bedbugs

[figment]

I think we have bedbugs. I mean, I'm not sure they're "bedbugs" per se, but they are bugs, they are in the bed, and they bite me when I sleep. And the bites itch like a ... well. They itch a lot. I have gotten covered in bites, all over my arms and legs and stomach and... yeah.

We figured this out on Thursday night, so that's when I got my last bites. We have been sleeping on the couch since then -- well, other than Friday night, which we spent sleeping in Shenandoah National Park -- so at least I have not gotten bitten any more. (Ironic, to go camping and get bitten less than at home.) The bites are finally fading and I'm not itching madly any more.

But sleeping on the couch (which is a queen size futon, so it's not that bad) is really not optimal. Anyone coming in the front door of the apartment, we hear it. Noises from the street are much more audible. The streetlights mean that there's ambient light all the time, and the windows also get the morning sun. So this morning I was awake around 5:45 AM, and then managed to doze fitfully until 6:30.

Today I will call the landlord's recommended bug man and find out what the hell we can do. I think we may have to encase our mattress in plastic, but I'm not sure. We have to fix this, though. If nothing else, it's like we've gone from having a small one-bedroom apartment to a small studio apartment with a walk-in closet. Not okay.

Comments

[tx-cronopio.livejournal.com]

eek! I've heard that they've become endemic in some regions, and also that you CANNOT deal with this yourself, so yes, call Landlord!

Eeeek. I'm not a very bug-phobic person, but in my bed? No. Just no!

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Apparently DC has recently had major problems with this. And the Thursday night we confirmed the critters' existence and location... well, it was confirmed by me freaking out and slapping at myself and crying and jumping in the shower.

[r0ckc4ndy.livejournal.com]

My brother was an Orkin Man (bug dude) for a while, and he said that they are a nightmare to get rid of!

I know that when I worked at a hostel in Australia there was a huge problem with bedbugs. My hostel didn't have problems but we used some of that pesticide spray on the beds every couple of days. I'm sure it took a year off my life, but to me that's totally worth it to not have horrible horrible bites all over. One girl came to our hostel after being at a different one and she was so covered with scabs no one wanted to ask because we all thought she was abused or had a crazy disease. Then she told us about bedbugs!

I other words, make sure your landlord moves his ass!!

[eternallion.livejournal.com]

Owie ow ow! and eew!

Just think, if you do it right you could infest all of convergence!!!! MUHAHAHAHAHA...
(please don't)

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

ew. no no no!

[daedala.livejournal.com]

Those are becoming more common now. :( My neighbor brought some back when he went on vacation, and then tried to say my cats had fleas. Poor defamed kitties. (The vet said they did not.)

From what I've read, they are a complete pain to get rid of.

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my cats have been to the vet recently and have no fleas. Also, if the problem came from the cats, then I would have continued to be bitten the last few nights sleeping on the couch - the cats still sleep with us even if it's not in bed.

[fayde.livejournal.com]

Cats don't get bed bugs - the bugs don't like fur/hair. They also won't bit you on the scalp or in hairy areas.

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

Gotcha. I was not so worried about the cats having bedbugs (selfish of me) but more ... some people had suggested that my problem was fleas from the cats: I don't think that is the case.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Oh, sweety, that sounds just dreadful. I'm sure that there's lots of horrible stories about how hard they are to get rid of, but I'm also sure that there are sensible things to do that you can get on with. Calling the landlord was the best first step.

I've been having my own upset about some different insects lately, but won't share. No need for making it worse.

K.

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

Erg. Sympathy, whatever the exact form of the problem is.

[torcboy.livejournal.com]

not sure if they are large enough to see, if they are, that's actually better. If they are too tiny to see, you might have scabies and need medicine for your skin. Don't go the herbal way, as I've found that doesn't work. If you encase the mattress, but they are still living in your skin, it will just start up again.

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

*shudder* Oh, that's nasty. I think, based on the descriptions of scabies I just read, that I don't have those. Ew. I did see the little bugs, and the spots are healing and not itching any more.

[purple-cow-0206.livejournal.com]

Oh, that sucks. Hopefully they're able to get everything squared away soon and with as little problem as possible.

[riotdorrrk.livejournal.com]

they are truly the ticks from hell

[s4.livejournal.com]

Last time I saw a bedbug, I was struck with a "how can I have a tick in the winter?" It was lighter colored than a tick, definitely not an insect.

The friends of mine that got the infestation had to dispose of their mattresses and launder all of their clothing in one go. Plus I think, they called in the bugmen.

Really hard to get rid of I guess. Not sure how you'd deal with pets and pet bedding areas.

[eqe.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear about that -- no infestation is ever fun.

I learned more than I wanted to know about bedbugs reading idlewords - Sleeping is Giving In (http://www.idlewords.com/2008/01/sleeping_is_giving_in.htm).

[dreamsewing.livejournal.com]

Sounds like scabies.I got them from handling old carpet and matresses when i worked contruction.
Quick fix, if you can't run to the doctors, is to get some house bomb spray from Major store/animal supply, one with Permethrin in it, bomb the house & spray all matresses/cushions. You need to spray/bomb 3 times over 10 days.
For your skin/hair and laundry buy the anti parasite/flea/tick shampoo also for dogs or headlice shampoo w/permethrin or malothin. Do it twice over 3 days. Be especially sure to let shampoo sit on skin for a few minutes, bedbugs love joints, behind the knees, hand joints ,feet/ankles and forearms especially, they burrow under skin and eggs hatch in 2-3 days, hence doing it twice. It's a pain in the butt, but you really have to wash everything.

Even if it's not scabies, the spraying will help. Hope this helps .

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I think I will wait for the bug guy to diagnose before doing any treatment. I'm fine now that I'm sleeping on the couch. Just a bit tired and I miss my bedroom! :-) If I understand correctly scabies would have continued to itch for me, but the bites have definitely gotten better. Also I saw and felt little bugs biting me - they looked a bit like tiny tiny ants, actually. So I don't think it's scabies but will wait to apply treatments to the bed until I know what I'm dealing with.

[fayde.livejournal.com]

here are some good places to start - they are pretty easy to identify and see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedbug
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/

and a quick search also found this which I find interesting and maybe helpful in the future:
http://bedbugregistry.com/

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

I also found http://bedbugger.com/ ...
I wonder if it's actually bedbugs per se. The bugs I saw were tiny and looked more like ants. I dunno. Whatever they are, I HATE them!

[msmaryclare.livejournal.com]

oh no. I have no internet at home now so I just read this on my phone browser. let us know if you need anything. you are welcome to hide out over here this weekend. at least the cats are safe!