I've never had bedbugs before in my life but in the past week and a half or so I've been getting itchy lump bites. They aren't usually in clusters, nor do they seem to be "red" to bleeding points like in some pictures unless I scratch them super hard.
I have seen what appeared to be at least one of the fuckers. I have a teeny dead one in a bag, but I'm not sure if it confirms anything. I have a loft bed, and foam mattress; I've checked my sheets' seams and I haven't seen any eggs or anything moving, nor droppings except for black specks of dust. I'm operating on the impression that the droppings are sort of "seeped" into the bedding and look more like stains than dust bits and lintballs.
I do plan to wash everything I can and to buy such things as diatomaceous earth, rubbing alcohol to be applied to potential (if as yet unidentified) trouble spots, and whatever bedbug killers I can lay my hands on. I live with other family members in a rather cluttered environment; thus far nobody else has gotten any bites. I have a loft bed in close proximity to a siblings; he has reported nothing. How worried should I be? I know I have to act fast but I'm still afraid.
I had lice once; shaved all my hair and washed my bedding and that seemed to solve it quick. Should I be afraid of that too? Will I be fighting a neverending battle? Also, advice on how to keep my filth from spreading to others besides trashbagging everything (e.g. work stuff, workplace supposedly does have bedbugs, dunno if I got them from there asI've worked there substantially longer than this) would be nice.
Have you seen any carpet beetles in your home? They are pic related and super small. Once we thought we had bedbugs because I kept getting these small itchy bumps, literally dozens upon dozens of them, mostly congregated on my legs but there were some elsewhere too. It was weird though because we never saw any evidence normally associated with bedbugs, and my BF was not getting bumps either.
We did however notice these tiny beetles while cleaning and researched them. They were carpet beetles, and the hairs on their body can cause an allergic reaction in the form of itchy bumps on a person's skin. Not everyone is sensitive to the hairs, which explains why the BF was not getting any. They were very easy to get rid of though, a simple vacuuming of the floor and furniture and washing of linens.
>>2138155
Could've been, I've definitely seen something like them around but the itty bitty nigger I mentioned getting in a bag looks nowhere near as pretty as that beetle.
I do work around crickets sometimes. They can be pretty dirty and I would not at all be surprised if this were related to them, because sometimes tiny milipedes, maggots, flies, and beetles show up with them but that'd be weird too, because until now I've had no trouble with them.
One thing I didn't mention was that I used repellent on myself a night ago on myself and my bed and woke up the next morning with no bites. Last night I tried the same but more sparsely and was itching on my less-sprayed foot and hand so bad I didn't catch a wink.
I don't have a vacuum.
if it is bedbugs, you'd be better off buying a semi decent steam cleaner than all that other stuff. Diatomaceous earth is really bad if inhaled and I've never seen an off the shelf spray that works well on bedbugs (filthy little fucks never clean themselves and since most bug killers require ingestion....). Any cleaner that can output steam at more then 160 Fahrenheit will be more then enough to kill the bastards and their eggs.
>>2138161
Yes the one in the bag if it is for certain identified as a bedbug is concerning, but the fact you are not finding any sign in your bedding and your housemates are not experiencing the same makes me think it is something else.
I would definitely recommend either purchasing or renting a vacuum if only for the cleaning process. Vacuum the entirety of the floor and wash everyone's bedding and clothing in the room for starters, is what I would do. I hope you do not have bedbugs and the little bugger in the bag is just a fluke!
>>2138164
Got it, will go for, as it's near-on exactly the same price as the other stuff lumped together. I thought some people used the earth as a cooking ingredient, though?
Curious thing again; if it is bedbugs, why haven't they troubled my roommate yet? His bed is literally adjacent to mine, but he hasn't said anything. Is it because my bed's a loft bed? Whatever the case I'm fucking cleaning house.
>>2138165
I would not at all be surprised if it's just me being an idiot. The closest thing I have found to an egg casing is a toenail so far. I did check the header and footer of my bed.
Fuck I'm scared.
>>2138168
I don't blame you at all for getting worked up over a dead bedbug, I would too! Don't be scared, just channel all that energy into cleaning up instead. I wish you luck!
>>2138176
I did see something moving when I got up sleepless earlier, didn't mention that. i couldn't see what it was, but it wasn't as big as the first bug I saw. I don't know where it went.
>>2138153
>I have a teeny dead one in a bag
Is it squished? Take a picture.
>>2138182
Here you have it.
It is squished, and the picture is blurry, please do excuse. I'd put this thing at around 2-3 mm.
And I forgot the photo. Genius.
