Mary Wilkinson::

Another problem is mites. Yes, mites! A mourning dove had built a nest by my apartment window. The baby bird died, not sure if it was the mother or a crow. Anyway, the bird mites swarmed and caused a similar problem. Covered with bites! Had to call an exterminator! Same thing as bed bugs!

Ann W::

Jim, Do you know what the success rate is for having your house tented with Vikane Gas/Chloropicrin is?
I’m still freaking out about this. I see where someone said that they had their house fumigated and they still have BBs. Has anyone ever had their house tented and with what and what was your results? I had my house done over a week ago and I havent’ stayed there yet.

Paul::

I use witch hazel with aloe vera (from Thayers). Apply with Q-tip or cotton ball. WORKS VERY WELL for me, especially when applied soon after bite is detected. Found that if it stings a bit when applied, it is likely that bite was recent, and more likely to reduce the itch. If I apply soon after a bite, I feel a little sting from the astringent, and the itch if often eliminated (although not sure how large the bugs are that bit me).

So if you are good at being able to detect the bite ASAP, you may be more likely to reduce the itch than if you treat long after you’ve been bitten. The more mature the bug, the greater the reaction.

Plain witch hazel probably also works fine, but the additional aloe vera in the bottle I use may help.

Tried vinegar once when I had no witch hazel, and it seemed to help, but not as much as witch hazel. Very dilute ammonia had no effect for me. Hydro-cortisone helped, but not that much.

Laura::

I have no idea what works…. all the benedryl, cortizone, calamine lotion, and any cream/ointment said that they help with insect bites DOES NOT work. Once you start scratching, it’s over, you are going to scratch until the cows come home. If I am able to the trick is not to scratch at all. The enzyme is only released when you scratch, unless you are highly allergic like the picture that is show above, and I thought I was allergic, guess not.

Thank god! Witch Hazel seems to work. I am gonna try the baking soda paste and peppermint oil and see if that helps. I guess I could get off the embarrassment wagon and ask my doctor for something.

Tasha::

I can’t stop inching . I have not had any new bites .but I’m still inching .please tell me how long do it last when do the inching stop? My friend give me a mattress n box s. Last week I just started waking up n the med hours of the night with bites n hives on my arms n hands. One night I seen a bug n google it , it was bedbugs i jump up waking everyone up in house we put both mat n box s. Out cleaned up real good spray every night n have not seen one since, but how long is the inch? N are they gone or just hiding.

Jayne::

what will the bed bug bites do to black skin

Maria::

Keke and Becky I hear u on what u wrote. For one I don’t think any1 likes bugs unless they r getting paid to get rid of them or show them at a zoo. Why do they call them bed bugs when they are not always in your bed?

I’ve only thought of them as some bug that is usually found in a hotel room bed because of the different people in and out doing who knows what causing germs. When you have your home and keep it clean where do they come from??? I know what fleas, ticks and mosquitos r.

Well thanx to my yahoo “what’s the trend now” would have never came on this site, plus it comes at the perfect time, kind of weird.

lanessa::

n washing will not kill bed bugs.. you cannot drown them heat kill them only

Joy::

I’m suffering a similar problem. I had a friend who stayed with me on and off for a few months. She just didn’t tell me she had bed bugs right away. I had three kids and one on he way at the time. I bombed everything, threw out lots of things, and washed everything. Its now been a year and they’re back. Only now i have three kids and I have recently become the only income. Im barely holding rent and i don’t know what to do. I’m about ready to burn everything i own. I just can’t take it. I work 40 hrs., go to school, and have a child starting school in a week. Urgggg!!!!!!

tom::

recently i have gotten an infestation of bed bugs.. i noticed it not long after i got an exterminator to come spray for ants and other outside bugs.. after he sprayed i noticed an increase of spiders(especially black widows) and a lot more bugs coming inside.. i have a fairly new home(5yrs old) and i shouldn’t have this problem… make sure you get a real professional company to come and do the work. ask what they are spraying/laying down, and what they are treating for and research it to be sure.. i think my house was baited rather than treated

Mike::

We helped a girl who we ran into who was being beaten by her B/F. She and her daughter stayed one night, and we got them to a safe place. Now we have bed bugs. I threw away our bed. (Our guest had used one of our blankets.) Thank God my landlord is going to get an exterminator! It’s at least $300 for them to come in. And yes, the itch is unbearable.

Misty::

I moved into my apt in April and started getting bitten in June , my apt have been professionally treated 3 separate times. I have a 3 year old and I’m so worried for her she doesn’t seem to get bitten or if she is she doesn’t have the bad reaction that I do which is good. I have 18 bites in the past week the worst I’ve ever had. I can’t find the little blood suckers but I found a bed bug spray at home depot. I’m going to treat my house wash and dry all my clothes in hot temps , then caulk every crack and crevice in this apt. I plan to do this every week until my lease is up and I can move out this apt 7 more months.

