Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed Bug Treatment
diary of a mad "possible bb victim"
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controlfreak
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Joined: Aug '10
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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Aug 19 2010 13:39:41
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Hello all,
I have posted my "introduction" story couple of days ago. Just to recap, we live in an apartment complex and it turns out some of our neighbors have been battling with bbs for a while. Landlord decided to swipe the whole building with K9 and the dog apparently had a positive signal in our bedroom. There were no visual confirmation and the whole process took less then 5min. We haven't seen a dead or alive bug and there are no bites. We learned the result couple of days ago and started getting ready for the whole mess. Here is the story of extermination/prep so farDay -2: After passing denial stage, a long and totally useless conversation with the company and doing a little calculation, we decided to invest in packtite, a mattress cover and a bb beacon to monitor activity. It is a nice chunk on my credit card that I could have used for many other things but if you have these bugs you gotta attack with all forces is what i learned from this forum. I clicked order button and shed some tears...
Day -1: I left work early, stopped to buy some industry grade garbage and ziploc bags and then I head home. I put on some Buffy Season 1 to get into the "slayer" mode and attacked the bedroom. After categorizing items in my dressers and big closet as "things to be thrown away", "things to be washed and dried", "things to be dried" and "things to be kept for packtite", I spend several hours packing. The old purple sweater I had for 20 years as a security blanket did go down while the 10 yr old perfect little black dress that I can no longer fit was saved. It is already a depressing process, no need to make things worse by giving up hope that you can one day fit into that dress again. May be the second round of treatment, it will not make the cut... While I was running on high energy, I started washing/drying cycle (which means dragging bag after bag downstairs to the laundry and then packing it into new bags and dragging back home and keeping them away from bedroom). At this time the XY chromosome holder of the household came from work. He informed me that he does not believe we have bugs and until he sees a proof, he will not go all crazy about it. He packed all his belongings "to be treated in packtite" and changed the channel to some sort of sports. At this point we emptied almost all our bedroom stuff but we started running out of space to store them. I think this is one of the biggest problems of treatment preps.
Then came the monster under the bed. It turns out that deciding to have a "storage are" under your bed is a bad bad bad idea. We had so much crap there, it took me forever to get rid of stuff. They were dusty too. Still no moving stuff though. Then I opened a bin and guess what... Nope still no bugs... A gift from my husband's extended family. An alpaca blanket that smells like dead animal. After having a 30 min argument about keeping a huge stinky blanket that we will never use under our bed, I thought for a second if this is the smell the dog reacted to. If I was a dog, I definitely thought there is something in that area of the bed. Well the male of the house claimed that this is how it smells back at home and I am insulting his heritage by blaming the blanket, and 1 hr later we ended up tossing it. I did have a thought of giving it to the company and asking them to test the dog against it but I just could not handle the sight of another bag in the house. At this point it was 6 hrs into my packing and I had my first nervous break down and wondered moving to a developing country where they don't have bbs. My husband reminded I have bad GI system and probably will end up getting something that I could not get rid of by "throwing stuff away".
At the end of the day, I had done 16 loads of laundry, throw away a lot of stuff, and packed everything I can into garbage bags and tied them shut until the arrival of our heating unit. The second bedroom and living room did not go that way though. When we emptied our cabinet in the second bedroom that serves as a storage closet for us, there was a huge pile of stuff in the middle, left no room to pack gizillion books and CDs. Therefore I gave up and decided to feel good that at least they will have access to the closet and baseboards. And it is kind of amazing how something you considered "decoration" turns into something "inconvenient clutter to be thrown away" in a matter of minutes.
After all the packing, my scientific side which is used to working with infectious diseases and understands "cross contamination" thinks that I haven't done this prep properly and if we do have bugs, they are scattered all over the place. But with the limited amount of space, I have no idea how to do it better.Day 0: We woke up early, the husband informed me that he is going to believe that we have done all this for no good reason and left for work. I packed the clothes I wore the day before, sheets, pillows, covers, last towels and head to laundry. Tried to pack food that was in open containers so we won't ingest the drug they will be spraying and waited for the crew to show up. And they did... I showed them what we did, apoligized for the lack of space and packing in the second room and asked them some questions. They are using two types of sprays and they will be focusing on the baseboards, closets and bed area. They told me just because the dog gave a signal it does not mean that we have anything (I am so glad my husband was not there), and we can vacuum after the treatment and put things back. And they don't know if there will be 3 treatments. Himmmmm...
