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nobugs

I just recently moved from a bedbug infested house and am wondering if I am reinfested? I haven't experienced any bites, which I react badly to. I've only found white and black specks on the sheets and along the sides of the futon cover (I sleep on a futon that has a bedbug encasement on it). No bites, no marks on sheets. Just white and black specks and one possible shed casing but not 100% sure. I will have a PCO come out to inspect asap, but having a hard time sleeping until then. I feel like I have OCD now because of these things! I am so frustrated because I took every possible precaution before moving into new place.

[url=http:// http://imgur.com/a/VrDly][/url]

Have these specks all over sheets and along sides of my futon cover.

Hi, a bit of a back story so you guys know what I'm getting at.

My parents have had bed bugs since April. They were gone for a little while, but then they came back a few months ago and haven't been having too much success treating them. HOWEVER, I have my own apartment that I live in, so I'm worried that there's a slight chance I could have brought the bugs over.

When I was living with my parents, we washed and dried all of my clothes but we weren't being too careful with where we were folding clothes (my mom would fold the laundry on the couch and it turned out we had BBs there too) and I'm wondering if there's a chance I could have brought them over to my place? I keep my clothes pretty much in my closet- just a standard hanging closet with a shelf on top- but I usually keep the doors to the closet shut so it's dark, and I only open the doors to my closet if I need to get some clothes. Now, I know that BBs pretty much live forever (haha), but is it possible they'd lay dormant this long? Granted, I'm pretty sure the clothes that I've had washed there I don't really wear often, so maybe they CAN lay dormant for that long??????

I know how I react to the bites (unless your body can change how you react to bites), but I haven't had any signs that they're present but the thought is still giving me MAJOR anxiety. It's horrible.

PS: I've been living pretty much exclusively at my place since the end of August, and I've visited my parents twice in between there. Slept over once, dried all of my clothes the morning after, pretty much touched nothing, and left.. The second time I only sat at the dining room table because I'm convinced that's the only place the BBs might not be at.

Should I run all of my clothes in my closet through a dryer and do a sweep of the room? Or do you think I could have possibly lucked out? I know that these bugs are pretty much the devil, so I'm not sure... but I can only hope because these things are giving me such horrible anxiety and stress.

It's been over a week since I've seen a bed bug or been bitten. I've been fighting the battle for over two months now. Made many mistakes along the way.

Wednesday I get my third PCO treatment. The first two were good, but I kept catching about one instar every four days. Assuming all goes well with this treatment, I'll continue in a maintenance phase: being cautious and practicing the basics (clothes in bags, regular hot wash/hot drying, vacuuming, bedding cleaned 2x/week, still using casements and interceptors, etc.)

I've read enough stories to know that by no means am I guaranteed to be out of the woods, but constant reductions in bed bug numbers is a positive sign as long as I remain vigilant. Thought I'd share some hope with those who are in the early phases of their bed bug war.

I found the first one under my pillow. I put it on its back and it was using its "wings" to flip back to its right side but couldn't do it.
Then, while I was doing my laundry I found another one. What is this? I've been finding strange bumps/red marks on my skin, but these don't look like bed bugs to me. Are they bed bugs? They don't seem to fly and I didn't think bed bugs had wings and I thought they were flatter and rounder. I don't know, I'm just paranoid and scared.

If it's not a bed bug, is it possibly biting me/giving me an allergic reaction? Why do I keep finding them in my bed because I found a dead one or shedded skin on my bedroom floor as well just now.

Does anyone have an advice for protecting/monitoring a crib with legs like on this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010TODHG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

Would ClimbUps like these be the best option, or has anyone fashioned any DIY monitors for large footed furniture?

http://www.amazon.com/Climbup-Insect-Interceptor-Bed-Trap/dp/B004PKKP1K/ref=pd_sim_86_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0R6BASXVERCC1AQZFF8H&dpID=31NakpFxfjL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_

Any other measures I can take?

Hi there,

My SO's family's home has a bedbug problem and they have camping items stored in the garage (tent, chairs, air mattress, pots, pans, etc.) I'm mainly concerned about the tent, air mattress, etc. (Not so much the pots and pans and grill.)

