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Weird Story - New bed, bedbugs present

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ig305

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Jan 23 2008 17:09:22
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Will appreciate help in sorting this one out...
My wife had ugly bites, which the doctor assumed were bedbugs. She got pretty histerical, and since we meant to buy a new bed anyway, went outr and bought it 3 days ago.
Today a sniffing dog came to check for bedbugs. They used 2 dogs, and both detected bedbugs only in one spot in the new bed.
Now, does that make any sense?

also, land lord wants us to pay for fumigating, and does not let us replace the bed (we can return to the vendor) since it may spread the bedbugs in the building..does that make sense?

I am new to this bedbug thing, a little confused. Appreciate your advice.
Anonymous

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Jan 23 2008 18:43:29
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ig305-

I'm sorry you are in this situation.

There are several possibilities. Bedbugs do not only live on beds and bed frames. If you got rid of the old mattress set but not the frame or if there were bugs elsewhere in your bedroom, then obviously the new bed could have gotten reinfested. Yes, even in three days.

Some people have claimed they got their bedbugs with the delivery of a new bed so that's another possibility. But if your wife already had bites before the disposal of the first bed, then the best guess is that you already had bedbugs and removing the bed did not get rid of them.

Either way, now they're there and you can get rid of them with some smart steps.

The landlord is right in that many people who dispose of their beds do not do so carefully and thus spread their bugs. But I'm not certain about the legal issues with regard to a landlord prohibiting this or that action. You may have to consult a lawyer for advice.

A bed can be encased (both the mattress and box spring) with bedbug-proof encasements to trap any bugs and prevent new ones from infesting it. But this alone will not get rid of your infestation. Even disposing of this new bed will not get rid of your infestation. You need professional treatments.

Who is responsible for payment of professional pest control is covered in the FAQs for some cities. For other other cities not covered, you should contact a tenant advocacy group for advice.

You need more information. Read the landlord/tenant faqs and the do's and don'ts at the very least and then sit down to plan out your next steps.
Anonymous

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Jan 23 2008 18:53:58
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This is all assuming the reliability of the dogs indicating. I take it your wife has continued to have bites?

In any case, let us know if you have questions.
ig305

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Jan 23 2008 19:02:20
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Thanks for the help.

No, actually, no new bites....also, remember, dogs (both of them) only sniffed one spot in the bed, nowhere else in the room/house. New bed is from a reputable retailer (Sleepy's).
I am in NYC (big building), according to your FAQ I believe I can get the lanlord to pay.
DeathToBBs

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Jan 23 2008 21:46:19
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Ig305 said" "New bed is from a reputable retailer (Sleepy's)." SHIT!!! There is a woman from the BRONX on bedbugger Yahoo group that got bbs from a new mattress from Sleepy's. She is now in the process of suing them.
angie

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Jan 24 2008 1:46:35
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Me and my husband are saying "sleep on the floor, it's not that bad!" We threw our beds out 6 months ago. Sorry you are here but are happy to help if we can!
Nobugsonme

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Jan 24 2008 3:43:39
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Many, many mattress companies and stores offer to take away your old mattress when they deliver a new one. Still others will take away a used mattress under a "comfort guarantee." (This means you slept on it and sent it back.) If you buy from a company that's willing to take your mattress, then it means they carried other people's used mattresses in the same truck as your new one. This can lead to bed bugs in your new mattress.

Bed bugs can potentially come from ANY company that uses delivery trucks that take away used mattresses or furniture OR delivery trucks that also carry used furniture or mattresses (EVEN IF the mattress company you bought from does not know they also contract for these other purposes--lots of trucks are contractors and they may work for multiple employers).
persona-non-bugga

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Jan 24 2008 11:09:42
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QUOTE: "also, land lord wants us to pay for fumigating, and does not let us replace the bed (we can return to the vendor) since it may spread the bedbugs in the building..does that make sense?"

