Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Detection / Identification of bed bugs

Ethics: Wondering How (or If) I Should Tell the Neighbors? Advice, Please

1. 

   whbclaire
   

   newbite
   Joined: Oct '11
   Posts: 33

   offline

   
   Posted 1 year ago
   Tue Oct 18 2011 20:22:06
   #
   
   
   
   Login to Send PM
   

   It took me several months to realize I have a bed bug problem. I can't remember when it started but I remember how the possibility of having a problem first entered my mind. Whenever I would sit in my bed to watch TV or read, I was constantly brushing away granular "stuff" like little sprinkles of something. Didn't know what it was so I assumed for a long time maybe it was crumbs either from eating crackers in bed or more likely, from the cat litter that my 3 cats manage to traipse through the house. I started making sure the bed was made before I left the house so the cats couldn't track litter through the sheets and I made sure never to eat in bed. Nothing changed, though.

   Then I started finding bites on my body. One, maybe two a week. Itchy, red, single bites (no linear pattern or sets of three). By that time it was getting near summer so I figured it was mosquitos. Soon, it dawned on me that mosquitos would bite only those parts of me that weren't covered by the sheets and blanket -- how could they bite me on my stomach or legs or back or buttocks, which were always under the covers? Then I decided it must be spider bites as there are a lot of spiders around my house. That theory finally gave way, too.

   It was only about 3 weeks ago that I decided to research bed bugs to see if I might have them. The more I read, the more convinced I became. Soon the bites were 5 or 6 a night, and I began to easily recognize the "granular stuff" as fecal matter. Occasionally I might find something that seemed like a spec of blood. Took a long time to see an actual bug or nymph (I eventually saw one of each). I began to go into high gear with self-treatment -- bought mattress and box spring encasements and diatomaceous earth, also put my bed legs into elevated monitor traps, threw out the bed skirt, and moved the bed away from the wall. I thought that would be the cure but nooo . . . the problem got worse. Stupidly, I bought a fogger. For the first time in weeks I slept peacefully that night but the next day they came back with a vengeance. I tried fogging again and then over-the-counter spray but those actions seemed only to piss the bugs off and I began to be eaten alive . Now I KNOW I have a serious problem and nothing I have done has helped. I finally caved today and called an exterminator (or PCO, I found they're called on this board).

   All to say that I KNOW I have a serious infestation. The problem is that I live in a condo complex. Surely someone will see the truck when it comes for the inspection on Thursday and maybe even to which unit the inspector goes. Now I'm struggling as to whether I should tell the neighbors or not -- the three most seriously potentially affected share walls with me.

   Every "neighbor" question I have read involves landlords but there are no landlords here -- everyone owns his/her own condo unit. I am afraid to tell them because I'm afraid they'll blame me for infecting their place (when actually, it might have been one of them who infected me, first -- I rarely do any traveling). I'm afraid one neighbor in particular might demand money from me for the cost of getting an inspector out and treatments. I'm afraid none will want to be friendly with me again and will blame me for any inspection/preventive/treatment hassles and expense they have to go through.

   I'm thinking of telling them a half truth by saying I'm having an inspection on Thursday because I think I MIGHT have bedbugs, but am not certain. That will take away any anger they might have toward me for letting this go for a while and trying ineffective solutions that may have actually worsened the situation. It might also get one or two to admit their worried they're suspicious about bed bugs in their own places.

   I'm also thinking of not telling them at all and maybe notifying the condo association anonymously that they ought to send out notices to everyone to think about getting a bed bug inspection. I'm afraid if I don't tell them, all my "residents" will run to my neighbors’ places during treatment and give them a problem if they haven't one already. Then when they in turn get effective treatment, my old "roommates" my come back to haunt me again.

   Can anyone please offer words of advice/experience/wisdom. And can you do please it before this Thursday (10/20/11)? Thanks

2. 

   BugsMustDie
   

   member
   Joined: Aug '11
   Posts: 328

   offline

   
   Posted 1 year ago
   Tue Oct 18 2011 20:42:49
   #
   
   
   
   Login to Send PM
   

   Well since an expert has not confirmed your infestation, technically you "think you may have them." Often times people think they have them and they actually don't.

   Fecal matter is not granular. It bleeds into the fabric, like the tip of a sharpie marker.