They did not know if these drugs would cause allergies but told us to wait 4 hrs before coming back home. And then informed me that they will be starting from another unit and then come to us.
Here is a question if you survived reading this long post, if you have a unit which is a repeat offender, and another one that has no visible signs, shouldn't you start from the less likely infestation and go to the other unit? What are the chances that something would tag along and do come to us from the other unit (they have thrown away their bed and mattress before the treatment and one wonders how much of the little bugs they shed to the corridors while doing that??). Anyway, I told them to leave me a note if they found an infested area or if they see any bugs during the process and left.
Take away massage of this tale up until now is, the prep requests are very very difficult to properly follow in limited apartment spaces. It is highly possible to contaminate areas that were clean before during all the moving and packing and washing and drying. If I follow everything the company asked me, my husband labels me a crazy person, if I don't then I am a bad tennant. It is an expensive process, and it sucks double when you have to do it solely based on the olfactory system of a canine.
Are there any suggestions about what to do following the first treatment? When should we start putting our washed/dried clothes back to the closets or dressers? What is the best area to do the packtite treatment? Contaminated room or other parts of the house?
Thanks for reading and any suggestions you may post
cf -
NewBlood
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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Aug 19 2010 14:50:28
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Hey ControlFreak - welcome to the forums! I love long introductions.
First and foremost - did they LOOK at the area the dog alerted to to find a bed bug? If not then you may not have bed bugs! I had several positive alerts in my apartment when I first thought I had these nightmares but they found no evidence of them; nothing. It is very important to find a bed bug because otherwise you may be fighting a completely different enemy. Now that said I realize that you are in an apartment situation where your neighbors have them and thus you are a possible source for recontamination so in this case it may be out of your hands (unfortunately, I am so so sorry you have to go through this).
Day -2: you'll actually be glad to own a packtite. Think of it this way - you may very well run into this problem again and now you have some equipment able to deal with the issue. Going on a trip? The moment you get home everything can be tossed in that death furnace and killed. The beacon will also be useful for (hopefully never) future battles with the bugs - they are spreading so it is more and more important to monitor for them.
Day -1: A good PCO can rid you of your problem without you needing to toss anything out, so it's unfortunate you went through so much stuff. I am being a hypocrite though - because *I* tossed out lots of things when I thought I had bed bugs myself. Board games, books, clothes, nick-nacks and doo-dads. Pictures and memories were all thrown out. I'm so sorry you went through this as well. I put on weight over the past year but I can atest that alot of my clothes, shoes, etc - they didn't survive the laundry process. (I think I owned 1 sweatshirt, 1 pair of pants and a hand full of tee's and undergarments by the time it was all done - also 1 pair of old clunky shoes that the heat couldn't destroy).
I tossed out lots of furniture too - but I was glad to do it because I was so tired of vacuuming everything everyday. It would take me 3-5 hours to do so for my apartment and it was just too time consuming. I said goodbye to my shelves, bookcases, dresser, etc - all of it tossed out. I can completely understand your "I did something wrong, they're now everywhere" mode of thinking - but remember this. They still have to come to you for food. No matter where they may be, they WILL COME FOR YOU - and as such they must cross the poison/toxin/dust that has been laid out to kill them when they do so. That's a cheering though eh?
Day 0: That sounds about right. The company I hired did the same thing just about - although I had to vacuum everyday for between treatments but every PCO may have you doing different things: follow their instructions to the letter. I had to be out of my apartment for 3 hours after they did their chemical spraying. (I know it's alot of work - but you really do need to follow it all because although it may make you crazy it is better to be crazy and bed bug free, then crazy and getting bit every day).
I would think they would have started from the outside apartments and work their way toward "ground zero" as it were. As for your final questions... did they leave you with a post op procedure? They should have told you what you can do with all the gear/stuff that you have and when you can place it back (I would imagine it should be asap - as you want any eggs/nymphs/adults to hatch or come looking for you and cross the poison death awaiting them. I do not own a packtite myself, so I don't know the best place to put it for treating the insects, but hopefully someone else will respond soon with an idea.
Welcome to the forums ControlFreak - I'm sorry your here but you'll beat this (you may not even have them I hope!).
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controlfreak
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Posts: 90offline
Posted 2 years ago
Thu Aug 19 2010 19:32:24
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Thanks NewBlood. It is always calming to hear other people's experiences and know others have gone through it and it works out. I am back at home and there is still a very strong smell. They did not leave any notes or directions. Also there is no note about where they found bugs. Based on how this thing is being handled I am ready to give a big (-) to this company. But that's not the problem at hand currently.
