sanitizing#post-69531 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:43:39 +0000 Nobugsonme 69531@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Let me ask you this: after you wash and then dry for 60 minutes on hot, are your clothes really bone dry and really hot? If so, I would think it is probably not the dryer.</p> <p><blockquote>"or it got on during the fifteen minutes it was out of the bag. "</blockquote></p> <p>When is that? After it's unpacked? Where is it then? This sounds like a real possibility to me. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/would-love-to-hear-your-opinions#post-69530 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:33:27 +0000 Nobugsonme 69530@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>You never got a confirmation that you had bed bugs.</p> <p>But you did have bite reactions which stopped entirely after two treatments for bed bugs.</p> <p>There's no way we can tell for sure, but perhaps you did have bed bugs originally.</p> <p>We have heard of people whose reactions lessened in time. (That happened to me, I think.) But having bites and then two weeks later never having bites again is kind of abrupt.</p> <p>Blood stains once every few months don't really prove anything. People do get scabs from time to time as your boyfriend does, and they may bleed.</p> <p>I can't definitively say anything one way or another, but those are my impressions. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/found-a-new-one-after-sanitizing#post-69529 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:57:27 +0000 ccnyc 69529@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>All of my clothes were run through hot water and at least 60 minutes on the highest heat of the dryer and then placed in giant ziploc bags. Today one of my shirts had a live bedbug on it. It was clear with a small dot. </p> <p>I'm trying to figure out if this means my dryer heating treatment wasn't effective (leading me to have to retreat all of my clothing), or if it perhaps crawled into the bag (highly unlikely since I keep it sealed constantly), or it got on during the fifteen minutes it was out of the bag. </p> <p>I realize these are a lot of mystic possibilities, but after feeling like my clothes were actually safe, it shook me up (easy to do these days). We have only had one treatment so far. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/other-bugs-that-are-bloody-when-smashed#post-69528 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:52:06 +0000 annie_kat 69528@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I smashed what looked like a small white bedbug and it bled (red) all over my napkin. It crawled out from between my wall and floorboard. I was told to freeze it till a PCO could check it out. The pest company showed up and took a look at my sample, saying that they couldn't really tell what it was since it had been there for a few days in my freezer, but that it sure had a lot of blood. </p> <p>I asked them what other bugs besides ticks and mosquitos are bloody when smashed? They said many bugs bleed. I took this as a not very reassuring nor professional sounding statement...</p> <p>So I open the question up to everyone on the forum. What other bugs could I have mistaken for bed bugs that squirts out blood when smashed?</p> <p>Also to note, it was confirmed that the apartment unit directly below me had a confirmed case of bed bugs 10 months ago. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/would-love-to-hear-your-opinions#post-69527 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:50:21 +0000 greenapplepest 69527@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <blockquote><p><cite>helpme15 - 3 minutes ago <a href="http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/would-love-to-hear-your-opinions#post-69526">&nbsp;&raquo;&nbsp;</a></cite><br /> Just a note about the blood stains.. I've only noticed a few like 2 or 3 since August</p></blockquote> <p>Wow!!! All I can say is poor you!! No visual inspection and carpet beetle sightings. This just happened to a customer of mine . She called me to get a second opinion and when i got to her house I found carpet beetles and no sign of bedbugs. She was taken for thousands of dollars and was taking legal action against them. I don't know if you have them or not but Id get a second opinion not from the first company you used. </p> <p>Mike S</p> <p>Green Apple Pest Management Solutions Inc. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/would-love-to-hear-your-opinions#post-69526 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:41:32 +0000 helpme15 69526@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Just a note about the blood stains.. I've only noticed a few like 2 or 3 since August </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/would-love-to-hear-your-opinions#post-69525 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:27:48 +0000 helpme15 69525@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I would love to hear your opinions on my situation...</p> <p>In August I woke up with nasty, huge and painfully itchy welts on only my legs. No one else in my house got "bitten" and neither did my boyfriend... I wasn't travelling and live in a brand new condo (not that that matters). Everyone I talked to told me it was bed bugs. Did some research online and freaked out!<br /> I had a dog come in and do an inspection, his handler told me that I had bed bugs in my bedroom and in the living room (never got bites there). This inspection took 5 minutes and I was asked to wait on my balcony.. the pco never visually inspected. He treated the place twice and I never got a bite again...