Janina Kraus::

I discovered my BB problem in Early January. Seems I inherited it from my recent next door neighbor whom after 5 months has moved again. Obviously, though he blunted denied it, he has been transferring it all over the city.

His bed was adjacent to mine, and only divided by a wall. They came through the floorboards or outlets. I have had an exterminator in to treat all furniture, baseboards etc. with pyrethoid and have since discarded the bed, moved to the coach which he previously treated and 2 weeks later I have re-treated with a bottle of the same which he left me as well as treated around every floorboard, outlet and pipes (kitchen and bath), under all furniture and sporadically through out the carpeting and floors with Mother earth/DE.

It has only been 2 more weeks since, and I have noticed a marked improvement. By the way, I took a few days off work, and on my hands an knees, brushed all carpets and picked up eggs (though I don’t know if they were spent) and steam cleaned most of the carpeting.

Hoping this will eradicate the situation and murder the bed bugs once and for all!

Please let me know if you think I have done enough. I too am terrified to sleep at night!

Janina (Mississauga/Ontario)

mohammed::

The way I get rid of bed bugs is to use any spray that has alcohol content and find it kill’s them instantly. Start by spraying the bugs slowly since the pressure may move them and then try to cover them with the liquid.

Jim::

Hi Jeni,

They say insecticides with “d-Phenothrin” as an active ingredient are most effective on bedbugs, but make sure the product is made for ‘household’ use or you could end up damaging the items you spray it on!

No matter what the product says, always use care when around children and the elderly, especially people who are immunocompromised or sensitive to products such as these.

When heavy infestation, you probably won’t get rid of all the bed bugs at first and will have to hit them again in 10-14 days. Also, be aware that pest control companies are the best bet at dealing with heavy infestation of bed bugs. Failed attempts at do-it-yourself pest control means that bed bugs have that much more time to multiply.

Note: The general consensus are that insecticide sprays are not the effective. Unless it specifically states that it’s safe to use on your mattress, don’t use it. If the product does not guarantee it safe and danger free for humans, then I’d stay away from it!

Best regards,

Jim.

Kiran::

I just bought a new mattress and a bed set. Bed Bugs appear a lot and I tried to use a spray to kill them. I was panicked and did not know what to do as this is the first time in dealing with pest control. It started from the new set and then to master bedroom and other rooms.

Singapore only sells the dust mite protectors for mattresses with rubber bands and not with a zipper. Do you sell it? Please let me what can I do to prevent the bed bugs.

Thanks and much appreciated.

Alexander::

The only way to keep bed bugs from infesting your home is to avoid buying second hand furniture, books, clothing, etc… be informed of your friends and family who are infected so that you may protect yourselves and your home.

Do not over crowd your home with items, clutter is their hide out. Room to room carpeting is a no, no. Bed bugs can breed in the fabrics of your carpets, especially where there is an opening where they can hide underneath. When cleaning your home, don’t do it half way.

Make sure you use citrus or citronella cleansing solutions mixed with rubbing alcohol, but make sure you do not mix chemicals which might harm you in process. Keep it natural as possible. And yes, use Diatomaceous Earth in all corners, cracks and openings in your home. Make sure you use it on your carpets, under your bed, around your bed, anywhere there is a hiding place. Even in your closets and drawers.

Check for blood spots and wash your fabrics as suggested according to the label of your fabric. And keep checking for signs of them anywhere you look, and spray some of that powder on them and their eggs.

Keep the temperature of your home on the cooler side, for these bugs thrive in warm temperatures. In winter time, leave your windows open and your air conditioning or heating off to freeze the bugs to death, if you can afford to.

All the best

Jim::

Hello Matt,

To kill the bed bugs in your home by turning the heat off, you would have to get the house down to about 5F for a day and if the infestation is heavy, you’re going to need a few days at -5F. Just turning off the heat and an outside temperature of 0F doesn’t mean the inside of the house will be 0. Insulation, length of time, size and more are all factors you need to consider.

I’m guessing you live in a very cold area?

Best regards,

Jim.

Evan::

I returned home from traveling recently and brought bed bugs home with me. It was a nightmare! No matter what i did i could not get rid of them. After getting the pest controller back 3 times he that they were probably under the carpet and it needed to be ripped up which was going to cost me a lot of money.

Then I came across a low cost bed bug barrier that fit onto the bed legs with a special glue that traps Bed Bugs. The glue lasts over 1 year so will protect from any eggs that hatch later no. There were no chemicals needed and was so much cheaper than using a pest controllers. I simply moved my bed away from the wall, applied Bed Bug Barriers and have never been bitten since.

Thank you!

Krista::

Just a comment, when I went to the exterminator to buy the insecticide to kill the bed bugs, they told me that cold will not kill bed bugs. That like most other bugs, bed bugs will just go into a hibernation state and once it warms up, they will be on the prowl again. They said that the only thing that will kill them beside chemicals is extreme heat…high setting on a dryer…for 40 minutes.

Also, bed bug barriers on the bottom of your bed legs will not always work as bed bugs have been known to crawl up the wall and fall on their prey if they cannot get up the bed.

Kelligh::

I cannot get rid of these dang little bugs! i am on a tight budget and all of the things that i have seen to kill bedbugs cost a lot! Please tell me what i can do to get rid of them!

Paul::

Hello Kristen,

Try ‘food grade’ diatomaceous earth which is EPA approved against indoor and outdoor crawling insects and is also FDA approved for internal and external use and has a rating of Food Chemical Codex Grade.

kari::

Hey guys, I just wanted to say that our house has been infested to and right now we are having a hard time with pest control.

I thought that if we get the beds out we would be good. we don’t have a bad case of it but well enough to where we just don’t want them. So we have found more eggs and treating for bed bugs in every room.

So far I have heard getting some chemical and spraying works and that dehydrating them works. Well, let’s hope so because I cant take these nasty things anymore!

I just don’t understand? Our house is always clean.

Well, I’m praying this bed bug treatment really works!

Andy::

I think Many people has missed what Mr.Keith Gordon said.

I did pass my license as an exterminator for NJ but never started a business; but i can tell you that a proper management program should easily get rid of the bugs.

I got them on my property; beds you can get zipper covers in Walmart for less than $30 for queen size, they are dust mites covers, as well as go to home depot they do have a great spray safe for beds called goodnite sleep; and treat the mattress with steam first. After the steam treatment, put it inside the pillow and spray it with the insecticide before you close the zipper; just steam the room and then apply the spray; give it 30 days and spray again it should get rid of them; you will have a good sleep from the first night.

A good steamer is any that can reach 180 f and have 35 psi. I had used a McCulloch mc125 and was not to expensive, less than a $100 dollars.
Just be very careful with the spray and always make sure of reading the labels (where it says caution) and follow instructions it will work.

as Keith said it is not too hard to deal with bed bugs; read his comments.

Pat::

So i had a situation where i had bedbugs living inside of my mattress. I have no clue how they got there but as I checked other beds in my home i found 2 more infected beds where they were living. Automatically I threw out the infected beds and ordered new ones. That all happened at least 3 or 4 months ago.

I have now been sleeping in my new bed but I’m finding that there coming back. Is it a possibility that getting rid of the infected mattress and boxsprings wasn’t just the solution to my issue? Would it be smart for me just to call an exterminator because i don’t want to wait too long and have 3 brand new beds become infested with these creepy crawlers again. I also noticed that somehow they get under my sheets?

I’m personally not an insect person and it creeps me out to the point where every night before I go to sleep i take off my comforter just to check for those damn bed intruders….If anyone can please get back to me quickly on this because THIS NEEDS TO STOP…I hate having to wake up and see blood on my sheets which I don’t know if its either mine or there’s because i have figured out that sometimes i’ve squashed a couple turning in my sleep…SO Please, any help with bed bug treatment would be greatly appreciated!

GRETA WILLIAMS::

I have surfed the internet for two days regarding bed bugs. I live in an apartment, which has very high turnover and recently found a bite on my arm, which became inflamed and swollen. I went to the emergency room due to the itching and swelling where the doctor said he cannot diagnose the problem and referred me to a pharmacy for cortisone etc. cream.

I was sitting on my couch, around 6:30 and felt something on my leg. I had socks on covering my pull ups and as I looked down and there was a little bug. I swiped it and it tried to get away, but I killed it. Bed bugs do not only bite at night, this was in broad daylight! Besides this I kept lights on in my home for days, because they say they bite while we are sleeping, this was not the case in my experience and so i wanted the experts to know what my happened here.

Thanks!

Suzanne::

Our friend had bed bugs in his car. He said this is about the 3rd time in 4 years. He took everything out, vacuumed, then treated it with cedar oil spray from the pet department at Walmart. It took several treatments (cars have a lot of hiding places) but the bugs are gone. He didn’t really like the smell, but he didn’t like the bugs either.

“Diatomaceous Earth” seems to work wonders on everything!

Cockroches, fleas, dust mites. It is very gentle and you can even put it on your pet. Cedar Oil for pets is safe on animal, & people. I like the cedar smell. Please don’t be afraid of these little bugs … they will go away if treated. If the bites really bother you, talk to a doctor. Stay calm, treat your home and your bites and you should be just fine.

tracey::

up until yesterday i had not thought about bed bugs.. yesterday morning i noticed two small welts on my arm, then again yesterday as i lay on my bed i get some more of the same welts. last night i could not sleep and each time i got up i had more but never saw the bug nor felt the bite.

I got up and removed the sheets off the bed and i did see a bug on my mattress but he didn’t look like the pictures I’ve seen out here. My question is now what do i do. i just got laid-off and can’t afford to hire someone to come in, is there something i can try to stop this problem before it gets bigger?

Mike::

After living with bedbugs for over a year and combing the internet to find some way to get rid of them the only thing that remained constant was the professional (and expensive) treatments. My problem may not have been a full blown infestation (compared to things I had seen on TV) but was still pretty bad.

My girlfriend and I woke up every morning with lines of bumps up and down our arms, legs, back, and neck. I had even taken to setting my alarm for predawn hours so I could turn on the light and catch them on the walls and squish them. Of course I took to vacuuming the room, especially the bed area and bed its self quite extensively making sure to take the canister out to the dumpster away from the apartment.

I was trying to save enough money to have a professional treatment, but in the meantime tried everything I could to diminish their numbers.

One day in the grocery store (Giant or Safeway, I forget which) in the pet aisle I came across a flea/tick powder and thought “what the hell, can’t hurt”, so I picked it up. I was amazed that within a matter of days the number decreased dramatically and within a week they were gone! Thinking this may have been a temporary fix I have waited several months to post this just in case it didn’t last. Well, I am proud to say that for 4 months now we have been bedbug free!

So, anyone with a bedbug problem I strongly suggest this powder called Nature’s Guardian made by Sergeant’s. Do a through vacuuming of the area and bed and then apply the powder along the baseboards and sprinkle under the bed and between the mattress and box spring. Also be sure to change your sheets just before applying and be sure your old ones are washed just in case there are any bugs hiding in there.

I HAVE BEEN BEDBUG FREE FOR 4 MONTHS NOW AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT. I don’t work for the company or stand to make any profit or anything. I’m just someone who knows what it’s like to live with bedbugs and wants to help others so that they don’t have to go through what I did.

NOTE:There are a number of sites posting some very scary information about sergeants nature’s guardian and I can’t verify the accuracy, but do your research before using it around your pets – having said that, it seems that the ingredients include Isopropyl myristate.

Isopropyl myristate is used as a pesticide free treatment against head lice; it erodes the other layer of the head lice exoskeleton and causes them to become dehydrated and die.

This sounds exactly like the effect Diatomaceous Earth has on bed bugs, which is not associated with one company, is chemical free, all natural and can be picked up at just about and pet or feed and supply store.

Just a heads up on the product and an alternative use for bed bugs.

ConsumersAffair shows only 1 star based on 32 ratings out of 695 reviews! Does not look good!!!

Darrie::

U R not ALONE! Bed bugs are popping up all over and they aggravate us all. I am so paranoid and every time my hair tickles my neck I throw a fit. The worst part, I have an infant son to worry about. So far he hasn’t been bitten.

I inspect him all the time and so far we’ve been very fortunate. But enough is enough I’m not going to wait until he has a trail of bumps. I will be getting that “D… earth” stuff tomorrow! I’ll be back to tell u how it went.

Thanks for the advice!

Hi Darrie,

Please let us know what happens AND make sure to double check this you are buying the right stuff and that it is not harmful to infants, etc. Many visitors post it is safe, but make 100% sure :)

Best regards,

Jim

Ryan White::

I t is a terrible and embarrassing situation, my life has not been the same since the invasion of the bed bugs! I thought that they were just a fairy tale I did not know they were the real thing. I have not had a good night rest in about eight months. I did not even know that they were in the house.

