Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed Bug Success Stories
THEY ARE GONE
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ICAN
newbite
Joined: Sep '10
Posts: 30offline
Posted 1 year ago
Fri Aug 19 2011 12:39:43
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When I realized we had Bed bugs, not a mosquito problem, I went a little nuts with not going to bed at night, sleeping with the lights on, searching and studying about them and posting some ideas for a cure, which got shot down fast.
Thank you for this forum. I did a lot of reading (while staying up all night!) here and online in other sites. I especially like David Cain's advice. He's been studying these critters for a long time.
I decided not to spray, trap, or encase these bugs. What they wanted was my blood. No matter where they were, they would travel to get me. So I used this information to forge a battle plan.
Last year I purchased some Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth at the garden and pet store. While wearing a mask, I very carefully painted a thin layer with a soft brush, without puffing it into the air, all around the outside edge of the mattress. I slept in the center of the queen size bed and made sure no sheets or blankets extended to the edge. I slept in a cocoon of sorts. The bed bugs had to walk through the DE to have their last meal. I was careful to keep my face away from the edge of the bed.
I kept getting bites for a week or so. Then the weather turned cold, and the bedroom was cold. Insects don't move much at low temperatures. I figured they might come to life when the weather warmed, but it's summer and THEY ARE ALL GONE.
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makesmenuts
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Aug 19 2011 14:27:26
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You must be really, really lucky! I hope that you remain BB free. Do you know how bad your infestation was before you attacked with the DE?
We're been using the DE approach, coupled with purple Hot Shot (doing next treatment this weekend), since I was unimpressed with the one PCO we spoke with and the other never called back. We're doing all the other stuff too like washing/drying, vacuuming, checking, living out of bags.
Even being in a ring of DE at bedtime, and dust applied in other strategic areas, hasn't gotten rid of ours, although I think our infestation was already moderate rather than light. Maybe because we have cats and they hitch a ride over the powdery death? Dunno, although I've been bite free for two nights now for the first time in forever.
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ICAN
newbite
Joined: Sep '10
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Aug 19 2011 15:59:25
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We had a heavy infestation. They were crawling on the walls, bed, and all over. There were tiny white eggs, fecal spots, and when I smashed some, they left bloody spots. Bed bugs for sure. They were thick enough that we couldn't ignore them. We didn't have mosquito or flea bites. (Mosquitoes fly, fleas hop.)
It was awful. I didn't know what to do and there was so way to pay for professional treatment, so I had to try to get rid of them myself.
Yes, I think I was lucky that it worked. I was bed bug free last winter, but expected them to explode into action when it warmed up.
Some advantages were not living in an apartment, two people in the house, and one cat, who was banned from the bed, so the bugs didn't have a lot of directions to go for their dinner. I didn't spray or scatter them in any way, except to smash any I saw. I didn't throw anything away or sort through all my clothes. It was too overwhelming a task, so I tried the idea of being a hunk of cheese in a giant mouse trap (bed bug trap) in the middle of the bed. I'm about 5 foot long, so it wasn't hard to do. Well, it was hard to think about and I couldn't sleep at first, but after a couple nights I just said, "What the heck, I'm going to sleep!"
I need to get a passive monitor to watch for any signs of bed bugs, so we can nip them early. I don't want a repeat of the bed bug nightmare.
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oldtimer
Joined: Apr '07
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Aug 19 2011 16:08:44
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Hi ICAN,
Thanks for your comments, check your PM I am about to send a message.
David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited -
ICAN
newbite
Joined: Sep '10
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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Sep 5 2011 14:55:53
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I forgot to mention that I also treated my office chair where I sit at the computer. I was getting bites here, and one time I felt something on my upper back. I gave the spot a swat, and my hand came back with a streak of blood with a black blob of what used to be a bug.
The chair is upholstery fabric and chrome. I looked all over the chair, but couldn't see any bugs, but there are a lot of tucks and crevices.--lots of places to hide.
I did find some tiny eggs, so I figured the bugs were in the chair, too. If I had taken a screwdriver to it, I probably would have found them. I thought about getting rid of the chair, but it's pretty comfortable.
So I painted the chair with DE. The bed was already treated. That took care of the problem.
I still watch for any signs of them. It's always possible that there are survivors, or new ones can be brought in from an outside source. Early detection is key to avoiding a repeat infestation.