Jenna::

I recently flew on Airtran Airways, First trip I went well. flying back I had a 30 minute layover in ATL (not enough time to sit down). By the time I got home I was covered in bites from the back of my thighs to my neck. I counted over 100 bites! We have got a serious problem here. these bugs are on planes. I knew nothing about these bugs. Thank you for your stories and remedies. I won’t think twice next time they ask me if I want to upgrade to first class.

kathy roush::

All these bed bugs can be dealt with. it is best to use a non chemical treatment to make it safe for your environment . here is one i found, food grade Diatomaceous Earth found at garden centers, follow instructions, and move beds away from the walls, sprinkle in the carpet deeply, on to base boards , ( it works like borax powder for fleas and roaches) .

Wash all things washable and leave in HOT dryer for at least 20 minutes. The old timers used to sun dry and air their hand made quilts outside in the sun all day and bring them in before the dew would start to settle. they also did their mattresses and pillows and cushions and this must have heated up things a bit but be careful that the sun doesn’t fade the color.

The skin treatment for the bites can be trial and error because each person reacts differently to treatments.
(1) In the tub put 1 half cup peppermint oil in your bath…
(2) make a paste out of baking soda and apply to the area where you were bitten
(3) I was in Fla. one year and my two children were bitten by Jelly Fish and the sting was horrible,,,,the life guard wet the sting area and poured Meat Tenderizer Salt on to the wound…and this worked so quickly , the pain was gone almost instantly.
(4) When bitten by Chiggers found in the grass and also called Red bugs, the Pharmacist told me to get some Petroleum Jelly or Vaseline and apply to each bite and it would smother the Red bug and it would die….IT WORKED SO QUICKLY ….and now i pass that on to everyone.

the Red bug bite is just as painful and itches with no let up like the Bed Bug bites,,,only difference is the Red Bug is in your skin living under your skin until you kill them. I remember my mom and dad use to say when fresh grass is cut not to roll around on the ground because the Red Bugs ( or Chiggers) would get ALL OVER YOUR BODY, and they were right so back in the 60″s we had only few treatments and the old remedies were passed down from family to family. ( you can buy Chigger ointment from pharmacies like Polks or old timers Drug Stores) we used Micureocome and Methilate for bites and scrapes. My spelling isn’t great.

NEVER PUT ALCOHOL ON BEE STINGS OR WASP STINGS OR ANYTHING WITH A STINGER..it will force the venom into your blood stream and increase the danger, always use like Meat Tenderizer salt, toothpaste, and anything that draws out the venom from the skin. Use lemon juice, Aloe Plant, NEVER EXPERIMENT WITH TREATMENTS OF ANY KIND. i hope this helped. CHECK OUT YOUR LOCAL WHOLE FOODS STORES AND HERBAL STORES FOR HELP. BUY A BOOK ON HOME REMEDIES FOR INSECTS, GO TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY AND CHECK OUT BOOKS FOR HOME REMEDIES THAT ARE SAFE.

Most of all don’t get too busy to just give your every room and your car and your yard a GOOD OLD SPRING CLEANING AND DECLUTTER UNUSED STUFF….BASEMENTS AND STORAGE BUILDINGS BREED UNWANTED INSECTS FOR US. CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN THE OLD FASHION WAY. IT DOES HELP MOST OF ALL.

KALEE SIGNING OFF.

Mel D’bois::

I thought “Goodnight, don’t let the bed bugs bite” was just a saying before I went to sleep as a child. Now I know they’re real…

Leila R::

WE have been dealing with these pests for over a month now! WE are covered with welts and itch continuously. I tried bathing in shaving cream and get some relief. the shaving cream has a disinfectant in it that purifies the skins and relieves itching for several hours. I still find a stray bed bug every now and then but we have almost got the problem solved.
I used an Aloe Vera Gel that also worked.

Melinda::

My husband returned from a Military Deployment…and brought bed bugs home with him. The day after we realized we had them, an exterminator that specializes in Bed Bugs came to our house and sprayed. They scheduled themselves to come back in 14 days to spray again (to kill the new bugs that hatch after the initial spray). We were old the spray would kill all the adults and babies…and the second spray would get the new hatchlings. 3 days after the initial spray, we started seeing adult bugs again!

