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help with pre-emptive strike
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panicking mom
newbite
Joined: Aug '12
Posts: 4offline
Posted 9 months ago
Sat Aug 11 2012 15:32:38
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I am trying not to panic here, but we had a run-in with fleas last summer, and I have learned that it's better to jump on the problem early. I'm still reading information, but wanted to post in the hopes that I can get up and running with a plan sooner rather than later.
We have a 15-month old who had 3 large insect bites yesterday, and as of now has no less than 9, with at least 4 of those appearing overnight. She hasn't spent much time outside, though she has been out, so mosquitoes are a possibility. 3 of the bites are in a row, about an inch apart. She has several on her legs, one on her hand, one on her wrist, one on her face.
Sunday through Tuesday of this past week, we were spending time with my mother-in-law who was staying at a hotel near us. The baby napped in the hotel during these days. I am wondering if we brought some hitchhikers back with us, though I am hoping that (as seems possible if it's bed bugs) the bites just took a few days to show and we are ok.
What would you do in this situation as prevention/detection? Traps? Which kind? I have diatomaceous earth left from the flea battle. I can vacuum the heck out of the beds. Our mattress has a dust mite cover already.
Thanks!
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 13,707offline
Posted 9 months ago
Sat Aug 11 2012 20:12:01
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Try and learn as much as you can about what bed bugs look like and how to detect them. Various monitors may be options for helping you catch a sample.
See the first four FAQs here ("Bed Bugs 101") so you will know how to spot them and their signs, how to use various methods to detect them, and what mistakes to avoid.
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panicking mom
newbite
Joined: Aug '12
Posts: 4offline
Posted 9 months ago
Sun Aug 12 2012 19:50:18
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Thanks for the response.
I think my husband thinks I am overreacting, but I have read too many horror stories (even before this) and I would rather overreact than ignore the potential issue. I figure nobody here will argue with taking it seriously. I hate that there is (if any) only one or two of them in our house but I don't know how to find them. And that if I wait to see signs of them, then they will probably have reproduced...
The baby's crib legs are in plastic bowls with talcum powder in them. I will do the same for our bed tonight. I vacuumed around both, but am realizing that I didn't do a good job on our bed frame. I believe there is still one bag of stuff in our entry that was in the hotel, which I will empty over the tub and wash (and will quarantine the bag).
The other thing that was in the hotel was our Pack n' Play, which has been in the garage since we brought it home. This is the only thing that spent the night in the hotel. Thinking about putting it in a black plastic bag and putting it in the sun all day. But there could be some possibility there would be bugs loose in the garage then?
The woman that comes to watch the baby will have a cooler to seal her bag in while she is here. But perhaps she should seal up her clothing when she gets home until we know if we have an issue? Or change here before she leaves?
Anything else? I was going to try to make a trap, but my husband thinks we can't get dry ice easily...
Some of the bites the baby has have several really tiny clear bumps in them, not sure if that is indicative of anything one way or another... I'd be suspicious of poison ivy for the two that are longer than wide, except that the others are such nice round looking bites.
Thanks.
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panicking mom
newbite
Joined: Aug '12
Posts: 4offline
Posted 9 months ago
Sun Aug 12 2012 20:51:37
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Ok, and how about that smell thing? I just went downstairs to deal with the backpack in the entry, and it smells weird. Sweet and fruityish, which sounds like the description I have heard. There couldn't be enough in there to make a smell right? That's supposed to be if there's a lot? Trying to remember what we left in the pack that might smell funky, because basically I just stuck it in a garbage bag and put it outside for now.
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 13,707offline
Posted 9 months ago
Sun Aug 12 2012 22:24:28
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The sun is not reliable in terms of getting bed bugs out of your stuff. We have FAQs which cover various methods. See FAQs for getting rid of bed bugs in your stuff.
I think your focus should be on monitoring at this point, but yes, anything which came from the hotel and may have been exposed should be treated as if it might have bed bugs.
As for the smell, I doubt that you could have picked up enough bed bugs in a brief hotel visit in order to actually smell them. Yes, some people report smelling "the smell" but many entomologists and PMPs tell us this is a rare experience for them and they encounter bed bugs all the time.
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panicking mom
newbite
Joined: Aug '12
Posts: 4offline
Posted 9 months ago
Mon Aug 13 2012 21:13:14
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Yes, sorry, I should have said that I realized the sun isn't a "real" fix, it just seemed better than nothing, especially since we need to use the pack 'n play again in a couple weeks.
And apparently the weird smell is our trash bags. Who knew. Weird, gross, sickly sweet odor.
And our bed has no less than 8 legs, which amazes me...
I am trying to not worry about until enough time has gone by to know something. My mother-in-law who actually stayed at the hotel has no bites showing up.
I feel for everyone who actually has the bugs. I figure there's like a 5% chance that bedbugs is our problem, and still the last couple nights I have had trouble sleeping because I just feel itchy!
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