Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Uncategorized
Today show has a segment on bed bugs
(17 posts)-
eatingmealive
junior member
Joined: Oct '08
Posts: 106
Posted 11 months ago
Mon Dec 8 2008 7:52:28
#
Login to Send PM
Just thought I would share that the Today show will have a segment on bed bugs this morning, I think in the 8am hour.
-
Hi,
Can you post a link for those of us outside of the broadcast area.
David
-
paulaw0919
oldtimer
Joined: Jul '07
Posts: 997
Posted 11 months ago
Mon Dec 8 2008 10:22:26
#
Login to Send PM
Here's the show.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/18424824#28110596
They're still way off on how these bugs can spread and how wide spread these things are.
Maybe 3-5 yrs ago it was only a hotel issue, imo. -
Thanks Paula,
The segment was filmed a couple of months ago.
The first part was shot at our training facility & the home inspection was taped in a Coconut Grove residence in Miami.
The house has been tented & treated four times with Vikane but they were still receiving bites.
We suspect that the daycare facility may be the source. We performed an off camera inspection of the daycare school & observed K9 alerts to the bedding materials the children use for their afternoon naps
-
Doug, I thought I recognised the voice, you wily silver fox. I think we need a new domain:
www.BroadcastBedBugSpecialists.com
David
-
paulaw0919
oldtimer
Joined: Jul '07
Posts: 997
Posted 11 months ago
Mon Dec 8 2008 13:43:56
#
Login to Send PM
Gosh, four vikane treatments. I so feel for that family. With little ones, it makes dealing with an infestation so impossible. If the source was the day care facility,and this was 4 months ago, I can only hope that this is over for them by now. That, and that the day care facility took precautions of alerting the other families.
I know it's just a matter of time (due to having a family with small children) that we get infested again. There's only so many (very few) precautions a person can take when coming and going when you have little ones. -
fedupwithbb
newbite
Joined: Dec '08
Posts: 16
Posted 11 months ago
Wed Dec 10 2008 21:27:42
#
Login to Send PM
Hi all,
I'm the woman who's home was featured in the Today Show segment earlier this week. Doug did a great job with the inspections -- thanks Doug. Incidentally, I rent that home, so the money I've spent isn't really an investment for me at all. There was a lot filmed that wasn't shown in the segment that aired. I just wanted to make myself available for questions since it does seem rather amazing that we were tented four times and still have bugs.
A word about the daycare... I alerted them within two weeks of finding out we had bugs. They had a professional inspection that yielded nothing. I performed my own inspections on a weekly basis over the next several months. As my understanding of bed bugs grew and our tenting continued, I eventually adopted a protocol coming and going from the daycare in order to prevent reinfestation. Of course we go in the morning in freshly-laundered clothing and we do not carry re-useable diaper bags... just grocery bags that we discard every day. In the afternoon I arrive at the daycare with clean clothes, clean shoes, new diapers, and garbage bags. Before I even hug the boys I strip them, put on new diapers/clothes/shoes, and double bag the dirty clothes and anything else that comes home. I treat the car on a weekly basis. I hot wash/dry or discard everything that comes home, and the used garbage bags go in the outside trash.
After the Today Show came and filmed, I went back to the daycare and asserted that we do a few more inspections. We brought in three different companies to inspect and no one could find anything. Nonetheless, I still undress, re-dress, and bag the dirties every night.
If there has ever been a bed bug sufferer who went to extreme lengths to avoid reinfestation, it's me. This has been my goal, at least.
I welcome any thoughts, comments, or questions that may fill in the gaps in the segment or make the information more useful to someone.
Thanks!
-
your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 5,547
Posted 11 months ago
Thu Dec 11 2008 0:05:22
#
Login to Send PM
fedupwithbb,
good to hear your perspective. Picking up the kids from daycare sounds like a lot of work. I am so sorry you are going through all this.
Were any of the daycare inspections done by dogs, or were they all human inspections?
-
fedupwithbb
newbite
Joined: Dec '08
Posts: 16
Posted 11 months ago
Thu Dec 11 2008 21:00:46
#
Login to Send PM
nobugsonme,
Yes, there was a dog inspection at the daycare. It yielded several hits by the dog, but then I had the daycare call in three different companies to inspect and they found nothing.