We don't have a lot of money for a Packtite, so I was thinking we could treat using DDVP strips, which we have access to and which would be a lot cheaper.

What would be the best way to treat these items? If we use the DDVP strips, can we just put the items in a large sealed contractors bag with the strips? Just concerned if this would be effective or not because I thought I read something about maybe needing a fan so the vapors will get everywhere.

These items probably aren't high risk, but I don't want to take any chances and err on the side of caution with these things.

Thank you!

Hi, a bit of a back story so you guys know what I'm getting at.

My parents have had bed bugs since April. They were gone for a little while, but then they came back a few months ago and haven't been having too much success treating them. HOWEVER, I have my own apartment that I live in, so I'm worried that there's a slight chance I could have brought the bugs over.

When I was living with my parents, we washed and dried all of my clothes but we weren't being too careful with where we were folding clothes (my mom would fold the laundry on the couch and it turned out we had BBs there too) and I'm wondering if there's a chance I could have brought them over to my place? I keep my clothes pretty much in my closet- just a standard hanging closet with a shelf on top- but I usually keep the doors to the closet shut so it's dark, and I only open the doors to my closet if I need to get some clothes. Now, I know that BBs pretty much live forever (haha), but is it possible they'd lay dormant this long? Granted, I'm pretty sure the clothes that I've had washed there I don't really wear often, so maybe they CAN lay dormant for that long??????

I know how I react to the bites (unless your body can change how you react to bites), but I haven't had any signs that they're present but the thought is still giving me MAJOR anxiety. It's horrible.

PS: I've been living pretty much exclusively at my place since the end of August, and I've visited my parents twice in between there. Slept over once, dried all of my clothes the morning after, pretty much touched nothing, and left.. The second time I only sat at the dining room table because I'm convinced that's the only place the BBs might not be at.

Should I run all of my clothes in my closet through a dryer and do a sweep of the room? Or do you think I could have possibly lucked out? I know that these bugs are pretty much the devil, so I'm not sure... but I can only hope because these things are giving me such horrible anxiety and stress.

[http://i827.photobucket.com/albums/zz199/flowergirl5/Mobile%20Uploads/197AA195-CA5A-48A5-B1CB-8321F79BE5C3_zpsfbtg6lhg.jpg
Please help! I found this! It looks similar to some pictures I have seen online, although I cannot see legs on whatever this is. Also, it is very hard. When I attempted to squish it with my nail it doesn't squish. It is not live, and does not move! I'm freaking out that it is a bed bug!

We bought a townhouse/rowhome last fall and moved in just before Christmas, after some reno's. We are attached to units on either side of us, sharing a 'party' wall with each. One of the units has a layout mirroring ours.

During the second week of July, this unit had a boxspring leaning against their garage, and I immediately thought BBs. I actually took a closer look for about 30 seconds, to see if there were any stains from fecal or other telltale BB signs. Apart from a few scuff marks, it was pretty clean and I thought it was odd that they would toss what seemed to be a perfectly good boxspring. Turns out they haven't tossed it - I noticed in late August, it's been moved into their garage. I don't know if they were tossing it out, or bringing it in (perhaps from storage, etc.).

Last week, while reading in bed, I heard the vacuum running at 10:40pm in the master suite next door - directly on the other side of our bedroom.

For the past 3 weeks, my husband & I have noticed weekly bites, him more so than me. Yes, we have spent sometime outdoors, but some bites have appeared in areas typically covered with clothing & footwear - ie, feet.

So, do the bites, mattress outside & vacuuming at odd hours next door add up to something I should be concerned about? Or am reading way too much into things? Should I speak with my neighbours? How do I approach them without coming across as accusatory or judgemental? BB infestations are not as common in the suburbs of Vancouver as they are in other parts of the greater city. I should also mention we have a passive monitor installed on our bed.

Hello,

I have had Bb's in the past and it was a very traumatic experience. I have recently moved into a house with many severe maintenance issues. Our neighbours upstairs have echoed our feelings about the very lazy management.