>>2138218
Sounds like a plan. To be safe, should I get the steamer anyway? I really want to avoid this, it's my first time with it and the stories of how persistent they are scare me.
Also fuck you >>2137972, I want to avoid a pest problem and I'm an idiot at the same time. Please have mercy on a newfag.
Well fuck, now that there's a second bedbug thread in the catalog I'm scared about my hair too.
I can't find any really direct confirmable bedbug signs on my mattress itself. I know there's some red crush stains and black stain-like dots on my mattress sheet, though only few, and the bug I mentioned seeing this morning has disappeared altogether, so I guess I'll just pony up for the steamer. I can use it on my mattress, right?
Does the mattress having only one edge make a difference? There's technically only one 'lip' for bugs to sneak around on, and I keep that closer to the top, where the bottom is smoothed out and has few real edges. Of course this guarantees nothing.
I don't know if this is over but thanks to everyone who helped, even if this thread and my posting seemed shitty.
>>2138153
Google on how to build bedbug yeast traps.
Build one or a couple.
Check results afterwards.
The problem is your original pic is an adult, and its dead, so it probably already bred, your loft may be home base and they be easily spread thing amonst your entire home. Ive never dealt with bed bugs but i know theyre no joke and a huge pain in the ass. Based completely off of common sense this is what i would do.
Id quarantine everything a bed bug could live in say in your garage or in a giant bag if you could find one
Soak some items to see if anything floats up
Probably just throw anything half way affordable in the trash that i could replace.
THROROUGH inspection of the entire house
Call an exterminator if promblem persist
>>2138367
They may easily be spread amonst* excuse my autism
>>2138367
Thin
>>2138198
Nice raisin. The only way to really be sure is to nuke from orbit.
I have actually gotten bedbugs 3 times, all in big cities, where do you live?
Once I had professionals come in and steamed the apartment and they were gone. The second time I caught them early and I think it was only 1 bug and I basically nuked my bedroom with EcoRaider & diatomaceous earth, and I've never gotten bites since.
You should have everything that can be bagged bagged. Separate clothes for wearing outside vs at home. You don't have to wash everything, putting it in the dryer should be enough. From my experience they actually do not spread THAT easily, it takes more than a couple of days of an infected item in your room. If you live in a place that is not prone to infestations you should probably try to deal with them yourself first, but if the begs are coming from somewhere else in the building then theres no way to deal with that.
I have some doubts that what you have are bedbugs if they are not several bites in a line, the appearance of the bites vary between different people (even different parts of the body) but the bites should have characteristic pattern.
>>2138448
also, observe where/when/how you are getting bit, try sleeping fully clothed, if you are no longer getting bit, then its probably mosquitoes or something
>>2138367
I have little doubt it may have bred, nuking w/ fogger in process. If it has bred however, it may still be in the one room as nobody else has complained of the bugs yet in my apartment.
>>2138383
Doing this w/ foggers. I should probably get some of that dust.
>>2138448
I live in a big city, NY. I doubt they're from in bue building, I've lived here my whole life and the most there's been are roaches and tiny mice. If anything I'm afraid I could end up being patient zero for the building, which'd be a terrible shame. Here's hoping it's nipped in the bud now.
Anyways I've already started attacking the problem. I'm using Hot Shot Bedbug and Flea foggers on the affected room, but nothing has been bagged; my logic is that in this way not only will they be exposed to the foggers but they'll also be washed anyway later. I am not sure this is a good idea now that I get to check this thread. I kinda doubt them, and unfortunately this was done before I checked the thread again but it's something. I'm also going to go at the affected matress and bedframe as well as as many nooks and crannies as possible with 91% alcohol, and then I'll cover the ground zero mattress with a plastic bedcover.
Good?
search everything. flip over couches, check the bottom of table. apply diotomaceous earth liberally. wait a day. vaccuum it all up. check all the spots you look over once more.apply more if you have to. repeat as often as you have to. it can take awhile but if you stick with it you can elliminate them.
>>2138266
>there's some red crush stains and black stain-like dots on my mattress sheet
You have bedbugs. Those little red and black stains are your blood that's been shitted out by the horrible, nasty things.
Not OP
What the fuck is this thing?
>>2138520
another angle
![0wb8g8H[1].png](https://i.imgur.com/hQAQwur.png "0wb8g8H[1].png")
>>2138521
![asRgcDR[1].png](https://i.imgur.com/jzL1mri.png "asRgcDR[1].png")
>>2138526
If anything it's looking like a book louse.
Here's a better pic.
There some sort of place I can get a specimen tested?
