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I have bedbugs


Garga
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It has been a fear of mine for years. And today it came true. I have bedbugs. The bug guy just left the house. I'm pretty bummed.

 

(Incidentally, my bug guy looks and talks EXACTLY like

. It was hard to keep a straight face throughout the inspection.)

 

Anyhoo. He's going to send me info on how to prepare the house for treatment (lots of washing everything washable and cleaning out stuff from all the closets/drawers), and then he'll come in and treat.

 

He'll come back every 2 weeks to make sure they're gone. He said that it will take up to 2 months because he'll use some sort of chemical that messes up their life cycle (so you have to wait for them to die), but he'll keep inspecting every 2 weeks until they're gone.

 

He quoted $680 for all the care--from the first session until the last 2 months later. I have heard that's it's pricey to get rid of them and veeeery difficult.

 

The bug guy has a degree in bugs (entomology?), so he wasn't just some tech guy they sent out. He runs the business for himself and seems to actually love the little bugs he treats and came across as very knowledgeable about all things bugs related. (The Dragon Academy's son will probably grow up to be this guy--remember this thread?)

 

Please be aware that bedbugs have nothing to do with cleanliness, so we're not living in dirt over here--I'm afraid if I tell people about the bedbugs, they'll think I'm a dirt ball. I've heard of a library a couple of counties over that had to shut down because they had bed bugs in the books. I wonder if that's how mine got in my house--library books?

 

Anyone else ever have bed bugs? How did it go for you to get rid of them?

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Oh, how awful!! Another friend of mine (not locally at least) is currently battling bed bugs, they think from a recent short vacation / hotel stay. And I'd seen an article about those libraries with the bedbug infestation just the other day. Yuck, yuck, yuck!

 

I sure hope you're able to defeat this quickly. I'm grossed out just *thinking* about it.

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Not here. *knocks on wood* Wolf works in landscaping for a townhouse complex, and sometimes helps clear units after ppl have left (usually owing $$ in back rent). He sees bedbugs all the time.

 

One woman wanted them to carry in a mattress that was clearly marked "BEDBUGS, DO NOT REMOVE" from beside the dumpster. Wolf looked at her like she was insane, and explained, slowly, "The.mattress.has.bed.bugs." Her reply? "So you won't help move it for me then??" She was ticked. Wolf told her no and walked away.

 

You can get them anywhere at all. Libraries, gyms, any public place. They like to hide in the seams of clothing, not just mattresses.

 

Wolf changes in the basement, in the laundry room into a towel, and straight into a shower when he gets home...and he wears a full coverall with a hoodie at work when he's in suites.

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Not here. *knocks on wood* Wolf works in landscaping for a townhouse complex, and sometimes helps clear units after ppl have left (usually owing $$ in back rent). He sees bedbugs all the time.

 

 

 

 

My bug guy said they're really hard to get out of apartment complexes because people are coming and going and bringing them in and out and you have to try to treat the whole place...

 

But he said he has pretty good success with single homes, so here's hoping. He was a very nice guy. Even when my son (for some UNKNOWN reason) wrapped a "present" for the guy with paper. It was a sock. Why would my 8 year old son wrap up a sock in a sheet of printer paper and give it to the bug guy?????? I have no idea.

 

The kids followed him all around the house "searching" for bugs, too. The guy was VERY nice to them, and said, "They're just curious. Some guy comes in with a flashlight looking for bugs...they're gonna want to look, too."

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So sorry you are going through this. It must be a real pain. I have heard bedbugs are becoming prevalent in some areas.... what a nightmare!

 

We go to the library all the time to get new books. Maybe we should get in the habit of running all library books/carrier bags through a drier cycle first???

 

I hope the treatment works as expected and bedbugs are gone for good.

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I am freaking out here!!:eek: I knew they were in the U.S. again, and I thought it was mainly out east-please, please, tell me that's where you all are located????

 

I am a germ-freak as it is, especially when we stay in hotels, but I hadn't heard about the library books!!!! Not my library books!!!!

 

Can you tell I am panicking? Just what I need, something else to worry about. And the cost-OMG!

 

How prevelant are the bed begs, and what can we do?

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I am freaking out here!!:eek: I knew they were in the U.S. again, and I thought it was mainly out east-please, please, tell me that's where you all are located????

 

I am a germ-freak as it is, especially when we stay in hotels, but I hadn't heard about the library books!!!! Not my library books!!!!

 

Can you tell I am panicking? Just what I need, something else to worry about. And the cost-OMG!

 

How prevelant are the bed begs, and what can we do?

