Bed Bugs

[Panic661]

So, my gf and I wake up today, and we've got bites all over us, the only place I was bit was on my right leg, and the three bites in a row that you normally see from bed bugs isn't there.

She's bit all over, in scattered areas, and has about 15 bites.

She automatically said maybe it's bed bugs, because about two weeks ago we were in San Diego, staying in a hotel, and we slept on a pull out bed from a couch. So we're thinking maybe they crawled onto our clothing while we slept or something.

So I pulled my bed apart, vacuumed everything, the mattresses, under the mattresses, searched around and didn't see anything.

Tonight is night #2, so if we see more bites, we will have to go from there, I'm hoping we just got bit by mosquitoes or something..

Has anyone had to deal with bed bugs? Were you able to get rid of them yourself, or did you have to call an exterminator?

 

[Njc0las]

You probably have aids now. Eww.

 

[semperfimrn1]

better hope it isn't bed bugs. if it is, it is a pain to get rid of them so ive heard from a friend who lived in NY during that whole bedbug ordeal.

 

[Panic661]

better hope it isn't bed bugs. if it is, it is a pain to get rid of them so ive heard from a friend who lived in NY during that whole bedbug ordeal.

I'm really hoping it isn't, and everything I've read says it's a pain in the ass to get rid of them. Basically, call an exterminator, get a new bed..

 

[truefiveo]

I lived with bed bugs for 6 months in Iraq when we took over an old British Compound.
You would think these Iraqi bed bugs were trained and sent by AL Qaeda to make life a living hell for me and my men living in this compound

First lets clear the myths
1. bedbugs have nothing to do with a persons hygiene
2. bedbugs do not latch on to human skin and hitch rides to your home or travel from person to person
they simply come out between 1am-4am and feast then then go back to their hiding spots with a belly full of blood they are very reclusive and hate exposure and attention

Heres what you do

First use white sheets the next morning check to see if thier are tiny blood spots on them or brownish shells of crushed dead bed bugs

bedbugs love to target the elbow area this area will itch really bad too from bites
they love crease areas of the body like forearm/elbow area and behind leg/knee bend area

also occasionally check around u with a flashlight or cell phone light around 2-3am when they normally come out to feast if so youll see them hauling ass from you when put light on them

they live inside pillow cases too also but love to gather and sleep inbetween wood bed frames and wood stripped walls with openings
they just don't live in bed parts they love all furniture with wood partical compounded frames

also look out for little baby bed bug larvae/nymphs they are clear and yes they hatch out of their eggs ready to feast when full of your blood you will see them hobbling around running for cover

now for the extermination part

bed bugs love moisture there is a fine powder chemical u can buy that will dry them out and kill them but i heard its really messy

most important bed bugs can not survive in temperatures higher than 106 degrees it will dry them out and kill them

heat that bedroom up with heaters and whatever HVAC system your house shoot i say try to achieve 130 degrees if you can and rip all bedding and furniture apart to expose them to the heat

i would advise leaving the room like this for 3-5 days

Ive been a victim of mites and bed bugs due to poor living conditions on deployments
trust me bed bugs are the lesser pain of the two

 

[Panic661]

I lived with bed bugs for 6 months in Iraq when we took over an old British Compound.
Heres what you do

First use white sheets the next morning check to see if thier are tiny blood spots on them or brownish shells of crushed dead bed bugs

bedbugs love to target the elbow area this area will itch really bad too from bites
they love crease areas of the body like forearm/elbow area and behind leg/knee bend area

also occasionally check around u with a flashlight or cell phone light around 2-3am when they normally come out to feast if so youll see them hauling ass from you when put light on them

they live inside pillow cases too also but love to gather and sleep inbetween wood bed frames and wood stripped walls with openings
they just don't live in bed parts they love all furniture with wood partical compounded frames

also look out for little baby bed bug larvae/nymphs they are clear and yes they hatch out of their eggs ready to feast when full of your blood you will see them hobbling around running for cover

now for the extermination part

bed bugs love moisture there is a fine powder chemical u can buy that will dry them out and kill them but i heard its really messy

most important bed bugs can not survive in temperatures higher than 106 degrees

heat that bedroom up with heaters and whatever HVAC system your house shoot i say try to achieve 130 degrees if you can and rip all bedding and furniture apart to expose them to the heat

