Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Tales of Bed Bug Woe
Need help in New Orleans
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MiserableInNewOrleans
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Joined: Apr '08
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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Apr 8 2008 4:15:33
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I'm not somebody who tends to deal with adversity well. What's worse, I work out of home most days, and live with my beautiful 11 month old puppy whom I love dearly. I first got bitten about 2 weeks ago, and since have been absolutely miserable. My work has suffered greatly, I am often sluggish and play hooky in the afternoons while I catch up on my sleep.
I've read the site thoroughly and have started to take my war on bedbugs seriously. I'm waiting for my mattress cover to arrive (should be any day now), and have purchased a very expensive and powerful new vacuum cleaner. Tonight I drug my beautiful $1200 shag rug down my street (I live in the city) and left it by a dumptster: I fear my leather couch may be next. I suspect now that it was the rug/couch/chair combo that is the worst off, because my puppy stays down there most often and is scratching like crazy. Tonight I watched the basketball game down there and I'm just littered with bites 6 hours later. I'm typing this in my bed at 3 am and I'm itching like crazy. I am so upset because I have an important day of work tomorrow and yet once again here I am wide awake and paranoid and frustrated.
I am going to call the LA Health department tomorrow.
HERE IS THE ONE MAIN QUESTION I HAVE.....
I am the first tenant in this building. It's newly reconstructed in downtown New Orleans. I've lived here since September and my unit is basically seperated from all others. I also am a casual friend of my landlord. I'm rather embarrassed and hesitant to bring this up, because it seems somewhat obvious to me that I'm to "blame". Even though I feel like I signed a bad lease and am getting raped each month, I wouldn't really feel good about asking my landlord to pay for an exterminator. I'm not even sure if we have PCO's/exterminators here in New Orleans who know about bed bugs : a google for "New ORleans, Bed Bug" or similar derivations yields no results.
Does anybody have any advice for me? I'm tempted to just survive the remainder of my lease with the precautions I've taken, maybe throw out my couch and chair when i move out in August, and take my laundered clothes and protected mattress and start life over again in the fall.
I'm so upset about all this.
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senior member
Joined: Dec '07
Posts: 543offline
Posted 5 years ago
Tue Apr 8 2008 10:47:39
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Miserable,
The problem is if you do nothing but remove infested items from your home the bugs will stay and breed in the walls and other places,so definately not the right approach.In 3-4 months you will have a substantial problem,much worse than now.You need to find them and kill them,period.I posted an article for you to print out and discuss with any pco that you hire to educate them on how to help you.It's written by pco's to teach them about the bugs and how to eradicate them,please use it.Please also read the faq's on thias site for other protocols and methods to make your place bb unfreindly.Your puppy is in a bit of a pickle,since I haven't found anything to deter them from biting my dogs. I'm trying adams flea and tick spray now with better results than I have seen with anything else.Frontline is useless,Revolution may work,but they have to bite the dog to get exposed and I can't testify that it kills them(they're not talking).You have to start with education of a pco in your area,I would print the article and take it to them or have them come to you and discuss treatment options,with the right pco and the article you needent throw out much,most things can be salvaged successfully,although it may not be easy in the case of upholstered furniture it's possible with patience and persistance.Good luck -
your host
Joined: Mar '07
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Posted 5 years ago
Tue Apr 8 2008 10:54:21
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I don't know what kind of reconstruction your building went through, but it is possible they survived it, since they can live at least a year without a blood meal.
This is not your fault. Get the landlord involved--all neighbors must be inspected. Someone else could have brought them in. Up to 50% of people do not react to bites and will have no idea.
Find out local laws (from a tenants' organization) over whether landlord is liable for treatment. Do not take that on yourself--you really do not know how you got them or how many others have them.
You need a pro to treat. Do NOT throw anything else out. You are probably spreading bed bugs when you do it, and it will not get rid of them. Please read the FAQs --which contain all this information-- esp. those under "Bed Bugs 101" (FAQS button below.)
