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Bed Bugs (Gross!!!)
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Anonymous
OP, bugs could pass between row houses but are more likely to do this between apartments. Most *old* rowhouses are somewhat independent structures. Treat you problem, hit it hard, clean and treat EVERYTHING, and be prepared to repeat this for a while. You'll probably see results. Sealing crevices is always a good pest blocking idea and may help. It seems like public health officials should get involved with sanitation concerns like the ones you mention with your neighbor, but I don't know what they would actually do. I do think that disclosing your problem to your neighbor so she can be on the lookout and make informed decisions (if she's competent) would be the responsible choice, just as hotels should (but don't) close off blocks of nearby rooms for treatment when bedbugs are spotted in one room. |
Anonymous
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OP here again.
We met with an exterminator today who only found evidence of the bugs in our mattress -- no other rooms -- so it sounds like we are catching it early. She quoted us a price of $600 to treat our room and the two other bedrooms on that floor. I went to Home Depot tonight to buy bags for the carpets and the clothes and everything else in the room, per her suggestion. While at Home Depot I came across a spray and a fogger, which both claim to kill bedbugs. While I absolutely want these critters gone, I'm wondering if I could try self treatment (following all the cleaning advice of the pest control folks, getting mattress covers, etc.) Any advice? |
Anonymous
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I think I'd pass on the fogger:
http://www.bedbugsguide.com/bed-bug-foggers.htm |
Anonymous
Foggers are typically not helpful in pest control because they either disperse bugs to other rooms or push them temporarily into deeper harborages within walls. You particularly don't want this with bedbugs. It is probably true that the poison would kill just about any bug (assuming the bug isn't resistant- another issue, especially with pyrethrins because they're so commonly used) if applied directly, but most pests are better at hiding than that, and fogs don't penetrate crevices and voids effectively enough. As far as self-treating... I'd expect that the chemicals available to licensed pest control people are stronger. If you know what the chemical in the Home Depot product is and how concentrated it is, I might be able to give you some feedback there, or you could do some research online. Generally, I think you'd have better, safer results (because licensed guys are subject to a lot of rules about exactly which chemicals can go on which surfaces and how often) with exterminators. Bedbugger.com has a lot of helpful (and thoughtful) information. You could also Google entomologist Richard Pollack with the Harvard School of Public Health. BTW, please think about ways you can avoid sharing this problem until it passes for your family. If you have children in school, please make sure backpacks aren't kept in bedrooms. Same with briefcases, library books... any potential vectors for bedbugs or eggs to hitch a ride. Good thing it's no longer coat season! |
Anonymous
PP with a former bedbug problem here. Six hundred sounds high, but if this person is reputable go for it. Does the $600 include multiple treatments? The exterminator should come back a week or 2 after the initial visit to kill any eggs that have hatched. Absolutely do not use a fogger. Also, I forgot to mention earlier, but make sure to cover your box spring as well as your mattress. Getting rid of bedbugs is a PITA, but sounds like you are nipping this in the bud early. |
Anonymous
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OP here. Yes, $600 includes follow up, though not the mattress covers. I may get another quote tomorrow, then hopefully start the treatment by Wed.
Question for those who have been down this path before: How long are you living out of plastic bags?? |
Anonymous
When I had my problem 5 years ago the flat charge was more like $250 for three visits to a (probably much) smaller home. The thing is, it is labor-intensive service because they need to deal with every surface and every crevice they POSSIBLY can. You want this... and you don't want to hear (as I did a couple of times) that they're just doing a quick spray and moving on to the next call. I have heard that companies have been raising their bedbug rates to reflect the amount of time and labor it takes to have a good shot at resolving this. Sorry to say I think you may be looking at a commitment of a few months, OP. And if you can be entirely bite free after a few months, you're actually one of the fortunate ones. A lot of people don't treat aggressively, don't clean and bag... and their treatments are less successful. These bugs are a *^%$* because they either always have a food source or can live a long time without a food source, hide really well, don't want to eat bait that can be poisoned, and don't pick up a lot of pesticides with their feet the way some more easily controlled bugs do. |
Anonymous
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We had an infestation a few years ago while living in a high rise. We had them for probably 3 months before figuring out this "rash" my husband had was actually from bed bugs--rather than from improperly cleaned mats at the martial arts studio. It took our apartment building 4 months to properly react and rectify the situation. I can honestly say it was possibly the worst 4 months of my life! I slept with long sleeves and pants with socks pulled up over the pants. We ended up sleeping on the couch for so long the damn bugs came to the family room in search of fresh blood! Aaaahhhh! My skin crawls just thinking of it!
Spend the $600; have it professionally taken care of! It is worth every single penny! Wash EVERY SINGLE article of clothing in your home. We threw out our box-spring, as it was completely infested with eggs & bugs, then treated & bagged our mattress. Since these stupid bugs are also attracted to wood for some reason, the exterminators also drilled very small holes in our baseboards and sprayed in there. It is also a very good habit to get used to keeping your luggage outside or in the garage when you first return home from a trip. My husband travels frequently for work, so he brings a white trash bag to keep his suitcase in while in a hotel. I've also read when staying in hotels to keep your suitcase up on the dresser, rather than on the floor or the luggage stands provided. And, of course, inspect your hotel room/bed before getting settled in! All along, we blamed my husband's frequent travels for the infestation. Until we found out months later that the little old lady living in the apartment next door must have been infested for years without knowing it. So they traveled through the walls from her bedroom to ours. The apartment complex got a good piece of my mind when we found this out, since I made it very clear they should notify everyone on our floor, otherwise the bugs will just jump from apartment to apartment. GOOD LUCK!!!!!! I FEEL FOR YOU!!!! |
Anonymous
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BTW, please think about ways you can avoid sharing this problem until it passes for your family. If you have children in school, please make sure backpacks aren't kept in bedrooms. Same with briefcases, library books... any potential vectors for bedbugs or eggs to hitch a ride. Good thing it's no longer coat season! We had bedbugs around the time my niece was born. I went and visited the baby, but wouldn't stay in their house out of fear I would bring a stupid bug with me and infest their home. Those bugs are little fu**ers!!!!! |
Anonymous
| OK you guys have totally freaked me out!! DH and I have both had a bumpy rash for over a week now... Both of us thought it was from yardwork and the doctor told me she thought it was a contact rash, but it seems like bites to me. But we have the Sleep Number bed which isn't a real mattress-- it's like a mattress top with some foam and a glorified air mattress underneath. Could bedbugs live in that? |
Anonymous
Probably, but you need to be aware that they can be harboring in any crevice-- NOT JUST MATTRESSES!!! (Sorry to yell, but that's a piece of misinformation that I think has caused a lot of potential treatment successes to turn to failures. It has also caused the problem to spread because people who wouldn't buy used mattresses will buy used headboards, nightstands, or dressers without thinking this through). Anyway, it seems reasonable to inspect for bedbugs or have a pest control company do it for you. If they find nothing, have them come back a few weeks later if your problem continues. But remember that rashes can have many causes... most of them less freaky. I'm no dermatologist, but I think contact rashes look pretty different from bites. Of course, everyone reacts differently to various rash-causers, including bedbug bites, so it is really unreliable to try to diagnose bedbugs from the skin problem. You'll need to find an actual bug (or husk or something) before knowing for sure. |