If you're in NYC and rent in a building with more than 3 units - landlord generally pays for treatment. It's his responsibility. Don't let him tell you different.

Yes, it makes sense to NOT return the bed. Do not return the mattress to Sleepy's.

1/ Returning the bed by itself does not solve the bedbug problem. Assuming you had bedbugs before you got the new mattress. You already got rid of one bed, and bedbugs are still there. You can encase the mattress in a bedbug proof cover and get pesticide treatment for your apartment. It worked for me. I use two encasements and tape up the zippers on both with white duct tape.

2/ If you return the mattress to Sleepy's, they'll just sell it to someone else who will get those bedbugs. That unlucky person could be your neighbor who might then spread them back to you -or- the person who sits next to you at work or on the subway -or- the person who sat in the movie theater seat a few nights before you did.

3/ If you move the mattress around without properly bagging it, then bedbugs might disperse to other parts of your home and your apartment building. If your neighbors get bedbugs, it's your problem too.

If you decide to get rid of the mattress, please don't return it to the vendor. I'm sorry that you'll eat the expense. Cut it up with a boxcutter, so scavengers don't pick it up. Properly bag it, mark it as "BEDBUG" with paint.

As for the dog signaling bedbugs in the bed and bed only, is it possible the bedbugs moved to the bed from another hiding spot?

Bedbug dogs are a terrific tool, and you used two to confirm, but not even the most enthusiastic trainer can say they're 100% perfect.
ig305

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Jan 24 2008 13:11:11
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Thanks for all the advice.
Persona-non-bugga: where do I get the bedbug proof cover? Can I just use a plastic wrap?

Thanks
persona-non-bugga

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Posted 5 years ago
Thu Jan 24 2008 13:39:37
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I bought my encasements almost three years ago at Bed Bath & Beyond.

First, I wrapped my mattress in a vinyl encasement. Then, on top of that, I put on a dustmite-proof allergen cover. And I taped the zippers on both.

Don't use a vinyl encasement by itself. It's watertight, but they rip very easily. One little hole, and the mattress cover becomes useless.

Now, there are covers that have been laboratory-tested to be "bed bug proof." Meaning, bedbugs can't breach the barrier of the sealed encasement. They're available at National Allergy. If you follow the blue "National Allergy" link on the bottom-left of this page, you can get a discount.

Personally, I'm a big-believer in taping the ends of the zippers. With the most expensive encasements from National Allergy, people have reported being unable to get tape to stick. NA says the zippers on those encasements are bedbug-proof. I assume they're talking about a completely closed zipper. But zippers tend to come undone. That's where the tape covering adds a layer of protection.

So, if I were buying from National Allergy, I'd go with one of the more moderately-priced covers that have been lab-tested against bedbugs. For instance, their "Classic" line. Then, I'd tape the zippers.

Good luck, ig305. If the detection dogs were more-or-less correct, then your infestation seems small & contained, which means you have the best chance of beating these things with a quickness.
yellowroseofky

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Feb 6 2008 15:01:03
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I must have been meant to come across this feed. I have never posted a feed before, but I actually had to pick a subject in grade school to write a paper on, and I picked bedbugs and had to study and learn all about them to write my paper. Bedbugs are nocturnal and only come out at night to feed on our blood. They are not known to transmit diseases to human beings, which is extremely good news for those of you experiencing problems with bedbugs. They were once wiped out of this country by the chemical DDT in the 1940's. DDT has been banned, and bedbugs have been reintroducted into the United States from other countries in recent years. So, you could actually purchase an alread infested mattress or box spring that made it to the United States from another country. The reason bedbugs are so difficult to eradicate from your home, be it an apartment or house, is they can flatten their bodies out and crawl up inside cracks in wallpaper, probably drywall, carpeting, etc. after they are through with their night feeding, ew. They do not just infest bedding. They can infest an entire home as long as there is a supply of human blood present.

