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Bedbug Apocalypse

Yesterday I saw Bedbug Apocalypse on Animal Planet. Among other things, they said 25% of US hotels have bedbug infestation. They recommended you get a small bright flashlight to check not only hotel rooms, but also seats in taxis, airplanes, subways, etc. before you sit down. I happen to have a phobia of bloodsucking parasites. *shudder*

Tags: bedbugs

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mac Rex on August 18, 2011 at 5:38pm

Dam!! Ya beat me to it! ;)

Permalink Reply by Grace Fitzpatrick on August 18, 2011 at 5:05pm

I can't imagine anyone likes them. But what can you do if your airplane seat does have them on it. Often, it's not like you can move. The last flight I was on was packed.

Permalink Reply by Ruth Anthony-Gardner on August 18, 2011 at 8:04pm

Were it I who found bedbug signs, I'd refuse to take the flight and demand a refund. Also, I'd take pictures of what I'd seen, and threaten to post them on YouTube if the airline didn't refund my money. I you allowed yourself to become infested, I guess you could get a totally new outfit and heat treat the clothes you'd worn, after storing them in sealed plastic bags. I can see going out of the airport wearing a gift shop tee shirt and a beach towel wrapped around your butt, in flip-flops. Carrying your shoes and buggy clothes in ziplock bags.

Permalink Reply by Steph S. on August 18, 2011 at 5:11pm

Make me worried to stay in a hotel now. Yuck. The link to the show says it's a pandemic now.

Permalink Reply by Paula T. on August 18, 2011 at 7:10pm

Yuck! I just stayed in a very nice hotel this past weekend. I didn't do the flashlight trick, but I did keep all clothes and my suitcase, far away from the dresser and bed.

I admit that I have the guilty pleasure of watching "Billy the Exterminator" on A&E. One of the episodes I recently watched had to do with a personal residence with an extreme infestation of bedbugs. They were literally crawling over the bed and the ceiling, and almost covered the folds of the curtains. That REALLY had me itching and scratching.

Permalink Reply by Clarence Dember on August 18, 2011 at 8:37pm

Vatican be warned.

Permalink Reply by Tara on August 19, 2011 at 12:27am

How did you even make it through the show? *twitch*

Permalink Reply by Paula T. on August 19, 2011 at 10:58am

I enjoy shows about bug and parasites, but this one definitely had me waving my hands while saying "Ooh! No way!!" and "Yuck!!" along with a few expletives. lol

I don't know how the occupant was able to live with them, except that maybe he didn't know just how bad the problem could become.

Permalink Reply by Ruth Anthony-Gardner on August 19, 2011 at 3:14pm

Yeah. I always thought they needed cracks to hide in. The show showed layers of them living on the flat underside of metal chair parts. *twitch* me too.

Permalink Reply by Lynne Schultz on August 19, 2011 at 8:41am

Last year I fought and won a 6-month battle, no stratch that - WAR- against those vermin vampires after moving into a new apartment. People who argue that they don't carry disease so we should just live with them obviously never had them. (And to them: FU, this is not a third-world country yet!) Yeah mosquitoes are more dangerous but you can seek refuge in your own home. With bed bugs, there is no refuge. You aren't safe in your own bed. If you start sleeping on the couch, they will find you there, too. They disrupt your sleep and rob your sanity. They must all die.

So yeah, take precautions because they are hell to try to get rid of (but NOT impossible!) If you do get them, either buy mattress encasements, or if you can't afford those...go to Home Depot and buy plastic sheeting and multiple rolls of duct tape. Triple tape everything. Get a professional exterminator and keep calling them back as many times as you need. Ideally you should throw out your couch but if you can't afford it have the exterminators spray inside the couch. Caulk everything. Wash all linens in hot water daily and dry TWICE (heat kills them). Vacuum every day if you can. Use diatomaceous earth every place that you can't caulk, every place where they might try to get in, etc. It dries them out and kills them. Don't rely on one method. Use everything.

Permalink Reply by Ruth Anthony-Gardner on August 19, 2011 at 3:12pm

It's a relief to know somebody has won, without doing the multi-thousand dollar heat treatment. Your advice is appreciated. What particular insecticide worked for your exteminators? The program said some bedbugs have been found to harbor MRSA. Did you manage to get diatomaceous earth inside appliances? I hear they hide in smoke detectors, inside of lamps and clocks, any object. How did you kill them in such hidey-holes? You can tell I've given this threat a lot of thought. I'm phobic of blood-sucking insects.

Permalink Reply by Lynne Schultz on August 21, 2011 at 1:34pm

Hi Ruth, I guess how stubborn they are depends on where you get them. Because the apartment complex was good about getting someone out there every time I asked, and because they were doing surrounding apartments in the same building, my guess is that these were not the hardened super bedbugs that some places seem to get. For example, these preferred soft things to be in, although they did hide behind posters. Appliances were not a problem because they didn't seem to like plastic or metal. I had a metal framed bed, and the way they were getting to it was to climb the wall and then jump down. They were not climbing the actual frame. So when I used the DE, I put it on all the baseboards, on all electrical outlets, on walls that faced other apartments, in the fireplace, around windows and doors and underneath my couch cushions. Sometimes I sprinkled some on the carpets right after vacuuming. (Remember to use a face mask when applying and vacuum often.) I wish I knew what chemical the exterminators were using but I don't. Sorry!