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Please help-found BB last night in my son's room
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Ohnotheygottago
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Posted 8 months ago
Wed Jul 15 2009 23:14:08
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For years I have been reading about BBs in the papers and dreading the day when they would enter my house. I distinctly remember when three of my kids got head lice, and I knew that eventually BBs would affect our family somehow (although I don't know why I had this premonition) We live in a five-year-old house and I have house cleaners come to clean weekly. But I know it's not a cleanliness issue. We do travel frequently withing California but haven't in months.
Short story
It begins about 20+ days ago
My son gets bitten by insect or spider while sleeping in his bed and I chalk it up to mosquito bites. However, there are no mosquitos where I live.
Gave son benadryl, and topical cream to stop the itch on three bites.
Son gets bit again five later with three or four bites and then again a few days afterwards with three or four bites.
Son refuses to sleep in his room for the last week
Son goes into room last night to read (not to sleep) and sees one bug in his bed out of the corner of his eye
He takes a Kleenex and tries to squish it. The bug won't die, so he brings it to me. I try to squish it with kleenex. Bug pretends to be dead, but starts wiggling again after a few minutes. Unbelievable.
I put the live bug in glass jar and go online to identify this thing.
Conclusion: it is a bed bug. oval shaped, distinct horizontal lines on abdomen, brownish color. I can post picture - the sucker is still alive in the jar.What I have done so far:
Tore apart bed -inspected bedding (nothing to be seen) threw all bedding in extra hot water and dried extra hot for two hours. Included pillows and comforter - everything. Threw out mattress pad just in case. Put washed bedding in other room.
Inspected for BB in seams of mattress and box springs for droppings, nymphs, adults, smears. Nothing.
Quickly Inspected wood bed frame - but did not look in crevices after vacuuming. Is this where they are?
Vacuumed the entire floor in his room and baseboards. Threw out bag.
Turned piano keyboard upside down and shook it to find evidence of bed bugs. Found nothing. Did not take it apart though.How did they get here theories:
* Grandma visited in May. She travels internationally and may have brought them with her when she slept in his room.
* Received back a piano keyboard in June that we loaned out to relatives. These people live in a mansion though and had it stored under the bed in a guest room. To my knowledge they do not have a BB problem. But who know?
* Son has spent the night at friend's house and brought home back pack with himWhat do I do now?
Should I buy a steamer?
Should I hire a thermal pest control company?
Should I do the Bedlam and DE route myself while sealing off the bed? I already order the stuff online and checked on how to do this?
Should I go sleep in the room to be the bait? Or can I treat it and just not go in there?I am totally traumatized, honestly. All I can think about is these critters right now - I spent eight hours on the computer educating myself.
I would so appreciate your advice- as you probably can guess - I am freaking out! Head lice were nothing compared to these things! -
DrFrank
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 0:44:12
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Self-treatment probably won't work, unless you and your family are extremely diligent.
Steaming, vacuuming, and cleaning probably won't work, but they might be the cheapest alternative to try.
It sounds like your infestation is still small, so pesticide might take care of it, if your comfortable with persistent poisons in your home.
Thermal and Vikane are likely to end your problems in one treatment without residual toxins, but they're the most expensive. If you can afford them, they're your fastest route out.You probably won't stop worrying until you can figure out where the infestation came from though... Will you? You might want to follow up with your suspects... And pick up a PackTite.
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Badwolf
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 2:12:48
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Quickly Inspected wood bed frame - but did not look in crevices after vacuuming. Is this where they are?
Definitely inspect every little crevice there is. Even if it seems that a BB couldn't possibly fit. Depending on their life stage, they can fit into anything from 1mm (adult) to a fraction of that for the earlier stages. If you have carpeting, the hiding places could be numerous. Also check the walls for any roving nymphs.
If you can afford it, you may want to try the NightWatch Bed Bug monitor: http://www.biosensory.com/nightWatch-bedbug-monitor.cfm
I'm planning on purchasing a unit in a few weeks for peace of mind. I especially like the fact that it can capture the BB's.