One early fall day I noticed that my daughter’s arm had a lot of bug bites on it. I thought they were mosquito bites from playing outside. She kept scratching and itching and I also was doing a lot of itching at night while trying to sleep. I asked myself what’s really going on, just like everybody else; I started lifting up mattresses and there they were.

It’s a $181.00 to exterminate the house and $75.00 every two weeks. Who has that kind of money laying around in these tough economic times? I live in Ohio and they are closing up companies left and right! I am going to Home Depot! Is it really something out there that kills these bugs?

Hi Ryan,

There is, check out our bed bug treatment section for details.

Best regards,

Jim

Carmen::

I can’t find the Diatomaceous Earth in any pet store , someone can help me and give more ideas,,, I live in Pennsylvania!! thanks

tansy::

hi there! i am confused! why? I am living in Spain, and the other night, i slept in a bed, in a cave (temp about 15 deg C), and my body was being bitten regularly all over (except for face and exposed arm) by something. i looked, and could see nothing …. it was semi dark, but i could see nothing on the bed and bed linen the next day, nor could i smell anything unusual.

I put the mattress and bed linen outside in the hot sun for a few hours, thinking this would kill them, though i haven´t been back there to sleep yet. i´m basically very confused because, though i was bitten many times, i have no red or raised or itchy bite marks on me! this seems to contrast with others experiences of being bitten.

What were they if not bed bugs? certainly not mosquito, which i experience a reaction to, and would have been bit the parts of me outside the bed. they felt as if they were fleas, the way they jumped around my body …. so no pain, and no evidence of bites ..-.. well lucky me, but i don´t want to sleep back there until i’ve treated the place with the silica dioxide. can someone give me some advice, were these bed bugs or something else. thanks

sleeplessinnyc::

I moved into a gorgeous place last summer and my roommates told me the day I was moving in that they were spraying for bedbugs. (Thank You!! What wonderful people!) I was devastated because I had saved so much money to move. I make 30K in NYC… its tough. Our apartment cost 2300 a month split between three people.

The landlord sprayed twice, two weeks apart to try and get all the eggs. They were back 3 months later. The worst part was I kept all my packed stuff in boxes, and then in plastic bags and didn’t open them until after the second spraying had been done. Bought the bed covers, diatomaceous earth… etc.

The second time, when they came back we sprayed again and I caulked the spaces between the floorboards and walls and every crevice of the apartment. That seemed to help in two of the bedrooms because my roommates didn’t have anymore problems. I did though because I hadn’t noticed my bedcover had ripped. Blast!!!!!

This time around I made the landlord remove the outlet covers and light switches when he sprayed. That was the only other place they could be because we emptied the bedrooms. I spray the floors down with 70% isopropanol every couple days and I plan on filling cracks in the outlets with insulation foam after the second spraying.

I also bought two mattress covers, and put them both over the mattress in opposite directions (zippers) in case the outer one rips. At first I bought the 90$ allergy luxe one, but the bedbugs I found last had been living on the cloth like outer surface of the cover and on the metal (yes! metal) bedframe. Go with the plastic kind. I think they work better because they are slippery and hard to climb.

I now put my clothes in large plastic bins immediately after I come back from the laundry mat. I also wash my blankets every week religiously. This has helped as well because they have no place to hide. I threw out every piece of furniture and now just have a bed and kitchen table. I am going to wait another year before I buy any furniture. It is just too difficult to get them out when they have places to hide.

There really is no point in moving because if they are in my stuff I will just be taking my problems to another building of people. When they are gone or when I’ve saved up enough money (which ever comes first) is when I will make a clean break. I have decided to only bring my clothes the next time I move.

It has been a year and they are slowly being eradicated. They have come back slower and I rarely wake up with bites now. We sprayed three times (twice each time two weeks apart). Be prepared to have a lot of patience and not get lazy about cleaning. Get down on your hands and knees and scrub the floorboards with a brush.

At this point it has become a blessing to be poor and not have any possessions. Imagine that.

Good luck to anyone who has this problem. If they don’t come back this time consider this my road map to bedbug success. I will post again in six months if they are gone.

aye::

Hi,
I have been experiencing bed bugs for months now and still trying to find a way on how to get rid of them. They seem to grow in numbers each day. Is it true that alcohol could eliminate them?

Mer::

I’ve had four different exterminators treat for bedbugs over the past year. In all my experience, this is what I can tell you:

1 – Hire a GOOD exterminator. He should come wearing serious protective clothing and a mask. If he doesn’t have that, send him home and call someone else. The exterminator should do the following:

* A thorough inspection of the mattress, bed, headboard and all wood in the room, including furniture, floorboards, baseboards, outlets and light switches.

* Spray all the wood in the room with a mixture of a growth regulator (IGR) and a Pyrethroid, such as Suspend SC. Make sure you get all the cracks and crevices. Allow the room to air out and dry.

* Spray the mattress, boxspring, bed frame, and also any living room furniture you have (as the bugs travel with you and infest elsewhere).

* Once dry, dust the cracks and crevices of the room in a light (very light) dusting of diatomaceous earth. Get a simple manual duster to spray the area with. Be careful to get the organic kind, not the crystalizing kind that his highly dangerous and cancer-causing. (I had an exterminator that used the later kind, which got all over my skin and face, and caused my skin to peel and a sunburn sensation for two weeks afterwards!)

Note that you can do all of this yourself, but it’s best to have an experienced exterminator do it for your first round of exterminations, which should be a minimum of 3 over the course of 6 weeks. (This is because there is absolutely no pesticide that can kill an egg. Eggs hatch in 7-10 days, at which point a new round of exterminations will be necessary to kill the bugs.)

2 – Sanitize your place. This is very time consuming, but you must be diligent in your effort.

* Wash and dry all of your clothes and any linens, bedding, curtains or other fabric in HOT water and HIGH heat. The dryer heat must reach a minimum of 120 degrees (140 is better). I dry my clothes twice in this heat, just to be safe. Immediately after the dryer is finished, fold the clothes and put them directly into a sealed plastic bag. Keep all your clothes in plastic bags until after the first round of exterminations, although I recommend waiting until after the second round to really re-settle into your wardrobe and closet. (Make sure your wardrobe is treated as well during the extermination.)

* Anything that can’t be laundered, you can put in a black plastic bag and sit in the sun on a very (VERY) hot day. Again, you want the temperature to reach 120 degrees for an extended period of time.

* Encase your treated mattress and boxspring in a bedbug-sealed mattress cover. These are essentially dustmite covers, but with a special sealed zipper closure to make sure nothing can escape. This does two things – it prevents any surviving bugs from getting out, and thereby allows you to starve them to death, and helps protect your mattress from future infestations. They generally run about $100.

* As bedbugs can live in nearly any wood or warm place, they have been known to breed in furniture, books and other clutter. Go through everything with a close eye. Clean up any eggs or bugs you may see, again throwing them out immediately in a sealed bag. Anything that you can’t examine closely to be sure it’s safe, put into a sealed bin (I prefer clear ones so I can see what’s inside!). Keep those items sealed for AT LEAST 18 MONTHS! Bedbugs can survive without feeding for up to 18 months. If one little guy escaped the pesticides and found his way into one of your books or other items, he can start the infestation all over again.

* Once a week, be sure to sweep up the diatomaceous earth and any dead bugs and throw them out in a sealed bag. Then re-apply the diatomaceous earth in a thin layer. Repeat this process until all the bugs are gone. Also repeat the liquid process every 4-6 weeks, either by yourself or via an exterminator.

I, personally, find that the best way to treat the bedbug problem is through preventative care.

~ Avoid clutter.
~ If you wake up with a bite that you didn’t have the night before, you should be wary and examine the problem immediately!
~ Do preventative treatments regularly throughout the year. Just as most city buildings have monthly exterminations, you should do a monthly treatment of the IGR and Pyrethrins, as well as regular crevice treatments of diatomaceous earth. Also, spray in the walls when possible. (This can be done by turning off your breakers, removing the light and outlet covers, and spraying into the openings. Or you can drill small holes into the walls, spray through the holes, then patch them up.)

Most importantly, though, EDUCATE YOURSELF. The more you know about the bugs and their habits, the more power you have to fight them! And don’t listen to what the exterminators tell you – do your own research. I’ve had at least three exterminators that told me variously – “No bug can live for more than a few months without food,” “If the bug’s living in the wall, then you’ve got bigger problems,” and “Don’t worry – this pesticide will penetrate the walls and will kill any eggs out there.” All of those are FALSE. Bedbugs live up to 18 months without food, they DO live in the walls frequently, and there is no pesticide that can kill an egg!

The good news is that if you educate yourself, follow the instructions above to a T, and are diligent about this, you can overcome the bugs!

Mylin::

I would like to know if you have any suggestions. I am moving out in my current condo. My roommate happens to have bedbugs in her room and I am sure that they have traveled to my room but since I have had experience from these creatures, I have been lucky to not have it in my room.

I will be moving to a new place and will not be bringing any of my furniture and bed. I will only be bringing my clothes, books, luggage and kitchen appliances. I would like to know if you have any suggestions to prevent me from bringing these bad creatures to my new place since I will be buying a new bed and furniture. Please advise.

Thank you.

kat::

I think I have a bed bug problem, it is very embarrassing to acknowledge it or even to ask the store person to help you diagnose the ‘bedbug’ problem.

It has been months since I have a good night sleep, yet my fiance persisted that it is all in my head. He says he’s okay most of the time, only occasional bites here and there, and explains that it might be due to mosquito bites of hot summer months. I have had not had a good sleep in three months, and i am disturbed with these so-called ‘invisible’ mosquitoes. I swear i can feel the crawling under my mattress at night time, and I can’t stand it anymore. I know it is bed bugs though I have no evidence or any dead insects on my mattress that is visible to human eyes. Despite the fact,

I am taking the drastic measures. It will take a while until I can get my hands on the online-ordered products to prevent bed bugs. My question is, “Is it okay if I use the flea killer powder for my mattress now until I can get the proper material?” It says on the label that it will kill ticks, fleas, lice, ants, and roaches. “Any products anybody can recommend?”

xyz::

I saw 2 bed bugs in my bed….i recently moved into a new apartment…did not see them since 3 months …were in my previous place…..

I just have my bed and table and clothes,,,,,seems they keep following me…my apt complex is getting an exterminator tomorrow…
can i get rid of the …should i throw away the bed….?
I washed all my clothes and bedsheets…..
since house is empty with barely any furniture….do you thing the bugs may be gone in one shot?

Anna::

I found bed bugs in the apartment. I have complained them about these bugs. Will the owners take care of these? And, I am upset mentally because of these bed bugs, because i can hardly get any sleep at nights. Can i transfer to another apartment. Is it a good idea to do it?

Aaron::

Before you have furniture in the mattress covers or in plastic be sure to go to your local dollar store and buy 90% rubbing alcohol and spray your furniture with it. Then set your furniture in the sun for 24 to 48 hours. Note that you don’t want to spray near flames and some plastics and finished items may be damaged by this… Fabric should be fine!

MK::

I live in NYC and bed bugs are an epidemic here. We currently have an infestation in out small studio apartment. We had pest control do an inspection and they could not find anything. I put the mattress and box spring inside dust mite covers, and while peeling back the cloth on the box spring I noticed one. The next day I saw one on the side the side of the bed sheet, and then found another on the bathroom wall.

The Sleep Easy spray only seems to aggravate them more, and I usually wake up with multiple bites on my neck face and arms. I have resorted to sleeping in long socks and long pajamas tucked into the socks to keep them from biting my legs. I sleep with the lights on, and sleep lightly in hopes of catching them, but they are extremely clever at hiding and not being seen.

The specimens that I did find looked like flax seeds. Same size and color. I noticed that they can flatten their bodies out, almost to the thickness of a sheet of 20 pound paper, in order to access tight spaces like cracks and crevices.

I have been bitten close to 100 times, and this really starts to take an emotional toll, making me afraid to go to sleep, and or afraid to go home. I am unemployed and live on a fixed budget and cannot afford an exterminator, or afford to buy a new bed. We are trying to move and find a new apartment but we cannot afford the current housing market here in NYC. These bed bugs really are a living nightmare.

My next step is to try and put the legs of the bed in plastic containers and fill them with water. I have also heard that sticking double sided tape onto the bed frame can help in catching them when they crawl onto the bed. My one fear is that will just simply crawl onto the ceiling and drop down onto me though. These bed bugs seem highly evolved and very intelligent. I really think that the government should intervene and create some sort of program to eradicate them for good.

amron::

I’m amazed at the damage these insidious creatures can inflict in such a short period of time. My son was bitten 400 times in a two night feeding frenzy by the bed bugs that came with a used bed. My husband and daughter had no visible bites, and I was bitten 60 times.

We’ve had the exterminator in twice, and I’m praying that the pests are gone. We’re not even living at home because my son’s reaction was so bad that he had to take prednisone. It is interesting that some people have huge itchy welts, and others have no reaction whatsoever.

