Bedbugs are taking over my apartment building. My girlfriend wants to move, but from what I am reading here it sounds like that is the opposite of what we should do

Quick run down. Last week on Tuesday we realized we had bed bugs after a few weeks of symptoms. We only found them in our bedroom. We found them mostly mattress and base boards, but also saw one on the ceiling most likely trying to dive bomb us. Last Thursday my Landlord had our place heat treated and we were very hopeful that would be the end of this. We found 10-15 bodies under the bed. Unfortunately we found one in the bathroom below the bedroom two days later and another coming up from the baseboards in bedroom the next day.

We immediately started knocking on doors to start asking neighbors if they had the same problem. Our neighbor below us said she got them 6 months ago but after 3 months of fighting them she has not seen one for 3 months. She says there are 3 other units that have been treated that she knows about on the other side of the apartment building. I remember my landlord asked to inspect my place in July but didn’t say why. I’m pretty upset this problem wasn’t mentioned so we could take some precautions and not sit around for three weeks with symptoms, having no idea what was going on.

My girlfriend is freaked out and wants to move. From posts here and a conversation I just had with a different pest control company (I called a different one because I wanted a nonbiased party's advice, not the one associated with landlord) I am getting the idea that moving is the opposite of what we should do. Right now the 1000s of dollars worth of treatment liability falls on our landlord to eradicate the bugs, but if we move and take them with us then it's our liability. The other pest control company I talked to said to milk the treatment as long as you can as long as the landlord is paying for it.

My girlfriend's argument is that we do not have that much stuff. We have a couch, desk, dresser, tv, computer, cloths, some plants, and my lego collection. Literally that is it. She wants to either rent a truck and heat it or have them a heat a single room to decontaminate our stuff and get the heck out. Last night after hearing from the neighbors that it just going around apartments I wanted to do the same thing. I am trying to read and make an educated decision here, not an emotional one.

The exterminator just stopped by again. He is having someone put down some pesticides in the morning and says if we find another one after that they are going to heat treat it again.

TL;DR Bedbugs going around apartment building. We have them and got heat treated and they came right back two days later. Should we try to heat treat our stuff and GTFO or stay until the problem is controlled by landlord and then leave.

Hello everyone,

A quick question about bites. I know bites alone are not evidence of bugs. We havent seen evidence yet, though haven't had professional inspection yet.

We had no bites at all, and then starting about a week and a half ago, a bite a day on one of my kids. Then I had a couple over last few days (but I have terrible eczema and can never be sure).

My question is: do bedbugs behave this way? I always thought it would start slow, with like one bite per week and then increase. Isn't it kind of weird for bedbugs to not bite at all, and suddenly then start biting daily?

Thanks for any advice.

I've been getting suspicious bites for over a month. Found a couple of these in my climbups today, as well as what looks like blood spots on my pillow. I know the bugs aren't bed bugs, and am unsure if the blood spots are related, but could anyone help me with an ID and whether this could be causing my skin reactions? Thanks.

Bugs are 2-3 mm long not including the antenna things

20170130_142353 by t s, on Flickr

20170130_142531 by t s, on Flickr
20170130_142318 by t s, on Flickr

This is on my box springs, anyone know if this looks to be fecal matter?
Thank you for your help...

Can someone help me identify this bug? I took the pictures under an LED light/microscope i have so apologies for the strange images. I smashed the bug a little, so i had trouble IDing it myself. Is it a bed bug nymph?

IMG_5982 by Penny k, on Flickr]null

IMG_5983 by Penny k, on Flickr]null

Found this last night/very early morning and freaked out a little bit. Upon doing some researching on the internet today, I think it might be a ladybug. I think this because of the leg positions on the body, and I see what I think are remnants of wings. I did flip flop about the wings since it looks a bit degraded; I thought possibly it was possibly thin exoskeleton remnants. I would like an ID if possible, please. Thanks.

http://imgur.com/a/jVBez

Please give your opinion.

I had a confirmed infestation with three chemical spray treatments at my old apartment. I was most definitely infested from my neighbors and my landlord was unwilling to insist on getting the whole building treated.

Long story short, I left after the third spray, abandoning all furniture, mattress, sheets, and pillows. All clothes were laundered on high and personal items other than kitchen, bath, and household cleaning items were heated in a portable heater. The other items were visually inspected and rinsed in the sink.