![TwCEOQ1[1].png](https://i.imgur.com/Q62QVny.png "TwCEOQ1[1].png")
>>2138533
one last pic
sorry for all these
i'm wigging out
>>2138526
Well, good to confirm I'm well fucked and doing at least a little of what I should. Definitely going to be going for the diatomaceous earth.
Have finished the room bomb, doing a little of the bedframe wiping down with 91% rubbing alcohol. Gonna sleep without a mattress cover for testing purposes.
>>2138573
>bomb
That was a bad thing to do, Anon.
>>2138583
So it didn't work at all then? Do explain why. Good to know I'll be spending another night with the fuckers then.
>>2138593
Bug bombs drive them into the walls deeper.
>>2138594
Shit. They don't seem to have been at a point where they're in walls yet, though. Guess I'll just have to hope the alcohol helps a tad, and wait on the earth to come.
>>2138593
those bombs from hotshot or whtvr won't work, I think the only real consensus among the bedbug fighting community for having any real effects is the diatomaceous earth because it is not something that the bugs can build resistance towards.
But if you're at a point where you can see their excrement, that's a pretty large infestation, best to call the professionals.
>>2138595
Always check electrical sockets
>>2138597
I haven't seen much excrement at all, like I mentioned earlier. I saw two black dots on my mattress cover, on my mattress itself there were black dots of dust, but no black stains. Is that a large infestation?
Keep in mind this is still with my roommate as yet not having been bitten at all, and he's related to me.
>>2138595
Steam cleaning helps too.
>>2138632
Yeah, I'd mentioned I'd buy a steamer earlier. I'd hoped if I killed 'em all now I could perhaps avoid it, but so much for that one!
>>2138640
Also may want to try some heavy duty poison. It's not foolproof, but it'll increase your chances of annihilation.
Bought these. Now to wait for the fight to resume, and to truly see the results of what was done today.
Kill these fuckers OP.
My dog had fleas once and I can tell you, that was one of the worst experiences of my life.
>>2138882
Trying.
In good news, I slept well last night and don't appear to have been bitten at all. No major bumps, but my head itches. I hate my hair and try to keep it shaved all the time, so this shouldn't be a big problem in the possibility the bugs were there. Fuck lice, fuck bedbugs.
Counting today, I've missed two days of work for this. It's a shame, but at the very least if what I ordered comes through soon I should be able to clean the ground zero bed thoroughly enough to say that there shouldn't be too much of a problem in the future. That's a bit optimistic, though, so here's hoping to be prepared for the worst.
Against better judgement and advice I've used a second bomb. I am continuing to rub shit with the 91% alcohol, and am preparing to haul as much clothing as possible to wash it all.
I have at last found a single actual bedbug- a tiny one, again only a few mm in length, only this one was alive, and of all places, it was on a sketchbook I carry around all the time. For this reason I left the book in the room while the bomb went. Killed it, but I still don't know what the overall situation is. How should I be applying the 91% alcohol to keep bedbugs away from as much as possible, besides rubbing down the bedframe? Should I rub down the mattress itself?
This is obviously going to be a problem. At any rate that steamer and earth can't get here fucking fast enough. I feel like I'm blogging and I hate it.
>>2138200
It's a bed bug.
Bedbugs are fucking terrifying if you ever had a infestation. I had one several years ago.
You may have caught some strays from elsewhere. Hopefully these tips will help.
>Sleep with a bright coloured bed sheet because it will show their shit after they feed on you
>Put some double sided tape on the bed frame legs
>To prevent the bed bugs spreading get treatment asap
>If you do get treatment always put your clothes in the dryer for 60 min the heat will kill the bugs/eggs
Well /an/, I've caught and killed another live in the flesh, and gone through another sleepless night.
I'm calling an exterminator. My roommate still hasn't been bitten, though all of this. I'm thoroughly baffled. I can't stand this and it's only been a few days. The other stuff is still on the way, but I guess the best I can hope for is to use it in prevention. God have fucking mercy.
Applied plastic cover to bed, wiped down with rubbing alcohol, attempting to consult exterminators and get price quotes.
Fucking damn it Amazon the diatomaceous earth was supposed to be here by nine. Fuck.
If I spray this around my doors and outlets, would it have prevent a little bit of the spread of the little assholes?
I found two little baby ones today. I assume they have to have already reproduced before this find, but I'm still baffled. The bugs are still on my mattress, post plastic cover application.
Diatomaceous earth has arrived. I don't have a sprayer. If I attempt to daub it by hand to the doors and outlets, will there be a problem? Should I contact my building exterminator?
Please help I'm losing my mind.
Hijacking your thread OP. Good luck with your infestation.