I am not a pesticide user indoors and even garden organically, but I’ve made an exception for these little buggers. It’s really like a plague from the ten commandments days-I pray that God will free me from the pestilence.

melissa::

We have been seeing bed bugs on the ceiling. Has anyone else seen this?

Philippe::

I have been dealing with this problem for about a month and a half now. Though I keep hearing all of you talk about how you can see the bugs, I have only seen two bugs during this time.

The thing that is bothering me is not the bites, but the feeling of them crawling on me at night. It is really ruining my life considering I am a full time student and have to work to support myself.

The bites aren’t bad, as a matter of fact, they seemed to be just like mosquito bites. I threw away my bed, and that worked for 2-3 days then they were back. I bombed my apartment 3 times, washed all my clothes in hot water countless times, cleaned my apt top to bottom, ect, ect.

Bought the BB powder, and it seemed to work but I feel sick in the morning after breathing it in… Anyone else have this problem? God this is really ruining my social/love life as well… A nightmare!

I talked to my landlord and they are willing to pay the exterminator, lets hope this works….

What can I do???

Bugged out::

Waging war is what I’m doing.

I have a nephew staying with me and he brought bedbugs with him. I have only seen them in my daughters room, which he was using for 3 weeks. Now he is staying in my basement apartment, so I’m sure he has introduced them there too.

Over the last two days I have been throwing out everything that I don’t need. This is a lesson in living with less, for sure.

I have purchased vinyl bed covers as well as dust mite/allergen covers, new metal be frames that will serve as boxsprings( throwing away my old boxsprings). I will be spraying Pro B1 Home and apartment insecticide (propoxur 1%) as well as dusting with Pro Ant and Roach Pyrodust (Pyrethrins 0.2%, Piperony butoxide 1.0%).

All laundry will be done at one time at the laundromat and double bagged. Anything that we don’t need over the winter will go in the garage.

Every corner, crack, crevice and surface of my 3 level, 3 bedroom house will be treated.

It’s been difficult convincing my 11 year old that the books have to go away. I found a dead bb on one of her pieces of art!

Nothing is coming back in this house (from the garage storage) for 18 months without a very careful inspection. I hope that our cold temps will kill them over the winter although from what I read that doesn’t seem likely.

This is a battle I plan on winning, although I know it’s going to be a long course.

I wish all of you battling this, the best of luck in eradicating them.

Toronto, Canada

Jim::

Hey DD,

Can you call the city or county and check for complaints of bed bugs? If there are no complaints, perhaps now would be a good time to file one so that the next person has something to show the landlord. Note that the landlord may contact your previous landlord to see you had issues as well.

Have you searched Google for history of bedbugs with your landlord / address?

Local pest control companies can also be helpful – when asking for a extermination quote, ask them if they have had to treat your address in the past. They may give up the information voluntarily.

It is very rare that the landlord will take responsibility for the bed bugs!

Good luck and keep us up to date!

Donna::

My son just informed me that night before last he slept on a friends couch that they found was infested with bedbugs. Do I need to worry about him bring any of them into my home on the shorts or t-shirt he slept in? He just put the clothes in the hamper when he got home yesterday morning & I am worried about infestation now. Should I be?

Ruth::

I was thankful for Keith Gordon’s comments about bedbugs. The place I am living has had quite an influx of bed bugs in several apartments. I have been reading all these different things and heard different things and it gets confusing. I will share his article with the people who run the place. (It is a senior center)

hatebb::

Any one know where to get the food grade diatomaceous earth? I live in Michigan. thanks. I can only find it in Ace, which is a non-food-grade big bag.

Bed Bug Victim::

OH and for those of you questioning of a possible bed bug problem don’t waste time for answers just take Precaution and action of a “possible” infestation.

My local Environmental Health Dept advised it can take up to 6wks before you get bit in numbers and a family of bed bugs so the sooner you treat your home the sooner to rid yourself of a “possible” or “future” issues with these little critters.

Trust me I originally thought my bites were of mosquitos, then it changed to fleas, after two months one appeared on my arm after i felt a burn which then confirmed the beginning of the end of these critters.
So take ACTION ASAP!!!!

Please let your neighbors know or have no visitors while treating or you will just allow these critters other “possible” victims and NONE OF US deserve having to live with these BB’s so why continue the spread EVEN if you “THINK” you might have them tell others…. Also I found my bugs with thorough inspection with flash light and peeling back and looking in little cracks and crevices… but still missed some probably in the outside lining where my carpet and wall meet up…

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE COMBATING THESE VERMINS!
LET OTHERS KNOW WHAT WAS MOST EFFECTIVE FOR YOUR HOME… DON’T BE SHY!!!!!!!!!!!

Ronald Ruppert Jr::

I read about bug bombs and everyone said it just made the bugs scatter. I then read about Diatomaceous Earth, so I mixed the earth with roach proof and spread the earth all around the perimeter of the room then around the Bed then I set off the bomb. It’s one day later and I’m not finding any bed bugs I think I may have to set off another bomb in two weeks if they left eggs but I’m ready.

Also, I had to use a hot blow drier to kill the bugs in my hair then shampoo them out.

Timothy Williams::

Diatamacious earth is the way to go! It’s totally organic, safe for people & animals and the nasty little bugs can’t develop a defense against it…it scrapes the wax coating that coats their bodies…they then die from dehydration.

You can also kill them by spraying with isopropyl alcohol…but the eggs hatch every day! Move your furniture away from walls and anything that bugs can crawl up, dust heavily with diatamacious earth, cover your mattress and box springs with bed bug covers…remove bed frames and ornate beds, spray with alcohol and store until the problem is gone.

Buy cheap metal bed frames and coat the legs with petroleum jelly..they can’t cross it…and don’t forget to put DE between the mattress and box springs…your goal is to break their life cycle. BB’s have to feed between molting and before laying eggs. Nymphs are hard to see, but 2nd, 3rd & 4th stage bugs are easier to see…if you see one, you probably have hundreds…it’s war…don’t be shy!

If you choose chemical’s for bed bug treatment, spray/fog every few days for a few month’s because the eggs are hatching every day and the BB’s will feed on whatever they can, including your pets! Buy pet beds with a separate mattress or pad and sprinkle DE between them.

What is most disturbing that 3/4 of most people have no reaction to bites, so have NO symptoms! No welts, no itching & no marks…DE is the way to go!

You’ll have to live with dust everywhere, but that’s much better than the bugs!

susan b::

We have been dealing with bed bugs for almost 2 months. At first, we were told my bites were a rash, MRSA etc. It was so frustrating. Finally, I found one crawling on my bed as I was making it one morning and sure enough, Bed Bugs.

We had to dry on HOT all of our clothes, empty out all drawers/ closet and they sprayed the other day. We have encased our mattress / box springs in BB proof covers. This is costing us over $1000. I am finally able to sleep. They will come back for another treatment in 30 days, and every 30 days for 4 months. I’m told that this is the only way to get rid of them and that you can not do it on your own. The eggs STICK and they multiply quickly….just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

This is a nightmare and I wish everyone the very best!

brandi::

I just discovered that I have bed bugs. I’m not sure how long that I have had them. From what I could tell we had both adult and small bugs. There appeared to be maybe approximately 30 to 50 visible on my bed. Have I had them long? I didn’t see them in any other room. Can I keep them from spreading and will it be hard to get rid of them?

Bed Bug Victim::

Well i said i would return…. Ok so ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL really works on the critters but you have to see them and spray them good because i saw one hiding on our sheets and BAM i showered that vampire with the alcohol and it died immediately…

DE powder works extremely well and I put it all around where wall and carpet meet as the little critters hide there and under our bed on the carpet and in between mattress and box spring… I also purchased Sterifab and so far bites have been very minimal and far in between… What a relief! Although I think they have moved into my hair..

I saw a couple of postings that said they can so i did treat my head with lice shampoo and that seems to only be a temporary fix because again my head itches extremely bad and get bites all down my neck so I feel they did get in my hair. So I will look forward to any postings as how to get rid of them in your hair.

As far as my house goes I think with PERSISTENCE, DAILY follow up and treatment, thorough inspection you can get rid of them. But one thing I can say is fogging doesn’t work and for us the best thing was to throw out our sectional, matress and box spring, no visitors or traveling prior to treatment. I know it seems drastic to throw out your furniture but if that is where you find the abundance of them why not get them out IMMEDIATELY. But make sure to wrap or mark furniture when you dump it so that way you don’t allow someone to bring them into their home.

Knowledge is power and I thank all the websites and postings that took a major part in us battling the bedbugs. It saved us from having to deal with an exterminator and costing us a whole lot more but one thing i can say is if you are to treat them on your own be ready to fight them on a daily basis and be persistent with treatment… it is extremely tiring and repetitive but if you truly want to get them out of your life you need to do just that.

So remember ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL, Diatamacious EARTH, STERIFAB, and discard of furniture (optional but your best alternative) with persistence and daily treatments this will do the trick.

Please note wherever in your household you have slept after finding a infestation, any clothes or items that are around or near an infestation and moved be aware you probably moved it to that area as well you should continue to stay in the same location to avoid spreading them to another part of the house but you should still inspect and treat other areas of your household for prevention. I found some newly hatched nymphs in my daughters room hidden in the fur of stuffed animals slowly making way to her bed so they will hide in the least places you would think but they are always near their food source.

For those postings that are looking for treatment of the bites there truly isn’t one however I was a statistic of allergic reaction to them and I found hydrocortisone was not that effective but this will sound funny but true HOT water seemed to soothe them if you can withstand that and the most effective I found was allergy medicine worked extremely well but I also read that lavender is like a force field to the bed bugs. I did try that and I didn’t get bit but I can’t say for sure if that was the cause but worth a try.

Good Luck everyone and hope my experience will help others in their Battle.

O BTW—- if an exterminator tells you you can not do it on your own think about it why would they tell you otherwise they want the business but I can’t stress it enough that if you are going to treat on your own its persistence that counts so if you can’t then an exterminator will be your person.

I have to warn you though I have done A LOT of research and read A LOT of postings with that said the majority said exterminators don’t work but one exterminator did post that this is true and continued to say when he first got a call he himself didn’t know how to handle them but with more calls he finally figured it out, and, that if done right they shouldn’t have to come back more than 2-3 times due to hatching of eggs but remember if your neighbors are infected you are wasting your time unless they are ridding them themselves the bed bugs will just continue to come back.

Keshia Johnson::

I’d like to try the DE treatment for bed bugs, but where can I buy the DE Powder from?

Kate::

I am pretty sure I was getting bitten by bed bugs, but have never been able to find anything. I did find though that putting Peppermint Oil on the bites helped more than anything else I tried. It relieved the itching for over 24 hours.

torie::

I just moved into this apartment building in Washington DC, and only been here for seven months and i got all these bite marks on me found out that this was bed bugs never had them in my life so please help me to get ride of them thank you! need to know where to buy the cleaning supply to kill theses pests!

Rita::

Bedbugs, what Horrible, Nasty little monsters they are, we ‘got them’ somehow after moving to a new apartment about 2-3 months after moving in ,we got rid of our matresses and the landlady had a, in my opinion, fly by night guy come, we seen one here nn there for a few months, after we ‘thought’ we were clean, our church got us new matresses, now here we are a couple months later and we have found bedbugs on our new matresses!

Dear God, this is like a Biblical curse of some kind, we thought we were clear, but now we find out, NO, we are not we still have the little monsters, i have put down Delta Dust after the exterminator was here i thought that would keep us safe, i am going to put some Delta Dust on the box springs under the mattress and use some kind of a spray and check Every DAY for the bugs.

I don’t know what else to do, the exterminator stole from me while in my apartment, so i don’t want to go back to the landlady because she will call him back and i don’t want that thief back in here again, i am 55 and have Never come across Anything like this creature before.

I have the greatest amount of sympathy for Everyone that is going through this terrible ordeal, i want to move but am on a limited income so moving is not an option at this time, i hope to somehow get rid of these critters, it is just going to be a matter of time, i hope.

brenda::

I have lived in many places, NEVER have I had to deal with these horrible creatures before!

They tell me my sister brought them to my dads apartment inside her stereo speakers and she had done it before to someone else’s home…shame on her.

Anyways, I came to stay with dad and to get rid of these things. I bought the Bayer spray from Lowes and spayed and sprayed and sprayed (always use a respirator/face cover, do not breathe in the vapors). It seemed to work some but the temperature in this house is 86 and I cannot use the spray anymore because I cannot take Dad out of the house. The bugs are EVERYWHERE!!!! Its horrible day or night all over! My son had one on his lip when he went to take a drink! My grandson had one on his finger when he was at the table eating!

##BTW SPECIAL NOTE: Bed Bugs DO drop from the ceiling and walls ##

I will go today to get the natural products you have listed and get some storage bags and a steamer. I will let you know how I make out .