   I know this can not be an easy thing to deal with. But if you don't tell your neighbors, even if you manage to get rid of them in your place (if you do have them), if they've already spread to another unit or as if you suspect, they're coming from another unit, you could spend thousands on treatments only to have them come back.

   When is your next condo association meeting? If it's fairly soon, you could put together some good educational materials to hand out and help your neighbors understand having bed bugs has nothing to do with cleanliness and help them learn why it's so important everyone works together to make sure they are eliminated from the building. Unfortunately some people are closed-minded and they'll probably be upset. I realize this wouldn't be an easy thing to do. But if you don't take action early, imagine how much worse it could be if the infestation continues to spread. Who knows, maybe your neighbors are doing the same thing right now (self-treatments). If no one brings education and awareness to the table, it's not going to get resolved.

   But I would wait until I have a professional confirm. There's no sense in making waves until you know for sure. - Best

3. 

   AshamedandScratching
   

   senior member
   Joined: Aug '11
   Posts: 660

   offline

   
   Posted 1 year ago
   Tue Oct 18 2011 20:50:04
   #
   
   
   
   Login to Send PM
   

   Have you checked into fleas? Fleas do leave flea dirt behind. I suspect you'd have seen a bug of any stage by this point of an infestation.

4. 

   whbclaire
   

   newbite
   Joined: Oct '11
   Posts: 33

   offline

   
   Posted 1 year ago
   Tue Oct 18 2011 21:10:37
   #
   
   
   
   Login to Send PM
   

   Thanks for your responses. No, they are not fleas (I took one of my cats to the vet because she has scabs from the bugs in the spots above her eyes connecting to her ears that have less fur -- kind of "bald spots" that some cats have). And yes, I do have bed bugs. I found one adult in my washing machine and a nymph crawling on my bed. The fecal matter is tiny and black, almost like grains of pepper but they are rounded and feel almost like very fine sand on my sheets.

5. 

   Louise
   

   senior member
   Joined: Jun '09
   Posts: 444

   offline

   
   Posted 1 year ago
   Tue Oct 18 2011 22:46:58
   #
   
   
   
   Login to Send PM
   

   whbclaire - 1 hour ago  » 
   I found one adult in my washing machine and a nymph crawling on my bed. The fecal matter is tiny and black, almost like grains of pepper but they are rounded and feel almost like very fine sand on my sheets.

   Bed bug fecal matter is never like find sand on sheets; it will "bleed" into the sheets...you won't be able to brush it off. Have you tried putting these tiny black things in water, or on a damp paper towel?

   It might also be helpful to post a picture on this site of the bed bugs you have found.

   I'm afraid I have to agree that not telling your neighbors may prolong your infestation indefinitely, if it keeps moving back and forth between places since no one wants to say anything about it. You're quite right that it's possible this is how you may have ended up with an infestation in your place.

   Louise

6. 

   whbclaire
   

   newbite
   Joined: Oct '11
   Posts: 33

   offline

   
   Posted 1 year ago
   Tue Oct 18 2011 23:01:02
   #
   
   
   
   Login to Send PM
   

   Louise, maybe it's not fecal matter then, but something very small and grainey and black that you can brush away. I do have bedbugs -- all the other signs are there and I sure can feel them at night and feel them biting me (they don't have the decency to leave me alone until I have fallen asleep!). Unfortunately, I did not save the adult and nymph I found -- flushed them down the toilet. They looked exactly like the pictures, though.

   I rarely travel (last time was in January) and rarely have other people over, so it's a mystery to me how I got them. Suddenly I'm suspicious of my upstairs neighbors -- I always thought they seemed to vacuum absurdly frequently. Also hear their washing machine a lot . . . hmmm.

   I'm afraid I was duped by the stereotype, too. I had heard about bed bugs becoming a big problem again in the developed world but figured it wasn't a problem I would ever have to deal with because I live in an upscale development in a pricey suburb and am personally very clean and organized and hate clutter. How naive.

7. 

   BugsMustDie
   

   member
   Joined: Aug '11
   Posts: 328

   offline

   
   Posted 1 year ago
   Tue Oct 18 2011 23:11:58
   #
   
   
   
   Login to Send PM
   

   Do you have access to a magnifying glass or microscope?

   Just the other day, someone posted they had bird mites. She said these looked like black pepper flakes. You can't tell they're mites though unless you can magnify them and see their legs.

   That's just another possibility for you to look into since we know that stuff isn't fecal matter.

