Fleas in my apartment (Chicago: lease, condo, mattress)

[explorer905]

I moved into an apartment in South Loop a few weeks ago. I specifically asked that the condo owner clean the bedroom carpet prior to my move in date (included in my lease). Well the owner said the 'company' he uses wasnt available or some excuse. Long story short i moved into the apartment because the carpet looked clean and i was living in temporary corporate housing and wanted to get out. The owner never called me back about the carpet cleaner and i got busy with work. I noticed i started getting 'bug bites' a few days after i moved in. Turns out i have flea bites and they're likely in the carpet and my BRAND new bed/mattress and sofa as well ad my daughter's new bed. What are my options for dealing with this issue? I'm new to Chicago, and frankly the U.S. and dont know if i'm on the hook for solving this bug infestation. Any help would be appreciated!

[holl1ngsworth]

If these bites are mainly on your lower legs and feet, it's very likely bed bugs -- and you could be in for quite a headache.


Visit here:

City of Chicago :: Bed Bug Information

And here:

http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en.../bed_bugs.html

And here:

http://www.cityofchicago.org/content...schecklist.pdf

[explorer905]

According to the walgreen pharmacist my bites look like flea bites and not bed bug bites-how can i find out for sure? I'm inclined to hire professionals to deal with this issue and deduct it from my rent. Should i contact the property manager? I thought i was moving into a decent building and wasnt expecting bug problems. My daughter is due to arrive next week and there's no way in hell I'm letting her stay in a bug infested room!

[ToriaT]

Go to a doctor to find out for sure and get the proper treatment. Notify the landlord and management company. The apartment will have to be decontaminated following protocols. I probably would take things into my own hands and get the apartment and carpeting steam cleaned, but first I would try to get them to do it. I'd wait a couple of days only. Its likely the carpet should be ripped out entirely.

[ChicagoMeO]

Look at the corners of your bed, if you have bed bugs they will be hiding in the corners of your sheets and hiding between your bed frame and mattress. And if your legs itch you have bed bugs. dont change your sheets or vaccuum them or anything till he gets a PROFESSIONAL exterminator to see what kind of bugs they are.

the landlord by law has to take care of it. and pay for it.

[allygory]

I had one of the worst flea infestations in the entire free world (very long story, moved into my parents house to take care of it after my mom got sick and found out that my stepfather had taken in a bunch of stray cats). The only thing that makes fleas look desirable is bedbugs. Both are a giant nuisance, but both can be gotten rid of if you are patient and persistent.

If you want to know if its fleas take a walk around the place wearing shorts and white socks. In the absence of a pet to feast on, fleas will be attracted to your body heat and jump on your feet/legs. They will show up on the white socks as you walk through the place. Fleas generally don't hide the way bedbugs do.

Your landlord can and should take care of this, but there are a few things you'll need to know. WAIT until the particular pest is identified. If it turns out to be fleas, they will spray/bomb etc. This will only kill the living bugs. Eggs are immune to spray and have a 2 week hatch cycle so spraying will have to be repeated every two weeks until it is all gone. IN the interim you will vacuum vacuum vaccum. Empty the bag outside the place. A few cycles of spray/vaccum/spray/vaccum should take care of fleas. It will take longer than you want it to but its generally a "little" easier than bedbugs. The "walk around in white socks" test will help determine if they are all gone.

Bedbug removal has a number of protocols so if it turns out to be those you'll want to wait and see what type the exterminator uses. Just make sure that whoever the landlord hires is well versed in bedbug removal - they are more complex than other pests.

I wish you the best of luck. whatever it turns out to be, its icky, but its manageable.

[explorer905]

Thanks everyone, i had three exterminators come in and they couldnt find any evidence of bed bugs or fleas. In addition to them inspecting my apartment, i also did the white socks test, soap in a dish with light test and even the dry ice test but nothing. In the meantime i wake up with one or two new bites every day and i'm up to 20 bites now. Does anyone have suggestions? I'm desperate!!

[explorer905]

I should also add that i sprayed rubbing alcohol everywhere (as per one exterminator's advice) and have been vaccuuming 3 times a day. I've washed most of my clothes (except my suits and dresses hanging in the closet) and put all my bath mats, towels, etc in the dryer for 30 mins on high...

[allygory]

If you are waking up with bites ,bedbugs and scabies are your most likely culprits.
A doctor should be able to tell you more about the bites.

[allygory]

PS. even experienced exterminators can have trouble tracking a mild bedbug problem ... lookup on the bedbugger.com forums how to detect the problem on your own. If you need to, call an exterminator that specializes.