Jessica::

Hi, before I share my story I’d like to make a suggestion. I haven’t read every last post yet so I don’t know if anyone has already mentioned this but there is this product called “Miraculous Insecticide Chalk” otherwise known as “Chinese Chalk.” It is mainly used to kill cockroaches but its supposed to kill bed bugs also. It used to be sold back in the 70’s but it was banned because children were mistaking it for regular blackboard chalk, swallowing it and having seizures.

Chinese Chalk looks like regular chalk so if you have children you MUST keep it out of reach. You can order it on Ebay or across seas like I did and it is very inexpensive. I used it for roaches and it was a MIRACLE, got rid of my roaches in ONE night and I haven’t seen one since. It affects insects’ nervous system and basically makes them go crazy and die.

The directions say that if you’re using it for bed bugs to take your mattress and put it on the floor and draw a circle around it and leave it there for a few days so when they come out they have to walk across it. I would, for extra measure, also draw lines around the rest of the bedroom or whatever area is infested and leave it there for about a month.

When you draw your lines you have to make sure they are thick so that when the bugs walk across it they will get the chalk dust all over their body. Also, remember not to draw lines in places that children or animals will come into contact with. Clean up is also a breeze, you just use water. I hope this helps some people.

Now for my story…There are 3 different sites for my job and I have recently become the floater so if someone calls out at any of the sites, I fill in for that person. Well, I had been covering in this particular location since last Thursday. I was there Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday, and half of Wednesday. I had been working with one other guy (an old man who refuses to retire), who’s not the cleanliest person in the world. I had been hanging my coat next to his each day I was there.

Wednesday I saw a bed bug crawling out of the pocket of his jacket and I freaked. I left everything there in the office and went home with the t-shirt on my back. Now I am really paranoid that I may have already brought a bed bug home with me as our jackets were touching each day I was there.

I haven’t seen a bug or noticed any bites but I fear that my infestation might be in its infancy. For anyone who knows all about bed bugs please tell me what are the chances that I probably brought a couple home with me????

Thanks

——–
Hello Jessica,

I think you’ll be fine with the bed bugs not jumping to your cloths, but if I were you, I’d would not wear you work cloths home and instead bring a clean pair to change into, or sweats, etc. Use a plastic bag to put everything into and seal – you want to isolate your work cloths from home, then when it’s time to clean the work cloths, make sure to wash in hot water – take some time and read the comments here – you find some great ways to make sure you stay bed bug free.

*** WARNING: DANGER ***

Here is information from the government on Insecticide Chalk that is illegal in the United States! In a nutshell, they say:

“These products are deceptively dangerous. Children could easily mistake them for common household chalk,” said State Health Officer James Stratton, M.D., M.P.H., “Consumers should avoid them.” “Obviously, making an insecticide look like a toy is dangerous-as well as illegal,” said DPR Chief Deputy Director Jean-Mari Peltier.”

The products – sold under various trade names including Pretty Baby Chalk, Chinese Chalk, and Miraculous Insecticide Chalk – are hazardous for two reasons. First, they can be and have been mistaken for common household chalk and eaten by children, causing several illnesses. Second, the products are unregistered, and the ingredients and packaging are unregulated. These products are typically manufactured in China and illegally imported. The packages instruct consumers to draw chalk lines on the floor to kill insects that crawl over the pesticide.

I also found this statement from:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1026725/pdf/westjmed00130-0076a.pdf

“Miraculous Insecticide Chalk”- An Unregistered Household Insecticide:
The California Department of Health Services recently has received numerous reports of the sale of an unregistered insecticide for use against cockroaches and ants. This insecticide is prepared as a white stick simulating common blackboard chalk, and lines are drawn where the insects are to be controlled. It is manufactured in China and is not registered with either the US Environmental Protection Agency or the California Department of Food and Agriculture. This product is being sold to the public primarily through flea markets and Chinese import stores, with its use most often being reported in Asian restaurants and migrant labor camps.

Samples of “Miraculous Insecticide Chalk” submitted by the public have been found to contain 0.71 % of a synthetic pyrethroid compound called deltamethrin. Deltamethrin is mildly toxic, with the most likely toxic manifestations being irritation of the mouth if ingested by a child. Ingesting small amounts-one piece of chalk or less-should require no medical therapy. Ingesting larger amounts should be managed supportively; no antidote is known. Since the product has not gone through the proper regulatory channels, we have no assurance that either active or inert ingredients pose only a minimal health hazard.

The sale of “Miraculous Insecticide Chalk” is illegal in California, and its use in restaurants is a violation of California’s Health and Safety Code. Use of the product should be reported to local public health officials or local county agricultural commissioners.

KENNETH W. KIZER, MD, MPH
Director
JOHN H. POORBAUGH, PhD
Senior Public Health Biologist
Environmental Management Branch
California Department of Health Services
714 P Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

For those of you reading, please beware of these warnings. Consider using Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth instead – there are a number of comments on this page with more information about this all natural product!

mel::

FYI folks:
Bedbugs do not live only in the beds or mattresses, they hide out, especially during the day, in walls, furniture, carpets, floors, wherever….then they come out to feed in the bed at night.

If you are trying to get rid of them, throwing out your mattresses and blankets and sheets won’t do it, you have to eradicate them from the entire room.

good luck!!

Michelle::

In February 21st I went to a birthday party of my niece, the next day i had 8 bites around my neck. I was allergic to it and my neck swelled up. I went to the Dermatologist that Wednesday and she said she wasn’t 100% sure but considering i had three bites in a straight line (breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) she gave me a cream and allergy medicine to take the swelling down.

Next day I placed my sheets and clothes in plastic bags and went to wash them. I sprayed the room with 90% rubbing alcohol. My boyfriend didn’t get a single bite and thought i was over reacting. I taped all the electrical outlets and any open area in the walls and floor. I placed my pillows and mattress in a encasement and checked my mattress before this and saw nothing at all, even tried using my blow dryer on high and let it blow on the cracks of the wood furniture. Nothing.

I slept on the sofa and my boyfriend slept on the bed, and still no visible bites. On Feb 28th we went back the apartment that my niece had her party at. we found that one of the other children has a bed bed problem at home. I didn’t know they could travel like that but i really didn’t know much about bed bugs anyway.

My boyfriend was convinced it was something else because he had no bites. when we got home that day I noticed him scratching like crazy and he lifted his arm and he had three bites. WE then again washed all our clothes and sheets. Since then i have been sleeping covered from head to toe except my hands and head is uncovered. No, bites on either of us.

Yesterday was such a beautiful day i opened all the windows, at night I closed them and when i went to fix the curtain I saw a adult bed bug. I squashed it and placed it on a white tissue then placed them into a sandwich bag. To say the least we slept on the sofa. Could this mean we could have eggs or smaller ones? Is there a way to tell in the bites if they are from an adult or smaller bug? If they are in my bedroom and we are in the living room, do you think they will come to the living room?

Because i don’t see so many i am assuming we are not infested. I am freaked out and tired, we plan to clean tonight and over the weekend. Is there anything else we can do, besides call exterminator?

Please help!

crystal::

hi i found out we had bed bug back in november and they (landlord) sprayed the apartment and three weeks later they were still there my landlord toke two mths before the sprayed again well to my surprise there still here were completly fed up so now were trowing out the mattress’s my question is can i use bleach on the bed frame and head board would that kill any remaining eggs adults feces ?
to be honest were tired of sleeping in the living room on a blow up mattress .

Erica::

Just got these creatures after a visit to New York for vacation. They hitch hiked on my luggage. I have had 6 estimates $700.00-$2500. First thing cover vacuum your mattress and box spring. Then cover them with a mattress cover on both parts. You don’t have to buy the expensive ones, the vinyl ones will do. Duct tape the zipper all the way. Put your sheets and blankets in the dryer for 20 minutes on high every night before going to sleep. There is a cheap way to detect how bad they are and you can make the detector yourself. Take a dog food bowl put painters tape all around the bowl and scuff up the tape with sandpaper. Turn the bowl upside down with the rim facing up. Dust the bowl with cotton balls filled with baby powder. Fill a 1/3 gallon jug with 2.5 pounds of dry ice, leave the jug slightly open and place on top of the inverted dog bowl. Good Idea to put a towel under jug so the moisture will not go into the bowl. The dry ice will attract the bed bugs into the bowl and the powder will kill them. This way you can see how bad it really is invested. There is a website with a video showing you how to make this trap.

Pendevu::

Found that Borax works well to kill bed bugs in clothes. Add 1/2 to 1 cup to wash water. Wash on hottest setting twice then dry clothes on hottest setting for at least 2 hours. Having clothes cleaned at the cleaners does not necessarily work. Also found that Eucalyptus Oil (the primary ingredient in Listerine) kills bedbugs and will keep them off you. Off Liquid Spray does nothing to stop bed bugs so don’t waste your money. The Off aerosol spray did work to keep bed bugs off me while I was driving and being attacked under the steering wheel. There is a commercial chemical preparation called SUSPEND that was recommended by the hotel manager where I am living.

I was forced out of my apartment by bedbugs. The best advice is take swift action. I have had terrible experiences with bedbugs including having to throw away all of my personal possessions ($40,000). Now, after starting over, I am under attack again. I have put Borax under the steering wheel area of my car. I tried “Hot Shot” spray in the apartment, it helped the bugs live. However, when I sprayed my car and left it overnight with all doors and windows shut, it worked. It is easy to transfer bugs from your home to your car so be careful and act swiftly to eradicate. The manager of this apartment just sprayed this suite and because of the transfer from car to suite, I’m going to buy Diatomaceous Earth today – but where to get it? There are almost no choices in Vegas.

The spray “GOODNIGHT . . . kills bed bugs and dust mites” is not effective. I have sprayed so much of the “Good Night” and “Hot Shot” that it is coming out in my skin and my face is now hard with a rash. Be careful. You get desperate for relief and will do anything to stop the bugs.

Thanks for all your sharing.

Be careful when purchasing clothing and bedding. I have found it is possible to purchase these items already infected with bed bugs.

Beverly::

Glad to hear about mixing salt with the Borax. Will do that this week and see what happens.

Both of my feet became swollen. I think something happens to our bodies once the bugs insert their saliva into us. Anyone know about that?

mike::

god am i glad i found this site! i went through a recent separation and all my stuff was stolen by my ex. well anyway i needed to buy a new couch. so i was on a budget and didn’t want to finance a new couch so i bought a used one from craigslist.

The couch was a sleeper sofa, well i have a one bedroom apartment and was sleeping on the sofa pullout because i wanted to get used to so when my daughter would visit she would sleep on my bed. Come to find out the sofa was infested with bed bugs, i have a ton bites!!!

I threw the sofa in the trash and i was moving my blankets back and fourth from the sofa to the bed. so i through my bed away as well. i only found one bed bug on the mattress of the sofa but i was bitten all over my body except my face.

I have now financed a new bed (thank god for 90 day same as cash) and bought a futon for the living room. i tore my place apart and swept like crazy. anything that was in contact with the couch or bed is washed or being washed. i didn’t find any traces of them besides on the couch but through the bed away anyway, i wont take any chances with my daughter visiting shes only 2!!!

I had a exterminator or the complex i should say had one come and he was a fly by night. he had a maglight and that was it! he flashed it around like he was going to see these things in plain view at 12 pm and said i don’t see anything. so he was a joke. well today i bought Diatomaceous Earth and some bug insecticide.

I put the Diatomaceous Earth on everything! it was like a volcano went off in my house! i haven’t been bitten since i removed the couch and bed but its only bed two days so i don’t know.

I only had the couch for 8 days as well so i’m hoping i caught them very early! by the way everyone if you cant find Diatomaceous Earth that’s because your not looking for it correctly. DE is the actual scientific name of it. you cant just go to walmart (where i bought mine) and ask for DE (Diatomaceous Earth) you have to know a brand name with Diatomaceous Earth in.

You can buy DE at walmart its called nano d the d has a _ or underscore under it. and it says organic crawling insect killer. its in plastic round bottle the top is green the d in nano is yellow and the bottom of the can is black. it also has a yellow pinstrip in it.

I am disgusted with this!! if anyone can’t find the de write back and i take a picture of the bottle to show you.