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fightorflight
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Joined: Jan '08
Posts: 694offline
Posted 5 years ago
Wed Apr 9 2008 7:28:10
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MiNO - I know this is obnoxious, but I have to ask it (I'm surprised no one's beaten me to it): Has it been confirmed you have bedbugs? Have you ruled out other causes?
When you say "newly reconstructed" building, I don't know exactly what that means. Has a pre-existing structure been totally rehabilitated? Or has a new building been erected? Because of these different parameters, I am wondering what the evidence is that you have bedbugs specifically.
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MiserableInNewOrleans
newbite
Joined: Apr '08
Posts: 6offline
Posted 5 years ago
Wed Apr 9 2008 15:07:21
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Thanks for the replies - Those of you who live in New York City and have bed bugs - count your blessings. Nobody in New Orleans knows what the hell I'm talking about - it's very frustrating.
I have yet to SEE a bed bug, but I've been living here for 6 months and all of a sudden about 10 days ago I wake up with the little blotches of bites on my chest, legs, back, and arms. I was very allergic to them.
I think they're down in my couch as well as I mentioned earlier. I am willing to go to the landlord although he's absentee and it won't be easy to do much about this.
The building I'm living in was basically a tear down/reconstruct of the same basic themed building. They had to meet the building codes and historic regulations, etc. I'm not sure if the foundation was actually removed and recreated or what - I never saw the "before".
I woke up with fresh bites today - I'm hoping to put my mattress cover on in the next day or so as it arrives.
very frustrated as neither the N.O. department of health or the state of LA dept of health seems to know anything about what I should do.
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MiserableInNewOrleans
newbite
Joined: Apr '08
Posts: 6offline
Posted 5 years ago
Wed Apr 9 2008 15:09:45
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Just a follow up - I know you guys said I shouldn't have thrown my shag rug out - but it was strategic on my part in hopes of eliminating carpet weevils or mites, etc. It was a wool, shag rug that was VERY thick and no vacuum got to the roots of it. I'm sure there was funkiness living deep in that rug and now that I'm fast becoming a germaphobe I was very willing to cut my losses and eliminate that as a source (as well as further narrow it down to bed bugs).
As for evidence, I have no dead bugs - the only hard evidence of bedbugs I have are some small blood splotches on my sheets. Every morning I wake up, strip my bed, wash the sheets and pillowcases, and spray horse and stable on my bed
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senior member
Joined: Dec '07
Posts: 543offline
Posted 5 years ago
Wed Apr 9 2008 21:12:14
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Miserable,
The article I would like you to read and take to a local pco is in the thread "Self treatment-is it possible?" If you follow the inspection guide you may be able to find your bugs.Next is to take it to a pco to read and follow the directions.Don't go spraying anything yourself (especially on your bed)until you know what your dealing with,it may make the problem worse.Not only that but you don't want to use chemicals in an inappropriate way ,you could harm yourself in the process.Always,always read the label to make sure it's labeled for what you want to use it for.I highly doubt something called horse and stable should be applied to a bed!Please be careful,lest you wind up in the hospital and the bb's will be unaffected.Good luck -
your host
Joined: Mar '07
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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Apr 10 2008 1:45:08
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What is "horse and stable"?
I don't think reconstruction rules out bed bugs. Honestly, they are the Arnold Schwarzeneggers of the insect world. They can live without food for over a year.
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senior member
Joined: Dec '07
Posts: 543offline
Posted 5 years ago
Fri Apr 11 2008 21:26:36
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Nobugs,
I don't know what it is,my best guess would be something to keep flying insects away from the horse and stable.Doesn't sound like a good idea for a bed to me. -
fightorflight
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Joined: Jan '08
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Posted 5 years ago
Sat Apr 12 2008 3:49:50
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MiNO - I think you mentioned somewhere that you do a great deal of traveling. In my mind, that would make bedbugs a possibility, more so maybe than pre-existing in your building. When you say you woke up itching about 12 days ago, was that after a trip?
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