My Apartment Has Bed Bugs

bed bugs are extremely hard to get rid of. i work in a treatment facility that houses 50 people. we had bed bugs for months and months. the exterminators could not get rid of them. we eventually had to get rid of anything and everything wooden which is where they live. once we did this the exterminators were able to rid the place of them completely. bed bugs are not like roaches or other bugs which can be easily eliminated by exterminators. they are slowly becoming an epidemic in this country.

i would get your security deposit back, and get the hell out of there ASAP. you need to wash and dry your clothes, hot water, HOT HOT dryer the day you move. i would worry about the $30 later if not at all after you are long gone.

jtownsucks46 said: bed bugs are extremely hard to get rid of. i work in a treatment facility that houses 50 people. we had bed bugs for months and months. the exterminators could not get rid of them. we eventually had to get rid of anything and everything wooden which is where they live. once we did this the exterminators were able to rid the place of them completely. bed bugs are not like roaches or other bugs which can be easily eliminated by exterminators. they are slowly becoming an epidemic in this country.

i would get your security deposit back, and get the hell out of there ASAP. you need to wash and dry your clothes, hot water, HOT HOT dryer the day you move. i would worry about the $30 later if not at all after you are long gone.

The entire studio that I live in has wooden poles and ceilings with 100's of holes in each wooden pole. It was previously a telephone company's building.

I am not the problem for them remaining, the other rooms have seem them after the exterminator was present as well.

My room mate and I think we will wait until the last treatment is done - and if we see anything, we will get out security deposit back and get out.

Whats the deal?

first of all they're called bed bugs for a reason.

you need to either throw out your mattresses or buy special covers for them.

second of all moving out wont do anything at all as they are already likely deep within the recesses of everything that you own.

you need to check on google for bedbug removal techniques. Most people say that there's this stuff called diamiscus earth (no idea how it's spelt) that helps out a bit.

I started reading up on all of this stuff after I learned that movie theatres in the northeast (1 in nj, and 1 in nyc, both amc) started having bedbug problems (reason #290823429845 not to see a movie in the theatres anymore).

Thanks for all the information guys!

They found nothing in our mattresses, the exterminator said they are coming from the wood and hanging out in the electric outlets and on the walls. I washed most of my cloths, and checked the seems on the delicates. I will try some of the earth stuff later on tonight but these things are ridiculous.

I find it hard to believe that since they are traveling in the wood from my neighbors room to other rooms that reported them, that this building isn't infected completely.

What I found funny is the building is not informing anyone of the issue. They said not to say anything because people will get paranoid. I was thinking of making flyers and posting them outside, because I don't want them spreading.

I hate to tell you this, but getting rid of bedbugs is somewhat difficult, but even more trying on your patience. They will burrow into mattress seams, corners, screw or nail holes, carpet, picture frames, etc.

Washing and drying frequently using the hot cycle is a great start to kill off active infestations of bedding and cloths. They can live in relative cold, but heat above about 120 degrees Fahrenheit is pretty lethal. Keep in mind eggs hatch quicly, so frequent washing and drying is required. Supposedly using borax or Lysol in the wash helps things along, but that's unproven. Heat is certainly proven against most subspecies, but don't depend on it totally.

Consider using plastic vacuum style bags for storing washed clothing, bedding, and towels. At least use a fresh garbage bag twisted tightly, wire-tied, and maybe doubled. A plastic <allergy type> mattress bag is something you should ask the apt community to provide. You may wish to consider taping the zipper, and any sewn seams, closed to prevent burrowers from escaping back into the environment.
Remember, these little pests like to hide from light and will seek out nooks and crannies. The sonic welded, or glued seams of plastic almost always benefits from a touch-up of with something to seal corners and end of seams.

Most over-the-counter residual insecticides won't get rid of bedbugs. DDT's disuse is a big part of the recent infestation puzzle, but so is the ever tightening restrictions on broad spectrum insecticides approved for domestic spaces, increased international travel and immigration. No debate on whether DDT and broad-spectrum insecticides are harmful to humans, They have many problems and they were a very active part in controlling all indoor pests.

There is much anecdotal evidence that diatomaceous earth is effective part of CONTROLLING an infestation. Some say boric acid powder works too, and there is some evidence there too.

Good luck, and remain calm. If the apartment community has a good lawyer, you would be wasting time to try to sue.

if they only come out in the dark, what happens if you sleep with the lights on?

The link will take you to today's Fresh Air show on NPR radio with Entomologist Michael Potter, who specializes in pest management.

NPR radio show about bed bugs

Lots of good info and yes, you can get rid of these bugs.

Why use vodka, when you can buy a liter of 99% alcohol for half the price?

Alcohol <straight rubbing alcohol is far cheaper than drinkable spirits, and stronger for insect 'pickling'> is a good topical contact spray to kill many insects. I use the 91% variety mixed with Murphy's soap for a fast contact insecticide in my workshop for creepy crawlies. We use dish detergent and white vinegar for spraying the house flies that come in and buzz the kitchen windows. It has a great side effect of keeping the windows and stiles cleaner too!