Opinions on this blood stain. I have been at new place a couple weeks. I am nonreactive to bites.

Thoughts on likelihood I brought any with me?

Hi There!

We recently moved into an old house and were fighting a battle with mosquitos -- they are the only bugs I have visually ID'd in the house besides some little spiders here and there.

We were sleeping inside a tent to reduce mosquito attacks at night, but bought a fan to see if that would work to keep them off of us while we slept. This seems to have worked since they are no longer waking us up by flying past our ears and we are able to sleep through the night.

BUT I am still seeing little red dots on my hands in the morning: http://tinypic.com/r/2h3odhs/9

(I have been sleeping pretty bundled up out of paranoia!). I have not found any bed bug fecal smears ...

https://imgur.com/a/hbbgv

Found dead

Today the Orkin inspector came to put us in the clear. Mind you we already had three treatments already. When the PCO came for the third treatment I was at work so my fiance was the one who let him in. I told my fiance to make sure the PCO spray all of the couches and chairs. My fiance did not tell him to get the one chair in the family room. By the way my fiance does not think having bbs is a serious issue and tries to be non complaint with my efforts. When the PCO came the last time he did not find any activity of live bbs. I have been bitten sitting in that chair since the third treatment and I knew there had to be bbs still present in that chair. I searched the chair but I didn't see any bbs. Fast forward to today the inspector came and I had him search the chair. He searched the chair and he didn't find any live bbs at first. But my gut feeling told me that they are still present in the chair so I made him search a second time. This time he found a little nymph in the seam on the back of the chair. Now they have to come for a fourth treatment. This is very irritating. I live in a single family home. My question is how long does it take to get rid of these damn things? Can the ones in the chair reinfest the rest of the house again? Was that a lone nymph because he didn't see anymore? I need answers please help.

So... Here is my story: I work an hour away from home and Christmas Day night of 2016, the weather was horrible outside, so I was stranded. A coworker offered up her apartment and I stayed there for the night without a second thought of bed bugs. I went to work the next night and went home after. I didn't take precautions as I was fairly certain someone that close with me would admit to having bed bugs if she actually did. Then, exactly one week later I awake in the am to find my hands, arms and feet COVERED in bites. My husband was insistent they were bed bugs. I was in denial until I saw an NP who confirmed the diagnosis. They were so awful I needed steroids and I couldn't walk for a few days it was just too painful. Anyway... I was certain I did not bring any home until I was laying on the couch that evening and one literally crawled across my phone. My husband called the exterminator that day and he came 4 days later to do an inspection. He couldn't find evidence, but he confirmed I had bites. I am paranoid and terrified, because we saw a bug, so I pencilled us in for a heat treatment, thinking this would be the best time to treat since there is no infestation yet and we probably don't have many just yet. A day later my husband woke up with some bites, so he inspected the mattress thoroughly and found a live one. The exterminators came on January 12, 2017 at 0800 and left us a giant mess to clean at 2200. Anyway, I was sooo utterly relieved that it would all be over. I still took precautions and dried all my clothes in the dryer when I got home from work, because you never know.
Here is what I'm concerned about, I started having tiny little itchy red bites appearing in places I never had before about 2 days ago and now more are appearing every day. Should I be concerned that we still have bed bugs? My husband and I have checked everywhere and no evidence yet of residual bed bugs. I want to call the exterminators, because they offer a 1 year warranty, but I don't want to be annoying, however I don't want to wait so long that they get so bad. My husband doesn't have any bites, but I also work night shift, so I sleep on the couch sometimes, so I'm wondering if there are still some on there?
My question is: what should I do??? I can't sleep at all now. I'm so paranoid! I never in a million years thought this would be something I would have to worry about!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/147905764@N08/shares/0k4G93

https://www.flickr.com/photos/147905764@N08/shares/a1K35F

https://www.flickr.com/photos/147905764@N08/shares/q0g3xm

So i've had the passive monitors set up for a few weeks now and its clear. However I came across this stain on my boxspring cover which i just bought so it didn't have no stain on it. This is near the bottom on the side where I don't sleep.

I did have a itching/burning feeling on my ankle at work the other day and scratched and seen a welt of little marks but not exactly sure it's related.