We took extreme measures and hired a Heat company to come in. They heat your house to approx 150 degrees (internal wall temp of 140 or more). Bed bugs can survive for 7 minutes at 115 degrees. The heat company heats your house to well above that temp and maintains it for 4 hours! It was great!!!! We have not seen a bed bug since…except for dead ones!! I will warn everyone…the treatment is not cheap. We have a 3200 sq foot house that is only 2 years old…the cost was $4000. They base the cost on square footage, age of home, insulation, etc. I freaked when I heard the estimate, but worth the money to be rid of them!!

Bugged Out::

Bobby,

If the bed bugs fill up on an infected person’s blood, then you crush one of those bugs and it bursts infected blood on you, or your hand going to your mouth, then why would it not? Or better yet, how could it not infect you?

Is the blood cleaned by the bed bug when sucked up from infected people? If so, why not expand that and do a massive transfusion of infected people’s blood through a device using the same method used by the bugs? Instant cure for aids, right?

Gary S::

Just recently had my first experience w/ bedbug bites in Nicaragua. Hundred plus bites in one night and over a period of three days they became so inflamed, there were tiny blisters on each bite. These suckers snacked on me like I was an all you can eat buffet. I itched 4 days straight and finally went to a pharmacy there, which prescribed me acne creme. Worked, I guess, at least psychologically. But the bites kept festering more and more.

Luckily we were at the tail-end of our trip and once I arrived back home I immediately soaked in a hot-hot Epsom Salt bath. I used 3 cups of Epsom Salt, repeated that twice…and shazaam! The bites reduced in size and the itch was “almost” completely relieved. I had an extremely severe reaction going on and at one point considered going to a dermatologist or hospital to get some professional care.

Now I’m REALLY paranoid the little bastards are slinking out of my backpack and into the carpet, soon to reach my bed – thus sparking another outbreak. Did wash almost everything that was in my possession on our trip. But, who knows… I’m itching just writing about this.

TRY THE EPSOM SALT BATH….

mika::

Well I have those blood sucking bed bugs in my house my kids scratched so much it left marks how do I get rid of it

Bedbug Assassin::

Hello all I just want to put this out there that heat is the best way to kill these little pests. I work for a company that uses heat to do structural pasteurization, in other words we heat the entire house up to 140°+ (which is higher than the the thermal kill point for bedbugs) for an hour or more (though they can only withstand that heat for less than 15 min) This has been the ONLY way to kill them with a 100% success rate since they are becoming resistant to chemicals and DDT is illegal. Some things work for some infestations but not for all, there are a lot of good ideas on here :-)

It is a little on the expensive side but personally I can’t put a price on my comfort I don’t know about you!

Bed Bug Girl::

Hi Lauren,

To find out if the bed bugs are using the couch as their main breeding ground, visit my page on bed bugs traps located at the top right and make one to place next to the couch!

Wolf Cub::

Bobby Larson,

NO you cannot contract HIV from Bed bugs in fact as far as I know they haven’t been found to transmit ANYTHING they are just a nuisance and if your allergic to the bites its worse otherwise they are not dangerous. However there is always the danger from infection I mean the bites becoming infected if you don’t take care of them like any wound not HIV. And they are creepy but ultimately mosquitoes could be more dangerous if u there is west nile around or something.

BuggedOut,
Maybe before you go fear mongering, you should at least Google whatever your about to say that makes you look bad? First read above. Second to answer your question how did you say it….. oh yes ……. Is the blood cleaned by the bed bug when sucked up from infected people? Well the answer is yes and no. HIV can’t live very long at all once the blood has been exposed to air much less been digested by something(ick).

The bed bug can not give you HIV not even if you ate one that was full of HIV infected blood tho I doubt this has been tested(GROSS) lol . Now moving on to your “instant cure for AIDS bed bug digestion transfusion?! um first off I think you really mean Bed Bug dialysis from what you are describing however if anything like that would work don’t you think just giving someone all new blood via clean blood transfusions would work? We do have the technology to clean someones blood which like I said above is called Dialysis. However we can’t clean HIV virus from the blood.

The problem with this idea of yours the BuggedOut’s Bed Bud AIDS Cure Dialysis Machine is that the blood in a bed bug is dead blood. That is why it is red and since HIV is a virus which is also alive it guess what…. yep you guessed it ^_< Live Blood which has Live white blood cells in it which is where HIV the virus that gives you AIDS lives and when they die………………. get the picture. The second problem and also the reason HIV hasn't been cured yet is even if we could clean HIV from the blood with Dialysis or some other method like the medicine they prescribe today, is that HIV is able to move between what is called the blood brain barrier where we are unable to do, with medication or any other means and so the HIV virus hides in it and even if your bed bug machine was to work and you cleaned the blood of HIV and then put it back in the person soon as it you did the virus would come running out the brain barrier to greet & infect it……… It isn't 1980 ya know there is a plethora of information about HIV how it works, how it is/isn't transmitted and HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF from it. I can tell ya ignorance is not one ….. st

bugginout::

I thought I would add a little follow up. I intend to win this little war and I intend on doing it quickly.