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klotztheatre
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 6:50:03
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Oh i feel for you! i have had the same exact thing happen to my son's room! I bought a huge bunkbed set off of craigslist...thats how I got them. It was my son's room, but it was my daughter that they really "liked" If she would sleep in there with my son, she's be covered in splotches. I had onlyt had the bed4 months to realize that I had them. I searched the bed and they weren't on there, so I took a lot of the bed apart and there they were. in the cracks. They didn't even bother with living on the mattress. It was absolutely disgusting, and yet very fortunate for me. Luckily my bed bugs are only in my sons room...So I had the pest peoiple come in at once and spray the whole house. I did everything I was supposed to do to prepare for them to come. They sprayed the mattresses and I immediately encased them once dry. I cleaned everything. And now, two weeks later, I have seen three more. They are coming today for their two week retreat and I know where they are coming from.
Yesterday while prepping for the pest control to come again, I noticed that there were a few parts of the bed that were screwed in and not glued...I immediately had the suspician that that was were the renegade little buggers were living. They had no where else to live at this point and were used to the bed. So my husband and I literally ripped everything apart and there they all were. Eggs and all. I was amazed. I grabbed some ant nad roach killers and sprayed the hell out of each joint. They all died and I wiped them all up with a paper towel and then I sprayed a clear gloss coat over each crack and crevice to seal the eggs so that would die. after they spray today I am painting the whole thing and then when I reassemble the bed i am going to caulk the seams. I am never buying anything second hand again!!! If I could give you advice, it would be to look closer to the bed and not as much in other rooms(although checking for other infestations is vital as well...but our bed bugs didn't move far past my son's room. They were right there...They fit into the most ridiculously small spots. If their is a knot in the slat at the bottom of the box spring, they will be in it, thats how small they are! We're having them come today and retreat and then we're going to have them come again for a third time to retreat just in case! Good luck -
spideyjg
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 8:29:17
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I started a detailed thread a long time a go about assembling furniture in a BB hostile fashion. I used DE, specific caulks, and sealing foam.
If you can disassemble and destroy all bugs and eggs you can make it difficult for them to ever set up shop again. It is a lot of work though.
http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/bb-resistant-furniture-assembly
Jim
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Ohnotheygottago
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Posts: 22
Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 9:15:45
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Thank you so much for everyone who has responded so quickly! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I know it's really important for me to get a handle on this really quickly before it becomes a major infestation.
Based on everyone's responses I am thinking about throwing out the entire wooden bed frame after I have the room inspected(in the trash-). My husband probably won't want to go through treating/caulking/sealing the bed -- he thinks I am overreacting to one single BB that I found. I disagree - there have to be more if one comes out in daylight. I figure it's a $1000 in pest control or a grand in marriage counseling in a few weeks if this persists . BTW, I am not an anxious, paranoid person at all. But anything to do with lice or BB is giving me the eeby-jeebies.
Here is my plan:
I will call Lloyds or Terminex of Southern California today sine they offer thermal. Is ThermaPure.com a good treatment?
Then I will throw out the bed frame
Once we treat the room, I will start encasing the mattress and buying a box spring/metal frame instead to put the mattress on.
I'll move the bed away from the walls and put it in tubs with vaseline rims to prevent my son from getting bitten.Do you guys think the BB will travel to another room since I took away their food source right now? I don't know when the pest control people will be able to come.
Should we treat the whole house or just one room if there is only evidence in one room?Thank you for your time!
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Ohnotheygottago
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Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 22
Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 9:22:21
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Would love to hear how this goes for you. I might get one after treatment so I know we are free of BB.
Badwolf - 7 hours ago »
Quickly Inspected wood bed frame - but did not look in crevices after vacuuming. Is this where they are?
Definitely inspect every little crevice there is. Even if it seems that a BB couldn't possibly fit. Depending on their life stage, they can fit into anything from 1mm (adult) to a fraction of that for the earlier stages. If you have carpeting, the hiding places could be numerous. Also check the walls for any roving nymphs.
If you can afford it, you may want to try the NightWatch Bed Bug monitor: http://www.biosensory.com/nightWatch-bedbug-monitor.cfm
I'm planning on purchasing a unit in a few weeks for peace of mind. I especially like the fact that it can capture the BB's. -
Ohnotheygottago
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Posts: 22
Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 10:11:11
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Just now, I also bagged the keyboard, stuck in in black trash bags, sealed it shut with packing tape and put it out on the patio in the 90 degree heat. I will leave it there, or I just might trash it to be safe.
