Another "victim" here to seek advice « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

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Another "victim" here to seek advice

(3 posts)

bossman

newbite
Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 1

Posted 2 months ago
Tue Aug 25 2009 8:36:21
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Hey guys. I have spent the last 3 or so hours reading the FAQ section of this forum as well as quite a few other threads. After all the reading, I have a strong suspicion that bed bugs are present. Here is my situation in case anyone would like to offer advice or suggesions:

I started getting some strange bites about 3 weeks ago. At first I thought they were spider bites, but I kept getting new ones and the delayed itching was something different than I had ever experienced with past critter bites. When the bites continued, I thought it might be scabies and saw a clinician who said the symptoms didn't match scabies because I had dry, scabbed over bites while scabies usually presents puss producing wounds while the mites are living in there. So, I got the cream they prescribed and started doing laundry, taking it slowly and wondering what else it could be.

On a side note, let me mention that in addition to owning 4 boxers, we recently took in a pregnant stray cat and have had several of her kittens in my bedroom on various occasions. Thus, I wasn't sure if the "bites" were some kind of cat allergy, a new reaction to flea bites (doubtful because I can feel when I'm being bitten by fleas and usually catch them in the act), or something else.

While searching the web to see if I could find pictures of bites like mine, I stumbled across some BB bites that looked similar, and after reading a little more, my symptoms seem to match. The bites usually occur during the night and itch the day after. They are often in a pair or close together and so far almost all of them have been on my legs which I suspect is due to sleeping most nights in briefs and a T shirt. Tonight I just started looking around for BBs and I think I found what looks like it could be them, but no live ones yet. My room's a bit of a disaster area at the moment, so it's going to take a while to bag all of my stuff and do a thorough inspection.

From what I could gather it seems I should do the following:

-Bag my stuff up
-Carefully inspect EVERYTHING
-Try to collect specimens for a PCO
-Launder my belongings according to the protocol outlined in the FAQ section and bag them
-Get a mattress cover and packtite
-Have the PCO come over to evaluate the situation

Basically, I want to be ready for the PCO when they come. I am a relatively poor, unemployed guy living with my sister and senile 84 year old grandfather and am worried about the costs of dealing with this problem. While I have some money to buy the mattress cover, eco green plastic bags, the packtite, I NEED to keep cost down to the absolute minimum. I know not to waste money on sprays, foggers, etc. Any suggestions on what I can do to keep costs down? For instance, are there ways to make the little traps for the feet of the bed or traps to find the live bugs in general? How do I go about cleaning my mattress and other parts of the room? I read that vacuuming is generally not recommended, however there is much dirt in my room (I work on cars in my driveway most days and drag a lot of dirt in).

I'll stop here since the list of questions seems endless at the moment and will probably be shortened based on suggestions I receive here. Any help, suggestions, or input is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Logan
buggyinsocal

oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,130

Posted 2 months ago
Tue Aug 25 2009 11:00:43
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The best course of action is to look for a good PCO who knows bed bugs in your area.

Everything else that you do is going to need to wait until you do or don't have confirmation.

Making your own Climb Up interceptors may seem like a good idea, but that's actually one place I wouldn't skimp. The Climb Ups are designed to trap bed bugs gently which means that they won't release alarm pheremones which might cause an infestation to spread.

However, that's all a moot point until you confirm that you definitely have bed bugs.

The bagging and laundry and such? Shouldn't happen until *After* an inspection. The act of cleaning and preparing can spread the bugs and/or drive them deeper into hiding.

Mattress covers? Again, I would wait until you've selected your PCO. Some PCOs use them but others don't.

Take the time to do the research to find a good PCO with a lot of experience with bed bugs. If you're trying to be smart about money, getting a good PCO in from the start is the best plan you can go with.

Also remember that if you suspect bed bugs, the bugs can survive a trip into the vacuum. Some people use a nylon stocking piece over the vacuum hose so that the dirt gets sucked up but any bugs are trapped. What you shouldn't do is vacuum and not immediately dispose of/seal off the contents of what you've vacuumed.

If you have a bagless vac, just dump the contents into a bag and seal it up and toss it.

If you have a vacuum with a bag, I guess you could remove the bag and store it in a ziplock between vacuumings. Just inspect the ziplock for any escaped bed bugs before you reach in to put the bag back in the vacuum before the next time you use it.

Hope that helps.
Blue_Ox

member
Joined: May '07
Posts: 136

Posted 2 months ago
Tue Aug 25 2009 22:43:49
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Regarding the vacuuming, this thread tells you how to deal with the bagless and the bag kinds.
http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/how-do-i-treat-bagless-vacuums

Summary: wash the bagless one; use a nylon stocking to cover the hose of a regular vacuum.