First and foremost I think the wisest course of action to take is to get rid of your bed. the whole shebang…the mattress and box spring and all your linens, blankets, pillows and articles of clothing you use to lay in bed with (robes, pajamas and underwear). It’s just not worth it. Get a temporary air mattress for a few weeks if need be. You will be better off in the long run.

I wish I did this about five weeks ago when i was first bit. My mistake was thinking this was like something like crabs or lice which could be treated quickly with a topical solution and some special shampoo. By the time you actually get to seeing one after you’ve been bit it’s too late for your furniture.

I’ve cleaned the entire area…this time sprayed it all down with a bedbug killing spray (Raid). Everything, nooks, crannies, corners, the vent. I’ve also re-inspected my spare mattress. No sign of anything. I’ve gone as far as going into both. the inside of my boxspring has been saturated with the raid spray as is the “down” side of the mattress. I slashed into the side of the mattress and sprayed inside there too. I am going to be mopping with bleach in the morning and afterward I will do my spray down again.

I’ve been doing my best to create a disturbance…on top of the whole poisoning them thing I’ve been beating my mattress and wrapping on the floorboards and walls for the past few hours and I haven’t stirred anything up yet. i think this is a good sign. I’m hoping the problem was mostly confined to my bed.

One thing I’ve noticed is my cat is unaffected by all this. I’m assuming I’m the tastier option of the two but I’m not discounting the fact she may be spreading eggs around my apartment. she has been carefully inspected from tip to tail with a nit brush and she has no bites, isn’t scratching and seems to be just as snug as a bug in a rug. To be precautionary I am going to begin dusting her with flea powder in the morning when i go buy some.

I think the lice/bedbug/flea killing shampoo and gel I’ve been using accounts for me not getting munched on that terribly…as i stated earlier the worst of it seems to be over and I’m going to keep using gold bonds and neosporin. I had a few other topical anti itch creams lying around and while they’ve helped some…nothing soothes like the golds bond. I feel very lucky that I’m not bitten in anyplace visible. my right bicep was where i was bit the most (besides my feet)…which is also the side i sleep on.

I am also going to look for some of that feeding powder…I have no idea where a livestock store is around here. I plan on using it the way you would a borax. I’m going to put it in a squeegee bottle and pour it along all the nooks and crannies of my room, between the floorboards and between my spare mattress and box spring.

I will say be careful with using baking soda on your skin. Maybe some people have had success with this but to my knowledge all you’re going to do is cause further irritation. You could potentially create lots of tiny little red white heads where you let it dry on your skin.

There is another old wives tale that says sprinkling a little garlic powder in your pets food will prevent it from ever having fleas. never tried it but i just might now…

I guess its time for the true test…time for sleep…

don’t let the you know whats bite….

p berry::

My daughter stayed at a friends for 2 nights…. And brought home bedbugs!! She has bites from the top of her head to her feet. The itching must be horrific. Poor child. After 2 days of not being able to stop the itching, as a last resort (on a Sun at 11pm) I told her to use a bathroom spray cleaner that had bleach in it. She only put it on her legs, but the itching stopped there, just not on arms, stomach or in her head. Don’t recommend bleach but she was able to get a couple hours of sleep. I will try several things to try to help her that I have read from previous comments. Thanks everyone….

Betty::

My husband and I recently stayed at a Scottish Inn, off I-75 in Florida, on our way back from NJ. We needed a room on the first floor. The only thing they had was a $32.00 room + tax. Since we were tired from driving, we took it. During the night, I woke up and I felt like something had bitten me. When we got up to get ready to leave, I noticed both my arms, left leg, one on my face, left ear and one bite on my neck had been bitten. I immediately took a hot bath, but I still can’t stop itching. I’ve never had bed bug bites before so I visited this site. I definitely will be trying the baking soda and water mix. My husband has two bites on his arm, but they’re not as bad as mine. He thinks he received them at the prior motel we stayed at.

I think that hotel/motel/inns should be mandated to fumigate their rooms. I might also purchase the special light that’s used to detect bed bugs before getting into a motel bed.

amber::

the exterminator said they live can live anywhere!! your light sockets,outlets, cracks in your walls,your tv,dressers anywhere. We threw all our furniture and beds away and months later still have this problem all over again.

