My story and questions... « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

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My story and questions...

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RecoveringBBA

newbite
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Posted 1 year ago
Tue Aug 2 2011 22:48:25
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I have recently had my encounter with bed bugs after moving to the East Coast. My story is similar to many others. My girlfriend started noticing bites that we thought were mosquitos. I didn't know why they liked biting her so much and not me. Then I saw a beg bug on the wall next to our bed. It didn't dawn on me that it was a bed bug until I squished it and it left a streak of our blood on the wall. From there we got on the internet and compared a couple other bugs to picture. Bed Bugs!

So far the actions I've taken are:
Wash and bag all clothing, curtins, pillows, blankets, etc...
Get rid of or move everything out of the bedroom except the bed.
Double sided tape around the perimeter of the room and around each leg of the bed.
Double sided tape a ring around the wall so they can't climb to the ceiling and drop down on us.
Encased matress and springs in the #1 rated bed encasement.
Landloard contacted an exterminator that has sprayed the pyrethroid type of insecticide. He has made several trips to our apartment now.

That's about it. It has been over a month now and we still see one or two bugs a week and haven't seen any near the bed. Although we have foudn a few on the tape trying to get into our room. I think we are getting them under control but I don't want to let up at this point. Today for the first time I saw the Bed Bug Beacon and wonder if that will help us with our fight. If anyone has any other advice for me please do tell.

Thank You, everyone that responds.
notworking

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Aug 3 2011 12:24:27
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Sounds like your experience has been very similar to ours, although we never used the double-sided tape. We had treatments from a PCO and are still seeing them. If we had the money, I think I would buy the BB beacon -- seems like a good way to detect whether or not they're still there. Although it sounds like you still see one or two bugs a week, so you already KNOW they're there. I think the Beacon is mostly for people who aren't sure whether they're there or not.

Good luck!
buggyinsocal

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Aug 3 2011 12:51:09
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There are two kinds of monitors: active monitors (which actually do something actively to attract the bugs) and passive monitors (which don't emit anything to attract the bugs).

Passive monitors are more often effective for most peoples' situations.

Active monitors generally emit carbon dioxide in order to attract bed bugs. However, bed bugs aren't stupid. They'd much prefer to go feast on a live, breathing human being who not only emits CO2 but also heat and such.

For that reason, active monitors are used primarily in residences that are uninhabited. For example, if you're afraid you have an infestation but you're going on a five day trip, putting an active monitor in place while you're gone might be effective.

However, if you're actually in the home while you're monitoring, a passive monitor is more effective. (It's also cheaper than the active ones.)

Passive monitors generally work by catching bed bugs on their way to their food (the Climb Up Interceptors) or by creating a comfy and inviting harborage for the bugs in a spot where they would like to live.

Now I know that latter one sounds like the last thing you'd want, but since bed bugs can be elusive, you actually want to give them an ideal place to live so that they'll gather there so you can figure out that you've got them.

The Climb Up Interceptor and the BBAlert Passive both work by providing a device at a spot you're likely to encounter bugs to make it easier for you to detect them.

It's important to understand that in the case of active and passive monitors, more is not always (or even usually) better. Climb Ups and BBAlert Passives cannot be used at the same time.

However, both passives are probably more effective options than using double sided tape or glue traps. Bed bugs that do actually get stuck in those (and some evidence suggests that the bugs'll just avoid them or won't get trapped) might emit alarm pheromones that will scare off other bed bugs. In that case, you risk dispersing or generally expanding the infestation, which will actually make it harder and more expensive to treat, which is definitely not what you want.

I'm not opposed to the use of the Beacon and other active monitors, but it's important to understand the limits of what it can and can't do most effectively.
veryscared

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Aug 3 2011 14:59:18
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[quote]Climb Ups and BBAlert Passives cannot be used at the same time.

really?
bbgirl

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Aug 3 2011 15:38:04
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I think what she meant is that it defeats the purpose of the monitor if you have devices to prevent them from getting on the bed. I in fact did have a passive monitor on my isolated bed because I wanted to know if they were getting on to the bed since I didn't think I was reacting to bites.
buggyinsocal

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Aug 3 2011 15:38:52
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Veryscared,

I believe so. If I recall correctly, David Cain said that BBAlert Passive should not be used at the same time (or at least, not on the same piece of furniture--so not placing a BBAlert Passive and Climb Ups on the same bed, for example).

I could be wrong, and I'm happy to be corrected. But I'm pretty sure he said so in another thread. I have a deadline at work, so I can't look right now--and, frankly, chances are by the time I've got time to look I'll have forgotten I'm supposed to look, so if someone else wants to dig up the thread, please feel free.
tryingtostaysane

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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Aug 4 2011 15:17:13
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>>David Cain said that BBAlert Passive should not be used at the same time (or at least, not on the same piece of furniture--so not placing a BBAlert Passive and Climb Ups on the same bed, for example).

I remember reading something about that too. But kind of agree with BB girl- if you aren't sure where they're coming from, you would isolate the bed with ClimbUps to see if they are elsewhere. Then you could also use the passive monitor on (not near but actually on) the bed so if they were hiding in a pillow or mattress protector seam or whatever, they might find a better harborage. I recall reading that they rarely climb down the bedlegs into the ClimbUps... rather just set up a harborage as close to host as possible right?

But I'm not 100% sure about that... David?
trash-aint-treasure

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Posted 1 year ago
Sat Dec 10 2011 4:44:38
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Are there any scents you could have in the air, that would mask or interfere with alarm pheromones? Is there anything you could eat that would make your blood unpalatable to the bugs?