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Possibly brought bugs back from Spain to France.... what do I do now?
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bugsinfrance
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Joined: Jan '10
Posts: 2offline
Posted 3 years ago
Fri Jan 22 2010 7:45:24
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So, I'm an American currently living in France for the year - I went on vacation in Spain recently. We got stuck one night because of a cancelled bus and had to find a place to stay for that night, and we ended up in a slightly dodgy-looking budget hotel. My friend said in the morning that she was afraid she had been bit by something on her leg, and she mentioned bed bugs (which really freaked me out, I had never experienced that before) but I also didn't know much about them at all. A few nights later in a different city, I started breaking out, mostly on my chest but a little on my face as well. Now, it really did look like I was just breaking out (and it was in places that I normally would break out)- and I was really really stressed and my skin tends to react badly when I get nervous and stressed. But since I've returned to France, I've still been "breaking out". QUESTION: do bed bug bites ever come to white heads like pimples do??? So I started researching about bed bugs online, found a lot of stuff including this website. AND I realized that there was possibly a problem in this apt when and/or before I moved in. I remember when I moved in (this past October- so 3 and a half months ago-ish), I didnt really have a choice and I had to move in my stuff that evening and then sleep in the apt that night. It's a furnished apt and it was pretty dirty, so I was basically up half the night cleaning before I felt like I could sleep there (killed a million spiders, etc.). When I cleaned the bedframe, I remember that the wood had a rusty colored .. substance on it and I distinctly remember a strange sweet smell when I was cleaning it off. The mattress/box spring were brand new, in the plastic still. There was also a dark substance staining the top of the wooden wardrobe-type thing (which might have been nothing). So when I started researching the signs of bedbugs and I was afraid that they might have already been in the apt before - I took my mattress and box spring (which was wedged pretty tightly in there) off my bed to examine and I found more of the rusty colored substance, especially concentrated around some of the cracks. Freaking out a bit, I started spraying the bed frame with an ammonia based cleaner (this was before really reading about what should be done to treat the bugs). I'm really not sure if I'm totally freaking myself out here - but I am still breaking out, seemingly a bit more each time I wake up. The problem I'm facing is that - 1, I am living on a tight budget as I'm overseas and I really,really can't afford to hire someone professional if i do have a problem. 2, if there was a problem before I got into the apartment, I may have ruined my chances of getting the landlord to take care of it at all because I cleaned the bedframe (with the evidence) and also, now that it's been 3 months, the chances of them believing it was a problem before I came are slim to none (especially if it involves them paying for something). 3, THIS IS MY WORST NIGHTMARE, I HATE BUGSSS!!!! and I'm having trouble sleeping at all (I'm sure all of you can relate!!!)
Would it make sense to go to the landlord and explain what I had found when I moved in, and say that I cleaned everything because I didn't know what it could be... but now it seems to have come back and when I researched it, it seems like it could be bed bugs?? I'm afraid that he'll just say, it's your fault, we have to exterminate and the bill's on you. I would literally not have money for food if that happened, so I'm not exactly willing to take that risk! -
bugsinfrance
newbite
Joined: Jan '10
Posts: 2offline
Posted 3 years ago
Fri Jan 22 2010 23:42:20
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I may have just confirmed the presence of bugs... I was up, with the lights on, still awake at 4am. I had been sitting towards the end of my bed watching tv. I went to move my pillows back to the head of the bed, and I saw a little dark thing perched on the edge of the mattress. I had been examining pieces of dark lint for days, so I didnt assume that it was a bug right away. Then I saw it move. So I killed it and put it on a piece of tape. Then I looked again between the mattress and the headboard, and found another dark bug - killed it, put it on tape. It was like they were perched there near the head of my bed, just waiting for the lights to go off.... so gross. I guess I can't be sure if they are actually bed bugs, even though I've looked at pictures online... they actually looked more like small fleas in my opinion but maybe they were just at a different stage?
I guess if I look on the bright side.... I just prevented two potential attacks! In some ways, I guess (this is really pulling from the depths of trying to not drive myself insane/hate my life), it's a little relieving to see the actual enemy - instead of them being like little phantom bugs. And at the same time, pretty unnerving to see the enemy so close to ... well, home. -
upagain
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Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 335offline
Posted 3 years ago
Sat Jan 23 2010 0:48:01
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Is there anyway you can post a picture? There are plenty of people here who will try and tell you if it is a bb or not.
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