Love::

I dont know if i have bed bugs but they look like them. i tried to pop one that really hurt and i did and pus came out. Do bed bugs leave pus behind? I am in pain. i Have one in my back and it hurts all the time i move its worrying me. Can some one help me GET RID OF THEM.!!

It Chee::

Just came back from a hotel stay, have one VERY itchy bite on my wrist. I don’t know for sure that it is a bed bug bite butI haven’t unpacked my bags yet, so hopefully everything is safe. Right now I have an aloe and lidocaine gel over the bite, but when I get home I may try soaking it in tea bath. the tannin in black tea can also help with itching and swelling.

Jack BAKER::

Hi all Im sitting here at 3 in the morning itching away got first bite 3 days ago I know the apt upstairs was heat treated 10 days ago I guess they traveled down here. glad I found this site yesterday I went all around with a hand held heat gun all over base boards and any cracks I can find also vacum three times I will do it all again tomorrow stay tuned Jack

jennifer zielinski::

Ive had a boy friend that stayed at a gospel mission in seattle and complained an complained how bad they were there. He came over to my house, which im not blaming him, he has never been bitten. Plus we had another person at our house that came over that has the same problem. Ive been getting bit for about 4 months. Kids sleep in my room an they havent got bit at all. I bombed the room, ive vacuumed, scraped mattress,washed all clothes several times in hot water searched everywhere took off matting that was on my box spring and I could not find a single one!!!! Well since i bombed I havent been bit, but tonight as i was sitting here i finally saw one crawling on my clothes that were on the floor. Now im freaked out! Could there only be one? Or do they always produce a family?

Nessa::

I sleeped over my boyfreinds house just for a night my 4month old daughter and I slept on the bed and we got bit bad but my poor baby seems to have pus on her bites..she got bit even on her face her fingers etc..but funny thing my boyfreind didnt get bit, I got home and i washed everything we took in hot water dried in hot washed my beeding all her blankets the car seat was left out in the heat for 2 days..then i washed it in hot water i vacumed the whole room sprayed alcohol on the carpet on my matress..question is what more can i do? is there any chance that they could still be in my room?

marks thrive::

I think I have bed bugs. I have them all around my arms arm pits chest back and sides of my body. Every day they go away then come back then go away then come back I have trieds everything I need help please help

Bebita::

About a week ago my son bought me a sectional sofa at a yard sale and by the 3rd day my grand daughter had more than 100 bites all over her arms, legs and back. I told my son that it was chicken pox because she got so full of them by the next day again, until i got up the next morning with my legs, back and arms filled with the same bites…. for my luck the sofa was loaded with the unwanted bed bugs and now they were all over my home. This is the worst itching ever not to mention the frustration when people see you with all the bite marks and they see you like you have something contagious . I threw the sofa out and found a spray called “Rest Easy bed bug repel” ($10.00) and a powder (Diatomaceous Earth) ($10.00) and sprayed all the mattress in the house along with the powder and washed EVERYTHING with hot water. I think they are gone now. I bought Calamine lotion, benadryl anti itch cream, and cortisone but the only way that my itching started to feel better was with “Gold Bond max relief cream.

Tasha8951::

hey ive been staying at a motel for about a week and two days ago i have these welt looking bumps that look like mosquito bites after you scratch them. they are in my thigh(3),my right shoulder (3),left shoulder (2) hand(1) and elbow (1) very irritating and itchy!!!! do they sound like bed bugs?

help please!!!!

Robert::

Hey Guys!

Thank you so much for all the advice. My fiancee and I just moved into an apartment and discovered we have these nasty creatures. I have not gotten to read all the comments yet, but I did want to share our remedy for the itch and swelling.

We directly apply ice to the bites until the burning/stinging sensation stops (between 3-5 minutes). So far, after doing this we have not itched and the swelling subsides. But, this is working for us.

I will try other methods also, and keep you posted.

Good Luck!

Karen::

I recently stayed at a nice resort and ended up with bed bug bites. Since I was on vacation, I had nothing with me for itching except (and don’t laugh) hemorrhoid wipes. I was desperate so I tried one and the itching would stop for a few hours (unless something touched the bites). Now after reading the posts here I see that witch hazel and aloe, both of which are in these wipes, are one of the better treatments for the itching. The wipes were great, they are “wipes to go” which means individually wrapped so I could carry one in my purse and use it throughout the day as needed and then just fold it up and put it back into the wrapper til next time. These can be bought OTC at any pharmacy and I have the store brand, not name brand.

Soso::

My daughter recently got exposed to bed bugs at her aunts home and has severe bites. The burning was so intense that she was in tears and come to find out tucks ointment helps with the burning and itching! I thought I would share that in-case anyone is going crazy from the symptoms.

