I never would've dreamed I'd be asking this, because bed bugs have always been a big fear of mine and I'm extra careful (leave bags in bathrooms at hotels, change clothes after movie theaters), all mattresses already encased (but not box springs 😳).
Three weeks ago, I started getting a single bite every few nights. Chalked it up to mosquito or other bug and inspected bed area and found nothing. Over the past 3 weeks I've had a total of 10 single bites, arms, hands and face. My husband has not had any reactions and my three kids are also not showing any bites. Finally got nervous and called a large, national, pest control to do a free inspection. One guy came and inspected my bed and living room furniture. Using a flashlight, he looked closely for about 10 mins and found nothing. That evening I vacuumed my bedroom thoroughly and enclosed our box spring and washed bedding for the millionth time.
I got a bite that night. That prompted me to steam clean the individual tufts of our fabric headboard. Nearing the end of my steaming a single, dead, bug fell out of the crease and onto our mattress encasement. I bagged it and emailed a picture to an entomologist who is the director of a local pest management company and who did his Ph.D. dissertation on bedbugs. He identified it as an adult, male bed bug.
That evening, we removed our fabric headboard (encased it in a plastic cover first) and put it out with the trash. I did not see any scattering bugs or evidence of bugs, but admittedly, I didn't look closely and just wanted the headboard gone. I steam cleaned all baseboards and carpet near the wall underneath where the head board had been.
In my panicked state, I booked the first treatment team available to come out today, and they had planned to treat our whole 4200sq/ft, single family home, twice (with 6 mos guarantee) with steam and some chemicals. Once my husband got home and calmed me down, he called and talked with the end entomologist above, that did our bed bug ID. He said that in our situation, he wouldn't treat just yet and do a "wait and see," due to the fact that we have disposed of head board, encased mattress and box spring and don't have a ton of bite activity and no signs on bedding. He said there was a chance that we lucked out and just had a single male. If bites continue, he would come treat whole house, as many times as needed, with high power vacuuming and different chemical applications. He also said that he didn't feel like steam was as effective as high power vacuuming and chemical testament.
So we canceled the first team that was scheduled and "I'm trying" to go with wait and see, but panicking. So, after that back story, here is my question. Given what I've said above, would you... 1. Follow the wait and see instructions and see if more bites or any activity is noticed? 2. Treat immediately (if so, would you go with the steam option or vacuuming/chemicals), 3. Have a recommended bed bug dog come out to inspect ($175) , 4. Take endomologists offer to do a free inspection and hope he does better than the first guy that initially inspected.
I'm really freaking out, didn't sleep a minute last night and I'm so concerned that these are everywhere in my house. I just don't want my kids' rooms to be affected or for them to have to endure these bites.
Thoughts, suggestions, help! Thank you so much!!