Bed bugs... GRRRRRRR ! HELP >

[bobm]

We recently had a new roof , all dual pane windows, new Hardy board siding and R-60 attic insulation installed . Most of the contractors are so busy that they will not even come to see what the job would entail and give a price. So, the smaller contractors May come out but they will not give a price until they actually come out at least about 6 months away. That leaves just a small handfull of contractors that could do the job in 1 to 3 months away. We had a siding contractor install the Hardy board siding that took over 3 months to install. The 2 workers were south of the border types . One could only understand / speak only a few English words, while the other younger one, NONE. The roofing contractor had just completed roofing one subdivision and was moving onto another one and sqeezed our home roof installation in. He had one white foreman that spoke Spanish and 8 workers that spoke ONLY Spanish. The windows were installed by a contractor who had 2 workers that spoke ONLY Spanish. The insulation contractor had 3 workers that ONLY spoke Spanish. These workers had to use our bathroom quite often. About a month later , my wife had a few red spots on her legs.( she is very white skinned, sun burns easily and bruises very easily even from a light touch) A week later she had a few more on her legs as well as me. She had a Doctor's appointment a few days later and asked the Doctor to take a look at them, but she just shrugged her shoulders and casually said that she must have bruised her leg. Then a month ago, she really had many more red spots on her legs and I had a few show up. A couple days later, I saw a few smallish reddish brown bugs on our bed.... BED BUGS !!! As per usual, took a bed bug company a week just to come out to diagnose what a insect was actually responsible. I showed him a glass bowl with soapy water in it and a couple dozen bed bugs floating in it. He confirmed this and looked at all of the suspected infested areas. Said that this was one of the worst bed bug infestations that he had seen. He gave a written bid for $6,500 for a treatment and 1 followup treatment. If another treatment would be required, $750 more. A day later another bed bug company rep. came out and confirmed the diagnosis and gave a bid for $4,250 for a treatment of Gemtrol IGR+ Zenprox IGR ( these contain growth control chemicals that interferes with molting of their exoskeleton so that they starve to death ) + Nuvan strips + 565 Aerosol 2.5% and 2 follow up treatments, each 2 weeks apart. After that he would set out traps to see if any bed bugs remained, there would be another $350 charge per treatment every 2 weeks until no more bugs were trapped. It has now been over 2 weeks and my wife and I have been catching between 20-30 bed bugs every morning at 5 am, and throwing them into a bowl of soapy water for them to drown. My wife's legs are starting to look like raw hamburger due to these bloodthirsty bug hordes. Each female bed bug lays about 200 eggs in her life time of 4-6 months. A female bed bug can live to a year if she does not get a blood meal within that time. Both of these bug exterminators said that with the influx of illegals, they are seeing an epidemic of bed bug infestations in this area and are increasingly much more busy and so they are charging more per household.

 

[flowerbug]

uh, they don't sound that hard to get rid of:

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/bedbugs-infestation#1

though i see at the end of that a mention that professional exterminator should be used, but that would be only if you need to use poisons and want to pay someone to do it. if instead you are willing to check around each night and morning to find any new hiding spots and any bugs that have hatched... i was able to clear an apartment of cockroaches without using poisons i'm pretty sure i could do it for bedbugs too.

they don't fly so perhaps a goopy/sticky trap would work for them or at least keep them away from you once you've gotten your bed cleared of them. the idea of wrapping the mattress in a good cover is worth it anyways.

 

[seedcorn]

There are over the counter pesticides that kill bed bugs that are safe to use. $60 and a $10 sprayer, you are in control. You are being ripped by exterminators.

 

[so lucky]

I always thought that bedbugs hide in the mattress or crevices during the day and come out at night, not travel on people. That's why they always say to use the suitcase stand in a motel, rather than putting it on the bed or floor. Did you go anywhere in the last few months and stay in a motel?

 

[bobm]

There are over the counter pesticides that kill bed bugs that are safe to use. $60 and a $10 sprayer, you are in control. You are being ripped by exterminators.