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stricken
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Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 91
Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 10:29:05
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Hi OhNo,
I'm not an expert, just a fellow sufferer who wants to note that many of us throw, or threw, things out unnecessarily. It's not always the answer. Not sure if you're talking about thermal-treating the bed frame, but if you are, I doubt you'll need to chuck it. I would say get expert advice before doing that! -
Triomphatrice des punaises
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 11:42:11
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It's so ironic now that something cheap from say Craig's List or Ebay could end up costing thousands of dollar. My husband took apart our bed and caulked all the cracks. It's a big job, and honestly, I would not have had the patience.
Also, as far as I can tell, there is no such thing as over-reacting. Any left alive will just keep reproducing. They are so tenacious.
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Ohnotheygottago
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Posts: 22
Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 13:00:41
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They should put a disclaimer on craiglist about bed bugs, seriously. Just a few months ago I was thinking about buying something off of there, but after this NO WAY!
I fought the battle with head lice several years ago, and I was a complete wreck. I combed the kids daily, shaved off all their hair and dipped their heads in Rid. Then I kept combing for weeks until there were not more nits. I bagged everything we owned and stored it in plastic bags for months. I am happy to say I won the head lice battle the first time around. That is my goal here too!
Triomphatrice des punaises - 1 hour ago »
It's so ironic now that something cheap from say Craig's List or Ebay could end up costing thousands of dollar. My husband took apart our bed and caulked all the cracks. It's a big job, and honestly, I would not have had the patience.
Also, as far as I can tell, there is no such thing as over-reacting. Any left alive will just keep reproducing. They are so tenacious. -
Ohnotheygottago
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Posts: 22
Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 13:05:11
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Thanks for sharing your story. You know how I feel - that brings me a sense of comfort as I am totally freaking out. I can't get myself to take the bed apart . . . although it would also be a sense of relief to know where they are hiding and see my enemy!
klotztheatre - 6 hours ago »
Oh i feel for you! i have had the same exact thing happen to my son's room! I bought a huge bunkbed set off of craigslist...thats how I got them. It was my son's room, but it was my daughter that they really "liked" If she would sleep in there with my son, she's be covered in splotches. I had onlyt had the bed4 months to realize that I had them. I searched the bed and they weren't on there, so I took a lot of the bed apart and there they were. in the cracks. They didn't even bother with living on the mattress. It was absolutely disgusting, and yet very fortunate for me. Luckily my bed bugs are only in my sons room...So I had the pest peoiple come in at once and spray the whole house. I did everything I was supposed to do to prepare for them to come. They sprayed the mattresses and I immediately encased them once dry. I cleaned everything. And now, two weeks later, I have seen three more. They are coming today for their two week retreat and I know where they are coming from.
Yesterday while prepping for the pest control to come again, I noticed that there were a few parts of the bed that were screwed in and not glued...I immediately had the suspician that that was were the renegade little buggers were living. They had no where else to live at this point and were used to the bed. So my husband and I literally ripped everything apart and there they all were. Eggs and all. I was amazed. I grabbed some ant nad roach killers and sprayed the hell out of each joint. They all died and I wiped them all up with a paper towel and then I sprayed a clear gloss coat over each crack and crevice to seal the eggs so that would die. after they spray today I am painting the whole thing and then when I reassemble the bed i am going to caulk the seams. I am never buying anything second hand again!!! If I could give you advice, it would be to look closer to the bed and not as much in other rooms(although checking for other infestations is vital as well...but our bed bugs didn't move far past my son's room. They were right there...They fit into the most ridiculously small spots. If their is a knot in the slat at the bottom of the box spring, they will be in it, thats how small they are! We're having them come today and retreat and then we're going to have them come again for a third time to retreat just in case! Good luck -
Ohnotheygottago
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Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 22
Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 13:15:21
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Thank you for your recommendations.
I called the Thermapure people today and they won't be out till next Tuesday. But they guarantee it to be a one shot deal, and that is what I want. I just could not deal with months and months of pest treatments. And you are right it is not cheap! $1000 and up! But again, it's that or counseling for a few months. I just cannot function normally knowing there are blood sucking creatures in my hosue, and am at the verge of tears even as I am writing this (I know, I am a total whimp)
The funny thing is that I have no problem dealing with black widows in the yard. I just spray or smash them and go on my way. I can even deal with rattle snakes here in suburbia. But the BBs just make me shake in my boots. Stinging or biting insects and I are just not a good match. Another interesting twist is that I am also extremely allergic to honey bees and carry \two epi-pens wherever I go. It's all very ironic that I have to fear creatures that small.