8. 

   rs1971
   

   senior member
   Joined: Oct '10
   Posts: 537

   offline

   
   Posted 1 year ago
   Tue Oct 18 2011 23:32:51
   #
   
   
   
   Login to Send PM
   

   I know that you've convinced yourself that you have bed bugs (and maybe you do) but having read your story it doesn't sound like it. With all due respect, given that you thought the round 'grains of sand' were bed bug fecal I don't think that you should trust your ability to identify the insects you saw as bed bugs.

   Have you done a good search of your bed / bedroom. If you have really had a bed bug infestation for several months, you would by now be able to find either actual fecal, live bugs, or cast skins. If you do decide to do a search and you do find something you think is suspicious it would be useful if you could post a photo on photobucket and a link here so the experts can have a look.

   -rs1971

9. 

   rs1971
   

   senior member
   Joined: Oct '10
   Posts: 537

   offline

   
   Posted 1 year ago
   Tue Oct 18 2011 23:41:10
   #
   
   
   
   Login to Send PM
   

   Oops. Forgot about the original question. I would say that yes you should tell your neighbors but definitely not until your infestation has been verified!

   -rs1971

10. 

    Louise
    

    senior member
    Joined: Jun '09
    Posts: 444

    offline

    
    Posted 1 year ago
    Wed Oct 19 2011 0:09:58
    #
    
    
    
    Login to Send PM
    

    whbclaire - 1 hour ago  » 
    Louise, maybe it's not fecal matter then, but something very small and grainey and black that you can brush away. I do have bedbugs -- all the other signs are there and I sure can feel them at night and feel them biting me (they don't have the decency to leave me alone until I have fallen asleep!). Unfortunately, I did not save the adult and nymph I found -- flushed them down the toilet. They looked exactly like the pictures, though.

    Actually, rs1971 is right - if you've been dealing with bed bugs for months, there should be plenty of evidence in the forms of bugs, cast skins and/or fecal matter. Did you inpsect your mattress and boxspring for signs of bed bugs before encasing them? Have you seen anything other than the black specks?

    Also, feeling them on you while you're awake doesn't sound like bed bugs either. I think the bird/rat mite angle is one that you should seriously consider.

    whbclaire - 1 hour ago  »  I had heard about bed bugs becoming a big problem again in the developed world but figured it wasn't a problem I would ever have to deal with because I live in an upscale development in a pricey suburb and am personally very clean and organized and hate clutter. How naive.

    Yeah, ignorance is bliss....until the bed bugs actually invade.

    Louise

11. 

    whbclaire
    

    newbite
    Joined: Oct '11
    Posts: 33

    offline

    
    Posted 1 year ago
    Wed Oct 19 2011 0:13:53
    #
    
    
    
    Login to Send PM
    

    Thanks, RS and everybody. The inspector is coming out Thursday. I forgot to mention that before I encased my mattress and box spring, I found lots of little rust-colored spots in the thin padding of the box spring, more evidence. Stupid me, though, I hadn't yet done enough research and wanting to save money, I bought only a mattress encasement, figuring they couldn't possibly want to live in a box spring! Dumb. Even with the encasements fully on now for about 10 days, I'm still getting eaten alive every night.

    I have decided I will tell the neighors -- the three I share a ceiling (their floor) and two walls with, anyway. I'll wait though, 'til after the inspection. Might as well, they're all gonna see the big Western Pest truck, anyway!

12. 

    Louise
    

    senior member
    Joined: Jun '09
    Posts: 444

    offline

    
    Posted 1 year ago
    Wed Oct 19 2011 0:17:04
    #
    
    
    
    Login to Send PM
    

    whbclaire - 48 seconds ago  » 

    I have decided I will tell the neighors -- the three I share a ceiling (their floor) and two walls with, anyway. I'll wait though, 'til after the inspection.

    I'm not sure rust colored spots on the boxspring padding (do you mean on the bottom of the boxspring?) would be a sign of bed bugs.

    If you're getting "eaten alive" every night, it should be easy for the inspector to find plenty of evidence.

    And yes, I think it's very wise to wait until *after* bed bugs are confirmed by the inspector with hard evidence before telling your neighbors.

    Please let us know how it goes.

    Louise

13. 

    Nobugsonme
    

    your host
    Joined: Mar '07
    Posts: 13,710

    online

    
    Posted 1 year ago
    Wed Oct 19 2011 0:18:01
    #
    
    
    
    Login to Send PM
    

    whbclaire,

    I would definitely recommend posting a photo of the bugs you found, for confirmation. There are some bugs which look remarkably similar.

