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):
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 