Amanda::

I recently just got bed bugs from my room mates moms house and the pain is so bad it to me feels like there’s poison in my stomache and it sucks. i have done the benadryl spray didn’t work the only thing that i been doing that helps with the itch is the rubbing alcohol, but the thing is it works but for like ten mins and that’s it. Tonight i am hopefully hopping to try the lime thing and see how it goes will keep an update.

diane::

Went on vacation with my husband, just 3 weeks ago. Stayed at a motel in Daytona. Had a double bed. Slept with my husband the first night, we did not go under the cover. The next night slept in the other bed, went under the cover and low and behold felt something biting me in the middle of the night, so I went on top of the cover for the rest of the night. Told my husband about it when we awoke.

Pulled back the sheet and sure enough there were bugs. I saw 2, but I believe there were more. I killed the two then he went to report it to the front desk and they did nothing about it. We checked out the next day and i did not have a reaction until 3 days later after we left for Orlando. Went to the pharmacy, got lanacane oinment and other meds for the itching. Its been 2weeks since the bite and I’m still itching like crazy. Luckily I came on this site and i tried the baking soda paste and it seems to be working. I also used the witch hazel and will try raw aloe also. I hate to little black bugs.

sharice::

I love in an apartment and I’ve had bed bugs for about a year. We have been trying many things. We can’t really bomb cause we have pets and have nowhere to keep them during the bombing.

We vacuum the carpets and bed almost everyday, wash everything every week and even sprayed every with bed bug spray. It seems to be working a bit cause they have lessened but I’m still getting bitten quite a bit. Of course they itch and I scratch a lot. I’ve been using the baking soda and water remedy (it works pretty well for me) but before I used to scratch until they bled and now I’m having trouble healing old bites.

The bites are on my arms and my legs (below my knees). I was wondering if someone could give me advice on how I can heal the old bites that I scratched till they bled. They have been healing but its quite slow and some seemed to have scarred. I’m getting tired of people at my high school asking about the bites on my arms and I hate that I can’t wear anything like shorts, skirts and dresses without them being visible.

Any advice on how to actually help me heal them and not just stop the itching would be very appreciated. Also anything on how to treat the actual bugs in the apartment or how to help heal my scarred bites would be great too.

Marcie::

Please e-mail me if you happen to receive a response regarding your “old, hard to heal” bed bug bites. I have them too (3+ YEARS). They refuse to heal, so I know exactly how you feel and look.

mmmiciak@aol.com

krys::

i went out of town and stayed in a hotel in NY. When i got back home i noticed i had a big bite in my leg. And then they appeared in my waist and torso. I washed my sheets many times but i keep getting bit. It doesnt itch but they dont look nice.

CannotHandleBitesAnymore::

8 days ago my friend & i decided to crash at my grandmas house after a wild night out. in the morning we woke up in horror seeing how they freely crawled all over her mattress cover. Within the last 7 days, bite marks have been appearing all over my body, i am practically covered; as to my friend, well lucky her she has only 3 on her arm. The problem isn’t only that i have more bites than her but i believe i have an allergic reaction, the bites have massively grown in size. I do not know what else to try, Calamine doesn’t work, baking soda with water made it worse, Benadryl hasn’t done anything either. I am at a point where i am about to cry. The worst part is that in less than a month I am going on my first tropical vacation. I simply cannot handle the stress, i suffer from mild anxiety & these massive rashes have turned these 7 days into hell. I have stopped scratching because it seems to irritate the bites. Please help.

Mo::

My fiance and I have been dealing with bed bugs for 3 years. In the beginning I was the one being bitten. Just recently my fiance has been covered in bites. His lip is swollen this morning. We don’t know what to do anymore. This entire process is expensive and hard for us to afford. we’ve been treated by 3 exterminators. None have worked. I’m very upset because all of our belongings are damaged because of this! The Land Lord keeps bring exterminators and nothing’s working. we follow all the directions. I’ve checked my cat he seems to be fine, but I don’t know anymore. we’re miserable. I think we are stuck for life.

Von::

Thank you all for the advice I’m seeing on here. Hydrocortisone was doing nothing for these bites. I have a high tolerance for pain but these bites really made me want to cry. I tried the Veeno Oatmeal bath, Witch Hazel and the Aloe Vera and this is when I began to get relief. These bites were very uncomfortable. I still itch a little but the swelling has gone down tremendously. I keep the Aloe Vera and witch hazel handy for the itching.