    If you do have bed bugs, the "granular" specks are not bed bug fecal matter. Fecal looks either like a dark brown/black marker-type stain on cloth, or like raised dots of black paint on a hard surface like wood.

14. 

    AshamedandScratching
    

    senior member
    Joined: Aug '11
    Posts: 660

    offline

    
    Posted 1 year ago
    Wed Oct 19 2011 0:23:31
    #
    
    
    
    Login to Send PM
    

    I agree with rs1971. I am highly allergic so my sleep was disturbed frequently by the reactions, but I saw bugs (on me) during my infestation within a month.

15. 

    whbclaire
    

    newbite
    Joined: Oct '11
    Posts: 33

    offline

    
    Posted 1 year ago
    Wed Oct 19 2011 14:19:04
    #
    
    
    
    Login to Send PM
    

    You have all helped me so much, thanks. Some of you make very good points about mites and some of the symptoms I have experienced (constantly feeling like I'm being bitten and crawled on and sudden pin-prick sensations even during the day) and the way my cat seems to keep waking up and scratching even though the vet not 3 days ago ruled out fleas, are apparently indicative of some sort of biting mite. Plus the black brush-away things -- could even be mites themselves, although they're stationary when I look at them.

    However, there are also indications of bedbugs such as the little rust-colored spots I saw scattered throughout the box spring padding on the bottom (or is it the top?) of the boxspring (it's behind all the wood as you look directly into the boxspring). Plus tiny blood stains on some of my clothes. That and I did see something that looked exactly like the pictures I've been seeing of an adult bed bug and nymph. These were not mites and I'm kicking myself that I didn't save them!

    With my freaking miserable luck, I probably have both mites AND bed bugs!

    Pest control guy comes tomorrow. I'm just so worried his findings will be inconclusive and this will drag out FOREVER.

    Fortunately, I did get my doc to prescribe some sleeping meds -- I really need to get some sleep. Tried to sleep on the couch last night but that was very uncomfortable plus I felt I was being bitten and crawled all over there, too. Went back to the bug-infested bed. Besides, I should stay there before the PCO comes in order to be bait so as much evidence as possible can be generated for whatever's eating me.

16. 

    Louise
    

    senior member
    Joined: Jun '09
    Posts: 444

    offline

    
    Posted 1 year ago
    Wed Oct 19 2011 22:23:20
    #
    
    
    
    Login to Send PM
    

    Sounds like you're in a good space right now and aren't panicking. That is so important. Getting some much-needed sleep is only going to help you deal with this even more effectively.

    Keep us posted on what happens with the inspection. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

    Louise

17. 

    whbclaire
    

    newbite
    Joined: Oct '11
    Posts: 33

    offline

    
    Posted 1 year ago
    Fri Oct 21 2011 0:02:07
    #
    
    
    
    Login to Send PM
    

    AshamedandScratching - 2 days ago  » 
    Have you checked into fleas? Fleas do leave flea dirt behind. I suspect you'd have seen a bug of any stage by this point of an infestation.

    Thanks, Ashamed. I said either in this post or elsewhere that fleas had been ruled out by the veteranarian I had taken one of my cats too just a few days ago. There has got to be a way on this site to be able to read all of what person has written so that one gets a better picture of the whole story.

18. 

    whbclaire
    

    newbite
    Joined: Oct '11
    Posts: 33

    offline

    
    Posted 1 year ago
    Fri Oct 21 2011 0:05:53
    #
    
    
    
    Login to Send PM
    

    Louise - 1 day ago  » 
    Sounds like you're in a good space right now and aren't panicking. That is so important. Getting some much-needed sleep is only going to help you deal with this even more effectively.
    Keep us posted on what happens with the inspection. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
    Louise

    Thanks, Louise. Yes, getting some sleep, thanks to my physician and his prescription pad. I had a great night last night -- slept all night and did not have a single new bite. I shared what the inspector found with my "Verdict In" posting.

19. 

    Louise
    

    senior member
    Joined: Jun '09
    Posts: 444

    offline

    
    Posted 1 year ago
    Fri Oct 21 2011 16:40:13
    #
    
    
    
    Login to Send PM
    

    Glad to hear you're no longer in the dark, but I'm so sorry to hear it is indeed bed bugs.

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.