The pest people sprayed on Friday. The Property Manager said she came and made sure he did a good job. She did give me a copy of a flyer that has what he used to spray. It does list BB on it. He also said I don't have BB. The name of the insecticide is Onslaught. Active ingredients are
Esfenvalerate.......6.4% Praalenethrin.....1.6% Piperonyl butoxide.......8.00% other ingredients 84.00% contains petroleum distillates. He is scheduled to come back on Monday February 6.Also is it okay to use DE or cimexa in addition.

My latest effective find is a product called CIMEXA that is a silicone-based desiccant that kills within 24 to 48 hours after contact with the bug. You puff out with a bellows-type applicator a thin layer around edges, in cracks and crevices. It has an electro-static charge so it clings to the bug's exoskeleton and absorbs the waxy coating causing dehydration. And it remains effective for 10 years if left undisturbed. Only available online. I've been ordering from Amazon. The other natural product I use for immediate annihilation upon contact is a product I've only found at Walmart in the aisle with other insecticides adjacent to the laundry detergents called PROOF. It's a spray- a little pricey but seems to work. I use it on my chair when I feel a bite. It's based on NEEM OIL. Because I feel like I pick up bugs on my slippers I wear in the house, I have begun using plastic shoe boxes and a larger sized washtub to stand in doing dishes, cooking, or sitting in my chair. I put a thin layer of coconut oil in the bottom and then apply CIMEXA. That way, if the bugs try to enter the container, they will have to travel thru the CIMEXA to get to my feet. This may solve one of my biggest frustrations with these bugs in my house-critters crawling up my feet and legs while I'm standing still doing something. Also when I step out of the CIMEXA-containing box, I have the product on my slippers to fend off the critters even more as I walk thru the house. This is a new idea. Time will tell how it will work. Hopefully the coconut oil will keep the product inside the box. If not, it'll just up my protection on the floor and I'll just add more product to the box.

Hi David,

I was just wondering if you knew how the passives are packaged before being shipped out. Are they fully sealed so any bedbugs that encounter the package won't take up residence in the passives while it is in transit? I'm mainly asking because I would like to order a few before I leave for another trip. However, given the timing the package will probably arrive and sit in my mail room for a week or so before I retrieve it. I'm worried that if there are any bedbugs lurking in my building it will cross my package and decide to make the passive it's home.

I would very much appreciate a response. Thank you!!

I believe it started a few months ago (4 maybe 5) in my baby's room. He has a Sniglar cot set at the lowest level. So at the same time we had a ladybug infestation. I wouldn't even call it that because I like ladybugs, they are cute. So when some bugs started making their nest in the empty holes I just squished them with a couple of Q-tips. Then I noticed that they left black marks outside all the way up and down the holes, so I covered the holes with caulk and washed the marks (except I couldn't get rid of them, they'd just become less noticeable). We went about our way, but soon enough the dark spots reappeared in the tiniest places on the cot. I turned the cot upside down, killed some of the baby bugs, took the cot apart and washed everything on hot and scrubbed the cot with a hard wire brush.
In our stupidity, we went to the supermarket and bought a Raid spray for cockroaches. Spray the baby room with the entire can of spray, left the cot as it was, threw away my baby's blanket, pillow, pictures on the walls, washed the curtain on 60. I then googled and realized how stupid it was of us to spray the whole room with Raid. That night the baby slept in our bed (the horror). This happened over Christmas time. We aired the room for 2 days but it was not enough. A few details about that room:
-old carpet, we live in a rented 2 bedroom 1850's flat with tall ceilings (our bedroom has the kitschy cornice)
-cracked paint on door
- cracked paint on window frames
- small cracks and crevices (very fine)
So in the spur of the moment, I took some strong duct tape, taped around where the carpet meets the wall, taped the window frame, bigger cracks in the walls and caulked around sockets, cracked paint on door, wall so on. I still have to buy some tall step ladder to reach all around the window frame.
What I did so far:
- decluttered. Heavily. I dumped all clothes I did not wear in a long time or would never wear again. Dumped baby's old clothes, toys, books. Placed them in plastic bags, sealed them with duct them and binned them
-hoover extensively. Poured 1 tub of baby powder on carpet. Then hooved. Hoovered walls, mattresses, doors used mostly the crevice tool. Dumped the inside straight out. I have 2 hoovers. I'll use the bag one in our bedroom and living room, and bagless one in baby's room from now on. Will dump the bag every time, and pour boiling water in the other one. The PCO said to freeze the filter for a few days.
- glue traps (the strong ones, we caught mice on those in previous flats) under baby's cot.
- caulked the cot (bad idea; it's started coming off).
- poured boiling water on cot slats and where I could find bed bug excreta.
- called PCO. Unfortunately, I had no bug for him to identify, but all the other signs: dark spots on cot, blood stain on sheet, no actual bites on baby, but a rash, nest in cot's holes. He placed 6 bed bug traps in the room (room is smallish). His credentials are good, but I was better at looking at things, I'm afraid.
- checked our bedroom. Ziploc-ed our clothes, dumped everything from the drawers (we have only 2 ikea billy chest drawers for clothes), bagged, cleaned the insides, washed whatever clothes we might need now and labelles the unwashed&bagged them.
The problem:
- we wave old wooden floors with gaps. I duct taped some of the big ones
- big spacing where the floor meets the walls. Duct taped some of those as well
- just spacing prettu much everywhere... we'll have to buy pipe collars, use foam around other pipes...
- cornice in our bedroom. The PCO told us mice might hide there and come down the curtains. Yikes. We no longer have curtains, just cheap blinds from IKEA.