I am nervous that the upstairs tenants have been self treating bed bugs, as one of them mentioned a prior case of Bb's in their couch. Now apparently the daughter is having "allergic reactions" and I noticed a thrown out bed near the garbage. I am nervous to ask them about it, as I don't want to accuse. Not knowing is driving me crazy. I work in very close proximity with my boss and am in her car often. We work inside peoples homes as well. I have been taking precautions at home, but I am now noticing my boss itching all the time. I had told her before that I was worried, but after an inspection a week after living at the this new place turned up negative, she has relaxed and isn't worried.

How do I ask my boss to do a preventative bed check without totally freaking her out? Technically I haven't found a positively I.D on a bug, but I did have some type of bug on my computer bag and in my shoe which I had brought into work from home. If I can bring those two unidentified bugs into work, I could probably bring bb's if I have them.

How do I talk with my neighbour without sounding accusatory? I had tried to talk with her by leaving her a note, but she sent her daughters to talk to me since we have different schedules.

Any advice is great!

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

Wasn't expecting to be back here again but here I am. I had a very small infestation (I only ever found 3 bugs...1 on couch, 1 on bed, 1 in bathroom) back in January. I had 2 sprays and the problem was taken care of. I was an anxious, obsessive mess though and lived out of bags until May. I finally got over it and moved on with my life. Until about 2 weeks ago.

I live in an attached condo. I have attached neighbors above, below, and on both sides of me. We have private entries so no common areas except a laundry room. Unfortunately the common laundry room is also below my bedroom. About 2 weeks ago I went to put my clothes in the dryer and noticed the person before me didn't clean out the lint trap. I inspected the lint (as someone who has had bed bugs is wont to do) and I saw about 5 or 6 dead bed bugs, adults and babies, in the lint and then noticed a few on the floor. Great. At least they were dead, right? Over the next couple of days I noticed a bed frame, multiple mattresses, and some other furniture in the dumpster. UGH. I contacted my landlord to let her know what I found.

I rent from a couple who owns my individual unit and then there is a management company and association for the complex. My landlords are amazing and I love them. They have been very supportive this time and last time. They contacted management right away, as did I, to see if they could communicate with people about the issue. There's a mix of owners and renters here. The manager was being flaky so I continued to let him know this needs to be addressed. He finally sent out a letter to everyone letting them know there is an issue somewhere and that the association will pay for treatment and encouraged people to report their issues. I was glad that something was being done.

Now, some dead bugs in the laundry is not the reason I am here. I have found a few in my unit over the last few days 2 in my bathroom, 1 in my kitchen, and 2 in the track of my sliding doorwall in my living room. I was out of town recently and my boyfriend reported that he also saw one on the ledge of the balcony. I suspect my upstairs neighbor is at least one of the people with an issue and am worried she had put infested things on her balcony. I do have a birds nest on my balcony and we have bats (they just put in bat houses to give them somewhere to go) but with all the furniture and the dead ones in the dryer I'm not going to get my hopes up that I'm just dealing with bat or bird bugs. Here's a picture of one that I found in the bathroom (I threw the rest of them away after smashing them):

http://imgur.com/kHmQSH0

I called the pest control company that my condos contract with and they are coming out to inspect/treat on Thursday. I have passives on my bed and couch and those are clear. I also inspected both pieces of furniture and haven't found any bugs or fecal. I'm hoping that they haven't "set up shop" her yet, but who knows since I'm not sure my neighbors are doing anything. When I called to schedule the service I asked them if anyone else from my complex had called and they said no.

I don't know what to do. I'm very careful when traveling, do monthly deep inspections of my home, have monitors, and do what I can to prevent bringing anything into my home. But all that is for naught if my neighbors don't do anything. It is tricky getting people to comply for an inspection since units are individually owned. The property manger mentioned that they had to get lawyers involved a few years ago to get in to someone's unit. I imagine it has to be bad to do that, and I don't want to wait around for that. It is hard knowing that all of my effort can be wiped away by someone not reporting their problem and getting FREE treatment!