Here's the scary thing. It appears that the daycare is all clear, but let's say for the sake of argument that they have bugs. I spend about 30 to 40 minutes each night methodically preparing the boys for our ride home, and another hour or so methodically dealing with the clothes and dirty dishes I bring home from there. If I am truly reinfesting my home from the daycare, then I have absolutely NO hope of ever being in a place that has bugs and NOT bringing them home. Does that make sense? If reinfestation from the daycare is our answer, then all the talk about what to do when you return home from a place that has bugs is just that: talk.
When we fumigated the last two times, we went to such extreme measures that even I felt a little self-conscious. We bathed the animals and walked them out of the house with no cages or bedding. We drove away in a rental car with two never-before-opened car seats and pack and plays. We left behind every single toy, purse, shoe, even our laptops, cameras, etc. We even changed clothes right before walking out of the house.
One other thing to note is about Janice Lieberman's comment that we "lived in virtual isolation." That was a summary of several minutes worth of interview that didn't air. Virtual isolation means this for us: no visitors, trips, mass transit of any kind, restaurants, or any other outings except to venues outside like parks. It means no one in the house drives a car to an office every day: I work at home and DP walks to work. We had the dog inspect where DP works and it was clear. There really are no other options for reinfestation.
Help! I welcome other ideas on this situation and I'm happy to provide more info. if needed.
-
your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 5,547
Posted 11 months ago
Thu Dec 11 2008 21:11:55
#
Login to Send PM
fedupwithbb,
You're right-- if the daycare is infested, and you are going to such lengths, you probably are not reinfesting via this route.
What are some other possibilities?
Car? You treat it weekly. How? Was it fumigated with vikane four times? Could it be the lingering source?
If there really are no options for reinfestation, is it possible the vikane treatment was done incorrectly?
Sorry if I missed this, but are you getting continued evidence besides bites? (Some people feel they may have continued reactions to bites, though there has been no research on this phenomenon, and it's a controversial idea.)
There has to be some explanation somewhere. I am truly sorry you are going through this.
-
paulaw0919
oldtimer
Joined: Jul '07
Posts: 997
Posted 11 months ago
Thu Dec 11 2008 21:53:13
#
Login to Send PM
fedupwithbb,
I don't have much to add for help. But for one thing I can do is say you aren't alone and that I relate, totally. When we had our infestation my twins were less than 8 months old and my oldest was not even 3yr. I had TONS of bottles, night feeds and three in diapers. After many many traditional treatments we looked for something else, vikane. We as well took sooo many precautions when leaving. Including purchasing infant car seats (for 3 kids) that got bagged and never entered the home, rental, new shoes for the big day, First I showered and changed fresh, then bathed each child one by one and put in the rental. Then hubby showered, then me and I changed again before walking out of the house. This was all done besides the prep work for the home, planned out days before. Shoot, we even took everything from our shed and put it under the deck to be treated with the house and cars. We took nothing, no wallets, no diapers, nothing with us for the trip. Same precautions were taken on the way home, all bagged, dirty clothes got dumped on the way home. I know it's extreme, but after going through all you have gone through, money spent, items and time from the children lost, I think any mom would do the same. I also went the K9 route for months as well.
I will say this, I had "phantom" itching and crawling sensations for months. To this day I wonder. I don't know if you still have them or not, but if you need a good listening ear, let me know and you can PM me. -
I took this project on because it raises so many intersting (and scary) questions about how a single family house that has been treated four different times with a Vikane fumigation could still be infested.
We have two extremely dedicated parents that are absolutely methodical with their isolation protocols... that appear to have taken every possible precaution... yet they are still being affected.
My hope was that we could utilize our K9 to identify some potential sources for re-infestation.
While I am convinced that the daycare has been affected... I can not say with any certainty that it is the source of the reinfestation.
This is a heartwrenching situation... This family has put a human face on the nightmare of an intractable infestation... I would like to publicly express my gratitude to them for having the courage to go on national TV with their compelling story.