 

I'm in Pennsylvania--out east! You're in luck.

 

I had heard that a county south of me had closed for the bedbug problem. The bug guy said that libraries and stores in New York City were closed for the problem, too. The bugs were coming home in people's books and purchases. He said that he'd recently treated a 93 year old man's house (with his 90 year old wife) because the bugs came in on a hospital bed they'd rented.

 

I found the bug on my PILLOW last night before I got into bed. I looked at bed bugs online and it looked EXACTLY like the ones I found online. I showed my dh. And he STILL slept in the bed last night! Men are so weird.

 

I slept on the couch.

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I am a germ-freak as it is, especially when we stay in hotels, but I hadn't heard about the library books!!!! Not my library books!!!!

 

Can you tell I am panicking? Just what I need, something else to worry about. And the cost-OMG!

 

How prevelant are the bed begs, and what can we do?

 

She's in Connecticut. NYC has an epidemic of bedbugs. http://theweek.com/article/index/206173/7-high-profile-nyc-bedbug-scares

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We had bedbugs when dh bought a toddler bed & mattress at a garage sale. My ds started waking up with little bites on his, so we noticed right away. We called our pest service (we lived in Texas at the time), and they came out right away. I washed everything in the room, and the pest service treated the room. We tossed the mattress, and we put the bedfame out in the sun for a couple weeks. It was amazingly easy to treat the problem.

 

The bad part was that I read if they have a host (my toddler at the time) and you remove the host, the bedbugs will travel to find a new host. So, I am sad to say that we decided to leave both dc in the bedroom with the bugs. It was only for one or two nights, and I thought for the better good. I had an infant in another bedroom, and I definitely didn't want them spreading to the baby's room. I guess we made the right decision since we were able to get rid of them very easily, but it was difficult to know my toddler was getting bit at night.

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I've actually been wondering when someone would post this. I have a girlfriend in Louisville who lives in a townhouse and has been battling them for the past 2 months. She is hoping they are now gone for good. They came in through her electrical outlets from the next door townhouse:(

 

They can live up to 18 months without a meal!

 

I'm literally terrified of these.

Edited by JenC3
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I've actually been wondering when someone would post this. I have a girlfriend in Louisville who lives in a townhouse and has been battling them for the past 2 months. She is hoping they are now gone for good. They came in through her electrical outlets from the next door townhouse:(

 

They can live up to 18 months without a meal!

 

I'm literally terrified of these.

 

Oh no, Kentucky! They're moving closer!!!:scared:

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Saw a story on the news recently that some pest companies are starting to treat by bringing big heaters into your home and heating it up to the point of the high temperatures killing off the bugs. It means you don't have to take everything out and wash it. With all the clothes and bedding in my home that would take forever! Plus, no chemicals. We will see if this treatment catches on.

 

Good luck with your pest removal efforts. My husband travels a lot and has a web site he checks frequently that lists known infested hotels.

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Saw a story on the news recently that some pest companies are starting to treat by bringing big heaters into your home and heating it up to the point of the high temperatures killing off the bugs.

 

Other companies freeze them. I'm not confident they truly know what works best yet as it's a relatively new epidemic.

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It has been a fear of mine for years. And today it came true. I have bedbugs. The bug guy just left the house. I'm pretty bummed.

 

(Incidentally, my bug guy looks and talks EXACTLY like

. It was hard to keep a straight face throughout the inspection.)

 

Anyhoo. He's going to send me info on how to prepare the house for treatment (lots of washing everything washable and cleaning out stuff from all the closets/drawers), and then he'll come in and treat.

 

He'll come back every 2 weeks to make sure they're gone. He said that it will take up to 2 months because he'll use some sort of chemical that messes up their life cycle (so you have to wait for them to die), but he'll keep inspecting every 2 weeks until they're gone.

 

He quoted $680 for all the care--from the first session until the last 2 months later. I have heard that's it's pricey to get rid of them and veeeery difficult.

 

The bug guy has a degree in bugs (entomology?), so he wasn't just some tech guy they sent out. He runs the business for himself and seems to actually love the little bugs he treats and came across as very knowledgeable about all things bugs related. (The Dragon Academy's son will probably grow up to be this guy--remember this thread?)

 

Please be aware that bedbugs have nothing to do with cleanliness, so we're not living in dirt over here--I'm afraid if I tell people about the bedbugs, they'll think I'm a dirt ball. I've heard of a library a couple of counties over that had to shut down because they had bed bugs in the books. I wonder if that's how mine got in my house--library books?

 

Anyone else ever have bed bugs? How did it go for you to get rid of them?