I have some specific questions since they left no directions for me.
1.) I think they sprayed inside and out of our dressers. Is it safe to put clothes (t-shirts, pants, underware etc...) in to the drawers? I would like to wipe it off with something before i put anything in there but it would counter the whole pesticide idea I guess.
2.) I have bunch of stuff I washed and dried and ready to be hanged in to the closets but my husband refused to do that. Since we are still waiting to get the packtite, can he hang his stuff back or are we supposed to wait until everything is clean to hang things????
3.) I would like to vacuum the carpets and inside the closets before I start putting things and again am I supposed to wait for some time before I vacuum the carpet?
It is going to be another long long night. Thank you everyone for answers and support...
cf -
bug-tired
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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Aug 19 2010 22:04:44
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hmmm, you may want to call the PCO to find out for sure....I can tell you what I was told but that may very well be different from what you are supposed to do.
In my case, I was told not to put stuff back in my bedroom yet because they would probably have to come back for another treatment (and they've been back twice). One treatment with spray doesn't usually do it. I'm going to wait at least two months from the last evidence before I start putting clothes back in my bedroom. Now everything's in the basement or other rooms in ziplock bags.
They did say to vacuum "alot." What they didn't tell me was to immediately seal up and replace the vacuum cleaner bag. So I'm vacuuming a lot but holding off on mopping or more thorough cleaning since residual poisons may still be working. I've vacuumed more in the last month than I have in the 2 years I've lived in this house!
Again, I would check with your PCO - I understand some want you to leave your things in the hot spot and other don't so check with them to be sure. Mine didn't leave written instructions either, which would have been really helfpul. It's a lot of information to absorb and remember. I've gotten most of my information from this site.
Let us know how you make out.
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NewBlood
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Aug 20 2010 7:46:35
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Hey ControlFreak,
1.) I think they sprayed inside and out of our dressers. Is it safe to put clothes (t-shirts, pants, underware etc...) in to the drawers? I would like to wipe it off with something before i put anything in there but it would counter the whole pesticide idea I guess.
As bug-tired indicated above I would call the PCO's up to determine what exactly you are supposed to do next. Some companies have you keep everything sealed up, others have you leave everything exposed. Alas I am not a PCO though, nor work with pesticides or similar (I'm just a dude who went through the bed bug treatment thing). I can tell you that MY PCO's post-treatment sheet said to wash my hands and wipe down frequently used (counter tops for example) things. I am not sure if this is what you should do however.
2.) I have bunch of stuff I washed and dried and ready to be hanged in to the closets but my husband refused to do that. Since we are still waiting to get the packtite, can he hang his stuff back or are we supposed to wait until everything is clean to hang things????
Hrmm. This is tricky. It won't matter (because if bed bugs get into your clothes you will kill them with the packtite) and it will matter (because if they make it into your clothes BEFORE you get the packtite then you may bring them outside your home with you when you leave - infesting other places (your car, your work, etc) and then risk reinfesting yourself again. Then again - your PCO's may want you to immediately hang everything up again. I... I would be too paranoid myself so I would leave everything in bags until the packtite arrived just to be safe. However that's just me.
3.) I would like to vacuum the carpets and inside the closets before I start putting things and again am I supposed to wait for some time before I vacuum the carpet?
It is going to be another long long night. Thank you everyone for answers and support...Again you'll need to find out what your PCO's want you to do. It sucks that they didn't give you a form to indicate your requirements (especially if they may be coming back later for more treatments). I know that *I* was not supposed to vacuum near my vents/cracks where the walls/floor met as there was dust placed there but again, I don't know where they placed which chemicals/dusts in your home.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help - I would contact those PCO's for a better idea of what to do. Good luck ControlFreak - you'll get through this!
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controlfreak
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Joined: Aug '10
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Aug 20 2010 18:32:51
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Day +1: Today is a low day. I hang some of my clothes that were washed/dried under the assumption that if there are any bugs, they will go out, step on the poison and die. The smell lingered all night and I don't think it is good for people to breath this stuff all night. I did not want to stay somewhere else because I know it is important to lure them so that they can pass the poison and also I did not want to carry my "problems" (if I have them) to somewhere else. Again, my humble opinion is: If there is no good ventilation in an apartment, it is important for a PCO and tennant to work together about the treatment plan. I stayed away from the sofa because it felt wet even after 5 hrs.
