Bed bugs, eeeuuuuuooooo!!!!!

[Changing4Best]

YIKES! How does one move a FISH TANK? It is a ten gallon tank!!! It also is STUCK to the table it is on, I already know. @She Cat

 

[Changing4Best]

Now, my neighbor is telling me that Bed Bug Bites don't itch. One of my bites does itch and the other two don't. What is that all about?

 

[Changing4Best]

Well, I pulled out the storage bin from under my bed and found none of them on it. That makes me think that this isn't maybe as bad as I thought it was. It's bad, but it could be worse! Not a one of them was on it. Just a bit of collected dust.... not really even dust bunnies.

 

[Deleted member 541]

Where you need to look is in your bed. The creases, the piping around the mattress, the box spring, under the mattress, and pull the bed out and look at the head of the mattress that is against the wall or headboard. The nymphs are the size of a piece of pepper. The older ones are a dark reddish brown color, and can be seen after they have fed, as they get bigger. You also need to look for black spots, just black spots about the size of a ballpoint pen dab. That's their shit that they leave.... OH JOYFUL!!!!!

 

[theshadowoftheliving]

My building had a bed bug scare a while back and I did a lot of research.

For a box spring or mattress, they sell plastic covers designed for this. Wrap it up. Leave it wrapped up for a year, and anything inside will be dead.

For bedding, etc - heat kills them. If you can't put it in the dryer, bag in plastic and leave in the sun for days where it will get super hot. Cars are ideal for this.

I also got an organic spray that I used. It made me super dizzy, so something was working. I also had no signs afterwards of any bugs (nor before, however, I was just nervous ...).

 

[Changing4Best]

I want to also say, that I am not a filthy person. I don't leave dirty dishes in the sink, I have a lady come in once a week and help me keep things clean and neat, I do my laundry every week and clean my pet's cage then too. I take out the garbage regularly, etc. I'm Kind of a neat person in most ways although I am a bit of a clutter-bug, collecting stuff, you know? However, I don't see any obvious reason that this has happened to me, other than it happened to some neighbors and affected me after that too.

 

[Deleted member 541]

Bed bugs don't discriminate... they don't care if you're rich or poor. Dirty or clean. It's your blood that they are after!!!

 

[Neverthesame]

I want to also say, that I am not a filthy person. I don't leave dirty dishes in the sink,

I don't think anyone thought that.
Heck, I've got dirty dishes in my sink. I don't have pest insects inside my house.

I know you're very upset. I remember you telling me about the tick that gave you Lyme disease, when you were out walking in the wilderness and how sick it made you. Now facing a similar threat, in your own home.
Must be terrifying.

We know it's not your fault. We all just want to help you get through it. :hug:

 

[Changing4Best]

I don't think anyone thought that.
Heck, I've got dirty dishes in my sink. I don't have pest inse...

Thanks for the compassion, I really appreciate it at a time like this. You are so right in all your thoughts about how I am feeling and acting about all this.

Bed bugs don't discriminate... they don't care if you're rich or poor. Dirty or clean. It's your bloo...

Yes, you are right. I needed this reminder, thanks.

 

[Changing4Best]

So I ordered 5 bottles of Diatomaceous Earth which it says KILLS them. I had to order 5 bottles, or amazon.com would not ship the order to me. They have a minimum order requirement of $25 I guess. With the shipping, it came out to something like $40, tax included. Man! This is getting expensive, but if it takes care of the problem, it will be worth it, because all the exterminators do is repel them. This way they get repeat business. They claim that nothing kills them, but the info on this Diatomaceous Earth says quite otherwise! It says as long as it does not get wet, it works for several weeks.

I got a Neem oil killer spray also, which works as well. It stinks a lot though, so I know that the Diatomaceous Earth does not stink, as my father used to use it in the basement to soak up moisture. It absorbs something like 10 times its weight and size in moisture. I guess that is how it works. I'll read more about it when the product arrives.

 

[Deleted member 541]

because all the exterminators do is repel them. This way they get repeat business. They claim that nothing kills them, .

. This is not a true statement. First of all, I had a customer last year that had bed bugs and she used a professional exterminator and the problem was solve immediately.

Second, if exterminators didn't do the job that they claimed law suits would be coming out of the walls.

Yes, they ar hard to get rid of and they ar becoming resistant to the chemicals being used to kill them, but the companies are also changing the chemicals and treatment plans too.

If you plan on using this product, the you will need to cover your entire apartment with it, bed bugs crawl and the burrow into wood too. So every piece of furniture, carpets, your bed everything!!!!

 

[Neverthesame]

I promise I'm not trying to scare you away from trying this, as I see no reason why you shouldn't. I just want to point out a couple safety precautions in case it isn't in the literature that comes with the product.

Make sure you wear a dust mask and goggles when you lay down the diatomaceous earth. Might also be a good idea to wear something over your clothes so when you finish applying the powder, you can take it off outside to beat the dust out of it.
Also, be careful not to kick up the dust when vacuuming. Might even be a good idea to wear the dust mask when you vacuum, for the duration of using the diatom powder.

It can cause irritation to the lungs, bronchial passages, throat and eyes. From what I could find, that is the worst it can do to you. Not terrible, just unpleasant.

Knowing what I wrote above. I wouldn't be dissuaded from trying this in my house if I needed to.
I hope it works as advertised.

I would like to make one little suggestion. If the landlord is going to be paying for the exterminator to spray your place. Might be a good idea to let them do it first. If the worst case scenario is nothing, there's no harm in letting them try IMHO.