<br /> A few weeks after my treatment I found what I thought was a dead bed bug in my room However, it was black and split down the middle turned out to be a carpet beetle... I then found a few more dead carpet beetles in my living room near a house plant...<br /> I am hyper vigilant and have climp ups on my bed and I have never found any fecal matter, castings or bed bugs just some carpet beetles. I have however, noticed the odd blood stain on my boyfriends side of the bed (very random) he has no bites. He works in construction and always has scabs on his arms and stuff so .... I'm not sure what to think!</p> <p>I would really love to hear what you guys think about my situation because my greatest fear is that I am being bitten and am not reacting any more?? Is that possible? </p> <p>Did (Do) I have bed bugs? Did the k9 company totally take advantage of me?? </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/difficult-situation-bed-bugs-ill-tenant-uncooperative-neighborsmgmt#post-69524 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:35:31 +0000 serenitynow 69524@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Here is the story.</p> <p>1) My gf lives in a large multi unit apartment building. Her apartment is a 2 bedroom. In November her roommate was getting bites.<br /> 2) Nobody saw any bed bugs but building management was called. They said they would treat her apartment and the adjoining units.<br /> 3) My gf has been suffering from major depression. She had to do all the prep work (with help), which is no fun in the best of situations, but was even more excruciating and stressful due to her depression.<br /> 4) The PCO came twice. Two different PCOs from the same company never found any evidence of infestation in her apartment. They still treated. They were unable to gain access to any of the adjoining units. None of the tenants were home or would let them in.<br /> 5) The roommate moved out during the treatment.<br /> 6) AFter the treatments there were no bites and no bugs sighted still.<br /> 7) New roommate moved in in January.<br /> 8) My gf made a serious suicide attempt in late January. It is a miracle she is alive.<br /> 9) I have been staying at her place constantly after the suicide attempt. About two weeks ago (late February) I found an engorged bed bug wandering across the pillow on her bed. Neither of us had experienced bites (or reactions to bites). The new roommate had no bites/reactions. I caught and killed the bug and had various professionals make a positive ID.<br /> 10) Roommate found a dead bed bug in her window after looking around due to my discovery.<br /> 11) I think I spotted one on the ceiling of gf's bedroom. The ceiling is high and I tried to spray alcohol on it, which was dumb. It fell and I couldn't find it. We have looked for harborages but have not been able to locate any.<br /> 12) Building management was called and said they would send a PCO. Building management has not been responsive when we demanded adjoining units be inspected and treated. Among the adjoining units: an elderly shut in and a group of drunk guys who are apparently very dirty (the roach exterminator was horrified when he was finally allowed into their apartment). Obviously ANYONE can get bed bugs, not just dirty people, but dirty people who spend their days drunk (or elderly shut ins) are more likely to not take care of an infestation.<br /> 13) We have had to hire professional prep people to do the prep work because my gf is severely depressed and still recovering from her suicide attempt. And still suicidal. To say this additional stress of freaking bed bugs is like a bomb thrown on a fire is an understatement.<br /> 14) I don't think this problem is going to go away without adjoining units getting inspected and treated. Building management is doing the bare minimum, saying that her apartment is the only one reporting bed bugs and so they are treating her apartment as the infested one.<br /> 15) My gf does not have the strength or capacity to call the city or take anyone to court. She also does not have the strength or capacity or financial resources to move. Her roommate is moving out and how is she going to find a new person to move in given this awful situation?<br /> 16) Her friends are helping by hiring the professional prep people. All this money is being spent on the professional prep people (they ain't cheap) but it feels futile given the lack of cooperation with adjoining units. This is just going to recur and recur without the right comprehensive treatment.</p> <p>This is frustrating and scary because of the mental health and lack of finance issues involved. Any ideas???? </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/dri-die-where-to-buy#post-69523 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:59:47 +0000 Winston O. Buggy 69523@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>A check of the NY State and EPA databases does not indicate any current registrations for DRI DIE as a product which as stated above was a mixture of silica gel and pyrethrin powder. There also don't seem to be any veterinary materials either. I remember this product though, it was extremely light. A fair sized box about 2x2x2 was only about 7 lbs. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/possible-bedbugs-a-few-questions#post-69522 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:16:14 +0000 noseeum 69522@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Thank you all for your responses; I really appreciate your taking the time to look at the pics. Good to know that what we've found so far doesn't indicate the presence of bedbugs, even if we're not totally in the clear. I will go ahead and get our cat treated, and also use the CO2 monitor when it arrives. And hopefully work up the courage to return to the bedroom. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/des-moines-tenants-file-class-action-lawsuit-over-bed-bugs#post-69521 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:02:34 +0000 Nobugsonme 69521@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>... although other pests were listed, it's pretty clear from the article that bed bugs are a huge problem. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/des-moines-tenants-file-class-action-lawsuit-over-bed-bugs#post-69520 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:01:56 +0000 Nobugsonme 69520@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>20 residents from two buildings have filed a class action suit representing anyone who lived with ebd bugs, cockroaches or rodents in two Des Moines buildings from 2007-present (this is perhaps 250 tenants total). The buildings house elderly and disabled residents. </p> <p><a href="http://bedbugger.com/2010/03/17/des-moines-bed-bugs-class-action-lawsuit/">More here.</a> </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/live-sample-preparation-to-send-to#post-69519 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:35:31 +0000 Nobugsonme 69519@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p><a href="http://bedbugger.com/2010/01/25/bed-bug-or-not-bed-bug/">More identification possibilities here. </a></p> <p>Cornell's Carolyn Klass retired and I thought their program was to be on hold after that (pending funding) but there's no note on their <a href="http://entomology.cornell.edu/extension/idl/index.cfm">diagnostic page</a> saying "don't send bugs!" </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/dri-die-where-to-buy#post-69518 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:23:45 +0000 Nobugsonme 69518@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Thanks for clarifying that, Winston! </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/my-landlord-and-his-guy-or-the-gold-standard-of-bed-bug-ignorance-in-chicago#post-69517 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:11:42 +0000 stricken 69517@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Dear Van Helsing, </p> <p>Much sympathy from east of you in the Big Bedbugged Apple! I've got Frick and Frack over here, the LL and his clueless quasi-PCO whose main qualification, aside from working at a larger pest-control company he's moonlighting from, is that he plays softball w/the LL. Sadly for them they don't even have alcohol as an excuse. However I'm sure the fact that the PCO doesn't use a mask has left him just as chemically impaired and able to spout gems like: </p> <p>"They only bite women."</p> <p>"There are no bedbugs in the living room, so I'm not going to treat it." </p> <p>"The landlord is doing you a favor by treating; bedbugs are 'brought in,' so it's not his responsibility." </p> <p>And so on. </p> <p>I could go on, but just know that you are not alone. </p> <p>--Stricken (twice) </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/is-it-unethical-to-live-with-bedbugs#post-69516 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:02:21 +0000 persona-non-bugga 69516@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>ps. all the advice above is terrific. The suggestions wchicago offer about the bed are especially good. Just wanted to emphasize that. Take care. :) </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/is-it-unethical-to-live-with-bedbugs#post-69515 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:58:41 +0000 buggyinsocal 69515@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Are you 100% sure that at this point you're still battling bed bugs and not another pest?</p> <p>I don't think of bed bug fecal matter as being rust colored, and remember that a person can have bed bugs at the same time as another pest.</p> <p>I hear, loud and clear, the frustration and hopelessness you feel at having spent that much money and time working to eradicate the pest. I understand that money does not grow on trees, and the fear that you have about having to come up with more for the landlord (which, incidentally, may not legally be required in your municipality) is scary.</p> <p>But before resigning yourself to live with bed bugs forever, there are two things I would absolutely want to be sure of:</p> <p>1. Are you currently dealing with bed bugs or another pest that has recently settled in or that you've had all along? After all, the fecal matter I saw from bed bugs was never rust colored--it was dark black. If the bites you're getting now are different from the bites you got when you had confirmed bed bug sighting (live bugs, cast skins, definite fecal matter) it's possible that your skin has become sensitized because of the bed bugs and treatment and is now reacting to something like carpet beetles.</p> <p>2. Are you 100% sure that any adjacent units do not have bugs? Have all apartments above, below, and adjacent on your floor been inspected by a pest management pro who knows how to do a thorough job doing so? Because if you are still battling bugs at this point, I would be concerned about reinfestation.</p> <p>3. How confident are you in the PMP that has been hired? How bad was the initial infestation?What kind of proof of bed bugs did the PMP find the first time around?