 

You may want to do some research online....there have been numerous articles and new stories about bed bugs...apparently it's reach critical in New York. It's everywhere. It's in 5 star hotels and seedy motels. It's in million dollar homes and shacks. It has NOTHING to do with how clean or a house you keep, or if you are slobs, or if you think dust is a protective covering.

 

I've been watching and reading on this subject everywhere I can....because with the amount of travelling that we do, and that DH does with and without us, I figure it's just a matter of time before our diligence fails. We leave our luggage outside in the car while we inspect the hotel room, each and every time. We leave hotels rather than just change rooms when we've found them (3 times this summer). We check again before we leave in case the buggers showed up while we are there, and so we don't unknowingly bring them home. So far so good...but I'm just enough of a pessimist to believe sooner or later...........

 

But, what I came away with from every article and news report that I have read is that CHEMICAL treating doesn't work. Not at all. And people are paying BIG bucks for failure. And that these exterminators KNOW it's going to fail. Apparently the ONLY thing that works is heat. Bed Bugs have been called more resitant to extermination than roaches! There are companies that will bring in equipment that heats your house to 120 degrees and that kills the buggers AND their eggs. The chemicals apparently don't kill the eggs, and just like lice, you end up starting all over again. The recommendation is that when you get home from a trip that you throw all the clothes you took into the dryer and run it on high. This will kill any hitchhikers (we do this, after we wash in hot water). And that you leave your luggage outside in direct sun for a day (ok, here in Arizona that will work, not sure what the recommendation is for those of you lucky to have double digit weather instead of our triples).

 

So, please, before you spend a small fortune and introduce chemicals into the nooks and crannies of your house, check to see if your research agrees with what I've been reading/hearing.

 

If you happen to find I'm wrong...please let me know the articles you've read....as I said, I'm trying to be prepared because "they're coming" is not just the tag line of some scary movie. :grouphug:

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First off, I'm so, so, so very sorry for you. You have my deepest sympathies. Unfortunately, you will not be alone in this for long. They will only be spreading faster.

 

It has been a huge fear of mine for months now. My dh goes to Philly in Nov and is staying at a hotel. I'm petrified. But I know it won't take long before those stupid, awful bugs take over the country.

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Again my friend is going through this and I'm a little OCD and a big germ a phobe. My dh think I need to settle down, but I JUST can't.

 

 

http://www.protectabeddirect.com/ is great to put on you mattress. We have regular ones from Target, but I'm getting these soon just to be safe. My friend put them on her bed and they worked.

 

http://bedbugregistry.com/ My parents are coming in 3 weeks and the hotel they stay at has been reported. They are driving straight through instead:(

 

http://www.usbedbugs.com/?gclid=CPKsmfy1qKQCFYjt7Qod3i514A

 

Another site I found today after reading this thread. I'm freaking out again now:(

 

http://bedbugger.com/

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But he said he has pretty good success with single homes, so here's hoping. He was a very nice guy. Even when my son (for some UNKNOWN reason) wrapped a "present" for the guy with paper. It was a sock. Why would my 8 year old son wrap up a sock in a sheet of printer paper and give it to the bug guy?????? I have no idea. ."

 

 

Okay....the sock gift..anyone else think of Harry Potter freeing Dobby, the house elf with a sock?

 

Seriously, your dc sound so sweet. Sorry about the unwelcome invaders.

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Yikes! You are freaking me out! Not my library books!

 

Sort of a spin-off - if you know someone has been exposed to bedbugs (friend's child overnighted at someone's house; child came home and showed what she thought might have been chicken pox but found out it was bedbug bites) would you be concerned about having them in your home? Or am I just being needlessly over-cautious?

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Yikes! You are freaking me out! Not my library books!

 

Sort of a spin-off - if you know someone has been exposed to bedbugs (friend's child overnighted at someone's house; child came home and showed what she thought might have been chicken pox but found out it was bedbug bites) would you be concerned about having them in your home? Or am I just being needlessly over-cautious?

 

Um yes! Do not have them over. Sorry, but it is a VERY long and arduous process. My friend would have brought them to us in June if she had visited. i just thank God she didn't She gave them to her father and her workplace:(

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You may want to do some research online....there have been numerous articles and new stories about bed bugs...apparently it's reach critical in New York. It's everywhere. It's in 5 star hotels and seedy motels. It's in million dollar homes and shacks. It has NOTHING to do with how clean or a house you keep, or if you are slobs, or if you think dust is a protective covering.