Seed ... I had used these over the counter labeled for bed bugs sprays and bombs as directed 2x with NO 'effect . 'followed by up to 4 times the number of bombs per bedroom to NO EFFECT on the bed bug numbers. 3 days later , I re-bombed the bedrooms at the 4x rate as I spent the night in a recliner located in our LR. an hour and a half later, I was covered with bed bugs ... I picked them off one at a time and dropped them in a glass bowl with soapy water. They don't know how or just can't swim so drown. I quit counting at 30 bed bugs within a half hour and continued to the catch at the rate of a bed bug per each hand every 2 minutes for the next 4 hours. Still the bed bugs were thick as ever in both bedrooms. I had read about the bed bug articles on the internet. Then I consulted an Entomologist at Washington State University who said that those over the counter products are very under consentrated as mandated by the EPA and are virtually next to useless. The only chemicals are the ones that actually work are those that are sold ONLY to licensed exterminators and that it may take at least 3 aplications 2 weeks apart of a combination of killing chemicals together with growth regulators. Followed by hormone traps to catch any bed bug that may have survived . Followed by another treatment or two. Then hope that all of the bed bugs have bit the dust . Or, possibly a repopulation will occur if even one pregnant female survivor is present to populate the next round. And the beat goes on !

 

[bobm]

I always thought that bedbugs hide in the mattress or crevices during the day and come out at night, not travel on people. That's why they always say to use the suitcase stand in a motel, rather than putting it on the bed or floor. Did you go anywhere in the last few months and stay in a motel?

The short answer is NO. We have not traveled at all for almost a year. A bed bug or it''s eggs could travel on a person if it hides in a pocket, a clothing fold, frilly / creese in clothing, purse, etc./ Bed buds can and will climb up furniture and / or it's legs and /or suitcase stand then into one's luggage then you bring them home.

 

[bobm]

uh, they don't sound that hard to get rid of:

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/bedbugs-infestation#1

though i see at the end of that a mention that professional exterminator should be used, but that would be only if you need to use poisons and want to pay someone to do it. if instead you are willing to check around each night and morning to find any new hiding spots and any bugs that have hatched... i was able to clear an apartment of cockroaches without using poisons i'm pretty sure i could do it for bedbugs too.

they don't fly so perhaps a goopy/sticky trap would work for them or at least keep them away from you once you've gotten your bed cleared of them. the idea of wrapping the mattress in a good cover is worth it anyways.

Ummm, bed bugs have lived with and on us for thousands of years. Many a person has tried to evict / kill them as soon as a person discovered this unwanted bed partner without any luck. Chemical warfare will work if one manages to kill every bed bug in one's household over time,and if one can manage to not bring in a single fertile female / eggs into one's home, otherwise the re- infestation in on again.

 

[flowerbug]

Ummm, bed bugs have lived with and on us for thousands of years. Many a person has tried to evict / kill them as soon as a person discovered this unwanted bed partner without any luck. Chemical warfare will work if one manages to kill every bed bug in one's household over time,and if one can manage to not bring in a single fertile female / eggs into one's home, otherwise the re- infestation in on again.

the infestation can only get going again if they have a food source. the young cannot grow for long without blood. so where is that blood coming from?

check this link:

https://extension.umn.edu/biting-in...u-can-do-to-help-control-an-infestation-49011

also note:
The current recommendation for effective commercial heating services calls for a temperature of at least 140°F for two hours or 130°F for three hours (the minimum lethal temperature is 113°F), which will kill most bed bugs and eggs."
"

 

[seedcorn]

Bombs are at best, of very limited value. There are insecticides that you mix with water and spray on.

My son brought bed bugs home from school. (They were detected where he put his school supplies) easily killed. Not that big of a deal.

 

[so lucky]

the infestation can only get going again if they have a food source. the young cannot grow for long without blood. so where is that blood coming from?

check this link:

https://extension.umn.edu/biting-in...u-can-do-to-help-control-an-infestation-49011

also note:
The current recommendation for effective commercial heating services calls for a temperature of at least 140°F for two hours or 130°F for three hours (the minimum lethal temperature is 113°F), which will kill most bed bugs and eggs."
"

Maybe that would be the way to treat them. I have read about hi heat treatment for fleas (I think it was) Might be hard to get a room to 140 degrees tho.