</p> <p>Three treatments might be enough if the infestation wasn't a very advanced infestation and the PMP knew his or her stuff. But if you have a substantial infestation and/or the pro in question didn't treat effectively, three treatments might not be enough.</p> <p>I know it's frustrating--it feels like you'll never be rid of bugs. And I absolutely acknowledge that one of the things about bed bugs that makes them so hard to treat is the fact that they're often hard to find and diagnose correctly. But I think there are still some straightforward steps you can take before feeling like there's nothing to do but throw the towel in and resign yourself to living with bed bugs forever. </p> <p>In fact, if it turns out that your current problem is carpet beetles instead of bed bugs, that would be great news since carpet beetles are much easier to treat. If it's an ineffective PMP, this may be a manifestation of your landlord's ignorance or cheapness--which is also something that you might be able to work around.</p> <p>In short, yes, it's going to take some persistent detective work on your part, but there is still a chance of solving the problem. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/do-blood-stains-mean-bed-bugs#post-69514 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:44:55 +0000 justdiscoveredbb 69514@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I got my second treatment a week ago and was told that we were 'bb free' by the PCO.</p> <p>This morning I found two small blood stains on my husband's pillow (no dead bug). </p> <p>My question is: what do blood stains mean? Should there be dead bugs present too? </p> <p>Should I call the PCO back?</p> <p>Anna </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/is-it-unethical-to-live-with-bedbugs#post-69513 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:43:48 +0000 persona-non-bugga 69513@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I feel for you. This is an exhausting, unfair burden. I don't know the answer to your question. I also don't know if stamping the issue with a big red "ETHICAL!" or "UNETHICAL!" will necessarily help you reach a decision about this or even provide a meaningful answer. </p> <p>Speaking generally, if someone has decided to abdicate the fight against bedbugs, would labeling it "unethical" make them more likely to change their mind and have them keep fighting? Or are their emotional and financial resources so depleted that they feel totally screwed by the universe and have no physical energy to keep fighting. Especially when it seems there's no help and no public recognition that they're going through an extraordinarily difficult time.</p> <p>What if abdicating the fight is given the "ethical" okay? Do the abdicators then skip gleefully through fields of bedbugs which, unchecked, will reproduce in exponential numbers? Bottom line is they still have bedbugs, and even if they can muster up some denial about it. In the long run, they'll have a problem that's so much worse, possibly catastrophically worse. And even denial is a resource that runs out eventually.</p> <p>Which reminds me:</p> <p><blockquote>I have only been bitten in my own bed, so the prospects of "giving" the bugs to visitors is slim: I do not let the visitors on my bed, problem solved.</blockquote></p> <p>I'm sorry, this doesn't solve the problem. If you truly have bedbugs, even if they're just in the bed now ... bedbugs wander. It's what they do, especially as their population increases. They will spread and make harborages of new, wider-reaching areas in your home. </p> <p><blockquote>I feel I cannot even responsibly invite others to my home, at least not without warning them first. And truly, very few people accept that invitation. </blockquote></p> <p>Sadly, I think your feeling about not having people over to bedbugged homes (at least not w/o disclosure) is right on. It's a loss and an inconvenience. But it's a temporary situation and you can still socialize other places (or at home with the informed and consenting). </p> <p>Having said all that, my sense is that you don't want to totally give up controlling bedbugs and their spread. You're willing to heat-treat your clothing, which is a true act of generosity towards others.</p> <p>Perhaps what's needed here is a reassessment of all the stuff you're doing and the frequency with which you're doing it: " ... the laundering, spraying, inspecting, living in a state of vigilance... " What is actually helping and effective? Are some things - like excessive inspecting - making you feel busy and productive but not adding value in eliminating bedbugs? Are there ways to cut back on the chore of laundering? </p> <p>I think deciding not to worry and excessively stress out are very good things. Adrenaline is only useful if it spurs people to action. If it gets excessive, so that it makes people shut down, then banishing it - if possible - should be encouraged. </p> <p>I don't think you have to resign yourself to "living with bedbugs" forever. That's a false inevitability. You say you got only seven bites in about that many weeks. I'm guessing that's a reduction in numbers. If so, that's significant progress. Well done. Even if you can't keep up the pace you were going, keep your eye on the prize. </p> <p>Continue treatment. But explore how treatment could improve. How comprehensive and what techniques?products are the exterminators using? If all the landlord is doing is making "suggestions" at this point, just power through the stress of an awkward convo about finances and focus on your shared interests of getting rid of the bugs. </p> <p>If all you do is continue getting professional treatments and heat-treating your clothes in the morning, that's still significant. If you can manage that, please do. It's okay not to be perfect and we all need breaks. And like I said, perhaps some of the routines you were doing weren't absolutely necessary and could easily be cut out to your benefit.