Ive been a victim of mites and bed bugs due to poor living conditions on deployments
trust me bed bugs are the lesser pain of the two

Thank you, yea I put white sheets on and I've been checking every half hour or so. She's asleep, so I take my cell phone and just focus mainly around her body. So far no signs.

 

[truefiveo]

If it were mites/scabies you would be itching all day long! With no visible bite marks.
You would just be stratching till your skin started to sore.

Ant bites itch like hell and have a burning sensation.
Jumping fleas you would know because you will feel them biting the crap outta you.

 

[ssssnake]

Yeah, one of our local shelters was having a bad problem with bed bugs. truefiveo is giving good advice. Heat. it kills them dead. Look in the seams of your mattress, they like to hide there. Good luck to you - it's gonna be a battle to get rid of them.

 

[CobraBob]

Good info and tip posted above. I'll add that there are exterminators that deal with bed bugs, and some have dogs trained to find them. Finding out if you have bed bugs is the first step. Eradicating them is the next step. It's a pain in the butt to get rid of them, but it can be done. Other than the high heat method, here are some other ways I found to eradicate them.

How do I get rid of bed bugs in the home?

Getting rid of bed bugs is not an easy process, and most cases of bed bug infestation will require treatment by a pest-control expert. Bed bugs can survive for up to a year without feeding, so they may persist even in unoccupied rooms.

A variety of low-odor sprays, dusts, and aerosol insecticides can be used to eradicate bed bugs. These must be applied to all areas where the bugs are observed as well as spaces where they may crawl or hide. The pest-control company can help you determine if the mattress can be disinfected or must be discarded. Since beds cannot readily be treated with insecticides, it's often necessary to discard infested mattresses and beds.

The pest-control expert may recommend certain forms of deep-cleaning such as scrubbing infested surfaces with a stiff brush to remove eggs, dismantling bed frames and furniture, filling cracks in floors, walls, and moldings, encasing mattresses within special bags, or using a powerful vacuum on cracks and crevices.

 

[truefiveo]

Dude dogs are awesome!
I had no idea!

 

[xXGadfly09Xx]

I lived with bed bugs for 6 months in Iraq when we took over an old British Compound.
You would think these Iraqi bed bugs were trained and sent by AL Qaeda to make life a living hell for me and my men living in this compound

First lets clear the myths
1. bedbugs have nothing to do with a persons hygiene
2. bedbugs do not latch on to human skin and hitch rides to your home or travel from person to person
they simply come out between 1am-4am and feast then then go back to their hiding spots with a belly full of blood they are very reclusive and hate exposure and attention

Heres what you do

First use white sheets the next morning check to see if thier are tiny blood spots on them or brownish shells of crushed dead bed bugs

bedbugs love to target the elbow area this area will itch really bad too from bites
they love crease areas of the body like forearm/elbow area and behind leg/knee bend area

also occasionally check around u with a flashlight or cell phone light around 2-3am when they normally come out to feast if so youll see them hauling ass from you when put light on them

they live inside pillow cases too also but love to gather and sleep inbetween wood bed frames and wood stripped walls with openings
they just don't live in bed parts they love all furniture with wood partical compounded frames

also look out for little baby bed bug larvae/nymphs they are clear and yes they hatch out of their eggs ready to feast when full of your blood you will see them hobbling around running for cover

now for the extermination part

bed bugs love moisture there is a fine powder chemical u can buy that will dry them out and kill them but i heard its really messy

most important bed bugs can not survive in temperatures higher than 106 degrees it will dry them out and kill them

heat that bedroom up with heaters and whatever HVAC system your house shoot i say try to achieve 130 degrees if you can and rip all bedding and furniture apart to expose them to the heat

i would advise leaving the room like this for 3-5 days

Ive been a victim of mites and bed bugs due to poor living conditions on deployments
trust me bed bugs are the lesser pain of the two

good info here

thank you for your service

 