DrFrank - 12 hours ago »
http://bedbugger.com/faqs/
Self-treatment probably won't work, unless you and your family are extremely diligent.
Steaming, vacuuming, and cleaning probably won't work, but they might be the cheapest alternative to try.
It sounds like your infestation is still small, so pesticide might take care of it, if your comfortable with persistent poisons in your home.
Thermal and Vikane are likely to end your problems in one treatment without residual toxins, but they're the most expensive. If you can afford them, they're your fastest route out.
You probably won't stop worrying until you can figure out where the infestation came from though... Will you? You might want to follow up with your suspects... And pick up a PackTite. -
buggyinsocal
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Posts: 1,255
Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 15:59:11
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I don't know which Thermapure provider you're dealing with, but make sure the techs who come out look at the bug in the jar to confirm you have bed bugs before you shell out for thermal treatment.
(It's not that I'm against thermal. As probably anyone around here will tell you, I'm one of its champions. I went with thermal treatment myself.)
You do, however, want to absolutely confirm that you have bed bugs and not some other pest before you go through a process that is expensive, has the possibility to damage items in your home, and requires some preparation.
The one downside of thermal(besides cost and possible damage. I guess that's three, huh?) is that because it's a one time deal if done properly and because many of the techs who do thermal treatment aren't bed bug specialists, you may either not see the value in or have the opportunity to use your PCO as an educator to help train you to know what to look for in the future.
Bed bugs are apparently here to stay for the foreseeable future. Esp. since you're not sure where the infestation came from, treating with thermal will solve your problem now, but it won't do anything long term to help you educate yourself so that you know what to look for in the future to minimize your chances of reinfestation and/or maximize your chances of catching a new infestation early.
I used the chemical guy who came out as part of my thermal/chemical treatment to train me on exactly what bed bug eggs look like. (I'd already caught samples of nymphs and adults myself, so I knew what to look for there.) I looked at pics here (and I stick around to look at posted photos here to recalibrate my skills, so to speak) to make sure I knew what to look for. Whenever I stay at a hotel or get off a plane, I inspect the room and/or my suitcase. Long term, I hope to buy a Packtite so after trips I can just bake mu luggage. When I change the sheets, I inspect my whole bed. I switched over to a synthetic comforter instead of down so that I can regularly wash and dry all of my bedding that isn't in an encasement.
Getting a good PCO in to diagnose the problem and suggest treatment is absolutely the best first step. But it's not the only step since bed bugs are probably only going to get to be a bigger problem over time. And having a PCO out to your home is a good opportunity to get some hands on, in person training that will help out long term, so don't forget to take advantage of that opportunity.
Hang in there.
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Ohnotheygottago
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Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 22
Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 16:14:51
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Great information. Thank you! I'll keep it in mind.
I called Thermapure at the corporate location, and they do the treatment themselves. I talked to the guy in the field about what to do until he shows up next week also. He seemed to know quite a bit and is the guy they send out to treat for BB; I will ask him a ton of questions after he diagnoses my bug in the jar.
Off to take a picture of my captive BB - I'll see if it will post here.
buggyinsocal - 10 minutes ago »
I don't know which Thermapure provider you're dealing with, but make sure the techs who come out look at the bug in the jar to confirm you have bed bugs before you shell out for thermal treatment.
(It's not that I'm against thermal. As probably anyone around here will tell you, I'm one of its champions. I went with thermal treatment myself.)
You do, however, want to absolutely confirm that you have bed bugs and not some other pest before you go through a process that is expensive, has the possibility to damage items in your home, and requires some preparation.
The one downside of thermal(besides cost and possible damage. I guess that's three, huh?) is that because it's a one time deal if done properly and because many of the techs who do thermal treatment aren't bed bug specialists, you may either not see the value in or have the opportunity to use your PCO as an educator to help train you to know what to look for in the future.
Bed bugs are apparently here to stay for the foreseeable future. Esp. since you're not sure where the infestation came from, treating with thermal will solve your problem now, but it won't do anything long term to help you educate yourself so that you know what to look for in the future to minimize your chances of reinfestation and/or maximize your chances of catching a new infestation early.