This is an article from the University of Maine pertaining to bedbugs, and I think it will be of great help to you: http://pmo.umext.maine.edu/factsht/bedbugs.htm

Dogs have recently been trained to sniff out bedbugs and are being used to try to stop these bugs from being transported into our country from other countries, and various dog breeds are being trained for this job, mainly shelter dogs. I am aware of this fact because I am a volunteer dog rescuer and recently received an e-mail that Jack Russell Terriers were being trained for this purpose, which caused me to wonder why only this one dog breed would be trained for this and what made this breed unique for that purpose, and I found that it's not just JRT's being trained but other dog breeds as well. So, the good news is that our country is actually once again doing something to try to prevent us from being reinfested with bedbugs from other countries, but I am hoping they haven't gotten to the problem too late.

I would say, if you lay something down on anything infested with bedbugs or their eggs, then the insects could contaminate the object, because that is how they are actually spreading from cities, states and entire countries.

I don't know if I have been of much help to anybody, but I hope so. To the person who purchased a new bed that was reinfested, this is how that could have happened. If your bedroom is carpeted and/or you have wallpaper, cracked drywall, crevices bugs could crawl into, then they would simply have lain there waiting to feed off you again, which means they ventured out of their hiding places in your home and crawled back into your new bed and started feeding, or your new bed could actually have been infested when you bought it.

I do not at this time know what chemicals or measures you can take to eradicate these bugs, but I was hoping that your knowing where they may be hiding might help when you have your home exterminated, and I think I would have every room exterminated before buying new box springs and mattresses, then have it rechecked and exterminated again as many times as need be until no more bugs are found. They can even be hiding in your couch.
Anonymous

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Feb 6 2008 15:30:56
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Hello yellowroseofky,

Thank you for your interest in helping others.

In my opinion there are various inaccuracies in your post. There are a lot of different sources of information and new thoughts and research emerging all the time.

Bedbugs are not nocturnal. They can and actually do feed during the day if there is an opportunity. They were not eradicated by DDT. And there is reason to think that they were not eradicated in this country at all. That is to say, there were low levels of bedbug populations in this country all this time.

That bedbugs have been reintroduced to this country from other countries in recent years is a conjecture, a possible explanation among several, and cannot be asserted as fact as there is no conclusive evidence or research that privileges that speculation over several other possible reasons for the resurgence of bedbug infestations. (Yes, bedbugs can travel between countries but I don't think all our bedbugs are imported.)
BBcoukHome

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Posted 5 years ago
Wed Feb 6 2008 15:54:31
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Hi,

If I am reading this correctly you had bites before swapping the bed over. If this is correct then the problem was present before the new bed was introduced to the property and it now needs to remain there until the problem is dealt with and the bugs are eradicated.

They do not just live in beds and other areas may still have activity.

There are numerous possibilities of how you may have come into contact with bed bugs. If the bites occurred after a specific event such as a trip, holiday or something being brought into the property it may be as a result of that. It may also be the indication of a problem in an adjoining property.

I always advise people to be open and discuss the issue with neighbours. Yes bites may be the most visible sign to you but there is also the fact that many people do not initially respond to them. If you look through the FAQ's and share them with everyone who adjoins onto you and may be a source.

Most of all relax, remain focused and deal with things in a logical and informed fashion.

I want to avoid the nocturnal versus not nocturnal debate beyond saying if you see enough infestations you will eventually meet someone who works permanent nights. For them the bed bugs are active during the day when they are stationary and sleeping. It is more accurate to think of bed bugs as creatures of habit and opportunity. If food is available at a regular time morning, noon or night they will adapt to it. I recall reading a paper about a bed bug infestation on buses in California that they appeared to be most active in the morning rush hour as office workers, favourably females with skirts would get bitten on the backs of the legs as they journeyed. They have adapted and travelled with man since we lived in caves so there is no reason to think that they would not adapt to modern society.

Good luck.

David