Carolyn::

I found bed bugs just before Christmas, when the superintendant told me the man that moved out upstairs was infested with them. I have sprayed hot shot spray and scrubbed the rug with hard scrup brushes to get rid of the eggs, because i have done research on this digusting topic. The other night after all my spraying I saw two bugs in the apartment. Other tenents are not cleaning or keeping up with spraying. I live in a one room studio and have mostly everything in bins and i want to move, but can’t find a place yet and want to leave bug free. A saleslady in home depot told me to get a steamer because her niece suffered terribly with bedbug bites and ended up on antiobiotics. Please tell me what type of steamer should i get. I am loosing sleep. I am not infested with them, but this whole floor is now throwing furniture out and i just don’t want any more of them. Carolyn

CIN’DEE::

Hi Guys,
First of all I want to thank everyone who has shared. I started getting bedbug bites the first week of May. I have not found the nest, but have found 3 of those bastards! I to am going nutz, the last two weeks I have been bawling like I found out I had Cancer or something. I pray myself to sleep every night, and I am at the end of my rope!
First of all I have a slum lord (landlord). I moved in here because the property we were renting was sold and we had to leave immediately, so we took the first thing we could find. Since then its been hell! First maggots, then mice, then we found 1 roach (haven’t seen one since). It’s just been one thing after another. Last May we finished our 1 year lease now we are month to month. The landlord called his personal exterminator (who is not from a company. He showed up at 1:30pm came in looked at my bed and says I don’t see anything. I then showed him the bedbugs that I froze and my bites, and he goes O’ yeah you got em. NO KIDDING! He did a quick spray and I’m still getting bit. He didn’t inspect anything! He told me he’s charging my landlord $150.00 for treatment, which to sounds way to cheap!! I live in Easton, PA. From what he said my case is mild, another family he had seen across town had bedbugs so bad that when he picked up the cushions on the couch they were all over. I don’t want mine to get that bad!!
I hear everyone talking about DE. I went to Walmart, because someone said its name there was Nano. WHERE CAN I BUY IT ON-LINE or IN STORE???? I also hear some places are just buying it and repackaging it. I don’t want to get something that doesn’t work> PLEASE HELP!
Please forgive my spelling errors and again thank you to all !

Becky::

DE works excellent as a pesticide and has one of the best success rates around, not to mention it is environmentally safe and not harmful to us! You can buy DE (Diatomaceous Earth) in almost any feed and supply store for cheap. Are you sure you applied it the right way?

Deborah::

This summer will be two years since we noticed we have bed bugs. We have tried a powder that drys them out, but when I tested the theory and put some bed bugs in a glass jar it took 7 to 10 days for them to die. We figured we had them when I was getting bit sitting in the upstairs living room wearing a sweat shirt, and finally my mom found them. My father who is a hoarder brought them in on something from a thrift store, even though he tries to say it was from his brand new bed from the mattress company. Well because of my dads hoarding, his room is so infested that they are living in colonies on the ceiling and he tracks them through the house.

I live in the basement and spray 3 times a week on all my furniture. I use Rest Easy spray from Bed Bath and Beyond. It kills on contact, repels, and is all natural. I am allergic to the bites, they will cause me to break out in hives near the site so I am obsessed with getting rid of them. My father on the other hand wears them in his clothes and we can’t take him anywhere, we have tried everything our house and the only thing that has seemed to work is constant cleaning and de cluttering around the rest of the house. But we can’t do much with having animals and my dad not doing his part.

We called a few exterminators and was quoted $200 just for his room cause of how cluttered and infested it is, but there is nothing from keeping them from spreading even more. I will be moving next week into my place and plan on steam cleaning my furniture and then spraying while they sit out in the heat all day.

With my dads room, we literally have to throw everything out the window and put him in a nursing home. So try Rest easy, vacuum, de clutter, and hope for the best. Oh and get rid of the pest who brought or keeps bringing the pests in.

Ann W::

I talked with Terminix and they are using Vikane Gas Fumigant. He said it will kill anything…including the eggs. Has anyone know anything about this product or had any experience. The house will be tented for 3 days. I’m suppose to sign the paperwork tomorrow for them to tent on Saturday. Please if anyone has had an experience with Terminix or Vikane Gas please, please tell me. Thank you

James::

Replie to Ann W

annW i wouldn’t go threw with it the problem with that is bed bug will run too the walls ask them if there going to get inside the wall if they say yes. if your going to shell out that kind of money go with the therma treatment, it’s new and they come to your house, see the video at the top of this page. I would go with these guys Ann w

sue ebright::

my BROTHER brought me bedbugs! will the cedar oil work like they say?

sue ebright::

thanks, abel. we have already moved the furniture out, and treated the area with 3 kinds of bedbug spray, used poison on the couch, soaked it with Cedar Oil, and covered it with plastic, in the sun. we have not had any in the bedroom, and when we moved the furniture out in the heat, the only thing the bugs came out of was the couch. we are treating all of it though, anyway. i also got some DE, and am going to use that. all the items that we think may be infested is in black plastic bags in the sun, and the furniture is soaked with cedar oil in the sun. my fingers are crossed!

dbullemer::

How do you get rid of the bite scars? My daughter’s bites don’t itch anymore but scars have formed.

sue::

sorry, r, but we finally had to call the exterminator….. i just can’t deal with them. we had to borrow money, but to get rid of these things, i’ll do anything! we moved everything out except the furniture and pictures, and they spray next week. it is costing us 500 dollars and a storage. good luck!

Abel::

okay guys i too have been battling these spawns of Satan for 4 months now. (long story short) I’ve done everything i can to get rid of them but there’s always one that comes back for me.

Well the reason why I’m posting this is because i found a link from random net surfing and i found a bed bug fogger for $450.

its supposed to be a recent addition to the do-it-yourself arsenal against bed bugs. the site seems credible enough to try it out as i and many of you guys are desperate for a fast an inexpensive remedy. i bought mine today and i should be receiving it on Friday. so I’m going to go nuts with this thing and pray that they die as advertised. i will also post my results of the product each day after. i hope I’ve helped someone take that step towards riding themselves and others of bed bugs.

…lets all pray that it works because if it does, it will be the best product for combating bed bugs without question.

james::

hey r read my post don’t give up these things are hard to get rid of but if you follow those steps it should work. get yourself a portable steam gun. not sure where you live but home depot have them for rent. another thing i notice home defense by orthon kills them. Also vac everyday and empty the bag outside seal it if you can. keep your clothes bagged. only the clothes that are by your night stand or around your bed.

To that other person who said fogger will work, it won’t, they will just run in the walls. R, I posted the steps a few months so you back you should be able to see it. Good luck buddy don’t give up follow those step and you should be free these bed bugs. haven’t had a problem since. also read up on them no need to spend money on these crazy products. let me know if you need further help i could email the list to you or post my email.

Jim::

Hi R,

Comment clearly state that DE (Diatomaceous Earth) is by far the best solution – I’ve seen the borax and salt mentioned, but not sure how well this works. Not sure on the rental price of the steam cleaner but I doubt that one cleaning would be good enough, more like three over a few week period but here I’m guessing.

If your neighbors have them (as in apartment neighbor) then chances are real good you’ll get them again. They love the electric sockets and other tunnels that connect rooms. You could always do the DE on your place, steam cleaning, etc and when they are gone, then do a DE Perimeter ever week, but what a pain that would be when the management should be taking care of the neighbor (if they know and are not doing anything about it).

Do us all a favor will you? Whatever you end up doing, let us know what and how it works. There are a LOT of people who would be very appreciative!

Best regards,

Jim

babe::

my son started getting bit we thought they were spiders we had just moved in .while gathering dirty clothes to wash we seen one just appear on the heap of clothes these things are a nightmare! we fogged with bonide total release fogger they live in the carpet. we killed a lot, even pulled the carpet back and found dead and alive ones sprayed alcohol. the fogger worked and killed a lot of bed bugs, but it also chased some off now everyone in the building is gonna bomb because they came back after like 4 months so hopefully this time we can send them right out the building!

sue::

do bedbugs bite dogs? my little dog is itching terribly, and she has advantix on.i’ve heard both yes and no

chuck007::

Here I sit unable to lay down and sleep . The stress is over whelming .I have missed Doctors appointments because of my sleep pattern. Today I took apart my leather office chair I was being eaten alive .I found seven large bed bugs and maybe eggs and after all that I did get bit once tonight . Tomorrow I going to stock up on rubbing alcohol and petroleum jelly . Another solution I came up with is to seal all crevices with Elmer’s wood glue . I had to do this when I took out my mattress and box springs, the air mattress I replace them with required I use wood slats where the wood overlaps I sealed with wood glue .I notice I have cracks where baseboards and electrical outlets meet the wall . I think the DE works but gaps are in my defense .

scaredandcan’t leep::

Who is Keith Gordon and is he for hire? I live in NYC

I spent the night at someones house and woke with 3 welps on one arm, a big welt on my jaw line, 3 welts on my temple and a big welt on the corner of my eye in addition my ear is turning purple and extremely swollen-all of these itch and are huge I look like an ulgar!! they didn’t tell me they had bed bugs ! When I woke and moved the sheet there were 2 black bugs. I woke them up they came in and saw the bugs on the couch-well one of them the other ran I must admit they are pretty fast.

Ammonia works best for the itching, yes ammonia. I am scared because my head itches can they nest here even though I washed my hair? I’m such a scary cat i brought one of those traveling bed bug bags, work long Pj’s put the legs in sweat socks and had on a long sleeve stuff and scarf and they still got me. i plan on some of these items below just to be sure I didn’t bring anything home. (Although I had the bed bug bag I put my clothes in plastic and put on the terrace spray my bag bed bug bag and the plastic bag holding my clothes with hot shot bed bug and Flea spray. (9.95 for a gallon with a spary nozzle from home depot) I also sprayed my house (all the rooms ) and around my bed.

A dog come to my job today to check for bed bugs all was clear including my area bags etc. I jump at noices and check everything. Feel itchy and jump at the feeling of air touching the hair on my airs. Do you think I am taking this to far!!

Diatomaceous Earth JT Eaton bedbug spray, (label says it lasts for up to 16 weeks)
Deltamethrin .03% and the Diatomaceous Earth bottle (Safer Brand)
Paint brush borax and salt Chinese Chalk IGR and Pyrethrins Bonide for bedbugs
Goodnite sleep and a good steamer is any that can reach 180 f and have 35 psi. I had used a McCulloch mc125 and was not to expensive, less than a $100 dollars.
‘food grade’ diatomaceous earth which is EPA approved against indoor and outdoor crawling insects and is also FDA approved for internal and external use and has a rating of Food Chemical Codex Grade. citrus or citronella cleansing solutions mixed with rubbing alcohol,use Diatomaceous Earth in all corners, cracks and openings in your home. Make sure you use it on your carpets, under your bed, around your bed, anywhere there is a hiding place. Even in your closets and drawers.

james::

hey, I’m sorry for the late followup on my story, I was helping a friend with bed bug problem. DE is more like a deodorant, it will keep them away. But if they cross it they will dry out within 12-13 days. tested this myself. follow those step i posted. do a border of the DE, no need to go crazy with it. vacuum everyday and repeat with DE. after a week you will see less of them. if your local home depot doesn’t have the hand held steamer you could rent the commercial one. also keep your clothes bag if you want.

Diana::

To Lys, Not sure you will get this, but thought I’d offer a helping hand to your situation.

I’ve been dealing with bed bugs for over 5 months now and through extensive research have found a regimen that works in slowly eliminating the bugs while keeping them under control through this time. It does take more than once or twice of course, like any pest control has to do a follow-up and/or multiple sessions to eliminate the bed bugs.

Here is what you need:

• Mattress Covers: I’m not sure on brands to buy since I am currently waiting on my shipment from a brand that seems to have the best reviews for not tearing or stretching which allows bed bugs to come through seams. I do know that Protect-A-Bed is known to tear easily and/or stretch or melt in dryers.
• Steamer: Since bed bugs are sensitive to heat and 115 degrees is their death point, its important to make sure you purchase a steamer that heats up to that range. Steam kills all bed bugs on contact and effectively kills eggs since the high heat and moisture breaks apart the cement-like saliva adhesive used to attach eggs to surface. That is why is it important to vacuum afterward as well to catch any eggs loosened that may not have been killed. Make sure to dump vacuum bag/cup immediately after every single session, outside away from door and clothing. I suggest theSteamfast Handheld Steam Cleaner which runs about $42 and gets up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Diatomaceous Earth (a.k.a DE): Is natures form of pesticide made from siliceous sedimentary rock, a hard shelled algae that dries and cracks insects (including bed bugs) shells. You can fill up an empty plastic ketchup bottle like those used at the burger joints with food grade DE and use 1 bottle per room. If you buy a big bag of DE and use it to fill your container, you’ll save a ton as opposed to buying a 16oz Bed Bug Powder / Bed Bug Killer at $13 each.
• Floor Steamer: Such as Rug Doctor or another brand will do. If you do not own one just rent one for a night or two depending on how many rooms you have, you will want to go over the floors a few times, at least twice to be sure.

With all of this, clear all clutter off of floors and make sure to bag all clothing, linen and any other fabric on floors in infested areas (that means if room is infested, everything on floor is to be bagged) seal it up, I used 2 garbage bags a piece counter facing each other to make sure nothing got out, but that may be over kill just a bit. Bag up all pillows and covers/linens of beds and wash/dry all linens off of floors and beds in dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes at a time.

Vacuum all floors, take attachments/hoses and run it along the sides of beds and furniture, may sure to look for cracks, move all furniture out piece by piece as you vacuum it. Dressers,night stands, etc all need to have the drawers pulled out and tipped over to look underneath for nests.