I used the chemical guy who came out as part of my thermal/chemical treatment to train me on exactly what bed bug eggs look like. (I'd already caught samples of nymphs and adults myself, so I knew what to look for there.) I looked at pics here (and I stick around to look at posted photos here to recalibrate my skills, so to speak) to make sure I knew what to look for. Whenever I stay at a hotel or get off a plane, I inspect the room and/or my suitcase. Long term, I hope to buy a Packtite so after trips I can just bake mu luggage. When I change the sheets, I inspect my whole bed. I switched over to a synthetic comforter instead of down so that I can regularly wash and dry all of my bedding that isn't in an encasement.
Getting a good PCO in to diagnose the problem and suggest treatment is absolutely the best first step. But it's not the only step since bed bugs are probably only going to get to be a bigger problem over time. And having a PCO out to your home is a good opportunity to get some hands on, in person training that will help out long term, so don't forget to take advantage of that opportunity.
Hang in there. -
Ohnotheygottago
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 16:28:29
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Ohnotheygottago
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 16:30:45
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Still trying to post photo - bear with me.
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Ohnotheygottago
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 16:38:18
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Ok. I took the photos just now and cropped them a bit. One is on the belly and one is right side up.
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spideyjg
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 16:50:00
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100% adult BB.
Jim
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Ohnotheygottago
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 16:57:17
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:-( I have to admit that I was still holding out a tiny bit of false hope that somehow there was some pseudo bug out there that mimics a BB.
spideyjg - 5 minutes ago »
100% adult BB.
Jim -
spideyjg
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 17:26:00
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Ask the thermal guy if the treatment will kill your termites as well. Termites as you probably well know in SoCal are a common issue.
In San Diego Lloyds does tenting and uses Vikane for termites and also can do it for BBs. It takes 3 times the amount of Vikane to kill BBs than for termites. So if tenting you also nuke any termites along with the BBs
I don't know about thermal though in that regard.
Capture some more bugs if possible, seal in heavy duty freezer ziplocs and stash them. After treatment whip those bags out an make sure they are dead.
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Ohnotheygottago
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 18:04:25
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I am not sure I want to do the Vikane. I have three young children in the house. But I will have the guy do a termite inspection while he is here, that's a good idea.
I guess I also have to make sure that I can get a written guarantee from the Thermapure people that the heat will kill all the BBs and I will stay pest free for a very long time.
Do you think keeping the BB in a glass jar, where he is now, and letting them treat will be a good indicator if it worked? If figured if they are hiding in the crevices, then they will need a lot of heat!
spideyjg - 33 minutes ago »
Ask the thermal guy if the treatment will kill your termites as well. Termites as you probably well know in SoCal are a common issue.
In San Diego Lloyds does tenting and uses Vikane for termites and also can do it for BBs. It takes 3 times the amount of Vikane to kill BBs than for termites. So if tenting you also nuke any termites along with the BBs
I don't know about thermal though in that regard.
Capture some more bugs if possible, seal in heavy duty freezer ziplocs and stash them. After treatment whip those bags out an make sure they are dead. -
buggyinsocal
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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Jul 16 2009 18:33:13
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If your thermal provider knows what he or she is doing, you should be bug free in one treatment. I had thermal done on an infestation that was at least two months old, and one treatment got all of them.
My treatment came with a six month guarantee. The one thing I'd be sure to ask, that I didn't, was what proof they would need to retreat. It was a moot point in my case, but it's good to have specific details.
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DrFrank
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Posted 8 months ago
Fri Jul 17 2009 11:42:33
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Ohnotheygottago - 17 hours ago »
I am not sure I want to do the Vikane. I have three young children in the house.Supposedly, vikane dissipates completely with no residue; it's just a gas.
Do you think keeping the BB in a glass jar, where he is now, and letting them treat will be a good indicator if it worked? If figured if they are hiding in the crevices, then they will need a lot of heat!
No. The techs should be placing thermometers all over the place to prove to you that you're getting into the kill temperatures. Ask them to stick some into the crevices, if it'll make you comfortable.
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Ohnotheygottago
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Posted 6 months ago
Mon Sep 14 2009 23:38:02
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Update:
Well it is September now and we have not found a single bedbug after getting a thermal treatment on our house. Cost was high (close to 2K) , but I am still sane and do not need counseling. Thank you to all for you recommendations - you are awesome encouragers and experts alike.
Grandma is coming back from China Wednesday - sigh . . . . will there be a repeat of this? Husband thinks - no big deal just a fluke. I think - China has very bad BB problems. Will keep you up to date.
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