I'm also suffering bites from something in bed in the last few days. It's super warm in the UK at the moment, so I'm sleeping with my window open. Only started when I got back from a weekend away, get a few new ones every night. Boyf hasn't received ANY while sleeping next to me in the same bed, but I'm the kind of person who attracts bites like nobodys business and he seems to never get any.
Not fleas, as cat was recently treated and we haven't seen any. They also usually get me throughout the day. Bites are oddly placed, usually I get them on my lower legs but so far there are only two on my upper thigh, the rest being neck and shoulders, with a few on my torso.
I'm hoping it's just midges or something coming in from the outside. Any ideas /an/? Gonna strip my bed today before I leave again for the weekend, and will advise mother accordingly.
Also a quick check of my bed shows nothing.
>>2138167
There's a food grade diatomaceous earth and non food grade. But even the food grade is nasty stuff for the lungs. It's literally microscopic razor blades.
>>2138200
Bedbug, my senpai. Burn everything.
>>2141026
I got some of the food grade stuff, mainly because it's cheap.
I got some paper masks for protection against it if I spread it. I'm a little hesitant, both because of various notes about exterminators not wanting to serve pre-attempted-service homes, curiosity as to whether or not I should clean before applying the stuff, and the question of how to do it without a duster.
Seeing the nymphs has me freaked out.I've read that, if undisturbed, Bebdugs usually won't spread too fast, which'd explain why so little has happened to my roommate, but I still fear their spreading through the household.
>>2140965
>I found two little baby ones today. I assume they have to have already reproduced before this find, but I'm still baffled. The bugs are still on my mattress, post plastic cover application.
Then God help you.
>>2141331
I hope he does. I really do.
Today another roommate has officially found bites on their body. They sleep on a couch. They think it's mosquito bites for now, but tormorrow the truth shall surely be revealed, and by that I mean the fuckers have most likely spread.
I have spread the DE on my room's threshold and on one of the outlets using a spoon and brush, and can only hope it helps just a tad. I've heard some people get rid of bedbugs using them entirely using just DE and thorough application. It gives me hope, but not a lot. I need the fucking exterminator.
You are fucked. Reading your blog posts here, you have over and over done the cheap/short term solution, despite the advice of others and even yourself.
Get rid of the mattress. Toss the couch. Tell your roomoommates to chip in for an exterminator. Your plans aren't going to work, the infection will spread, and the problem will continue to escalate otherwise.
If they won't help and you can't pay, I urge you to resume going to work and start sleeping somewhere else. Use clean clothes to avoid transmission. Allow the problem to escalate, since your roomsies are probably like you and won't pull their heads from their asses until fucked.
>>2142393
I can definitely afford it, discussions have been had an an exterminator is a certain thing.
Er, what would the longer term solutions have been? The duster is still on its way, dust has been used, if currently lightly, and I plan to make use of it on everything. My roommate, through all this, and my other non-couch roommate, have as yet still not been bitten. Is there any hope?
>>2142413
Bites can take a couple of weeks to show up
>>2142413
Oh yes, also, would making DE perimeters around beds, rooms, etc. be any help?
Thanks, sorry for the blogging, it's true. I brought this on myself.
>>2142418
Well, I guess it was nice knowing you.
I suppose I should write back when I finalize the exterminator's appointment. Mail is being written as of right now.
Don't wish me luck nor pity me, /an/, I already know you don't, but take me as an example of what not to do.
>>2142423
Hey, op. I remember we used to have bed bugs when I was very young. My mom bought canned bed bug killer sprays and sprayed under the couch, along the walls, around the bed, and we washed everything fabric and ran it through the heater on max. We tossed the couch because we think it was where the infestation was.
Eventually, the bugs either all died or left. Good luck.
>>2140980
Doesn't sound like the usual bite placement of bedbugs.I was unfortunate enough to have them twice, and both times i only ever got bites on my forearms/feet/ankles, as they generally prefer extremities to suck on. Try putting a fan in and closing the window for a bit and see if the bites stop. If you have bedbugs, you will see them. they are not small.
Fucking hell, I spend last night getting no sleep trying to find bedbugs, and then this morning I wound up sleeping in a bed that up until now had been bedbug free. I was and am in bedbug free clothes and the DE is still on the floor but now I'm sure the bugs will be in there too, or something.
Fuck me.
>exterminator doesn't come till sunday and I've been suffering for the past two months
hold me /an/
also are ultrasonic pest repellents wastes of money? They sure haven't affected the bugs surrounding my room
Found one in a roommate's hair today and can't get the exterminator in until later. Fucking mental, and for all this the others in my household still have not been bitten.
