Bed bugs... Please help!

scarbouro

I'm living a nightmare at the moment. A couple of weeks ago myself and my daughter have been waking up with bites nearly every day. They seem to leave my husband alone...

I have tried nearly everything except get the professionals in. I thought I might be able to get on top of it myself but it doesn't seem so. I know they're extremely resilient buggers. I've been stripping all the beds daily, vacuuming and steaming mattresses and beds every evening. Washing linen at 90 degrees. Threw out duvets and pillows. Got carpets professionally cleaned. Been laying down baking soda, cinnamon, Talc ect, hoping to kill them. Even put the legs of the beds in containers full of oil to stop them climbing up the into the beds. I have ordered Diatomaceous Earth and waiting for that to arrive.

I'm at my wits end. I am still to actually find one of these pests. We have searched the mattresses and the lining of the bed but can't visually see anything. It's so frustrating. I did seem to have it under control for a few days and now this morning, we have woken up with more bites.

Any other advice? I know I should probably get the pros in but I'd imagine they are going to be very costly. Anyone have any idea how much they charge?

Thank you.

SB_Part2

Yeh you should really get the pro's in at this stage. Not sure of the price. It might not be bed bugs. Bed bugs can usually be found at the corner of the mattress. Either way the likes of Rentokil will be able to tell you what you're dealing with.

Lux23

Get the pros and follow their instructions, but be advised that you might never get rid of them completely.

zef

Are you sure it's bed bugs?
Work up covered in what I thought were bites from 'something' , I was sure it was those huge spiders going around last Autumn.
Went to the DR. and it was an allergic rash- urticaria, but it looked like bites - have you changed washing powders or anything?

sunnysoutheast

Bed bug bites are quite distinctive, usually groups of two close together.

Many years ago in London we made the mistake of buying a new sofa which must have been infected. After a few days we started getting bitten. After weeks of unsuccessfully trying over-the-counter insecticides we got Rentokil in. We had to go away for the weekend though.

The eggs/larvae are usually in the frame/seams so any furniture needs to be turned over and sprayed completely, possibly more than once.

johnnyskeleton

Sometimes the bugs will live on in you or your clothes and get transferred back at night. Not saying you arent washing yourself or your clothes, but maybe go to a pharmacist and they could give you a body lotion or at least identify whether it is bedbugs or not.

2rkehij30qtza5

Had an issue with this before in a holiday cottage we rented. Bed bug bites are v distinctive and usually are in groups of 2 or 3 bites. I feel your pain, it's awful. I ended up throwing out EVERYTHING. They get in everywhere and are so hard to find! Even your car will need to be fumigated as it's likely they are on your clothes or in bags or elsewhere. They transfer so easily. It's going to cost you a bit of money but i would say to bring in the professionals. They can clean all your clothes (which you should now be double bagging after you wash and dry at high temperatures by the way!). Good luck.

banbhaaifric

I would call in the pros, but first get online and do as much research as you can. There is lots and lots of info out there and it is worth getting familiar with the enemy before you get started.
Bed bugs can live up to 18 months without feeding and can hide in the tiniest of places. Behind wallpaper even... They are awful.
I ended up in hospital I was so badly bitten once (all over, head to toe and had a bad reaction). I don't mean to scare you, but with bed bugs you can become more and more sensitive to the bites over time.
As another poster said, the bites often come in lines, they call them "breakfast, lunch and dinner" bites. Have you noticed that kind of pattern? Or they can inflame if you have a bath or shower.

They are a scourge in London and New York and seem to be spreading. My sister discovered the flat she was subletting in New York had bed bugs and called a friend to ask if she could stay. The friend said of course! But she made her strip outside and gave her fresh clothes before she let her in. Having dealt with them, I totally understand why

Hope you get it sorted. Maybe it's not bedbugs!

hollowpoint

scarbouro wrote: »

I'm living a nightmare at the moment. A couple of weeks ago myself and my daughter have been waking up with bites nearly every day. They seem to leave my husband alone...

