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My friend has bed bugs
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french place
newbite
Joined: May '12
Posts: 5offline
Posted 1 year ago
Tue May 22 2012 5:29:25
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Hi.
I am in need of advice.
A close friend of mine moved into a new apartment with 5 other people about 8 months ago.
I began to get what I think is bed bug bites 2 weeks ago (approx 25 bites in clumps of three and individuals on my arms, around my waist and on my legs) and completely freaked out.
I stayed in a hotel a long time ago and got eaten alive by bed bugs. The bites were so so painful so really don't want to go through that again.
I thoroughly cleaned, steamed, zipped up my bedroom thinking that maybe I had somehow brought them into my apartment. I have yet to see one but I know that just because you can't see them doesn't mean they are not there.At the weekend my friend saw what I was doing and called me "mad".
She then almost bragged that she has had bed bugs for AGES and she sees them all the time at her apartment.
She is not prepared to pay the money for a pest control person and just said that I should just live with them as they are "everywhere".She is a very stubborn person so I decided to not say anything too dramatic to her however I did point out that she probably brought them to my flat with her. I am slightly angry at how unbothered she is by it all and how she only just mentioned to me she has them despite having them for ages. I don't want to lose her as a friend but I think her attitude is very selfish especially when she knows how I react to the bites....
So my questions are:
. What do I say to my friend?
. Should I stop her from staying at my flat?
. Should I call pest control to my flat?It's very awkward as I live with another girl who hasn't had any bites and she is also very close to the girl with all the bed bugs.
Any advice or reassurance is greatly received.
Thank you.
Chloe (London, UK)
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Koebner
senior member
Joined: Aug '10
Posts: 665offline
Posted 1 year ago
Tue May 22 2012 6:44:44
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". What do I say to my friend?
. Should I stop her from staying at my flat?
. Should I call pest control to my flat? "1) You say, "You are a manifest idiot." Everything she says is wrong in every particular - essentially the idea that "they are everywhere" is the favoured excuse of the indolent, the tight-fisted & the plain dumb.
2) Yes. Immediately. You also refrain from visiting her & warn your mutual friends that she has BBs - refer them directly to the FAQs on this site.
3) If you have no evidence, then no, don't call a PCO. As you may have been exposed, I'd suggest remaining vigilant over the next few weeks - get hold of a Passive Monitor; you can buy them through this site, or from http://www.bedbugbeware.comYou talk about cleaning, steaming & zipping up - I'm not sure what you've done, so if you haven't already, please read the FAQs on this site, especially the ones about inspection & how to deal with your belongings. Few domestic steamers are of any use against BBs & unless done methodically, searching for BBs can actually obscure or disperse the little varmints.
A useful thing to do is to research your local pest control services. Once someone has bed bugs, that's the worst time to be doing the kind of calm & detailed investigation that will help one locate a genuine specialist. Again, there are FAQs on this site that can help you to spot the charlatans & to find someone competent.
When treating BBs, the crucial element is the person who comes to do the inspection & treatment. It's knowledge of BB biology & behaviour that makes all the difference. I had some ropey PCOs sent by my landlord. They repeatedly soaked my house with spray, so much that it lay in puddles on the floor & stripped the paper from the walls, but never eradicated the BBs. By contrast, there are professionals who post here who can be confident of clearing most infestations in just one or two treatments. It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it.
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french place
newbite
Joined: May '12
Posts: 5offline
Posted 1 year ago
Tue May 22 2012 10:32:07
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Thank you for the prompt reply!
I made the mistake of moving a lot of things out of my room into my living room. I understand NOW that if I disturbed them they could disperse.
The main things I did:
Steamed my mattress
Covered it with a mattress protector
Washed my duvet and pillow and dried on hottest setting
Put pillows in protectors
Checked my bed frame and sprayed it
Put my bed frame within yoghurt pots that have carpet around them
Moved my bed away from my wallI have bought a passive monitor as instructed.
I fear that the hardest part of this situation won't actually be eradicating the bed bugs but getting my friend with the bed bugs to realise just how ignorant she is.
Thank you again for the advice!
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french place
newbite
Joined: May '12
Posts: 5offline
Posted 1 year ago
Tue May 22 2012 10:34:02
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"Put my bed frame within yoghurt pots that have carpet TAPE around them"
sorry vital word there
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Koebner
senior member
Joined: Aug '10
Posts: 665offline
Posted 1 year ago
Wed May 23 2012 7:14:25
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If you're using a passive monitor then you should get rid of the yoghourt pots. They're all but useless, & whatever you've been told elsewhere, carpet tape is useless - I'll defend that position against anyone.
If you checked your bed frame & found nothing - why did you spray it? More importantly, what did you use to spray it? Some household insecticides may actually increase the likelihood of BBs becoming dispersed around a dwelling. Others are entirely useless.
With bed bugs, it's important not to give in to the impulse to "just do something". It's important to do only those things that optimise detection & eradication, & to do those things in the calmest, best-informed, & most methodical fashion possible.
Again, I urge you to spend time with our host NoBugsOnMe's inestimable FAQs.
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french place
newbite
Joined: May '12
Posts: 5offline
Posted 12 months ago
Sat May 26 2012 15:58:38
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Yes I guess my initial bites just really scared me.
I'm quite scared at the thought of even finding one and not knowing what to do. I'm useless at picking up bugs.
Will remove my yoghurt pots and await my fate. As of yet though no new bites although it's only been a week.
The passive monitor has arrived and I've put it under my slats.
As for the friend with the bugs I'm still yet to confront her... I've promised myself to call her tomorrow. I guess this will test our friendship.
Again thank you so much for the advice.
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