I can't fucking wrap my head around this. I can't call building management until tomorrow. TASKETE.
Not saying to any anons that isn't scabies or bedbugs but I have itchy spots on my skin that develop during certain months (when it gets warm or cold) (that is anywhere during april or november and any temperture changes). I went to the doctors they thought it was scabies or bedbugs or flea bites. Confirmed to be none of those due to bedbug inspections, a lot of money spent on scabies medication, and my rommmates and partners not having any symptoms. It didn't develop until I was like 20 years old. So don't rule out your skin having allergic reactions to the seasons even if you've never had any in your life.
>>2144452
Also they go away after a while. They get worse with heat applied to them like scabies but they go away for me after a while. I was convinced I had something for a while but sometimes it's just your skin sensitivity due to temperature change even if you've never experienced these symptoms before
Wow shit, you are pretty fucked, im a poor fuck and have had bedbugs 5 maybe 6 times. All that fogging, earth, raid can shit is garbage, get rid of the mattress, couch, inspect everything you have by eye, or throw it out, any other methods and you will have them forever or get use to being bit and become a carrier.
>>2138153
Ok, I will answer some of your questions because i have dealt with bed bugs before. Heads up, it sucks.
>I've been getting itchy lump bites.
1st sign, and a bad one.
>I have seen what appeared to be at least one of the fuckers.
>I have a teeny dead one in a bag, but I'm not sure if it confirms anything.
:( It confirms it.
>I have a loft bed, and foam mattress; I've checked my sheets' seams and I haven't seen any eggs or anything moving, nor droppings except for black specks of dust.
>I'm operating on the impression that the droppings are sort of "seeped" into the bedding and look more like stains than dust bits and lintballs.
>seeped into the bedding, look like stains
Yep, I saw the same thing when i had them.
>I do plan to wash everything I can and to buy such things as diatomaceous earth, rubbing alcohol to be applied to potential (if as yet unidentified) trouble spots, and whatever bedbug killers I can lay my hands on. I live with other family members in a rather cluttered environment; thus far nobody else has gotten any bites.
>I have a loft bed in close proximity to a siblings; he has reported nothing. How worried should I be? I know I have to act fast but I'm still afraid.
>How worried should I be?
I don't mean to scare you, but you should be worried. Chances are they will travel very soon to the nearby areas.
>I had lice once; shaved all my hair and washed my bedding and that seemed to solve it quick. Should I be afraid of that too?
>Will I be fighting a neverending battle?
Yes.
>Also, advice on how to keep my filth from spreading to others besides trashbagging everything (e.g. work stuff, workplace supposedly does have bedbugs, dunno if I got them from there asI've worked there substantially longer than this) would be nice.
You must quarantine everything. Look up vaccuum sealed bags, And bag EVERYTHING.
Conclusion: Do a lot of research, these fuckers can live ANYWHERE. Picture frames, spines of your books, in YOUR WALL OUTLETS
first time that I've been invested on a thread on /an/ and I've been browsing channel 4 since 07
jesus christ op
I dont feel safe in my home after reading this thread. My cat had fleas back in 2009 and they spread everywhere, god that shit was a pain.
I have watched documentaries about bedbugs those people fucking go homeless, op my high empathy makes me feel so bad for you its ridiculous. Keep posting I'm going to pin this thread hard.
>>2144737
>>2145043
At last I have an exterminator on the way, they'll be in tomorrow.
I am still bagging and cleaning everything. But through all this, my one roommate who I've mentioned never getting bitten still hasn't been bitten. He's taped up the ceiling around his bed, and has a bed made out of a smooth material which the bugs theoretically can't climb up. No bedbug signs on him or his bed. My roommate who sleeps on the couch still hasn't gotten bitten either, with the exception of the one time. I've been changing and cleaning clothes every day explicitly to avoid carrying them.
I've still been sleeping in another room in another roommates' bed- since then I haven't been bitten either, nor have I found any signs of bedbugs wandering around in that room.
I did use the dust on the thresholds of my room and the sockets too. I think they might still be in my bed, no doubt they've moved around but I'm hopeful they're still confined to the one room. What signs should I be looking for in other rooms to check for bugs? If I see them moving around in the current room, should I be worried?
https://www.amazon.com/Nuvan-ProStrips-Package-Strips-Cages/dp/B0073ZOOQ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465932604&sr=8-1&keywords=nuvan+prostrips
Do these things work at all? I'm planning on asking the exterminator, but I wouldn't mind a second opinion.
>>2138480
If you live in an apartment, most states have laws requiring the landlord to make a good will effort to remove bedbugs from their apartments. See if New York has such laws (as a hotspot for bed bugs, I'd imagine it would), and tell your land lord.
