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As a bedbug survivor, I can tell you that by the time you actually see a bedbug, you've got a major infestation. Too bad so many people don't figure it out until that point.
I say yes and no to your statement.
True that a lot of people including myself don't recognize the problem until it gets dire. I thought I was being bit by fruit flies since the garbage cans sit right outside my window and they would get in through where the lock is on the window, so I had a big problem w/ fruit flies.
By the time I noticed these strange little bugs that looked nothing like what I've seen on-line or tv they were a lot.
I think what slowed them down for me was me using boric acid prior for roaches and me flipping and vacuuming my mattress from time to time.
What really made a difference I think in avoiding a major problem; using one of those foam mattress covers. I stripped my bed and only left that foam mattress cover on top. I slept naked and greased myself down in Vaseline then slept on top. The Vaseline slowed them down but they would come up from that foam, you know like in those creepy scary movies where a hand is coming up from the earth. I know ewwww, but it worked. The babies or nymphs and small bugs would be nestled in the foam. I would take the foam off and wash it in hot water with Dawn dishwashing liquid. Hang it to dry then repeat. I got rid of a lot of them that way.
I was wondering about this. You dont hear about them as much as you used to.
I first got them in 2008. I remember seeing one of them after I woke up 5am itching. A pest control guy came and sprayed one time and that was it. I used DE too and got a new mattress but I would say about once a year I wake up with bites. I've read several times that they can survive up to a yr without food. I call an exterminator who inspected my room and the mattress and he doesn't think I have them. His reasoning was that if I only had one treatment they would be everywhere and they wouldn't wait 1 yr for food if they don't have to. He said he didn't see any signs of them when he checked the room and mattress.
He said I may be getting bit by carpet beetles instead. I don't even wanna google what they look like.
I really doubt that you can do anything different to treat 19 bedbugs or 19,000 of them. Early detection cannot help a lot because all you need do is miss one pregnant female hiding in a light switch.
I have trouble understand how people EVER get rid of all of them.
The only method I would try would be extreme heat for several hours, but I would sleep nervously forever after.
I really doubt that you can do anything different to treat 19 bedbugs or 19,000 of them. Early detection cannot help a lot because all you need do is miss one pregnant female hiding in a light switch.
Now this just my opinion based on my own experience. The lesser amount is easier to deal with. Early detection lets you deal with the problem immediately so they don't multiply and get out of hand. Have you seen some of those shows where they are crawling everywhere in broad daylight?
For me playing keep away, as in keep away from my blood, works. They'll either die or find another host somewhere.
Sure they can hide in a light switch or outlet, again this is where keep away comes into play.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kefir King
I have trouble understand how people EVER get rid of all of them.
This is the tricky part. You won't really know until either you're not getting bit anymore or an expert confirms they're gone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kefir King
The only method I would try would be extreme heat for several hours, but I would sleep nervously forever after.
I actually found one living in my paperback dictionary a few years ago (probably next to the word "gross").
Despite my unit never getting sprayed, as I've never told the landlord, an adjoining resident mentioned to me a few months ago that he had to be sprayed (maybe just last year?). I'm surprised he casually even mentioned this, as I don't know him well. I didn't tell him that I had heard that the previous tenant screaming at the manager "I haaaaave bedbugs! Get me another unit!". At that time, maybe 4-5 years ago, I didn't really know what they exactly were all about and their the repercussions. It took months after itching and pimple type sores to finally detect my first bb by accident. I turned on the light at 1 am while watching tv. Needed to pull out some plug, then noticed a strange insect. Hmmm. Put two and two together, checked online, then flipped my mattress -- voila, several live bedbugs, but not hundreds as some experience. Curiously, it never ever got to that point DESPITE not getting treatments. Hard to believe that the neighbor's spraying may have indirectly helped me.
As we've read, it's best to spray on different floors and sides of the targeted unit, but I never was sprayed. Hmmm...
I think it's been contained or eliminated the past couple of years in my small unit here in Quincy, Mass. I seem to get itchy just occasionally, and wonder if the "pimples" are really still bb bites or just a dermatology issue. Just grateful it's not consuming my thoughts and actions as it did for over a year. I'd be afraid to visit people, wouldn't divulge my secret, etc.
Here is an effective and cheap way to get rid of bed bugs.
Google up diatomaceous earth.
I use it to get rid of fleas on my dog, but I hear it works well for bedbugs.
Make sure you get the edible food grade version. Its 100% natural and non toxic.
I actually found one living in my paperback dictionary a few years ago (probably next to the word "gross").
I have a large library. Do you have any idea how long it takes to Paktite that many books, with the pages in every book propped open so nothing survives in the insulated space.
Weeks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 85dumbo
Here is an effective and cheap way to get rid of bed bugs.
Google up diatomaceous earth.
I will tell you right now, as a survivor of not one but two major infestations, the second of which took almost two years to get rid of, that diatomaceous earth by itself will not do j**k s**t. I know people like the idea of it because it's "natural" and all that, but these little bastards respond only to strong poison, which is why they all came back after DDT was outlawed.
You know you're on the right track when you, or your exterminator, is drilling holes in the walls to get the poison back in there. That's the level it has to be taken to.
I wonder if LL's have a fear of reporting bed bugs, for fear of losing current and potential tenants.
Would it matter if a LL was upfront? .....
"A unit in our building has been reported to have bed bugs. Best efforts are being made to quickly resolve the matter. Anyone who has seen one or more bedbugs in their unit is urged to report it to me as soon as possible, so that the issue can be quickly resolved. Residents are urged to practice, as best as possible, aspects of cleanliness in their units and in the building, such as throwing trash in recepticles and putting trash bags in the designated building area during days of pick up. Mattresses and other furniture shall be disposed of in compliance with city ordinances and in coordination with sanitation pick up times. Thank you for your attention in this matter"
I don't know whether the LL can disclose the unit, for privacy reasons.
I wonder if LL's have a fear of reporting bed bugs, for fear of losing
current and potential tenants.
Absolutely...you got it in one.
Once they get on bedbug registry they lose a LOT of potential income.
Anyone contemplating an apartment rental or purchase should make checking the BR a first priority.
Of course, many infested buildings will not be listed but any that are should raise a red flag.
I don't usually have sympathy for landlords, but in the case of bedbugs they are a true agony for owner and tenant alike and a huge expense for a landlord.
Last edited by Kefir King; 08-27-2013 at 06:13 AM..
Absolutely...you got it in one.
Once they get on bedbug registry they lose a LOT of potential income.
Anyone contemplating an apartment rental or purchase should make checking the BR a first priority.
Of course, many infested buildings will not be listed but any that are should raise a red flag.
I don't usually have sympathy for landlords, but in the case of bedbugs they are a true agony for owner and tenant alike and a huge expense for a landlord.
My issue with this is the possibility of a LL getting permanently blackballed, despite reporting it AND showing due dilligence in rectifying the situation.
I never knew about a bedbug registry. If a building is put on it, how long does it stay on?
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