Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed Bug Treatment
This Site and Forum = A GODSEND!
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BedBugsAndBeyond
newbite
Joined: Mar '11
Posts: 6offline
Posted 2 years ago
Tue Mar 22 2011 23:53:47
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YAY, FIRST-EVER POST!
I must say, thank you to the Bedbugger webmasters for this amazing resource! So happy I'm not alone!
My BB story:
In mid-January, my girlfriend returned home from seeing her parents on the Greyhound bus... As you can probably guess, one of the little suckers hitchhiked on her suitcase and clothing and within a week or two, she wakes up with these red rashes that kept increasing every day. Being the caring and concerned boyfriend I am, I did my due diligence... Bingo! Bedbugs
I am SO lucky I am able to borrow a steam cleaner from work for as long as I need it. As far as our own personal treatment, it has been our MVP. Other measures taken:
-throwing out old mattress and boxspring (which we were planning on doing anyway). We bought encasements for our new ones and encased immediately!
-PCO comes in and steam treats. Been over a month and have not received an invoice, so I assume my apartment complex is footing the bill (cross fingers!). Some straggler BBs left over, but I've been steaming them on and off.
-getting tired of mattress on floor; put bed frame back together and now on bed. Might be waking up with more bites - small pimply things that did not occur when bed frame was taken apart. Weird!
Now I'm onto the next phase of my war - while desperately trying to balance work and my Masters degree:
-Buying some ChemFree Insectigone Crawling Insect Killer from Home Depot - it will be my DE for the apartment!
Questions:
-what is the best way to apply DE thinly and evenly? A brush? Or sprinkle it from a salt shaker or something? I know it can't be too think or BBs will just wait for it go away then attack once it is gone.
-Any chemical spray I can use to get in some crevices with a decent residual effect? I know some of the forum posters are split on natural and chemical materials, but for me, having 3 means of attack (steam, DE, chemical) means my odds of success are much better. I read one post that really summed things up - steam is great, but if you do just that, it's like trying to carry water in a sieve. You need something to support what the steam is missing otherwise it's an endless cycle in killing BBs... I might be going through that now. NOT going to let that happen!
Either way, it's been a war or attrition that has almost made me collapse in tears on some days but this infestation is finally getting under control! Eradicated from living room, now onto the remnants in the bedroom!
Feeling pretty good!Also, how long does DE take to have an effect on killing the little bastards? lol
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 13,698offline
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Mar 23 2011 0:33:12
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-PCO comes in and steam treats. Been over a month and have not received an invoice, so I assume my apartment complex is footing the bill (cross fingers!). Some straggler BBs left over, but I've been steaming them on and off.
If your landlord is footing the bill for treatment, especially if you are entitled to this by law, then consider that one application of steam (a contact killer) is not sufficient to eliminate most cases of bed bugs.
Have you asked them to come back?
Have you asked if they might apply pesticides after steaming? (Again, especially if you are entitled to treatment.)Can you tell us what city you are in?
DE can be used safely and effectively, but so often is misapplied. Please do your research first. Our FAQ on DE is just a starting point and will address some of your questions.
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jrbtnyc
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Joined: Sep '10
Posts: 1,001offline
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Mar 23 2011 0:54:51
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BedBugsAndBeyond - 48 minutes ago »
This Site and Forum = A GODSEND!Hear, hear!
BedBugsAndBeyond - 51 minutes ago »
... I must say, thank you to the Bedbugger webmasters for this amazing resource! So happy I'm not alone! ...You should be aware it's not some generic webmasters who have created this resource, it's specifically site host nobugsonme who gets the abundant credit for amazing hard work she puts in and insightfulness as to how she handles all sorts of issues which someone else might not manage so adeptly as she does.
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 13,698offline
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Mar 23 2011 1:19:29
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Thanks to you both for your kind words about the site. It would not be what it is without the many current and former Bedbuggers, and professional experts, who share their time to try and help others.
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zlatik
newbite
Joined: Mar '11
Posts: 25offline
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Mar 23 2011 9:06:29
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nobugsonme,
I've been meaning to ask...what's your story? Or is there a link I should visit. I have no real reason for asking outside of my curiosity. I am so-so-so grateful for this site, if it was not for all the info and support here, I woudl still be freaking out and sleeping with my alcohol spray bottle.
I owe you my sanity!
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bbgirl
member
Joined: Feb '11
Posts: 338offline
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Mar 23 2011 10:50:51
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Wanted to add my heartfelt thanks to Nobugsonme as well and all the pros - fantastic educational site that also offers support of all kinds. I finally got a copy of the Bedbug Handbook and almost every section of the book had been discussed in far more details in one of the forums on this site. You have the benefit of comparing different points of view as well. What would we do without you?
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BedBugsAndBeyond
newbite
Joined: Mar '11
Posts: 6offline
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Mar 23 2011 21:18:00
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Nobugsonme - 20 hours ago »
-PCO comes in and steam treats. Been over a month and have not received an invoice, so I assume my apartment complex is footing the bill (cross fingers!). Some straggler BBs left over, but I've been steaming them on and off.
If your landlord is footing the bill for treatment, especially if you are entitled to this by law, then consider that one application of steam (a contact killer) is not sufficient to eliminate most cases of bed bugs.
Have you asked them to come back?
Have you asked if they might apply pesticides after steaming? (Again, especially if you are entitled to treatment.)
Can you tell us what city you are in?
DE can be used safely and effectively, but so often is misapplied. Please do your research first. Our FAQ on DE is just a starting point and will address some of your questions.The PCO has come back for a follow-up, saw our efforts to protect against further infestation (outlined above, except for DR) said "You'll be alright" and left. I was at work so I was a bit disappointed when my girlfriend told me about that. I assumed he was going to do more.
I live in London, ON (Canada) and am not sure about the law on treatment costs and who pays. All I know is that it has been about 6 weeks since the PCO's last visit and I have not received an invoice from him or any sort of reminder from the apartment management office about payment. I'm not about to inquire further in case they say "Oh, by the way..." lol I was lent the money by a parent to cover the treatment, but so far so good - that money is still there at the moment.
And thank for the DE FAQ. I read it weeks ago so I'm totally prepared!
Our infestation at first was a bit of a concern but the PCO got rid of a lot of BBs - now it's just getting rid of the remainder. The DE will dry them out for sure - just did the bedroom (baseboards, bed frame, everything).Thanks everyone! I'll let you all know how it goes.
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