I tried "talking" to the pest company. I told them I want to know where they have seen bugs when they were treating the place and if they will be coming back for the second treatment. I was told if I have such questions I am supposed to ask them to my landlord. Since my landlord hired these people, it seems I have no control over anything that goes on in my house. I asked them about the furniture and they said "do not wipe but can dust and vacuum". I am very disappointed with their attitude.
I feel the need to bitch about this company more today. The more I think about it, the more it makes me sad and frustrated. I have spend over 500$ and I still don't know if we really have any bugs or not. Am I supposed to hire another company and pay them for another visit to investigate? The neighbors who had this problem is in one of the lower floors. As far as I know only two units were treated in this round (and I was the only one doing a million loads of laundry). The more I think about it, the more I wonder what type of a company comes to spray a unit with an ongoing problem without covering surrounding units? I mean if their infestation is going on for a while, with all the cracks in our walls and drilling/hammering going on in the building, wouldn't people living right next to this unit will get them any day now?!?!? The more I loose my trust in this company, the more I worry about them carrying bugs on their shoes or clothes to my unit since they decided to start in a unit that was being treated may be the 4th time and then come to ours. Yes I know, paranoia is a bad thing. As I said, day +1 is depressing. I am staying at work so I don't have to go and face the war zone that used to be my apartment. When I read people's posts about moving to a new place and still getting infestation in their new habitat, I feel like if you get them, you are stuck with them... May be I should have wine with dinner tonight. I heard it goes well with pesticide smell... -
controlfreak
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Posts: 90offline
Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 21 2010 10:50:42
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Day +2: Before BB scare I would be sleeping while the husband plays soccer early Saturday morning. After BB scare I am up early and now sitting on a park bench thinking what may be crawling up my back on this bench while I read the forums. Today I had a chat with mom. I am from one of those "dev" countries where they supposedly don't have bb problems. I was dreaming of moving back until my mom said "Ooooo I know what you are talking about". I said "Nooo you don't have them". She gave me the name, I checked the list of BB names in different languages on this site and there it is. Himmmmm apparently they are everywhere and my dream of moving back home will not solve the problem :(. Also I think it is pathetic that I am writing this in a park on a sunny Saturday.
Question of day +2 is: Do plastic bags survive packtite treatment? I would like to throw the bags with their contents in it so everything gets baked and I will reuse the bags to pack again in 20 days. With all the purging, throwing, washing, drying, heating the carbon print of this process is horrible. I hate to throw away 40+ industrial plastic bags down the trash and get new ones for the next treatments. Is it stupid to worry about something like this while dealing with BBs???? -
controlfreak
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Posts: 90offline
Posted 2 years ago
Sun Aug 22 2010 21:31:52
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Day +3: It has been another low day. We got the packtite and mattress cover and the beacon yesterday. I started treating all the items i was not able to wash in packtite. I am doing 120F for at least 1 hr but not going for the 4 hr suggested since i have lots of stuff to go through and the husband, after heating his pants and shirts, decided it is waste of time and put everything back without heat treatment. We placed the mattress cover after another disagreement. I believe things should be washed when you open them, he thinks it is waste. So we ended up putting the protect-a-bed on our treated mattress without a first hot wash and dry. I am hoping USbedbugs really do not accept open returned items. It is a beatiful mattress cover. We have an IKEA wood bed frame with slats and it seems the PCO sprayed the bed frame. Let's see how well it works out. We still don't have any signs. When we moved the mattress, we checked the frame, slats and mattress. Did not see anything. I am getting more and more paranoid. I have a single red dot on my arm and just started feeling 2 red dots on my back. They are not itchy and look like pimples rather then bites. Husband has two dots on his ankle and he said he got them the day we were moving and packing things. I am vacuuming but did not change the bag since i don't have a backup yet. The husband must have been born under a lucky star because he left for a business meeting and i am still heating and unpacking. I had an interesting talk with my parents who live on the other side of the world about their experiences with BBs 40+ years ago. I will post it as another topic. I feel like things are on me all the time and keep on thinking the worst case situation. The husband decided i should talk to a professional since we haven't seen a bug yet but I am behaving like we have full blown infestation. My best friend, who lives in London and apparently never heard of BBs, agrees with him. I am fully aware that we probably don't have a bad infestation, i just don't know if we don't have any and i am scared if i don't take this seriously, it can get out of control and will cost us more money and time. It is exhausting. I am terrified of going to bed tonight. If there are any little vampires lurking, i will be the only target tonight....
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