Lyn::

I am now living in Kuwait far from my family, I was helpless and don’t know what to do, i was chatting w/ my mom and told her about my problem regarding the red spot comes out on my the under arm, i was crying for help coz i though i am sick.. my mother was so worried about me, until i decided search on internet related to my problem that doing facebook… i found this site then now i know it’s bed bug i think i took it from my friend room when i was slept there and I’m not dying as what i thought.. But my problem is i can’t wear backless dress, short pants because of the scar … anyone can help me how to remover this scar? it’s too disaster.

Vlad::

Thanks so much to the person who mentioned the hot/cold water method! I think when you do it when you first notice the bites, It will keep them from becoming huge, itchy welts! I run hot water over the bites and I feel a sense of relief, as if I’m scratching the bite, without actually scratching it. The area turns pink, and I keep going until the relief sensation has subsided, then I run cold water over the area. Works great and it does last for hours!

Next I rub on some witch hazel to reduce the swelling. I think it also helps the bites to disappear faster.

As a quick countermeasure for any bites I might have missed, I got this benadryl itch stopping gel that’s extra strength I use it sparingly though, too much can make you drowsy, or feel sick.

I love the water method because it doesn’t require any drugs or chemicals! The only risk is burning yourself if you’re not careful. So, be careful.

julie::

I am having a severe allergic reaction to bed bug bites and I’m 3month pregnant. So bad first they are hives that turn in blisters even on my eye lid, on the top of my hand and on my lower back, I’ve taken benedrel which only gives me about an hr of relief, then it returns and hives last for days. I’m debating going to er, how do they treat this when you’re pregnant?

Jolyne::

Recently I went to Dubai, I stayed at my husband’s rental furnished flat. The next morning I was covered with bites. Immediately I knew its big bites but don’t know it’s bed bugs until I google search online a few days. I was so allergic to the bites & can’t stop scratching them. At last I went to a local pharmacy and got this ‘Fenistil Gel’ AKA Dimetindene maleate. it works really well. My bites stop itching, swelling reduced. Some bites I need to applied the gel 1-2 times a day then it stopped bothering me. The only problem now is the marks never go away. :(

Katrina::

We have bedbugs. They are all over the house. In all of the rooms. My daughter feels that it would be safer to sleep outside than in this house. My son has really sensitive skin and the bedbugs love to attack him. One night he just kept twisting and turning because he must have been itching. We have had to get rid of all of our beds and have had to sleep on the floor. The floor is safer than the beds but not by much. The bedbugs seem to be everywhere. On the walls, on the floor, with you, or in your beds. We have tried many things so if anyone has any advice, it would be very much appreciated.

Anyoli::

Verdeso Foam is a good way to take away the scars (if they are recent) I have psoriasis and recent bed bug bites. It really works. I have no marks.
Also vapor rub can help the swelling (i get big ones).
Neosporing and Aveeno itching cream all help.
(I apply these -except for Verdeso- about 3 times a day)
NO SCRATCHING

Nicole::

I found bed bug power that works! Buy a big bag, about a good 5 pounds and put it around the whole house yard in your bed in every crack the carpet. I mean all over and give it a couple days. They will be gone. I live in an apt I ha e a cat n dog. It isn’t harmful to pets or humans its 100% safe to use around kids and best of all no bed bugs no ants no roaches. I paid about $10 on ebay. Good luck and I’m telling u this worked for me.

Jay::

I too feel hopeless about the bed bugs, I clean scrub and now have noticed them on the mattress, walls, picture frames and just the other day on my laptop!! I’ve tried so hard to get rid of these animals and haven’t been able too, my arms and hands feel like I have small pox these things can get really annoying the itching never stops I’ve tried aloe and calamine and it’s just getting worse. I’ve spent sleepless nights looking for them and I haven’t been able to get rid of them
I need help!!!

Nannie::

Hello everyone !
I have read about this remedy online but i haven’t tried it yet but i think it will work pretty well . After u have been bitten and u find the bites in the morning on ur body , if ur itching , its going to make it worse so try not to scratch but if u cant help yourself , i have this remedy ! Ok , so put vinegar onto ur fingers and dab it at the spots..its a great itch-relief (if thats a word) !
Good luck ..! :D (; <3

Natalia::

These things are the real vampires!!!! Just got bit over my eye, which now is all swollen and hurting, and 3 bites on my upper arm, caught the 2 little bugs on the wall next to my bed. Make sure that your bed is away from the walls. I use tea tree oil it helps to calm the itching down, I have a bad reaction to them. Not sure where the keep coming from and always in twos. Ahhhhhh!!!!!!! Can’t sleep

Alexander::

After trying baking soda, witch hazel, hydrocortisone cream, etc the hot/cold water has by far worked the best! It gives immediate relief and has really taken the swelling down. Best part is its free and all natural.
The only other thing I have used is a stick called After Bite. It’s ammonia mixed with a natural oil. Someone else suggested using ammonia and it truly has helped me.
So, as a suggestion skip the baking soda. It made a huge mess and my boyfriend made fun of me because I looked like I was trying to make cocaine in my kitchen. :(
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. It’s helped me a ton!