Back to the bedbugs, here is a great FAQ that is nearly spot-on everything they say. The forums are full of comments and endorsements, but the faq's are quite good and accurate: http://bedbugger.com/faqs/

MrUnderhill said: +1 on DDT. It is what was used to get rid of bed bugs in the past. Story I hear is it was never officially "banned" because the EPA couldn't find anything wrong with it. The push to stop it came from a US senator, after the fabricated facts of a lady named Rachel Carson in a book named "Silent Spring," which caused a big uproar how DDT was killing birds. EPA found it was not.

DDT is still being used in some countries as malaria kills tens of thousands where it has not been eradicated. It has been estimated that 1 million people, mostly young, die from malaria per year. Big question as to how many lives could have been saved if it were available over the years.

The fact that DDT was banned based upon fabricated data is a case of environmentalism gone wrong. It has been said that DDT can be brought back to production and used in the US under threat of a national crisis, presumably for malaria, but sounds like the bed bug issue is getting out of hand. What do you think New York, is it a crisis yet? Talk to your local politicians, get it moving.Me thinks you have been watching Fox News too much!

Rachel Carson 1962 book/research is still considered valid by legitimate scientists and, BTW, she doesn't advocate a ban on DDT anywhere in her book. In fact, she even discusses balancing the plus and minus of its use and deciding when it is advantageous to continue its use. She was mainly concerned with DDT (and other persistent insecticides) being used for agricultural purposes. These chemicals don't break down quickly, so the higher up the food chain, the more of this accumulates in your system. The ban on DDT is considered one of the main factors in the resurgence of the American Bald Eagle.

Because of the ban on DDT in agriculture, its banned was extended by many countries to include other pest eradication as well. Many of the DDT-conspiracy types like to point to the rise in malaria in the mid to late 60's (after Silent Spring was published) as proof although; the *U.S.* didn't even ban DDT until 1972.

Although there certainly is some legitimate argument that a controlled use of DDT for mosquitoes would help with malaria for a period of time. The problem is, is countries where DDT has been used extensively, the mosquitoes are now DDT resistant, just as many of the anti-malarial agents no longer work.

Get a mattress encasement. Also put little BB saucers on the base of your bed feet so they can't climb into bed. I wonder if regular saucers would work with some soapy water in them?

Using dry ice, you can make an effective trap that mimics the carbon dioxide the bedbugs are attracted to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JZx3GrQCE0

jimates said: I saw a special on tv about how they get rid of bed bugs. They seal up your apartment and heat the place to about 140 degrees, for several hours, and bake all the bugs. Everything that can't sustain the heat has to be moved out.

No telling how much it cost.Just watch for the space heater sales at FW!

jimates said: I saw a special on tv about how they get rid of bed bugs. They seal up your apartment and heat the place to about 140 degrees, for several hours, and bake all the bugs. Everything that can't sustain the heat has to be moved out.

No telling how much it cost.

I saw that, too. Neat idea.

According to the link that I posted above, this pest control company charges ~$1 per sq. ft to heat treat a residence! That's $2500 out-of-your-own-pocket cost for a 2500 sq ft home!

mystufftosell said: skchin said: Why use vodka, when you can buy a liter of 99% alcohol for half the price?

I can get a liter of cheap vodka for ~$5. That's a lot of 1/4 cups.... Also, spraying vodka around does not affect animals or my own sinuses. You should not inhale alcohol. And, if it's being sprayed liberally the way a sanitizer spray is supposed to be used, inhaling that much alcohol would be very bad for you. Further, if you accidentally leave the bottle around, 1/4 c vodka in 16 oz will not kill your child.

the indiscriminate use of the generic word alcohol is confusing. vodka is 40-50% ethanol, aka ethyl alcohol. the 99% alcohol is probably isopropanol, aka isopropyl alcohol and sometimes called rubbing alcohol. i believe you get get so-called denatured almost pure ethanol but have no idea of the price.

handyguy said: You can get pure ethanol at ACE or Home Depot for about $4/quart. Its denatured so you can't drink it.

if its denatured, then its not pure ethanol

its denatured by adding a small amount of something toxic; i'm guessing methanol. otherwise its subject to drinkable alcohol taxes.

Unfortunately, the landlord has no legal obligation to pay for bed bug treatment as they are often not named under most landlord/tenant agreements. The only way to get bed bugs out of an apartment is to treat all adjacent apartments including those that are next to, above and below the unit that has the bedbug infestation.

That said, tenants can place rent into escrow, contact local departments of health and contact local politicians. Also, landlord tenant rights are covered by the state attorney generals office. While bed bugs may not be officially covered in the law, there is enough ambiguous language to at least get the landlord or management company to reach some type of compromise. For example, a 50/50 split of the costs with tenants. To get an estimate, have an exterminator such as Terminix (1.877.289.4849) come in and meet with the tenants and landlord together.

There's some helpful information on bed bugs and tenant rights in the Bed Bugs Handbook.