Once all furniture except for bed is out of room start steaming mattress, go over at least 4 times all sides running steamer slowly across surface, you want to make sure steamer is touching surface for top and bottom of mattress to get all eggs as bed bugs burrow inside of mattress (that is the reason it takes more than once or twice). Once done, move on to box springs, make sure to pull covering off back of them and use pressure attachment on hand held steamer to get in between springs and wood frame.

Once mattress and box springs are steamed move out of room and steam floors. Run over floors at least 2 times if not 3. Take hand held steamer and run along borders of wall and doorways, make sure to run close to carpet edges for deep penetration into carpet for best results. Once floors are dry move furniture back in room and sprinkle DE powder on top of box springs before laying down mattress, once mattress is down cover top and creases along edges (and buttons if you have them on top of mattress) along the edges of box springs, along carpet edge entire room and in and around furniture to create a barrier.

For the following 2 to 3 weeks you will need to vacuum once a day including hoses/attachments ran along sides of mattress and box springs to catch the babies and any left over adults as they come out of bed. If you have mattress and box springs covers on already I would suggest still checking and running vacuum along edges to make sure none escape. Remember, ONE ROOM AT A TIME, they travel fast, it also would be advantageous to tape over outlets in rooms to prevent them moving out of that room to the next or back to the one already treated, don’t want to back step your progress.

Just steam edges of room along carpet edge once every other day or once a day if you have the time for the next 2 to 3 weeks on top of vacuuming to ensure they are taken care of. If you mattress/box spring covers tear/rip/stretch or come apart in any fashion you will need to do this over again, though you may be able to skip the complete floor steaming and just vacuum those areas very well, but you will have to steam with hand held steamer and lay down DE (if DE gets wet it is no longer effective).

And that’s it! Not fool proof, no guarantee they wont come back again, but will definitely put a HUGE dent in the infestation and in some cases (if not too severe) will work after 1 time. In moderate to heavy infestations this will be an ongoing battle between you and the bugs, if you continue this regimen, which i know is both time consuming and tedious, but is completely worth it and WAY CHEAPER than calling a pest control company, you will eventually be rid of these pests, but nothing good ever comes easy.

So, if you want a solution and willing to roll up your sleeves and work for your home and welfare of you and your families help this may be the right choice for you. Its helped me, though I still have scars and I can sleep in my bed again. Hope it helps a person in need, I know the desperate feeling :).

james::

it is 105 degrees outside, I was told by an exterminator that if i turned my heat on all day and covered the attic vents from outside that i would essentially bake them. it takes 115 degrees for 30 minutes to kill them, but if i left my heat on at 105 outside all day, that would kill them as well don’t you think?

james::

I can wire my thermostat to keep on heating my house up to 150 degrees, I know that it would be an increase in my electric bill, but better than $1,200 dollars for an exterminator or $100 plus dollars on chemicals ,I also have a thermometer that will read my house and I can carry it to each room to gauge how hot it is…Do you know if this would probably help my situation…

James H.::

Ok, tomorrow is the day that I by-pass my electric thermostat to heat my house up to 150 degrees. I have talked to a licensed electrician/a.c. & heating expert and he said, that i could by-pass my thermostat so it would stay on and heat my inside of my house to 150 degrees, in which the mattresses and everything else would be over 115 degrees that is needed to kill the bed bugs.

If this does work I will let everyone know, so as they would not have to pay up to $1,000 dollars for pest control to come and put heaters in their home to heat there house up to 150 degrees, when you can do it yourself, but am just wondering if anyone has ever tried this or knows anyone how has tried this technique before???

James H.::

well I bypassed my heater and it got well above 120 degrees, I found a couple of bed bugs dead and when I picked it up, it just crumbled under my fingers. I did buy mattress covers that is bed bug certified, I will let ya’ll know how everything goes in the next couple of days to couple of weeks…

Ceajae::

Had a daycare kid spend the night 3 weeks ago, went swimming, ( saw nothing) a few hours later mom calls and says “what bit my kid” she had TONS of bites.. it was horrible.
We thought it was fleas and got rid of all pets, treated and sprayed as if for fleas.
Fast forward 2 1/2 weeks.. hubby and I get in an argument and I sleep on the couch.. I wake just fine, then by 3am I am covered with TONS of bites.. Fleas are back I think?

so we start treating again.. in the process… we discover on our couch bed bugs.. like 15 or so.. Aughhh!! we toss couch out. go crazy cleaning and running the vac. 2 days later ( a weekend) hubby goes to get commercial grade spray, we bag up the whole house, processing anything cloth ( toys bedding ,clothes, towels, sheets, EVERYTHING) and ran it through the dryer on HOT. Hand washed and inspected everything else. Basically packed it up like we were moving. Kids and I left and took refuge with family while hubby sprayed everything.. floor boards, bed frames, dressers, behind appliances EVERYWHERE. We came home next day, cleaned again ( small children won’t due to have posion on the ground) and unpacked..

Was getting ready to get a couch brought in when i saw a small movement by the window sill.. I went over to investigate and just so slightly was a movement again.. It was a bed bug.. AGUHHHHHHHH called hubby banished kids to the far room and we removed EACH piece of trim board..Window sills, tops bottoms EVERY piece of removable wood.. Poured boiling water on each piece and then re-sprayed one board at a time.( to prevent spreading them) . Re attached the boards and caulked around each piece as we attached. awhhh.. I really hate these guys.

Never did see them in any area other than the couch, and window sill ( in living room by the couch) any chance we have gotten rid of them in 18 hours since beginning to treat them I would really like to start working again.

Lois::

Cedar Oil is advertised as a safe, effective insecticide for controlling a variety of public health pests including Bed Bugs. Cedar oil was chosen due to the claims being made by the manufacture, to the public for use in controlling bed bugs.

Research examined the effectiveness of the cedar oil product on both bugs and eggs that were treated directly with the product as well as the residual effectiveness of the product once dry.

The product tested was our cedar oil and hydrated Silica formulation (Best Yet)

Jeff::

Please note DE should not be put in open spaces and floors, etc. Many people talk about spreading it around.

Can bedbug nymphs _INFEST_ an apartment with only 7 full adults and no nest with blotchy spots? There are black bedbugs in my apartment, why do I never see pictures of those? They are slow and look spider like and fat in the middle. I have vacuumed, bagged stuff, sprayed the floors by the walls, and the infestation of nymphs keeps coming. I don’t think they’re book mites. Any suggestions?

Longer story:
I’ve had bedbugs twice since ’03, and this makes the third time. They were gone for a while and came back. I think they were gone for a couple of years at a time different times. They seem to come back in warm weather. The kind in my apartment weren’t red, they were black with fat bodies when they are full.

They don’t seem to be fitting what I know of bedbugs. The last two times I got rid of my bed and sprayed and it seemed OK. This last time, I felt like something was biting me, but I showed no marks on my body, and there were no signs of bugs in my bed. However, every six months or year, etc, I would find a bedbug. I found one in my kitchen, one in the bathtub, and one in my bedroom. I thought they were coming in from somewhere else but my land lord says I am the only one with them. I did bring an almost new couch from the alley about a year before they started the first time so this could have happened. And how can they be gone for 2 years and come back? It sounds like they can only live 18 months without food and I don’t think eggs can lay dormant that long.

This last infestation I was in graduate school and had books on my floor as I had tons of books for my thesis work. I found a bedbug under the books. As it was only one bug I underestimated it. The bugs are now everywhere. I also later found one grown adult across the room by another pile of books, one in my bookshelves in a spider’s web, and two in my bedroom. I have only found about 7 large bedbugs, and did not see dead bugs after I sprayed by the corners of the walls and floor.

***What I don’t understand is how they have infested my whole apartment!!!! Not the big bedbugs, but the tiny nymphs. With finding 7 grown adults, I have had my dresser, book shelves, chair, closet, desk, night stand, etc., TOTALLY infested with Nymphs. I have thrown out much of what I own, yoga matt, luggage, meditation cushion, etc., etc. From the books that were on the floor if I opened one there would be 5 or 6 nymphs on the first and last couple pages, and ALL over my closet, and many, many other ones throughout my bookshelves. How can 7 bugs produce all those nymphs? I found one in my desk as I was recently getting rid of it, and for years before this infestation I would occasionally see nymphs on my paperwork, but didn’t think they were bed bug nymphs as I had seen no adult infestation.

How can *1* bed bug hang out in my desk for years churning out occasional nymphs and not infest my couch? And I only found adult in the closet, and everything on the ground was infested. I thought I might have book lice, but they are not in most of the kitchen or on the walls (I just found some in my silverware drawer yesterday and cleaned it immediately.) They still seem to be on my floor when I leave something down like my Birkenstocks, and yet I have thrown away most of my stuff, have plastic trays with pesticides under my bed and couch (I think that is how they have not gotten a foothold on those. I have seen NO bedbugs on my bed or couch), and have vacuumed thoroughly.

How is it that I have not found the standard blotchy blood spots with nests, and have all these nymphs????? Also, I have chemical sensitivities and will not spray something and sit on it. I was reticent to spray my apartment but as the infestation grows I spray more and more. My landlord had an exterminator in who knew nothing of bedbugs and less of chemical sensitivities. He sprayed something incredibly toxic I had to carefully clean up to stop my headaches.

And one last thing, even when I was infested I didn’t show bite marks or had small marks. Just recently I had my Birks on and I think I was bitten repeatedly, I saw tiny red marks, but they went away shortly. I am afraid to set anything down in my apartment for fear of cross-contamination and have many things in bags.

I forgot to add, the guy in the apartment below me is a hoarder. His apartment smells absolutely disgusting, like open cans of garbage. My landlord tells me the guy below me has no bugs, but I find that hard to believe as my apartment is clean and absolutely infested. I am looking to move.

HELP PLEASE, Jeff

Jeff::

To me, bedbugs are like a cross between Mao Tse-tung and Satan. Mao writes, “The enemy advances, we retreat; the enemy camps, we harass; the enemy tires, we attack; the enemy retreats, we pursue.” I dare you, tell me bedbugs haven’t been studying with Mao. (I know, I know, Taoists studied animals.)

chuck007::

Its beginning to be physiological with me the least little twinge and I jump out of my skin and my clothes not a pretty site. because of this infestation I sleep during the day and stay up all night.

Tonight I was being bitten by nymphs I think are living in my leather chair unbelievable the changes that are happening I have not seen an adult BB in days only bugs about the size of the dots on this page. tonight like I said I was being eaten alive my only recourse was to spray this product which seemed to work. I have ordered the stuff that was banned in Ohio tomorrow I’ll get more DE and do a thorough vacuum then get rid of the bag. I’m making plans on what pieces of furniture I’ll get rid and what I’ll keep. I have a studio apt my heart goes out the people with multiple rooms .

Pat Cashin::

Diatomaceous earth (DE) can be found at a pool store also BUT MAKE SURE it is FOOD GRADE DE!
if you were to look at DE under a microscope, it would look like tiny razor blades. Since insects have an “Exo” skeleton, skeletons on the outsides of their bodies. Covering their exo-skeleton is a waxy layer that holds moisture in the insects body. If the insect was to come in contact with the DE, it would cut the waxy layer, and therefore, the insect would dehydrate, to the point of dying. This is also a great treatment for flea infestations.

spicey::

Will putting my suitcases (that have all my vacation clothing in them ) in plastic bags and leaving them in the car work? And if so, how long do I need to do this for? What about bottles of shampoo, all the items you use daily? Will that work for them too? We were in the hotel room for 3 nights total when I found them. I will check mattresses before moving into a hotel room again. Is that good enough? I hope I don’t have to fumigate my home because of this. I am new to all of this. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

Ceajae::

Tony S.
I would suggest renting a steam cleaner or borrowing one of those shark like hand held steamers and steaming everything you can’t throw in the dryer. The rest.. throw in the dryer. We also boiled water on the stove then poured it over baseboards ( used towel below to avoid any major mess then tossed the towels!) then when the wood dried ( a couple hours) we caulked every meeting.. wall to floorboard, wall to window, floorboard to floor we used clear caulk and the added benefit is we have used air conditioning less. :)

Bed bugs are easy to kill. But hard to find. Get a mattress cover for this and use it. We found our bedbugs in the couch.. not a ton of them but WOW what feisty eaters they were. We got lucky and only had them in the living room.. But we treated the WHOLE house in order to be sure. We aren’t sorry.. we haven’t had one sign of any bugs since. Word of advice.. be very proactive.. leave no stone unturned.

scott::

It’s important to treat bed bug infestations the day you discover them or you run the risk of them multiplying and infesting the entire house!

Bed bug bites themselves can not only be irritating but can become infected and cause serious problems in some cases. At first, the bed bugs bite may not even be noticed, bit over time, people become sensitive to the insects’ saliva which can result in a allergic reaction leading to red, itchy, welts!