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Sep 5 2011 23:51:37
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Hi ICAN,
I am glad you do not seem to have bed bugs any more.
However, I am concerned that putting DE on mattresses and chairs seems very problematic to me. Per our DE FAQ, diatomaceous earth should not be inhaled, and applying it to an office chair or mattress creates a situation where it can be put into the air when you sit down.
(Think about sitting on a chair or mattress which has dust on it and you'll be able to visualize what I am thinking about.)
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ICAN
newbite
Joined: Sep '10
Posts: 30offline
Posted 1 year ago
Tue Sep 6 2011 8:00:10
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Thanks to the FAQ information about the dangers of inhaling DE, I was very careful to wear mask and gloves when applying the Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth, and did not use the applicator that puffs it into the air, but carefully applied a thin amount with a soft paint brush to only the outside edges of the mattress, well away from my face.
I think I would have to hit the mattress or chair with some force to make it cloud up. I did not do that, just gently crawled into bed or sat in the chair.
I did not make thick piles of DE. The amount was so sparse that it was nearly invisible.
I read all the information I could find here in this forum and other web sites. I could not afford professional treatments so had to tackle it by myself.
I did not want to use poisonous chemicals or insecticides, or burn the house down with risky DIY heat treatments. This seemed to be the best method. I wish it didn't take so many days for all the bugs and the new hatched ones to die, but it worked to completely eradicate them.
I've been bug free since about October 2010.
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jrbtnyc
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Posted 1 year ago
Tue Sep 6 2011 8:32:07
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Then this thread should be in the Success Stories category. People always like to see Success Stories – especially recent ones.
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ICAN
newbite
Joined: Sep '10
Posts: 30offline
Posted 1 year ago
Sat Oct 15 2011 15:28:54
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Nobugsonme - 1 month ago »
Hi ICAN,
I am glad you do not seem to have bed bugs any more.
However, I am concerned that putting DE on mattresses and chairs seems very problematic to me. Per our DE FAQ, diatomaceous earth should not be inhaled, and applying it to an office chair or mattress creates a situation where it can be put into the air when you sit down.
(Think about sitting on a chair or mattress which has dust on it and you'll be able to visualize what I am thinking about.)Beginning with the word, "Carefully", David Cain's instructions for applying DE dust include treating the edges of the mattress and into the button holes, page 27 in his book, [b]Bed Bug Beware.
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oldtimer
Joined: Apr '07
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Posted 1 year ago
Sat Oct 15 2011 21:22:11
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One of the other key factors is the use of a puffer to apply which negated the snow drifting that is often reported.
David
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mam417
junior member
Joined: Nov '10
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Posted 1 year ago
Sun Oct 16 2011 17:58:48
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Congratulations, ICAN! That is SO great, and I am very happy for you. I didn't realize that David's book provided such self-treatment information. He's such a wealth of information on this topic, so I should have known. I wish I could utilize it, as well, because my $ is nearly gone....I'm just not sure how this would work in a multi-unit dwelling. But I will definitely look into it. Again, congratulations and best of luck for a bedbug-free future!
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bedbugsuptown
senior member
Joined: Sep '11
Posts: 552offline
Posted 1 year ago
Sun Oct 16 2011 23:15:12
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Damn; diatomaceous-sounds reaaally cool. stuff works hmmm. likely problematic if yer suckin nicotine,
got this habit of pushing the envelope--been at it awhile. Hmmm, am reaally with a painter brush.
Get on a my soft sables...........hmmm spread some dust, so 1969................................... -
LAWoman
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Joined: Sep '11
Posts: 72offline
Posted 1 year ago
Mon Oct 17 2011 10:15:48
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Great success story ICAN. And great to know that there are successes out there in getting rid of these little monsters.
I'm feeling a bit down, because something is biting me even after a K-9 inspection cleared us a month ago. We've never had a confirmation on bed bugs, but something has definitely had me for a late night snack a few times. Mites? Spiders? Fleas? Who the heck knows. However your success story makes me realize I should just take these steps anyways with the DE since it will quite possibly handle any mystery bugs as well as the not so mystery ones.
Thanks!