They pay for the professionals to come in and go HAM on the little shits. The other advice about bagging everything, drying and securly bagging clothing items, etc. will help reduce the spread (though pest control may be upset since it makes their initial inspection more difficult, as it alters their assessment of how bad the infestation really is/was).
Your landlord should be happy to jump in this if you are the first case, so that it is caught before it spreads to multiple locations. Also, pretty sure they shouldn't try to evict you since it's not a matter of not taking care of your living space.
Lastly, if the pros give you the okay to do some of your own extermination on the side, heat is far better than cold. Don't bother freezing things, as they tolerate cold temps better than high heat.
Good luck, bed bugs are miserable to deal with.
>>2138520
>>2138521
>>2138525
Looks like a booklouse.
>>2138533
Well it's not a bed bug. But if you want something tested, look up entomology extensions in your area (a university with an entomology program ought to have an identification service, for example). You bring/mail your specimen(s) jn, and pay a fee, and someone with experience identifying arthropods will give it a look and tell you what it is.
>>2145402
My building has indeed said they're sending their own dude, I will take your advice and call another professional anyway.
>>2145422
Not sure if that will help. It'll obvioualy cost you, and then you either have two different groups working on their own trying to treat the problem, which is just the right hand not knowing what the left is doing.
They may also possibly have conflicting treatment plans. If your landlord is paying to have specialists come in, let them pay for it and do their thing. If it's not cleared up within a month, then consider hiring in a new crew on your own. It will take a week or two to really start seeing results.
They may be a bit neurotic at times, but bedbugger is a support forum if you want a place to talk woth people that know what you're dealing with.
>>2145426
I was thinking calling the second pro after the first was completely finished, or else just calling in those dog bedbug sniffer dudes.
How soon will I know if these guys are successful? A few weeks, like you say?
>>2145328
Nope DE is the only thing that works.
You can use pic related on your bed frame posts to see if they are coming from outside the bed, or are inside the frame. You can make one at home with a yogurt container + fill it with diatomaceous earth so they die.
Make sure to move your bed away from walls, etc so you can confirm they aren't climbing on through another path.
If you still get bites, then you might have to change your matress & bed frame
Bed bugs are the worst. Not because the bites are bad themselves, but because of the psychological torture of not being able to sleep.
What i did:
> 1) Buy diatomaceous earth. This is the only thing guaranteed to kill them (it kills by scratching their exoskeletons and drying them out, so they can't gain immunity -- it's like humans can't gain immunity to knives). It's also non-toxic to humans, and you can liberally apply it to form "walls"
> 2) Check your bed frame and mattress. Apply DE to mattress and bed frame and wrap it in a bed bug mattress protector
> 3) Make traps like in >>2145589, and move your bed to the middle of the room (so they can't climb on from the walls, etc.) This way you can see if they are coming from other parts of the house, or are hidden in your bed-frame
> 4) If you are getting bit despite the traps, then discard both matress and bed frame. Get a metal bed frame (bed bugs don't like them)
> 5) At the same time, take EVERYTHING (clothes, blankets, sheets) to the laundry and WASH ON HOT. washing on HOT is the only way to kill the eggs.
> 6) Once your clothes are washed, put them in plastic garbage/recycle bags so you know which ones are clean
> 7) Apply DE in every crack that bed bugs could get in through. Spray it all over the place. Sure, it will make your house look like a crack den, but it will kill them.
>>2145526
>I was thinking calling the second pro after the first was completely finished, or else just calling in those dog bedbug sniffer dudes.
Sounds good. When looking for a pest control company, see if they already use a sniffer dog trained with bed bugs. From what I hear, it's become far more widespread over the last few years, since it potentially makes initial discovery of infestation much faster, even if a customer tried to do their own control regimen before the pros were called in. However, it's expensive to train them, so it's not as widespread as folks might like it to be. As a service, it may also cost extra, so again, look into it if you need to consider hiring a new company.
>How soon will I know if these guys are successful? A few weeks, like you say?
Most pest control agencies will make follow-up visits to see how the treatment is progressing. Since these things are very resistant to conventional pestcides, are infuriatingly good at hiding, and IPM programs can take 1-2 weeks for visible results, and possibly longer before pest control feels safe in saying the infestation is fully controlled. Thankfully, many have a guarantee saying "if you see more signs of infestation/more of the pest after x days, we'll come back and finish the job for free/reduced cost, etc."
It takes a while since you need to get the ones hidden away, kill the various generations of eggs, nymphs, and adults (missed eggs can hatch, which necessitates the nymphs being killed before reaching sexual maturity, as an example for why return visits are common), and IPM programs will work multiple treatment angles in case some aren't as effective as others.
