Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Reader questions (do not fit into other categories)
How do you know for sure?
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renemeum
newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 4
Posted 1 month ago
Tue Oct 13 2009 11:45:16
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My wife and I discovered bed bugs on July 31st. We took a radical approach based on everything I've read. We didn't hire a pro, but we seem to have won the war. We live in a commercial building that has a few upscale small businesses, modeling agency and an architect, but also a few small t shirt companies, only one other person lives in the building and they do not have bed bugs.
When we discovered them, we dismantled and discarded all of our bed room and living room furniture. We slept in the bed room while we emptied the contents very systematically. We sealed and sprayed everything in the room and even re painted. We painted the floors and walls. In the end we found 2 live bed bugs and maybe a few eggs but we can't be sure. We also found 2 dead bed bugs.
After we did the bedroom, we went through everything we owned in every room. Inspected and bagged everything and after 3 weeks with no signs of bed bugs we bought a new bed and bed frame. 4 post metal bed frame and mattress from IKEA. We got climb up protectors and mattress safe beg bug cover for bed and new pillows.
To keep things clearly separate, we change our clothes before we get into and out of bed. Anything worn in the bed goes straight into a plastic sealed laundry bag. We shower after being in the bed as well. After 5 weeks we had seen no signs of bed bugs, so we started to relax one thing. We would still change our clothes but we stopped taking extra showers when we would get out of the bed. So far so good. then one night my wife felt something on her shoulder while laying in bed. She didn't react right away, but got up a moment later and went into the bath room. She was inspecting herself and noticed a bed bug on the bathroom floor right by where she had felt the sting on her back. Although it is possible it didn't fall off her, we both are pretty sure it had bitten her and that she had carried it off the bed.
This occurrence was hard to come to terms with for several reasons. First, we had isolated the bed. The new bed is open and easy to inspect. We wash the sheets and blankets every 2 days, and we are not wearing anything on or off the bed. Yet we saw no evidence in the climb up protectors or anywhere for that matter of any bedbugs other than the one. A main problem this occurrence created for us was that now we are wondering how it could get on the bed or if not the bed where did it come from if we are stripping and putting on fresh bed clothes?
So we allow that it might be a straggler as everything we've read says it can take a while to get rid of them. BUT! Now we are trying to figure it out considering that bed bugs and hibernate for up to 18 months. So here is my question. If you have Bed Bugs in your proximity, and you are sleeping in your bed, won't they come after you? It seems to make sense that if you had them, you would find evidence in a climb up protector at some point.
After all the info I've read, I still don't know when I can start to feel confident that we have beaten them. After the one follow up incident, my wife got very upset and started to think bed bugs were in her computer. Even though we had sprayed her computer and we were keeping it in a plastic bag when she wasn't using it, she was convinced that something has climbed out of the laptop and somehow bitten her and then disappeared, all while she was sitting right there. I tried to pursued her to think it was possible that it was something else, but she was convinced. Then a week later something was on her arm while she was at the computer. She squished it but she was certain it was a bed bug. We saved the squish and I've looked at it under a magnifying glass but it just looks like a squish of something. It could be a piece of food for all I know. But still at this point we are in lock down mode for 10 weeks. In that time I know we saw one more bed bug, but the second incident I'm not too sure was anything.
So all that said, I go back to the the question. Wouldn't you see evidence that they were trying to get into your bed if you had climb up protectors and a well isolated bed? Even if your sheet touched the floor once a week, it's not like the bed bugs are hiding someplace waiting for you to make that mistake is it? Wouldn't they just come after you with the instinct to feed driving them to try to get on the bed. It just doesn't make sense to me that they would hide out somewhere waiting if you are sleeping near by.
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2manybb
newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 22
Posted 1 month ago
Tue Oct 13 2009 12:18:13
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I am hoping that the bugs can't get past the climb ups, i just started using them. tonight i plan on sending everyone back into their own beds because we have been using the climb ups
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stevebeast
newbite
Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 32
Posted 1 month ago
Tue Oct 13 2009 13:07:05
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Bed bugs will climb up the wall and across the ceiling and drop down on your bed.
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spideyjg
oldtimer
Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 1,405
Posted 1 month ago
Tue Oct 13 2009 13:15:19
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Unlike a bowl of water or oil, the climbup doesn't appear to be a barrier to the bugs. They walk up the ramp, down into the ring, and cannot climb back out.
Jim
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dive BOMB !! You should really call A PCO!! oh by the way they are like vampires lark in holes cracks an crevasse as small as a pin I have seen this for my self!!! CALL A PCO but don’t just hire the first one who walks through the door!! I have found a lot of good advice about PCO's in FAQS top of page!! you said you sprayed you know that anything that you spray is just A temporary fix BB are stronger than cockroaches!! I personally think they can live through a atom bomb!!
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Does your wife use the laptop in bed? Is that why she was suspicious of it?
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renemeum
newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 4
Posted 1 month ago
Tue Oct 13 2009 18:10:39
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Hey thanks for the comments. She was using the laptop in bed before we discovered bed bugs, but since we discovered them we've done a ton of stuff to the laptop itself and we've never seen any bed bugs in the lap top. We've sprayed it, heated it with a hair dryer. She also used an entire can of compressed air and sprayed the keyboard, we keep it sealed in a zip lock and we've never seen any bed bugs running around.
Reading all the posts that are out there, it seems like you would have some evidence eventually if you have an isolated bed with climb up protectors. We even have all our furniture in them. All the plugs and outlets have been opened. I suppose one could have dropped from the ceiling but I've been told that is somewhat of an unusual thing. It seems like a long shot that they one would drop from the ceiling and no other bed bugs would be found anywhere.
The way our bed is set up now, it's pulled away from the wall metal frame, brand new. We even applied calk to the bed frame to seal up any holes where the metal pieces connect. IKEA uses a wood slat thing to create the platform. We inspected every piece of wood, filled any cracks and painted the wood white both so we could inspect more easily and also to seal everything. I know in theory they can hide, but our bed is now like a military gun. We can take it apart and inspect every part completely so we know it's clean. We keep the bedroom like a clean room for micro chips.
I like the logic that they would come after you eventually you should catch them in a climb up trap. It's not like they are having a meeting somewhere and talking about the best way to get into the bed. The just go after you.
Everyone says to get a pro, but so far it seems like we caught them early and got them. I know all the spays are temporary. We are also using Gentrol to keep them from reproducing.
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Is the laptop plugged into the wall when she's in bed? I've seen examples of bedbugs using electrical cords as insect highways. For instance:
bedbugsnyc.blogspot.comJust in case ... take care when bringing other things into bed with you like books, remote controls, etc. It is possible for a bug to hitchhike on to your otherwise-isolated bed on stuff other than your clothing. Since you're being so careful about your clothing, it would suck to inadvertently sabotage the "isolation" another way.
And, of course, sheets and blankets shouldn't touch the wall and floor.
I'd think twice about Gentrol unless you really know your stuff. It's controversial. I read a write-up of one laboratory study where it killed a lot of bugs, but they deviated from the regular dose - info that most laypeople don't have. And then, there are the rumors of other studies that indicated Gentrol increased bedbug populations.
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