</p> <p>BTW, when was the last time you saw a bedbug in your home? And not just secondary signs like bites and stains? </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/thermal-imaging-camera-test-results#post-69512 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:27:17 +0000 Winston O. Buggy 69512@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Thermal imaging is a science by them selves I've seen them used for rodents, not that great, and a certain firefighter I know who has trained with them said they are great tools but have limitations. As far as bed bugs they are not going to be hotter than the host blood cools quickly outside the body and they are very small. In short I don't think this is anything that is going to work. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/is-it-unethical-to-live-with-bedbugs#post-69511 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:07:05 +0000 wchicago 69511@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>hi foab<br /> just my opinion, but i think yes- you have to keep fighting them. second, i'm not sure your landlord can legally make you share in the costs just because his pco hasn't fully solved the problem.<br /> you're in an apartment. they can spread to others through the shared walls/plumbing/what have you.<br /> you and your husband may be mild reactors (he may even be a non reactor), but what if your neighbors are not? what if they have a baby? etc.<br /> as long as you "live with them" you're feeding them, they will breed, the infestation will eventually grow and spread.<br /> luckily, if you're sure you're just being bitten in bed - it seems like it would be not too hard to address. i assume your mattress and boxspring are encased and you've checked all seams for abrasions or tears?<br /> can you fully disassemble and fully inspect and clean/steam/alcohol your bed frame?<br /> do you have climbups on the bed? (they are only $5 for each leg, so pretty affordable). if you can totally clear the bed then put climbups on (assuming pulled away from wall, hot dried bedding never touching floor, you and husband both careful about showering and hot dried pjs before bed, etc) it seems the last stragglers in the bedroom would be easy to catch?<br /> but also, tell your landlord and get the pco in again. 3 treatments is the average number it takes to eliminate an infestation (from a potter article? some journal article, don't remember authors, sorry) but average means some take more, some less. it took 5 PCO treatments for me (plus special treatments for the sofa - but they were a difficult case). i had a small infestation. i found out after the fact (from dead bodies) that some were hiding in a gap in a bedroom dresser drawer (where the side of the drawer met the bottom, there is a tiny seam in the wood -some were in there). so they aren't necessarily in your bed, even if they are clearly in your bedroom and biting you at night. clean the bed, install the climbups, call the pco. keep fighting the good fight. it sounds like you're almost there!<br /> good luck and really sorry you're still going through this </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/i-miss-the-k9-topics#post-69510 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:51:03 +0000 paulaw0919 69510@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Lol!! </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/dri-die-where-to-buy#post-69509 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:43:27 +0000 Winston O. Buggy 69509@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>There is or was a product called Dri-Die as well as Tri-Die and they are, were similar in composition. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/i-miss-the-k9-topics#post-69508 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:40:18 +0000 Winston O. Buggy 69508@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I think dis temper shots are in order all around. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/interesting-information-about-reactors-vs-non-reactors-to-bites#post-69507 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:34:47 +0000 Winston O. Buggy 69507@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>The current understanding is that over 60% of those being fed on by bed bugs may show no reaction other than a small bite which quickly disappears. There is no difference by gender. And elderly seem to be less likely to react, (of course they ar included in the over 60% of non reactors). So this amplifies the need to inspect or monitor further for those who suspect bbs. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/possible-bedbugs-a-few-questions#post-69506 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:18:25 +0000 EffeCi 69506@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <blockquote><p><cite>spideyjg - 10 hours ago <a href="http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/possible-bedbugs-a-few-questions#post-69494">&nbsp;&raquo;&nbsp;</a></cite><br /> All carpet, or other dermastid beetle stuff. </p></blockquote> <p>Yeah... <em>Anthrenus</em> sp. , adults, larvae and cast skins </p>