I'm going to keep in contact with management and see if there is something else they can do to get to the bottom of this. I'll get my treatment and keep being careful. At least I know what to expect and how it all works. And this time my attitude is more "it's just a bug". Yes, an annoying one that can be complex to get rid of, but I'm on top of it. I think I also have some perspective as I was just diagnosed with a chronic illness this month and I have bigger fish to fry than some stupid bug. Or at least that is what I am trying to tell myself!

Is there anything I am missing in this novel of a post? I hope this will be over shortly so I can get on with my life again.

Wasn't expecting to go on for so long, so kudos if you made it to the end

My girlfriend and I just moved into a new apartment and purchased the previous tenant's couch. We haven't purchased a new mattress for the apartment, so we have been sleeping on this couch for the past week. Today she noticed some bites on her arms and legs. Upon inspecting the couch, we found tons of these small round tiny shiny dots. They are round on one side and flat on the bottom. Are these related to bugs of any kind?

Also, the previous owners did have a dog, as we were looking into the possibility of fleas, etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, trying to solve these bites!

Thanks!

LONG SCENARIO BUT PLEASE READ!

I was in Rome and I woke up in the middle of the night with a bug crawling on me. I squished it ran and turned on the lights and there were a few bed bugs on my bed and there were stains. I freaked out, grabbed my luggage, shook out every individual article of clothing inspected and slept outside on a bench. I was only in the cabin for two nigthts, that was the second. I spent more nights throughout Europe in some sketchy places, I am not sure if I got bed bugs at any of them but it's possible. The place we stayed in Rome was the worst and known for the bugs (I found out after), the next day I left my suitcase outside for a few hours and washed all of my clothes in heat and dried them.

I got home almost two weeks later, kept the suitcase in the back cab of the pickup truck from the airport, didn't bring it in the house brought it in my backyard. I put all of my clothes in bags, washed and dried everything. After this I was still paranoid so I kept my clothes in a bin for close to a month. After the month I visually inspected again and didn't find anything. So I put my clothes back. Although, I was in my house for about 5-10 minutes wearing clothes from my trip, but this was after a full 15 hour day in the airport and plane, which I may have lost a bug if there unlikely happened to be one on me.

Now still about 2 months post Europe I am paranoid. I keep checking my bed and surrounding areas, with no evidence. No cast skins, no fecal matter, no live bugs. I occasionally find very tiny small black specks on my bed, they are not stuck there and are hard and do not smear and i can pick them up. There have maybe been 5 of these specks since I have been back home. ALTHOUGH one night I lifted my mattress and saw something crawling underneath. I was looking at it and it looked like a spider, I was trying to examine while holding up the mattress and it started to move away so I panicked and squished it. No blood came out, and it didn't look flat like a bed bug that was in need of a meal. I am 80% certain it was a spider but not 100%. I keep looking but haven't found anything, although every once in a while since I've been looking i find a white speck, almost rice shaped but smaller although hard and NOT translucent and NOT stuck to anytrhing. I have put these in a bag and nothing has happened. But still my body feels itchy. I have sensitive skin that sometimes gets dry but since i've been back I have seen occasional red spots, which may be acne but it's hard to tell. They do not itch, are not raised and do not look close to as severe as when I was in Europe. The ycould be bites? But they don't seem like it, the closest thing to bites was on my butt (I wear underwear to sleep) and do get some acne or in grown hairs there, and they looked like that but there were a few close together. But like I said on my upper legs and but I get some small red pimple looking things there, so I am not sure if it was bed bug bites that the bug flukely went up my underwear.

My major question is, if I had severe reactions in Europe to the bugs would I still have severe reactions? Or could I become "immune" and only have small reactions or none at all? I feel itchy all over now, could they be invisible bed bug bites?

The whole experience was awful, Most nights I still wake up at night and turn on a flashlight but haven't seen anything yet. I am always paranoid. The experience in Rome felt like a horror movie and am not sure if I have got PTSD or anxiety, or if I still carried the bugs home or both.\

Based on my scenario please give your oppinion.

