Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Tales of Bed Bug Woe
Still getting bites (I think), but no bug evidence EVER found except by bb dogs
(6 posts)-
Itchybutdealing
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Joined: Apr '08
Posts: 132
Posted 1 year ago
Mon May 12 2008 20:15:24
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Now the dogs say no more bugs, but still finding a few bites on me and my kids. What gives. We heat everything we wear in high heat for 20 minutes and only wear it once. We have been treated, steamed 4 times. I am finally going to try caulking our baseboards and molding....what else can be done? I am so sick of dealing with this issue and my kids miss their stuffed animals! Please....what am I doing wrong? We live in a coop in NYC. At this point I guess I have to trust the dogs and the PCOs that we are okay and this is all in my head...but I am just not sure. Any thoughts or experience with this? Thanks!
By the way, I would love a Gossip Girl episode where Blair or someone gets bed bugs in their large, beautiful NYC apartment. That would definitley get the word out!
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Were your neighbors (above, below and all sides) inspected by a professional?
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make sure all elerical outlets have been treated and yes to caulking however treat these areas first then caulk and for get what they say if u have been told the dog will pick up scent thru walls this is more of a sells pitch. i mean it can however more likely not i know i own new york's first bb dog by nesdca. do chulking!!!
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parakeets
oldtimer
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 866
Posted 1 year ago
Tue May 13 2008 7:16:14
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A panle of PCO's at a conference I went to said a team of them examined a room where they knew people were being by bedbugs--they examined it for several hours--and yet could not find bedbugs. As freedom241 mentions above, electrical conduits were discussed as a way for bedbugs to gain entrance. I know in my apartment the landlord treated himself ineffectively for quite some time and the bedbugs were able to get into the wall voids. Even though they drilled holes into the walls and sprayed something in there, we still have a bedbug population that cycles up and down and I've heard at this point it is extremely difficult to get rid of them (especially when there is no building-wide disclosure or education about bedbugs).
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I disagree in part with Cesar's remark about K9s smelling through walls.
The dogs don't actually smell directly through the wall material in most instances, rather the dogs detect the VOCs that are transported by air movement into the room through gaps in the construction. Most walls are not airtight.
A K9's sensitive nose can detect a bed bug harborage inside of a wall in the same way that a human might detect a dead rat hidden inside of a wall. The pungent oder of an established bed bug colony is very obvious to the dog.
On the other hand, the dog must be led within an area known as the scent cone to be able to detect the hidden bed bugs reliably.
Is it possible that there are bed bugs in other units that migrate through the building? Bed bugs in another unit can be outside the range that can be detected by the K9, if the adjacent units in all directions are not searched.
Also keep in mind that these little critters are mobile. A K9 search is like a snapshot in time. An area that did not contain bed bugs today may become infested at a later time.
Consider the possibility that you are being bitten by something else. Be sure to rule out flea bites or other types of biting mites. An electric flea trap can be useful for this purpose.
There is also a possibility that the all clear was a false negative & that you are still being bitten by bed bugs. While K9s are much more reliable than human inspectors, they are not infallible.
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paulaw0919
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Joined: Jul '07
Posts: 997
Posted 1 year ago
Tue May 13 2008 10:32:53
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Hey DOug, I pm'd you with a question if you don't mind.
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