The best defense is a product called Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade) that you spread around and will kill bed bugs dead!

tiffiny::

i have just experenced the whole bed bug thing i have to say EEEEEWWWWWW!!!!!! i’m not sure what i am doing but i say throw your old bed in a bond fire and buy a new one. treet ur house, if that dosent get rid of them i dont know what im gonna do

sherri oneal::

we didn’t have any problem until new people moved next door..we also had some of my sons friends spend much of the summer with us..we have found 3 bugs in my bed..have been bitten at night..since i am disabled and don’t feel one leg i really didn’t know what was going on..i need help in cleaning the room..no other room in the house has any..and since i cleaned he carpet in there with hot water i haven’t seen any more..did i clean them out or do i need to do more to make it stop..it takes forever or me to clean anything because of my bumb leg but i try..

as an add on i bought a new mattress that is special for my bad back..will be getting plastic cover for the mattress and will take all bedding to laundromat for washing in hot water and drying..with the dawn solution do i spray the furniture an then wash it down..or leave it to dry..on fixed income and can afford exterminators..have a bissell steam cleaner with heat and used that in bedroom..have not seen anymore since..do i need to do it again..

jill shure::

Another easy way to get rid of bed bugs is one that worked extremely well for fleas years ago. It’s called 20 Mule Team Borax and it’s sold as a laundry additive in your supermarket. It also dehydrates the eggs killing the cycle of fleas and any other insect through dehydration. It smells nice and doesn’t have harmful insecticides in it. Years ago, after dozens of pesticide treatments, a friend from Miami read an article about pest control. The big pesticide companies won’t tell you about this. But it works. You just sprinkle it around any area which might breed an unwanted pest – roaches included. It may take a few days to work. Because you are not only suffocating the living pests, but you are also dehydrating the eggs.

Why must we get so complicated when this is a wonderful solution?

c.soto::

So here is my follow up.. exterminator came saturday.. finished the 3rd treatment 3 in just under a month.. I have found dead bed bugs hera and there.. but the worst part is htere must still be live ones because at least me and 1 of my daughters have gotten bit.. I think my other daughter too.. but she is in denial.. 2 of us even slept on the living room floor last night seeing as our bedrooms are upstairs and it was way too hot to sleep in our beds.. we got bit.. not a lot but a few 3 to 4 bites at least.. does anyone know how long after treatment it takes before we don’t have any bites.. haven’t seen any live ones.. but have killed 3 live spiders.. 1 each after every treatment and they were are all the living room floor.. did I mention the whole entire house was treated for bedbugs.. fumagant.. grow inhibitor..and dusting.. I am soo tired still don’t get much sleep and emotionally drained.. starting to effect work.. this is terrible.. does anyone have any suggestions.. also how much longer before be are bit free?

Jennifer::

I just bought RID spray its used for head lice. it has Phenothrin in it. Its safe for mattresses as well. I have sprayed my entire mattress, and put all my linens in the washer and dryer. When I was putting my comforter in there was a male bedbug literally starting walking towards me. So gross. I also moved my mattress away from the wall and saw what I thought were baby spiders with little dark pinned shaped bodies and clear legs. After doing some reading I now know they were nymphs. (I killed them immediatly). I am having pest control come buy and search my house as well with me today. I got my first bite 8 days ago. I am hoping to catch this in time. Will keep you all posted.

Lyn::

OK, so now I’ve joined “the group.” Question – has anyone tried a hot hair dryer on the mattress/box springs instead of a steamer? Don’t have a steamer, and since I’ve read that the water vapor itself doesn’t do anything positive, and I’m thinking it can cause other damage, I’m wondering. Thanks. I’m at the beginning of this adventure, so…

Jeff::

Note to readers:

Diatomaceous Earth is harmful if inhaled. Commonly available at pool stores as a filter medium for “DE” Filters. This is NOT the stuff you want to use! Look for FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth!

As with anything, be careful with any product you are using. Always read the label, and be informed.

Shirley::

THIS IS MY LAST TIME POSTING A SIMPLE SOLUTION FOR BED BUG TREATMENT – STOP WASTING YOUR TIME AND JUST DO IT. IT IS A LOT OF WORK BUT ITS WORTH IT!

When i had these no exterminator would do it because there was no way to get rid of them so they said. The bed bugs are the demons from hell.

I tried everything you can think of, spent over $200.00 on chemicals and still there. I know this worked quickly and slept so good the first night we did this. Until I am fortunate enough to have a very dear friend give me a solution of borax 20 mule team detergent and salt.

First you get an empty large hole size shaker of any kind ( i used an old garlic powder container it wasn’t empty but I sure emptied it)

Then use 1/2 borax detergent & 1/2 salt and sprinkle everywhere… All over, I took mattress & box spring outside sprinkled all over left all day.

vacuum everything up including electrical sockets, every nook and cranny the bed bugs hide; I taped up sockets and me not ever wanting these things back taped up along baseboards.

wash everything in hot water.

non washables in black trash bags baking in sun for 3 days

repeat 3 months later

I had a couple boxes under my bed so i sprinkled in there also. very important things but anything to rid of bed bugs. I also, to this day, vacuum my mattress. all the time
3 years later no sign of them!

20muleteamlaundry.com/about#laundry
mortonsalt.com

All treatment products can be found at your nearest store such as Walmart.

** VERY IMPORTANT TO SPRINKLE EVERYWHERE…. YOU CAN’T BE LAZY. YOU HAVE TO VACUUM EVERYTHING AS WELL!

This works! Good luck!

c.soto::

So here I am with a follow up….another one.

It has been just shy of a month since the 3rd treatment for our bed bugs with the exterminator.. I still get bites.. and I think my daughters do to.. these bites are so tiny..little red dots at first kinda sting..and get a little bigger after a day or so.. don’t itch terribly like the bigger ones.. but I am pretty sure they are from nymphs that may have hatches.. going crazy..

I called the owner of the exterminator co.,,, he is coming out himself with the guy that treated this Sat to inspect.. treat again (with a different chemical) and to leave traps designed to lour those little bed bugs, hopefully .. I don’t know what to do.. still haven’t put the clothes back in the rooms yet.. living out of storage containers and trash bags in the garage sucks..

Why are these things so hard to get rid of? I even had a carpet guy out to treat the carpets almost 2 weeks ago to steam them and treat for these buggers.. also steamed the mattresses and box springs.. have caulked all baseboards and window sills … am waiting on mattress / box spring and pillow covers to come up.. they are poleypropelyne ones designed to keep out dust mites..bed bugs etc… does anyone know how well they will work… willing to do anything at this point..tires of the bites.. even the little ones scar like you wouldn’t believe…. going insane!

John::

We were itching a lot and having bite marks after getting up in the morning. A friend of mine mentioned bed bugs were in San Fransisco and New York. I am in Orange County, California. I realized we were likely infested with bed bugs. It made sense to me. My girlfriend found two after I text her and asked her to look around the bed.

It has been over a month and we are in a battle here. We have two large beds in an apartment. I have some ideas where they came from but it doesn’t really matter. First thing I did was fog. I did it twice and maybe 3 times. It was Hot Shot fogger available at The Home Depot. Even though the store is large and has a massive pesticide aisle it only offers the one brand that lists bed bugs for the stores here in California.

I purchased the aerosal can of the bud killing product and that wasn’t fun spraying and I think did very little for the fight. I purchased a hand held spray product from Ace Hardware that is for bed bugs. It was very strong in odor. I think it worked better then the Hot Shot but the room was not habital for almost a week due to the chemical odor.

At one point in the battle I removed the webbing material that covers the bottom of box springs because I found them hanging out there and also spotted some eggs there along the edge of this material. Removing the webbing also allowed for me to spray the underside of the box springs thoroughly and limit where they can hide. They seemed to prefer this material! Around this time I had purchased the 1 gallon Hot Shot Hand Sprayer for Bed Bugs. It is very easy to use, covers a lot of area and doesn’t smell bad after an hour or so.

We still get bit to this day and I go on the attack again. We are finding them in the mattress seams along the edge now. I could be mistaken but my reasoning for this is because I have been spraying so much in the box spring. We were finding nymphs lately and that was a good sign because nymphs don’t lay eggs. We want to kill them before they lay eggs of course. But unfortunately I found a massive sized adult hiding in the mattress seam today. This was disappointing for me because I didn’t want to see an adult. I am hoping this was the matriarc and I flushed him or her from under the box spring.

I went ahead and sprayed this adult directly with the Hot Shot Sprayer twice and did chose not kill it with my tool. Instead I collected this specimen to watch the death process. Much to my disappointment this bug is still active and it has been almost 3 hours!! It’s confusing because I feel the bed bugs are dieing off but this one isn’t dieing as fast as I thought it should. I still have hope that it will die. Earlier I complained to an employee at The Home Depot and told him about my experience. He was all ears but said I should throw in the towel and purchase new beds. He also said the California stores don’t have products that the east coast stores have and I should purchase something offered from the internet. I told him his company is doing a disservice to the the community offering a product that is ineffective.

Hope this was helpful to you.

John::

I spoke to government agencies today and got nowhere except a helpful link to my county vector program. I spoke to United Industries also and an employee told me the Hot Shot Spray can take up to 24 hours to terminate the bed bug from a direct hit or if it walked over damp surfaces. She said if the spray dries it has no killing effect and it will never kill eggs. She did advise me that they have a product coming out that will kill eggs and also continue to kill even after it dries. I can’t wait to get that!!

I caught another bed bug after work and have it in my container for the pest control guy when he comes over. I also told my apartment manager about my bug situation and he was sort of helpful. I was asking him for help. At first he said he would get an exterminator but later deferred the idea of the cost to me. Gee! Thanks!

I double stick taped the legs of the bed with the metal frame and looked it over as best I could. I found a very tiny bug that is hairy and grey in color. To me it looks like another specie of bed bug so I am keeping it as well. we are not sleeping on the wood frame bed. We keep finding them on it.

Next for us is a steam cleaner and the DE. We will keep at it.

Brittani::

So I’ve never had an issue with bed bugs, until today.. I think. My legs were really itchy so I was itchin the crap out of them. I turn on the light and they are covered with red bumps! I looked everywhere on my mattress underneath it and did not see anything. I’m going to try the borax/salt, the dawn/water, and the food grade DE. I can’t live like this! I’m sittin’ here freakin out that there are bugs all over me!

Julia W.::

ALCOHOL, Rubbing Alcohol in a cheap spray bottle safe for kids, pets. SEE the Big Bad Bed Bugs lift their tales and die. Look for bottles on sale and refill your own spray bottle over and over. I did this twice three times a week and it has worked thus far along with all the other stuff…Caulking walls and rug, door intersects. Vaccuum in the night time at least a few times

John G.::

Hey, Guys! I am happy to say that we are not getting bit. I am not going to suggest they are all gone but the double stick tape is keeping them off the bed from the carpet. I purchased a roll of heavy duty mounting tape at the hardware store for about $10. It is much more then I need. Probably enough for 5 or more wood frame beds. I purchased the Diatomaceous Earth today. I got a large bag for about $12. I plan on using it soon.

Cindy::

First let me say, I’m glad I found this site. I often heard, ” Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” I’m almost 50 yo, I never heard of bed bugs being this bad. I haven’t been face with this problem yet. Thank goodness

My daughter moved out of our house about a year ago and now she’s face with the problem of trying to get rid of bed bugs. She lives in a low income housing complex so I’m sure the problem is huge. As there all townhouses the bugs are crawling from one house to another. She has a exterminator coming in to spray the place. But the thing is, This is her second time dealing with bed bugs in one year. Whatever the exterminator is spraying sure isn’t working at all.

The Housing Authority made her get rid of her mattress and box spring, couch, chair. This is the second time she was told to trash these items. I read where you could have them hot steam that would kill the bed bugs. I was going to have that done but now I’m back to looking for more furniture. My daughter can’t afford to keep replacing furniture. Right now, my daughter is sleeping on a blow up mattress. I made it very clear to the Housing Authority that she didn’t have bed bugs before she move in.

Once again I need to go over there and help her out. I’m going to use some of the tips that I have read on here.

The hot water, the DE, Alcohol, 20Mule Borax & Salt and the Dawn.

Question – I do have a “Heating Gun” I’m wondering if that would be safe to use? Cause this is war.

Megan::

My boyfriend wound up w/ several bites after spending the nite at his parents’ house; is there any way that he could’ve brought them into our home via his clothes, etc.? He’s really itchy and the bites are classic bed-bug bites, but I’m going crazy wondering if those suckers could’ve hitched a ride to our home! Any suggestions/comments are welcome; thanks to all for your previous posts/info. on this topic :)

JoAnn::

Well glad and not so glad to see that other people have problems with bed bugs.