embarrased::

I am embarrased at my arms. They are awful. I have had these bites since oct…8 months. We moved and got ride of bugs. But I feel like they constantly on me. I would never wish this on my worst enemy.

debra wymer::

i found some thing that works i put a heavy blanket against the couch and then use itching cream called gold bond medicated cream use the maximum kind use it on every part u have been bitten do this for a while u will start to see a change the bites will start to go away slowly until they r all gone also make sure to wash where ever you have been bitten in cold water and use a lot of soap wash them good then use the medicated cream just some tips i have bed bugs and i have been bitten and it sucks it itches bad but i have found that this works!

Shelly::

My husband slept in an infested bed and ended getting hundreds of bed bug bites. The only 2 things that we found to help relive the pain is after sun medicated and vagicane cream also know as vagiseal. The vagicane helped the best!!

st louis::

That baking soda solution worked great on my bites as I was going crazy itching! Once I placed the solution on the bite I immediately started to feel relief bur you have to keep it up!

Emily::

Hi, I am 20 and am recently in remission from cancer, so my immune system SUCKS. I have been getting bitten by what my family and I have thought were FLEAS for the past months. Well, come to find out, it was bed bugs. Now, I have horrible scars on my legs and all up and down my arms :( I don’t know how to get rid of them. They are UGLY dark brown spots all over. Any advice??

Joanne::

I thought I was getting bitten by mosquitoes when out on my balcony. But I get bitten during the night and basically on the arm outside of the covers. This all started after my neighbors in the apartment next door moved out. I have yet to actually see the bugs. The bites tend to be in a line which I read online was typical for bedbugs but not always.

I have gone through 2 tubes of Benydrel, 1 of Lanacane and Cortizone-10. I heard that ammonia will stop the itch and it does for a time. Same is true for Alcohol (must be 91% anything less will not work, I also). An old remedy is to apply simple wet hand soap. But I have had better luck using liquid dish soap on my arms and hands.

However, another thing which has helped me with the intense itching is a regular hair brush! I was scratching so much that I grabbed the hair brush and used that to cover more territory! I have found that even if I “brush” intensely, it will not bleed and slowly the itching will subside. I have also heard of a quirky aid in “bug direction”…..used dryer sheets will discourage bugs from the area….what I saw was the sheets tucked in between the mattress and box spring by each bedpost.

If you know that you have the bugs. Get sealing covers the kind that encloses completely, one for the mattress and one for the box spring. That will trap those critters inside and they will eventually die in there. Next you will need to decide of what combination of treatments you wish to use. Its a job that you will have to keep up with for some time. Do your research online first.

If possible get your treatment from a local outlet like Home Depot, a hardware store or an agricultural/farm supply store. If you can afford it get one of those steam mops like Shark has. It comes with a unit designed for hand steam treatments of the bed and the hot steam will kill the bugs. You will also need it if you have to treat carpeting. Professionals use a combination of treatments and you will too in order to be successful. Good luck!

Carol::

I am so glad I came to this site, as it at least I don’t feel alone in this battle I’m fighting! It is 2am and I am sitting in my new recliner that my sister gave me last spring!! I love my recliner, but it is ruined as of tonight when as a last resort I decided to sleep in it since I have been driven out of my bed from these unrelenting bloodsuckers!

I am trying to type this and get relief at the same time from the terrible itching that has robbed me of my sleep for several nights now….Anyway, now as I said, my new recliner is ruined because even after covering it with plastic and then covering with a new sheet I just took out of the package, it still was stained with vaseline I had put on my arms from all the bites and itching I’m going through…I also resorted to covering it with corn starch which seems to brush right off, but I’m afraid the vaseline is here to stay…I’m heartbroken about my recliner and the whole mess in general!!

Oh, I just killed one crawling up my arm as I’m typing right now and it was filled with MY blood!!!…I don’t know what to do or where to turn…I’m a senior citizen and I am on a limited income so I can’t spend alot of money on this….I am so discouraged and sleep deprived that before I started typing this I sobbed for at least an hour…I cam covered in bed bug bites and treatment is not working anymore. I live in an apartment complex for people 65 and older and someone came down the hall and knocked on my door and ask me if I was alright…I just said I was having a bad night which is an understatement!!!

Is there anything I can do one my own since I am afraid the manager will make me pay for any treatment and also start all kinds of concern for everyone else…It is very embarrassing even though I know this is very come anymore…I am at my wits end!!!