I know it's a miserable experience, but try and take some comfort that they aren't known to transmit any diseases via their bite, and that at most they are a (VERY tenacious) nuisance pest.
>>2145623
>continued
Give it time to work, do what the pest control company recommends when it comes to treating (likely with heat, such as an hour in a hot drier for clothes) and securely bagging your things, and how to limit their ability to hide, and you will see an improvement in severity, and eventually your desired outcome of eradication much sooner than if you rush things (as you've seen with the bug bombs, earlier).
It's a bit long, and it's geared more towards pest control technician training, but this video will go over what pest control will probably do, general timelines, what to expect, and what they probably don't want you to do (i.e. turn the house upside down, burn everything to the ground, etc.).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBqwEmjaKpE
>>2145625
One of OP's roommates here, I've gotta say that video is incredibly useful and very informational, thanks for linking it.
So far I have still not been bitten by these little fuckers, but one of 'em dropped down into my hair from somewhere and it freaked me the fuck out. I'm going paranoid with these things around, but my bed is elevated, made of linoleum/plastic, and I've made a ceiling perimeter of clear packing tape around my bed so they can't drop on it.
My only question is: do these things breed while they've been starved? I know they can live up to a year without a blood meal, but in all my reading about them I've only seen that they'll lay eggs after a blood meal. OP's been out of the room for a few days now, so if that's true then the amount of bugs will have stagnated, yes?
>Work in shitty hotel
>trashy fuckin' people always bringing bedbugs in
>manager doesn't give a fuck/too cheap to do a decent job
>sprays rooms with raid or some shit
>calls it good
>oh look, more bedbugs
I am absolutely terrified that I'm going to bring them home with me...
The building-hired exterminator has come and gone. He's told us what we need to do, that is, bagging everything in the bedrooms, and then shifting the furniture away from the walls.
He's also given us free reign to use the DE. He said that the couches shouldn't be too badly affected, as they are leather. My roommate who's been sleeping on the couches has not been bitten so far, still, and the roommate who has the linoleum-lined bed also hasn't suffered at all.
Should this be taken as a good or bad sign?
>>2146700
Oh yes, should mention he basically left so that us tenants can prepare for when the technicians roll in, that's why we bag, move etc. Their treatment will last two weeks.
Blimey. This sounds like quite the odyssey you're going through, OP and room mate
>>2138153
Those "black specks of dust" are bedbug shit. You should learn to shower or not hang out in crack-houses.
>>2146700
>>2146702
>Should this be taken as a good or bad sign?
>treatment will last two weeks
Good so far. At least they have a plan, and are moving forward. That said, after two weeks they may schedule a follow up inspection, and continue treatment until it's fully stamped out, should they still find evidence of infestation. Good luck, the ride is just starting.
>>2146102
If you don't already, put a change of clothes in your garage for when you get home. Switch into those, and put your work clothes in a bag to go directly into a drier on high heat for an hour.
Also, prepare a second pair of shoes, and consider tossong your work shoes in the drier too (in a pillowcase, to keep them from getting roughed up), or at the very least gping over the treads with a fine-toothed comb, so ti speak. Once had a pest control guy tell me a horror story of taking his shoes off and finding that a gravid female hitchhiled home with him in his shoe treads.
If you do that, you should probably be okay.
>>2146732
Bed bugs don't give much of a shit how you live. As long as they have a place to hide (and they will find one), and someone to feed off of, they can and will set up shop. It's not like cockroaches, or body lice.
So I have a question.
I sleep in a hammock full time, I've never had bedbugs but I've always wondered.
Can a hammock stop them from getting to you? It's kinda weird that the usual suggestion is to burn your house down instead.
>>2146752
> As long as they have a place to hide (and they will find one),
Clean up your hoard of newspapers and bullshit.
>>2146756
Nope & nope
>>2146761
RIP
>>2146756
How is the hammock suspended? What material is it hanging from, and what is near the connection points?
>kind of weird that the usual suggestion is to burn the house down instead.
That's a mix of things. Internet joke about killing horrid arthropods with fire, bed bugs being notorioisly hard to control, and the unique psychological impact they present. Never thought of the mental toll much until I saw support forums with suicide hotlines stickied, and people putting up massive walls of text about how they've veen left with shockingly severe mental trauma over what should be - at worst - a nuisance.
DDT really set us up with some over-inflated expectations of pest free homes, and holy shit does it fuck people up when reality comes knocking.
