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Bed Bugs in FRATERNITY? Help

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groundkontrol

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Oct 10 2007 21:09:12
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I'm currently in college and I live in a fraternity in a single room. I don't have a bed frame but instead I have two queen sized box springs stacked on top of each other and then a queen-sized mattress on top of that. For the past two weeks when I wake up the knuckles of my toes have been red/itchy. I thought it was a rash or some irritation, there were no bites anywhere on my body. I decided to take my sheets off and look through the mattress/box spring seams to see if there were bed bugs. I had bed bugs back home last month so I know what to look for. I looked at my sheet and I saw about 5-7 small blood spots on the sheets. I looked around the box spring and lifted the box spring cover and found about 3 bed bugs and a small (maybe 4-5inches) of blood spots. I immeditaely threw this in the trash. I then lifted all the box springs and teh mattress and looked at teh seams. There were no blood stains anywhere and I came across 4 bed bugs. I sucked them up with a vacuum. I checked all the matress seams throougly and even ripped the bottom of the box springs and looked inside and there were no blood stains or eggs or bed bugs or any sign of infestation. I vacummed underneath and the corners where the box springs were stacked. So waht should I do? I don't want to pay a PCO for just one bedroom. What should I do? Do you think I have an infestation? Help!

Recap for those of you who dont want to read the whole thing:
1) live in a fraternity at college. i have a queen sized matress that sits on top of two queen sized box springs. I found 4 bed bugs and blood spot concentration on box spring cover sheet
2) sucked them up with a vacuum and threw out box spring cover
3) THROUGHLY checked my matress and 2 box springs in between the seems and didnt find any bed bugs, eggs, or any spotting
4) what should i do? probable that I have an infestation somewhere other than my bed?
Anonymous

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Oct 10 2007 21:59:29
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The short answer is yes, you have an infestation.

Are you sure that you would be responsible for paying for the PCO? Can you find out? A PCO is really the way to go on this one. Bedbugs often also harbor in places other than the bed. They also spread, very easily, to other rooms. There may be others affected, even if they are not reacting to the bites.

You should get organized and treat the problem together. Get all rooms inspected and everyone on board on what needs to be done. If you delay or don't take the correct actions, it might spread and get worse. Read the FAQs to get an idea of what is involved.

It's not the end of the world, but you need treatment. Don't wait, ok?
groundkontrol

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Oct 10 2007 22:20:17
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the thing is that after find those 4 bed bugs. i seaarched and searched throughly for more or even for blood stains on the seams but there was absolutely nothing. i even ripped up teh bottom of the box spring and looked inside and nothing. other than my bed i don't know where else they would hide because i have hard wood floors and no furniture.
Anonymous

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Oct 10 2007 22:43:18
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I'm so sorry groundkontrol, I know this is difficult. But here's the thing, people often have bedbugs that they cannot see and cannot find. Bedbugs are very flat and very skilled at hiding, in very tiny cracks. Floors, baseboards, walls, furniture, closets, steam pipes, ceiling fixtures, switchplates, clothes, books, DVDs, backpacks, suitcases--all of these and more are potential harborages. There is usually more than one harborage. Some of the harborages may not even be close to the bed. It's what they do to survive.

Waiting and hoping that you got them all is likely the wrong decision here, but of course it's yours to make. Perhaps no one can convince you until you get more bites or see more bugs. Or get more bites but not see any more bugs.

It's a tough situation, maybe you just need to think about it some more. Read the FAQs in the meantime.
groundkontrol

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Oct 10 2007 22:59:35
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I ordered some DE online so I'll try that out for a week and see how that goes. I'm also going to talk to the president of my fraternity and see if I can get the fratnernity to pay for an exterminator.
Anonymous

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Oct 10 2007 23:12:07
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Yes, disclosing your infestation, even if you believe it is contained, is the fair thing to do. Your brothers are also exposed and some of them may not even be aware that they have bedbugs. Remember that many people don't react to the bites and thus have no early warning. Treating bedbugs that have spread in a structure is a big expensive pain in the butt. You will all want to avoid that if possible.

Good luck. We're here if you need anything.
groundkontrol

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Oct 10 2007 23:39:34
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I looked through most of the FAQS. I can't talk to my president or house manager because it is too late at night right now. But in general what do you guys think I should do? I vacummed my matresses and threw out the box spring xocer that the bugs and blood were on. Like I said there is no other trace of them anywhere on the mattress or box spring. I also moved the bed away from the walls by a few inches ( I have a small room remember). I've also washed my bedding in hot water. What should I do next? Put tape around the edges of the bed on the floor to catch them? I ordered some DE as well, i hope it helps. What should I do next?
persona-non-bugga

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Oct 11 2007 2:03:23
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groundkontrol, if you happen to catch any more bedbugs, I would save them as evidence. A PCO or a fraternity/university rep might need to see them before treatment can start.

They really are sneaky vermin. They're expert at hiding. For every bedbug you see, there are probably several more lurking in crevices somewhere that you'll never see. Please trust what hopelessnomo has told you. It's sound advice.

If you're concerned about talking to the house manager, because you fear these bedbugs might've followed you from home, I think it's okay to hold off on telling them about that. This is happening at a lot of colleges all over the country. So don't let embarrassment get in the way; almost every school will probably deal with it at some point.

The important thing is to focus on what's going on right now at the fraternity house, so you can put together a plan to fight the bugs. It's not just your problem. It's the problem of everyone who lives in that house. So please talk to them about it in the morning. Bedbugs suck. Lean on your frat brothers.

Later on, when you're traveling between home and school, take careful precautions to not spread the bugs between the two locations.
Nobugsonme

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Oct 11 2007 2:09:06
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I agree with what hopelessnomo and persona-non-bugga said.

You need a professional PCO, you need to tell others what's happening. And you need to collect any additional samples you find. Our FAQS might help your frat brothers and the admin of your college to develop a plan, but they will need to get an experienced PCO. The college may even have dealt with this before or may have a plan in place.

Not sure what college you're at, but go to bedbugger.com (click "blog" button below) and search for "colleges". You'll find many stories of infested dorms, and this is no different. It's likely that others in the frat house and even in the college as a whole are infested. They spread easily. This is not your fault. But others will need to know so they can have their rooms inspected and avoid spreading them further.
klo29

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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Apr 2 2012 12:46:52
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Hi! I’m a journalism student and I’m working on a semester project about bed bugs on college campuses. I was wondering if I could use your story as a part of my paper? If this is alright, I would need your full name and the college you attend. If you don’t want to give this information on this page, you can e-mail me at klo29@pitt.edu. I promise not to bother you at all unless I have questions regarding your story. Thank you so much!
-Kelsey
cilecto

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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Apr 2 2012 14:12:05
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K: These are old threads and the participants have likely moved on. If you're doing research, I'd suggest you start a new thread with a descriptive title. Also, we generally discourage posting of personal information and email addresses. People can communicate with you via the forum's "private message" feature, then decide if to take it offline.