 

I've been watching and reading on this subject everywhere I can....because with the amount of travelling that we do, and that DH does with and without us, I figure it's just a matter of time before our diligence fails. We leave our luggage outside in the car while we inspect the hotel room, each and every time. We leave hotels rather than just change rooms when we've found them (3 times this summer). We check again before we leave in case the buggers showed up while we are there, and so we don't unknowingly bring them home. So far so good...but I'm just enough of a pessimist to believe sooner or later...........

 

But, what I came away with from every article and news report that I have read is that CHEMICAL treating doesn't work. Not at all. And people are paying BIG bucks for failure. And that these exterminators KNOW it's going to fail. Apparently the ONLY thing that works is heat. Bed Bugs have been called more resitant to extermination than roaches! There are companies that will bring in equipment that heats your house to 120 degrees and that kills the buggers AND their eggs. The chemicals apparently don't kill the eggs, and just like lice, you end up starting all over again. The recommendation is that when you get home from a trip that you throw all the clothes you took into the dryer and run it on high. This will kill any hitchhikers (we do this, after we wash in hot water). And that you leave your luggage outside in direct sun for a day (ok, here in Arizona that will work, not sure what the recommendation is for those of you lucky to have double digit weather instead of our triples).

 

So, please, before you spend a small fortune and introduce chemicals into the nooks and crannies of your house, check to see if your research agrees with what I've been reading/hearing.

 

If you happen to find I'm wrong...please let me know the articles you've read....as I said, I'm trying to be prepared because "they're coming" is not just the tag line of some scary movie. :grouphug:

 

Propoxur and bedlam will kill them. But propoxur has been outlawed.

 

You know I'm super anti-chemical, but I'm almost in favor of spraying DDT again. DDT is what knocked bedbugs out years ago.

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Propoxur and bedlam will kill them. But propoxur has been outlawed.

 

You know I'm super anti-chemical, but I'm almost in favor of spraying DDT again. DDT is what knocked bedbugs out years ago.

 

I was just thinking that too but didn't have the guts to mention it. I wonder if I can setup a DDT perimeter around my house for good measure.

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Those little critters can travel on clothing, so you should be VERY careful to check yourselves before going to friends, relatives or neighbors' houses with an unwanted gift in tow. That's why they're infesting everything from high end clothing shops to movie theaters in NYC. Good luck!

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Saw a story on the news recently that some pest companies are starting to treat by bringing big heaters into your home and heating it up to the point of the high temperatures killing off the bugs. It means you don't have to take everything out and wash it. With all the clothes and bedding in my home that would take forever! Plus, no chemicals. We will see if this treatment catches on.

 

Good luck with your pest removal efforts. My husband travels a lot and has a web site he checks frequently that lists known infested hotels.

 

When we use hotels we check the seams of the mattresses under the sheets before even bringing suitcases into the room. We also check the drawers. DDT almost eradicated them back in the 50s/60s, but they're back "with a vengeance," I guess!

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Yikes! You are freaking me out! Not my library books!

 

Sort of a spin-off - if you know someone has been exposed to bedbugs (friend's child overnighted at someone's house; child came home and showed what she thought might have been chicken pox but found out it was bedbug bites) would you be concerned about having them in your home? Or am I just being needlessly over-cautious?

 

I would destroy clothing/other items that went with the child to the house. Incineration! The child can be preserved but would be given a hot bath and an inspection.

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When we use hotels we check the seams of the mattresses under the sheets before even bringing suitcases into the room. We also check the drawers. DDT almost eradicated them back in the 50s/60s, but they're back "with a vengeance," I guess!
Since they can hide in cracks and seams in furniture and behind baseboards, it's a good idea to not place your clothing in hotel furniture at all. Instead, use the metal bar shelves above the coatrack (make sure the suitcases don't touch the walls). Place dirty clothes in zip-lock bags and do not bring them inside your home until you place them in the washer.
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one can get a passive detection system to place in your hotel room to see if any are there .. sometimes a visual inspection can miss them. The large and XL zip lock bags can be used to encase luggage.. and they sell special plastic bags too..

 

bedbugger has some great info..

 

DH just spent a week in SF.. another bedbug hotspot.. he was very vigilant and inspected his room from top to bottom, kept his luggage off the floor and we kept the suitcase in the car in the hot sun for a few days once he was home.. and I laundered everything in hot and dried on high temps.. He also didn't get any bites while he was there, for a week.. so he felt his room was OK.. but I was still paranoid

 

I plan on getting some of those detectors for when we travel to Fl this coming spring.. another hotspot..

 

I am paranoid he'll bring them home from NYC though..

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