I have tried nearly everything except get the professionals in. I thought I might be able to get on top of it myself but it doesn't seem so. I know they're extremely resilient buggers. I've been stripping all the beds daily, vacuuming and steaming mattresses and beds every evening. Washing linen at 90 degrees. Threw out duvets and pillows. Got carpets professionally cleaned. Been laying down baking soda, cinnamon, Talc ect, hoping to kill them. Even put the legs of the beds in containers full of oil to stop them climbing up the into the beds. I have ordered Diatomaceous Earth and waiting for that to arrive.

I'm at my wits end. I am still to actually find one of these pests. We have searched the mattresses and the lining of the bed but can't visually see anything. It's so frustrating. I did seem to have it under control for a few days and now this morning, we have woken up with more bites.

Any other advice? I know I should probably get the pros in but I'd imagine they are going to be very costly. Anyone have any idea how much they charge?

Thank you.

Hi, am going through the same dilemma at the minute, we are at our wits end, kids are getting bitten now aswell despite hoovering, steaming mattresses, buying zipped mattress covers and cleaning throughly top to bottom everyday steaming bed frames and pillows and mattresses, floors, curtains and skirting boards etc etc etc.... don't know what to do!

goz83

Why did I click in here? Jaysus I'm all itchy now.

Anyway, you need to be sure it's bed bugs. Our cats had fleas last year and everyone except me was getting bitten

Got the treatment for the animals and threw out the living room rug. We have wooden floors throughout, so it was easier to sort. Daily hoovering (from the wife) and putting containers of soapy water under the bed to catch and drown the little b@stards. Took a good few feeks for the all clear, but we got there in the end.

Gatling

Call professionals to fix it your wasting your time trying to get rid yourself they get into sockets and clothes and be passed from room to room ,
There's a reason hotels close several rooms close to an infected room for up to 2 + months while they get the likes of rentokil in to spray the rooms several times ,

The_Valeyard

Did the original OP get sorted? Was it bed bugs?

scarbouro

Yes I got rid of them by using Diatomaceous earth. It's a white powder and you put it all over the bed mattress, sides of bed frame, along all the skirting ect. We also bought expensive mattress protectors. Diatomaceous earth dehydrates the bed bug and it kills them after a week or so. Don't expect them to be gone straight away. After 2 weeks there was no more bites. I hope you get sorted. It's extremely frustrating trying to get rid of them.

The_Valeyard

scarbouro wrote: »

Yes I got rid of them by using Diatomaceous earth. It's a white powder and you put it all over the bed mattress, sides of bed frame, along all the skirting ect. We also bought expensive mattress protectors. Diatomaceous earth dehydrates the bed bug and it kills them after a week or so. Don't expect them to be gone straight away. After 2 weeks there was no more bites. I hope you get sorted. It's extremely frustrating trying to get rid of them.

Cheers for the update. Glad you got it sorted.

sdraobs

Just want to contribute to boardsies on bed bugs.

I successfully got rid of them and similar to the post above, it was using diamtomaceous earth (DE).

what i did was to inspect and hoover the bed and mattress. Wash bedding, inspect duvet.

Once i know this area is safe, then apply DE on the ground right around the bed. There was no point in inspecting the whole room for bedbugs as id never find them. I was the bait. They say bed bugs can climb the walls and ceiling and drop onto the bed to avoid the DE. But in order to go back to their hiding place, they would have to fall back onto the ground and have to walk over the DE.

Be careful not to disturb the DE once its laid as its very fine and gets into the lungs.

The only place i found to buy DE without having to wait for delivery was a place in Tallaght, cheap enough, i got the massive 2kilo size, but probably would have got away with less than 100g so ive loads left.

unlike in the Uk, couldnt seem to be able to buy bedbug pesticides in woodies, tesco or dealz. But pesticides are toxic so id recommend the DE.

If you have difficulty inspecting the mattress/bed for bed bugs, ie if there are holes, you could use extreme heat from a hairdryer or pesticides (no pesticides on sheets though)


Good luck and enjoy the battle. if you successfully beat them without needing a professional in, you should be proud of yourselves. Many have failed.