Hello people of the forum. I may seem like a familiar face, and that's because I used to be a regular around here and just couldn't figure out how to reset my password so I just created a new account. I used to post here about two years ago, under the name Jnelsonmarka. Anyway, it's been 2 and 1/2, going on 3 years, and I still can't get rid of my bed bugs.

I have hired two pest control companies and both failed. I live in an apartment complex and each building has a building with 3 other apartments that are adjacent to it. So it's almost like a cube. I have tried buying a steamer that heats up to 120 degrees, I have hired two pest professional pest control companies and both failed, and I have sprayed every chemical known to man to try and kill these bugs. After all of this, nothing has worked....PERIOD! THESE BUGS JUST DON'T DIE NO MATTER WHAT!

The last time we spoke, I was going to college and didn't have much money to spend on the issue. While I am still broke, the issue has become so bad, that I literally have dropped out of college and have been working in the security field for almost two years now. I also work 48 hours a week and am even willing to get a 3rd job to kill these little monsters. Tell, me what it is going to take, and I will do it, I really don't care! Many of my friends will have nothing to do with me because of these little monsters, and also I haven't had sex in years because of these bugs! I WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO KILL THESE BUGS!

Hi,

I just found this crawling around on my sheet just now. It was so tiny I could barely see it; looked like a moving brownish-red speck. I tried my best to take clear pictures. Please, please tell me what it is!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1wnTjhqdNlbaGVCZzZsWDRlcjQ

I've been seeing clusters/lines of bites for a few weeks now, but only occasionally (not every day). I haven't seen any signs of actual bedbugs (I checked around and under my mattress - I don't have a boxspring - and around my bedframe).

Please help! Thank you!

Currently, Bed Bugs have been in my house for awhile, I have been fighting them back with Talcum Powder and Steam from boiling water (and the boiling water itself) and occasionally getting relief except for the last couple weeks, where they have been a lot more aggressive. In fact, interestingly so.

For example, I lay in bed and I'm waking up itching in multiple parts of my body can't get any sleep, and it's a consistent stream for numerous minutes before there is a break. No matter if I roll, or have a video playing in the background (the light used to distract them, especially when it changes since it's a animated TV show) if I get up and lay back down, if I put anything there like talcum power around the edges, if I directly see them, they just all come all sizes and chew me out. Most of the time these days I barely see them, the only time they seem to run is when I shine a light directly or near them, such as the light from my cell phone. Time of day also does not matter.

This has gotten out of hand with the aggression as even my Son (and me) suffering from multiple welts and itching, and he has a slightly more negative reaction.

We can't call an exterminator because the in charge of our house does not understand what Bed bugs are. Won't listen, he helped us throw out a previous bed (and it was necessary given the amount of bed bugs that were in the bed this situation would be much worse. Otherwise we wouldn't have done it) and just sprayed like 2 squirts of raid on a single leg and acted like they were all dead.

So this leaves me with the current problem, repellent, and of course using that word on google gives me everything opposite that I want, but I know people here know what I mean, I need something to make the bugs stay away while sleeping. Or at least able to be effective to a point. AT least until we move within the next couple months, as we can do nothing and I do not have the money to put in an exterminator myself.

I mean the one time I looked quick enough I saw dozens of all shapes and szes scrambling, like a big amount and there were like several on my arm like 2 running across my shirt, and I need someway to repel them. I know repeeling alone is not the best idea by for me and my son this is necessary.

(I also find it odd that despite BB presence being seen in other roms including shells (which are now gone should have grabbed) none seem to be going and biting the owner. I did a through check not one sign, but signs in a bunch of other places, including our room. Almost like they are attacking us specifically.

http://s430.photobucket.com/user/speakout1987/library/?view=recent

Thank you!!

May be a weird topic but I was just wondering what suitcases you guys would recommend to lower the chances of hitch hikers (not the ones that you find on the side of the road!) haha. I would assume the hard clam shell like ones but just wondering what you guys thought