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ICAN
newbite
Joined: Sep '10
Posts: 30offline
Posted 1 year ago
Mon Oct 17 2011 14:44:45
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mam417 - 19 hours ago »
Congratulations, ICAN! That is SO great, and I am very happy for you. I didn't realize that David's book provided such self-treatment information. He's such a wealth of information on this topic, so I should have known. I wish I could utilize it, as well, because my $ is nearly gone....I'm just not sure how this would work in a multi-unit dwelling. But I will definitely look into it. Again, congratulations and best of luck for a bedbug-free future!How terrible that you are still suffering from bed bugs! The chapter , Doing It Yourself in David's book, Bed Bug Beware tells exactly how to treat your infestation and very little money is involved.
The chapter, A dozen things not to do is very important. These are things that spread the bugs and/or don't work or are dangerous, like replacing the bed, moving furniture & clothes, spraying insecticides. These are mistakes the majority of victims seem to be making. Horror stories in this forum are full of them.
Also isolating the bed to keep the bugs out hasn't been too successful. They just drop from the ceiling or nab you after you get up. As long as they're alive, they will get you! (Spooky Halloween thought)
In addition to the home treatments outlined in the book, I think we are going to be getting more useful and effective information about David Cain's bed bug monitors as a way to remove light infestations.
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ICAN
newbite
Joined: Sep '10
Posts: 30offline
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Oct 19 2011 17:53:31
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mam417 - 2 days ago »
Congratulations, ICAN! That is SO great, and I am very happy for you. I didn't realize that David's book provided such self-treatment information. He's such a wealth of information on this topic, so I should have known. I wish I could utilize it, as well, because my $ is nearly gone....I'm just not sure how this would work in a multi-unit dwelling. But I will definitely look into it. Again, congratulations and best of luck for a bedbug-free future!At the very beginning of the Bed Bug Beware book is an old tale by George Orwell: ----"Sometimes when the bugs got too bad one used to burn sulphur and drive them into the next room; whereupon the lodger next door would retort by having his room sulphured, and drive the bugs back:".
So, unless the bed bugs are cleared from the whole building, they just travel from one unit to the next.
Choosing the right product (page 26) says "To be effective the insecticide needs to be 'residual' (it continues to remain toxic to bed bugs for several days after it has been applied)." So, I'm concluding that an apartment dweller's best defense is the thin application of the food grade DE into all the cracks, crevices, wall outlets, light sockets etc. as well as around bed and mattress and other chairs and couches, so any bugs traveling into the apartment will die, and maybe installing and observing some bed bug monitors after the bugs in the apartment are dead..
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mam417
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Joined: Nov '10
Posts: 86offline
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Oct 20 2011 0:52:11
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Hi, ICAN. Thank you for your input. Sadly, I am aware, from my research, that the best thing to have done was have the whole house treated. Waaaay back in April when this started, I had the dog check both my apartment and the landlord's portion of the house. Since his part of the house was negative, I ended up just having my apt treated, but I paid extra to have a crack and crevice treatment for him. I was petrified that the bbs would get up there and bite his beautiful babies. I would have died. I kept bringing the dog up there, especially when I seemed to not be able to get rid of them. The fourth time, he wasn't home, it was his wife. She had a total meltdown, was rude and really inappropriate to both me and the poor PCO. The next time they came, I called the LL and told him I understood his wife was upset, but that I really felt that the best thing to do was to keep having his dwelling check just to be safe. He said "Thanks, but I'm good." When I was re-infested (or maybe it was just a continuation of the first...) I told him, and said that I understood he didn't want me to check up there, which he agreed he did NOT want, so I just told him to please keep an eye out and let me know immediately if there were any issues. He hasn't said anything, which of course means nothing.
Your story scares me to death, although I already knew the moral. The bbs travel. I know. I tried to tell the ll. People who have not had these hideous beasts really feel like it will NEVER happen to them - my SO actually said, in response to my crazed concern about him coming here, "oh, come on...if they were so easy to get, everyone would have them...." Exactly. Duh.
I will def get David's book, because I'm sure it has a ton of useful information. It sucks, but even if the ll tells me now they have a problem, I no longer have the funds to address his part of the house. I tried, I swear to God - in fact, my MAIN concern was his children. I just hope by some miracle the bbs did NOT go up there now.
I don't think they did - unlike me, they are not cursed....lol....
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