>>2146759
Do you have carpeting? A baseboard along the wall? A bed or any furnature in the room? Electrical outlets? Frames on the wall? Of you said yes to any of these things, congratulations - they have a place to hide, even if you keep things tidy and clean.
>>2146767
Put glue on the edges and it gives them something to grip to. You should know about gripping to edges....
>>2146768
But I already said I have never had bedbugs, read my posts.
>>2146776
I did. Read mine.
>>2138153
>They aren't usually in clusters, nor do they seem to be "red" to bleeding points like in some pictures unless I scratch them super hard.
I get the shit too, usually on my arms and my chest. I doubt it's bed bugs but more likely and allergic reaction or some kind of fungal infection. Do these itchy spots swell up to about triple their size if you "scratch" too much?
I'm planning to move into a new apartment with SO and holy shit OP story made me terrified of moving into a shit hole. I'm half torn if the potential risk is worth over a much cheaper cost since we're under a budget. God speed OP.
>>2138167
Some people don't feel bedbug bites.
>>2147967
http://bedbugregistry.com/
>>2144452
>>2144454
Could be skin problems due to your body products.
Ever consider a dermatologist or maybe allergist?
In the meantime, change your shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc to anything that is both Fragrance Free and SLS Free.
https://www.psico.com/product/free-and-clear-shampoo/
https://www.psico.com/product/free-and-clear-conditioner/
https://www.psico.com/product/vanicream-facial-cleanser/
https://www.psico.com/product/vanicream-cleansing-bar/
https://www.psico.com/product/vanicream-skin-cream/
https://www.psico.com/product/vaniply-ointment/
https://www.psico.com/where-to-buy/
You can also buy these products from Amazon or stores like Walgreens.
Roommate here, we've managed to catch these guys somewhat early (only been around 2 weeks, 2nd week OP has not slept in the bed with the bugs and they haven't gotten any blood meals), how many bugs are there likely to be hanging around?
>>2148370
>OP has not slept in the bed with the bugs and they haven't gotten any blood meals), how many bugs are there likely to be hanging around?
Scientists debate this point, but evidence suggests that at normal room temperature, about 23 degrees Celsius, bedbugs can only survive two to three months without a blood meal. But because they are cold-blooded, their metabolism will slow down in chillier climates, and the insects may live up to a year without feeding.
You vastly underestimate the "hardiness" of bedbugs.
Just bite the bullet and hire either those certified dog sniffing bed bug exterminators or a regular exterminator.
>>2148382
OP here, there's no way in hell I'm not doing either of those things. This shit ain't over 'till it's over, and that means fucking months.
Dog dudes get hired- after the initial treatment has gone through.
>>2138153
>>2148398
OP, here's some interesting articles about Fresh Kidney Bean Leaves and Bedbugs backed by legitimate studies from actual universities.
http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/10/83/20130174.full
http://theweek.com/articles/465757/watch-humble-bean-leaf-conquers-bedbug
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/bean-leaves-dont-let-the-bedbugs-bite-by-using-tiny-impaling-spikes-18427074/?no-ist
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/science/earth/how-a-leafy-folk-remedy-stopped-bedbugs-in-their-tracks.html?_r=0
https://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2013/04/kidney-bean-leaves-may-help-eradicate-bedbugs-study-suggests
http://www.bedbugs.umn.edu/have-i-found-a-bed-bug/
http://www.bedbugs.umn.edu/bed-bug-control-in-residences/
http://www.bedbugs.umn.edu/what-not-to-do/
http://www.bedbugs.umn.edu/how-to-prevent/
I know a lot of people have been shilling Diatomaceous Earth to you, OP, but the fact is that there has been no serious scientific study involving Diatomaceous Earth and Bedbugs while Kidney Bean Leaves have been successfully documented and verified by electron microscopic images in trapping Bedbugs within seconds of Bedbugs walking and traveling over these Kidney Bean Leaves.
>Picture related
However, please understand, I am not advocating you to use Kidney Bean Leaves over actual insecticides/heating treatment or hiring an exterminator.
I just wanted you to read these interesting articles and maybe even prevent you from buying large amounts of Diatomaceous Earth that may or may not be effective in solving your bedbug problem.
Bed bugs don't like heat, if they exposed to a temp of 140 degrees Fahrenheit fir to long they will, die.
>>2149315
I only have a 2 pound bag of food grade DE. It seems to be working, because this whole time the bedbugs have never been seen outside of the room where they were first seen.
>>2149376
I have been regularly washing as much of my clothing as possible to kill bedbugs but I have yet to try to find a heat treatment service as opposed to ordinary exterminators.
Haven't seen any bugs in two days. I'm nervous. No bites on roommates.