I would also like to thank the Today Show producers & crew for reporting a story that has such a high "ick factor" that Meredith expressed that she felt itchy at the end of the segment.
Much like Paula W's experience... this families plight can only be described as a waking nightmare.
I am hoping that this story catches the attention of our public officials... we need to create a safety net for families, individuals & property owners that are dealing with the catastrophic effects of an intractable infestation.
-
fedupwithbb
newbite
Joined: Dec '08
Posts: 16
Posted 11 months ago
Sat Dec 13 2008 13:28:01
#
Login to Send PM
Thanks all, I really appreciate the words of encouragement. It has been a life-altering situation for us, as I'm sure it is for most who suffer with BBs. It's really tough when you plan, and plan, and then execute it (like me, Paula, and tons of others) and then what is *supposed* to happen... doesn't. The psychological effects of such a long battle are all too real, especially when it seemingly *can't* be won.
Yes, Paula, we did the same thing as far as having exit and entry strategies. The last time we tented we stayed in a hotel, and I followed the same protocol when we came back home. And thanks for the 'ear.' I'm sure we'll talk soon.
Doug, I'm so glad you have been willing to help out. The Today Show was great to cover it and get your dogs a little more visibility. I am not disappointed in the brief segment that aired. I'm just trying to share a few more details and I will continue to do so if it helps.
nobugs, I am trying to get the monitoring report confirmed by an outside party, but since professionals sometimes don't want to contribute the missing piece to a situation that may point to litigation, it has been a little difficult to get help with that. I'm working on it. I would say based on my knowledge that a Vikane error isn't out of the question. There were obvious incompetencies on the part of the exterminators that were revealed along the way. For example, when they gave up on Vikane and started traditional treatments on my home, I actually had one exterminator come in and spray my entire 1100-square-foot house with Sterifab on only the baseboards. It took him about 20 minutes and he was out the door. The fastest bed bug treatment I've ever seen! Someone should have told me it was that easy!
I think I mentioned earlier that we rent this home. The homeowner has decided to list the house soon and we will probably be moving in the next... month or two, maybe. So, I have begun the tedious task of sealing valuable things for long-term storage, and discarding the rest. I suppose this kind of slow house fire (as I like to call it) does have one advantage... It gives you a new perspective on the idea that "it's just stuff." :) It has been sad to let go of a few things, but somewhat liberating to realize that I don't need a lot of what I have in my house, you know? I mean, it creates a terrible carbon footprint because I can't re-use, I can't continue my cloth diapering, I use crazy amounts of water, energy for heat, plastic bags, disposable diapers, etc., etc. But it does paint a very clear picture of the few things I have that *really* matter. The rest, I am learning, I can live without. That's a good thing to be reminded of.
-
your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 5,547
Posted 11 months ago
Sun Dec 14 2008 1:14:38
#
Login to Send PM
fedupwithbb,
I am so sad you are going through this and I am so awed by your strength and persistence. And your positive attitude!
It is really good for people to hear your story, and like Doug, I am glad Today covered it. I have had it up to here with news reports that suggest treatment is neither complicated, expensive, nor a big deal. It is a big deal.
-
your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 5,547
Posted 11 months ago
Sun Dec 14 2008 2:12:03
#
Login to Send PM
Fedupwithbb,
Your words moved me, and after reading another inspirational post from someone on a blog, I posted on the blog about your attitude (quoting you). You can read it here.
-
fedupwithbb
newbite
Joined: Dec '08
Posts: 16
Posted 11 months ago
Wed Dec 17 2008 12:25:14
#
Login to Send PM
Thanks nobugsonme, I appreciate the solidarity. I don't mean to imply that every day is zen and wonderful when tossing one's possessions... but it's a good lemons-to-lemonade opportunity and I just don't see how else to get through it.
What WILL we do over the next few years to encourage insurance companies to honor claims of loss for infestation? In addition to pushing for better pesticides, etc., it seems to me that this should be an important goal of bed bug sufferers. But how? Perhaps this is another thread...
Anyway, thanks for all the support.
Reply
You must log in to post.