Now the questions:
1) It might be a coincidence, but a few months ago we left our buggy in the staircase because we both have back problems and it became harder carrying it all the way up (plus the baby as well). The staircase leads to a shared back garden. People store stuff in the small space underneath the stair (our buggy is 10 stairs up, ouch). There is a yellow stained mattress in there. So yeah... Could it be that? I will cover myself in plastic, buy a powerful torch and inspect the mattress. Should I keep the buggy in the staircase or give it a scrub and bring it inside?
2) I did not find signs in other rooms. Myself or partner have not had bites, no blood stains, no excreta. Mattress is 2-3 months old, bought new by our landlord. I stayed up all night at Christmas while our baby slept in his cot in our room (with glue traps under feet). I inspected him while sleeping with a torch. [b]Is it possible we have them as well. Remember, the cornice...
3) The PCO said we still need to send him a sample, otherwise, he'll not spray. I bought these bed bug interceptors over Christmas link http://amzn.to/2iYyIsL
They did not seem to work (had them for 2 days only, then put new glue traps again. Sorry, I don't want my baby's cot to become their nest again and bite him). Should I put them back?
4) After all this, I (think, although pretty sure) have found very small dark spots on the cot again. Where I caulked and it cracked a bit. [/b] Is it possible they're still in the cot?
5) Mattress is not encased. Should I? I live in the UK. It's pretty hard finding a good mattress protector. I could just tape it all haha.
6) I'm planning to talk with my neighbors. I have good relations with one (ashamed). He's a decent guy, homeowner, mows the garden on his own, poor lad. I trust he'll be very hands on with this issue.

We'd want to move, but it's not possible at the moment. The rent here is cheap, and in November we signed another 1-year lease. Breaking the lease would not be a problem, I don't really care about that, but other places are much more expensive (we'd want something with laminate flooring, lower ceilings, in better shape pretty much). So my approach over the next 2 months is:
- buy a condenser tumble dryer so we can take it with us when we do move. Laundromat is a no no. I have a 19mo old so it's impossible. Plus, I've worked in one and they can become infested pretty quickly
- continue to hoover daily
- keep the place as minimalistic as I can
- caulk walls (not wood, lesson learned), tape, check, recheck. Seal pretty much everything I can.
- buy white sheets

Background: We are on a tight budget. I'm a bit of an OCD. I'm currently looking for a job, my partner works. We are avoiding public libraries (strange smell in our neighborhood one, but we started going after the bugs). I'm staying up late reading articles in ScietificAmerican and the like to become more knowledgeable and avoid mistakes.
I told my landlady about it, said she never had them. But the PCO told me stories about how landlords just lie so that they avoid paying money to fix things. But I keep my landlady updated. If we are to move, we'll leave with flat only with our clothes on, I'm afraid. Sorry about my English, I'm not a native speaker.

As Cimexa will soon arrive by mail, I have a question.

I read DE becomes less effectvie when it becomes humid.
Does this statement counts for Cima too? How about humidity in my appartement (shower, cooking, etc). Do I have to keep the air dry? Should I place a moisture absorber in places very humid?

Thank you.