Hi all,
First of all, this website and forums have been an incredible resource for us.
I am living in a shared apartment in NYC (three other roommates). We had bedbugs last summer, and after extensive preparation (heating every object in the house, washing and drying everything, carefully packing) and several spray treatments from a PCO, the problem seemed to be resolved. After the PCO which provided treatment confirmed they were gone, we had a second PCO come in with a dog to get another opinion, as well as a city inspector, and all confirmed that the infestation was kaput.
Our last treatment was in July 2015, but after some suspicious bites in Dec/Jan, one of our tenacious cats managed to catch a live bedbug. The PCO inspected and, based on the caught bug, confirmed that we would need treatment again.
We are unsure of the source of this bugs. The primary possibilities seem to be:
1. The building. We live in an old apartment building in Brooklyn. Before the first infestation, one of my roommates saw an infested mattress in the hall (bedbugs were visible on it), which he took a photograph of. We're not sure what the source was, and we do not know if the person who put it out is still in the building (they are doing construction on several of the units and it is not currently at full occupancy.) No other tenant has complained, and both we and the PCO asked around the building and we're told no one else had them.
2. Despite appearances, they were not fully wiped out by the first treatment.
3. They were somehow brought in from another source (seems very unlikely to me).
Now, assuming that all I can do is control the treatment of my own apartment, what steps should we take to ensure this is our FINAL treatment?
Last time we used a packtite to heat all our non-washable items (books, etc.) then sealed them for several months. The PCO told me he thinks that it is not necessary to do that, and I am concerned that by not exposing the materials to poison, it's possible that one of them harbored bugs which re-infested when we unpacked. Are we better off just washing/drying all fabrics, and packing other materials for treatment, then unpacking them several weeks later to allow any latent bugs to be exposed? Keeping packed items sealed for 18 months is not possible for us. The packtite was extremely labor intensive last time, and I am wondering if it is useful for us or not.
The PCO also said it would be possible to get a dust treatment done to the walls (fiberglass) that would prevent them from coming in from other apartments if they are in the building. Does anyone have any experience with this kind treatment?
I am tearing my hair out a little, because it felt like we did everything right the first time...