My daughter’s school (High School) found bed bugs in classrooms last week. The administration tried to hide it until they received tons of angry calls from parents wondering why an announcement wasn’t made. The school is almost all lynolium and wood except for the auditorium. I am thinking a student brought in the bed bug on their clothing.

I read that the bugs can live in electrical outlets, molding, basically anyplace dark.

What are the chances of the entire school being infested and our children bringing the bugs home? It’s big school with lots of children, And in dealing with high school students they don’t want to go to school to begin with, this is the perfect excuse!

John G.::

This was weird. Two nights ago my fiance puts on a T-shirt before climbing into bed. I didn’t think much of it but she got bit real bad on her left arm down to her wrist within some minutes.

I had just fallen asleep and she woke me in a panic. She had went to the restroom because of the stress and discomfort from the bites that just occurred and spotted the adult Bed Bug on her shirt between her chest and shoulder. She was able to kill it.

These little bugs are hungry because we are doing everything we can to keep from getting bit. This bug pounced and didn’t waste anytime. We came to the conclusion that it got on her shirt when the shirt was on a soft foot rest next to the wall for many hours prior to her putting it on.

I think I have done an excellent job of removing them from the bed and positioning the tape. She has hampered my efforts to apply Diatomaceous Earth but she is on board now.

John G.::

We saw a very tiny nymph 2 nights ago on my pillow when we were in bed. It must have just hatched and went hunting. It got us I have to admit. We remained calm and since then I steamed the bed frame one more time and today I replaced those wood blocks and thin wood planks that go under the King box springs. I replaced them with planks that are 2inch thick to remove the need for blocks.

The fewer things touching the carpet, the better! I still believe the double stick tape around the legs of the frame is worth it’s weight in gold. I used a baster to apply the Diatomaceous Earth in areas of the room and between the box spring and mattress. The fine dust was not pleasant at all. I used a cheap mask.

I would recommend a high quality mask if you choose to do this. I think I am rounding the corner on beating this.

John G.::

Frustrated in Phoenix,
I forgot to mention that professional exterminators probably use chemicals that will continue to kill even after drying but I have read from earlier posts that sometimes these exterminators have to return to same residence multiple times and the cost can be hundreds to a couple thousand dollars. Try ridding them yourself.

JJ::

I have several co-workers that have bedbugs. One is slowly winning the battle via professional exterminators. Another is floundering. They just don’t know how to deal with it and it’s getting worse. The other day I noticed that I had received ‘the gift that keeps giving.’ (cue sarcasm)

On a good note, I have spray bottles of rubbing alcohol all around my house, as I use it as a sanitizer. When the little pest crawled over my arm, I grabbed a bottle that was close to hand and zapped it. It died instantly. I’ve also noticed that creepy-itchy feeling and have been combating it with alcohol. Anywhere I itch, I spray. Including my hair. Doesn’t do a lot of good for the texture, but the itchy-crawly feeling goes away.

And I’ve been spraying down my favorite chair every day. Granted it only kills the bugs that crawl through it, but it keeps me from getting bit. Wet, cold rump is a small price to pay…

2 notes of caution:
1) Be careful not to spray it near the eyes. It Stings!!
2) This should be a no-brainer, but not everyone knows how flammable rubbing alcohol is. Don’t spray it near open flames and Don’t smoke in rooms where you can still smell the alcohol vapor.

I still have some diatomaceous earth from a previous battle with fleas. (I won!) So today, I’m off to the store for:
a magnifying glass (easier to spot the little !@*&%s)
cedar oil
double sided tape
More alcohol!
possibly a steamer if I can find one I can afford

The Plan:
Extreme tidying & vacuuming, possible steam cleaning

‘Blocking up’ my couch and wrapping double sided tape around the blocks, diatomaceous earth under the cushions,
possibly cedar oil on the outside (will have to check label first – if not, will continue with aggressive alcohol treatment)

Diatomaceous earth all around perimeter, double sided tape around all outlets & cracks, & even covering outlets I don’t use

Laundry while tidying – ashamed to say I have a couple of piles of laundry on floor – I’ve been keeping clean laundry in bins since the ‘flea war’, and will be adding some double sided tape to the outside of those bins

I might even pick up some of those storage bags that you vacuum the air out of & put all my summer clothes in them. Along with some D-earth.

So far, the cats seem unaffected. They’re not doing the panicked climbing to get away, that they did during the flea episode. Does anyone out there have suggestions on keeping it that way, or are the bed bugs likely to just come after me?

Books: It seems to me that a way to treat infested books would be to bag them up & throw them in the freezer for a week or so, leaving them bagged after treatment until all the bugs are gone. Does this sound feasible?

Will post again with results & if it works, will be helping the co-worker who is still struggling.

patricia::

John are you still living out of plastic bags ? we bought a 3 in one steam mop we used as a hand held steamer and steamed walls and base boards let dry (DE) Diatomaceous Earth all cracks and crevices land lord brought in heaters we ran at temp of 60 Celsius 140 Fahrenheit in both bed rooms so far so good now we need to steam all base boards in rest of house steam walls than DE every where we are all so going to seal every window floor board etc with invisible caulking as well its cold here now not to many Vacancy’s here so might have to rid it out here for winter will keep you posted tape on floors tonight see what it catches

John G.::

Patricia, a few days ago I elected to put my clothes back into the drawers but I inspect them before I put them on. I haven’t seen a bug since the one we saw on the ceiling about a week ago or so. Sometimes in bed or on the couch I feel like something is biting me but it could just be “nerves”! We never see a bug when we think one is on us.

So, until I see another bug or very obvious bite marks I am not going to pull out all the ammo again. We are practicing good house keeping and keeping the bedding off the floor. I still feel the double stick tape was most effective in at least giving us good sleep. I still haven’t applied any sticky product to the walls and I regret not doing this. I really need to get something and do this. If you have a wood frame bed you have to take it apart and steam everywhere on it. Fill in holes and deep cracks of the frame with caulking. I did!

Keep in touch and let me know how you do.

particia::

Well, I’m happy to announce we have found nothing on tape and son has no bites, my husband is away and the bed bugs love him so wont know for sure til he is home because they don’t bite me or i don’t react. I am thinking the heat did a very good job my landlord is not going to like me cause i am going to make him bring me back the heaters and do it again on his dime. i don’t pay for power, DE (Diatomaceous Earth) is under heaters and we have hot water heat…

Pipes, lights and plugs were siliconed today but still freaked out about basement as that’s where laundry is. I cringe every time i do a load that i am tracking some thing back. I put DE under base boards bought mattress encasement at Zellers for a whole $57, a lot better than the $160 on line! check out your local Walmart and Zellers stores guys! still need to paint and seal walls and continue to vacuum and work our way through the rest of the house doing all of the above …we are tired! we are putting things we don’t want to lose in unheated storage and its like -17c that’s 1.4F here as a high all week.

I will keep you posted. I hate the bag thing :) thanks for listening!

patricia::

Well, the bed bugs moved to the living room so now i am moving everything! getting thrown out back to laundromat with clothes and linens!

denise::

I just wanted to add one more comment about the products CY-Kick CS.These 2 products mixed together absolutely did not stain any of my furniture, linens, carpet etc. We used the DE food grade 1st and it didn’t work in my case.

I also bought a product online to use on the bug bites before we actually found the real true KILLER of these bugs from Hell, called Bite Rx (Search for it on Google Products) it was expensive but worked better than anything else we tried.

Yes I TRIED just about everything including alcohol, chiggerexplus, and even washed my hair with lice products. I am not endorsing these products for any other reason than from my experience. I do KNOW and can say earnestly that these products WORKED.

Again be diligent, make sure to treat the entire house, closets all doorways, baseboards, headboards, carpets, etc. I get “sick” with the smell of just about everything, but waited 2 hours before getting any where near the products, wore gloves, and took a shower after having any contact with the products, and did not have any ill effects. I did notice the dog drank a lot more water, so keep yourself hydrated, and make sure to keep your animals water bowls full too. Make sure that your animals food and water is put away don’t allow any of the product any where near their food, or your food, just common sense.

c.soto::

ok so it is a little over a month after the pco came back for the 4th time to treat the house… not sure if we are bug free yet.. it is rather cold her at night so we bundle up pretty good.. and my face has seen either bites or.. pimples not sure considering I rarely have pimples and lately I have had quite a few.. some go away sooner than others some itch some don’t.. but I can’t help to think they are possible bites.. I don’t see any bugs.. but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any.. I have encased all beds mattresses and box springs.. and have a ring of DE around all bed legs.. I still vaccum like crazy every weekend.. but am so tired.. we are still living out of bags in the garage.. so afraid to put everything back in the closets and dressers.. when will this end? I am planning to move.. but am afraid If we still have them .. I will take them with us…. what else can I do.. and how long does it take after they come in contact with the DE to die.. can they cross over crawl up and still bite?

Brenna::

I just moved into a beautiful new apartment and love it.
As I was moving in, I bought a set of couches off of Craigslist that were beautiful Victorian style seating with wood inlays.
(Can you see where I’m going with this?)
One of the first days being in the home I noticed a strange bug crawling on my mother.
We killed it.
In the next day or so I had a bite that I recognized from doing previous curious research on bed bugs.

That night we opened up the couches to find a TON of dead bed bugs…. curious.
Threw out the couches immediately hoping for the best, as they had only been in the house 3 days.
But now I keep getting bites that look more like spider bites, with only two lesions.
But I fear for the worst.

I am going to begin the treatment tonight by bagging all clothes in the bedroom, vacuuming, and using the sticky tape all around the door (trying to keep them where they are) and the bed.
I have to wait for the mattress, pillow, bedspring covers to come in the mail (WHY IN THE HECK DON’T THEY SELL THEM IN STORES!?).

Any advice on what type of pesticide/spray/dirt/whatever treatment works best?
I am terrified.

This is a fair warning to trust NO ONE on Craigslist, we got our money back, and he was very nice about it, but I do fear he was “playing dumb.”

INSPECT EVERYTHING!

bob a::

I was attacked no matter where I tried to sleep in the house. Finally took my garage stored sleeping bag, taped the legs of the expanded kitchen table and have had no bed bug bites for three days of good sleep with the table as my bed. It’s giving me relief time while I deal with all this advice. I’m single so this is working out.

Chad::

Okay…. so far so good. I have been taking pretty good steps with everything. I have been bite free for five days now. I still go over my room every day looking for any signs of these things. I believe I caught them pretty quick, however, I will not let my guard down. Too paranoid I guess, lol!

Denise, thanks so much for your advice. I will definately look these two chemicals up and see if I can use them. (Chemical Allergies here). I’ve started pretty much a “home” make over routine. Sadly most of my things I go through I am bagging up and tossing out. Living out of plastic isn’t easy but it sure beats transporting these things over someplace else. I thought of opening all of my windows and turning off the heat for about 3 days…. it’s been about 20 degrees during the day here and about 10 or 15 degrees at night. I figure it couldn’t hurt to play freeze out with these things… you think it might help? I will be staying with a friend during this period. Guess I will find out! Best of luck to everyone battling this problem!

Chad::

Ordered slip covers for the mattress! Hopefully the double sided tape on the bed legs and covers will help me to finally get some much needed rest! I can’t help but be paranoid at night. I haven’t had a “good” nights sleep since first finding these things. I’ve decided to also get rid of my couch and two chairs. I think it will be easier to treat my place without these extra hiding spots. Does anyone know of a good site to buy an affordable steamer? The ones I’ve looked at are ranging from about $250-$300 and that’s just not in my budget.

Pete::

Buy the spray Clorox Clean-Up.
It will kill the bugs on contact 100% of the time.
It is in your local supermarket.
Spray everything every 4-5 days.
Problem will disappear within a few weeks.

Bed Bug Girl::

No Peter, that is not true.

The problem is that you are impatient, you posted a comment and because it didn’t appear right away, you made an incorrect assumption.

This site is an excellent resource for identifying and treating bed bugs yourself, but that is only possible because I manually check every comment to protect the site from spammers. This takes time and I do it in batches at the end of the day, if I have time, I may do it multiple times in the day. I do this all free, I don’t sell anything and any advertisements I have help offset the cost of the server this site sits on.

Your bed bug treatment was not deleted, rather not approved yet; because you didn’t see it approved immediately, you became hostile and assumed the worst. It’s unfortunate you go through life like thinking everyone is an extreme liberal, but if you look for the positive rather than the negative, you’ll be a much happier person.

Thanks for the bed bug treatment, but you can keep your hostility and ungratefulness.

Nguyen::

Hello, please help. My teenage son keeps complaining of bed bug bites. He has the itchy rash on his wrist, thigh, hips, ankles. We wash his clothes and bed sheets but he still has the rash. We never see any bugs or blood though.

Now he leaves his room and occupies the couch. I am afraid the bed bugs, if there are, would find their new home: the couch. However, since we never find any bugs, small or adults, I am not sure if it’s the bed bugs.

Please help me to treat this problem.