[Misquamarauder]

For the itch, and any insect bites or stings, get some Domboro Soap at the drug store. It's a powder, mix it with water and pat on the affected areas. Works better than Benydril.

 

[SID297]

A little DDT takes care of them well.

 

[WireEater]

Sound like crabs to me. She is cheating on you.

 

[PSUCOBRA96]

it can sometimes take up to several days for bites to appear. Happened to my wife on a business trip, we quarantined everything in plastic bags. Looked through everything and luckily never found anything. Also sprayed the place down to make sure and washed all her clothes twice in hot hot hot water.

 

[oldmodman]

A couple I know had this problem while house sitting.

I went over to help and used a method of eradication that I knew worked.

I bought one of those thick plastic mattress moving bags from a u-haul center, and three Raid Fumigators (the ones that produce smoke, not a liquid spray).

Closed up the room with tape and put the mattress and all bedding, including pillows into the bag. Put two fumigators inside and set them off. Then set off the other one in the room and left. Left the room sealed for three days. Then used several big fans to remove all the stink smell.

Not more bed bugs, plus killed a ton of spiders and little beetle looking things.

They were there for another three months and didn't get another bite.

 

[N2DAMYSTIC]

First thing I would ask, do you live in a Apartment, Condo, or Townhome. If so, and they are bedbugs, then they could be traveling from another unit to yours. If not then you brought them home with you from somewhere you went. Or someone visiting you brought them there.

They are most often transported in suitcases. Another major way people get them is from buying used furniture, or in some cases people picking up used furniture they find curbside.

Good luck and call a professional. Do not even waste the time of trying to eradicate them yourself.

 

[zak88lx]

Call an Exterminator ASAP! :burn:

 

[97desertCobra]

The way my brother got rid of them was by getting a new bed, and then burning the old one. Not even kidding, he actually took the bed apart and then burned the wood pieces.

He tried alot of different exterminating methods but they kept coming back, probably hiding very well in the wood(it was porous in a few areas).

Best of luck to you OP.

 

[Panic661]

A little DDT takes care of them well.

For the itch, and any insect bites or stings, get some Domboro Soap at the drug store. It's a powder, mix it with water and pat on the affected areas. Works better than Benydril.

First thing I would ask, do you live in a Apartment, Condo, or Townhome. If so, and they are bedbugs, then they could be traveling from another unit to yours. If not then you brought them home with you from somewhere you went. Or someone visiting you brought them there.

They are most often transported in suitcases. Another major way people get them is from buying used furniture, or in some cases people picking up used furniture they find curbside.

Good luck and call a professional. Do not even waste the time of trying to eradicate them yourself.

The way my brother got rid of them was by getting a new bed, and then burning the old one. Not even kidding, he actually took the bed apart and then burned the wood pieces.

He tried alot of different exterminating methods but they kept coming back, probably hiding very well in the wood(it was porous in a few areas).

Best of luck to you OP.

We live in a condo, and there is one other unit attached to us, so it is possible. Our home stays pretty clean, and I'd figure they'd rather stay somewhere dirty then hopping to a clean area which is why I think they probably came from a hotel, if we have them.

Yea, if we actually have bugs, we'll be tossing our bed out and buying a new one, and still calling an exterminator.

What exactly is DDT?

I stayed up until 4am, checking periodically, I even woke up a few times to search the bed, and didn't find anything. Waking up today I looked on our sheets to see if they were around and left anything behind, no signs though.