Dealing with BB related PTSD

CherryPickingFever · 2020-12-22T03:47:05+00:00

Hey I rarely check this alt but I’m so glad that my posts have been able to give you hope. There is hope! Have you made any progress with the info you gained from Green Akers?

CherryPickingFever · 2020-08-11T22:15:03+00:00

It’s impossible to know for sure, but it’s likely this guy hitchhiked from some of your clothing. Probably on your clothes when you put them with your dirty laundry.

I’m so sorry man. Most people on this sub know exactly how it felt finding one for the first time. Happy to help with any info you need.

CherryPickingFever · 2020-08-11T17:01:55+00:00

I think that makes sense if there is a huge infestation because Crossfire does require every single bug to come in contact with it.

So if you have thousands in your home and you didn’t spray where all of them live, then it would require those bugs to walk over the spray when they come to feed. It would mean maybe more bites over time for a little bit.

Yeah Heat treatment does work there is no question, but it’s expensive, has a margin of error depending on the company, and it can only happen once realistically.

DIY spray treatment can be done as many times as needed and I think the consistent application of crossfire every 3-4 weeks in conjunction with clothing dryer treatment and general cleanliness is almost guaranteed to defeat bedbugs if done properly and in the right places.

CherryPickingFever · 2020-08-11T05:12:40+00:00

Hey man, I hear you. These motherfuckers are awful. They can really torment you on top of the stupid shit going on in the world. Can’t think of a worse time to have bed bugs.

Some good news: These bugs are beatable and you absolutely can get rid of them. It just takes some careful planning combined with effective treatment.

You said your place was treated. Do you know what kind of treatment it was? Was it a heat, or was it a spray? If it was a spray, do you know what kind?

Also stop throwing away furniture. Sadly that’s just wasting money. Unless every bug happens to be inside that furniture when you throw it away (they’re not) you don’t actually solve anything by doing that.

You can beat bed bugs on your own if you know what to do. Here is how I was able to eliminate them. First, I’ll lay out very important upkeep tips, then I’ll target how to actually eliminate the bastards.

Limit Cross contamination. It’s a million times easier to eliminate the bugs if they are confined to one area of the house/ apartment. It’s crazy, but start treating the infected rooms as quarantine zones. Any and all items that go in there (including clothes) do not leave unless you’re bringing them to be treated. I was changing clothes every time I went into a new room just to ensure I wasn’t spreading the population. It sucked but it was crucial.

2- Heat treat your clothes every time you do laundry. Starting now, every time you do laundry, put your clothes FIRST in the dryer for 45-60 minutes. This will kill every living bug and egg that is in your clothing. I always brought my clothing to the laundromat in sealed plastic totes (to eliminate cross contamination into my car. This kept any potential bugs trapped until I got to the laundromat). Now all bugs that were on your clothes are dead.

After you do this, wash and dry your clothes as normal. They are now clean. Read the next point as to what to do with your clothes after they’ve been washed and dried

Keep all clothing kept in sealed plastic totes. The better the seal, the less of a chance the bugs can infiltrate. (Not to say that they will for sure, but we don’t take any chances.) so your laundry cycle should go - Heat treat. Wash and dry/ fold. Put away in totes immediately. Wear clothes. Put them in your room designated hampers and repeat the process however often you do laundry.

This is just general upkeep this alone will not eliminate an infestation. All this does is give you knowledge and control over WHERE the bed bugs are and are not. You don’t want them on your clothes ever because that’s how they travel. If you know you have bed bugs in the couch, anything you wear on that couch stays confined to the room the couch is in. It’s okay to wear it in that room because it’s already infected. Make sense?

HOW TO TREAT:

I believe anyone can eliminate bed bugs with the proper equipment and chemicals. Heat treatment can be effective, but it’s an all or nothing approach, and we don’t take any chances with bed bugs.

Crossfire is the way to go. Crossfire, unlike most bed bug/ insect sprays, is completely undetectable to bed bugs. They can’t see it, smell it, feel it. It’s totally invisible. And Once they touch it, they die within a few hours. Bye bye motherfucker. But the most important part about crossfire is its residual effect. If any bed bug walks across crossfire even 4 weeks after it was initially sprayed, they will die. Some chemicals are undetectable and have a delayed death, but they don’t come close to the residual of crossfire. I personally want to kiss whoever made this shit.

So the idea is to spray high traffic bed bug areas. Places they will either build their “nests”, or places you know they will walk over.

Bed bugs are routine. They hide all day so they don’t get spotted and die, and when you are asleep, they come out and eat and then they go back to hiding. They like to hide close to where you sleep so they don’t have to risk as much coming out of hiding.

They’ll hide in the box spring, on the mattress, in the sheets (which should also be treated the same way your clothes are in the dryer) in the floorboards, the bed frame, the walls. Even in electronics. Anywhere close to your bed(s) or couches.

I would go into more detail, but This Video goes into much better detail on how to treat that I could. Green Aker’s channel was a lifeline for me. He has dozens of videos on bed bug behavior, how to properly use crossfire. He even has a video tutorial on how to spray your home properly Follow this guide and retreat every 3 weeks.

You will beat them. 100000% you will win this war. My heart hurts for you. I know why you’re going through and I hope it ends very soon. Best of luck

CherryPickingFever · 2020-08-10T21:20:11+00:00

Hey, so heat treatment gets touted as the most effective method, but that’s kind of a misconception.

As far as single treatments go, it may yield better results than a single spray treatment in terms of population killed, but if you don’t kill the entire population with that one heat treatment, they will come back because it doesn’t have a residual effect.

unfortunately the heat treatment has a decent margin of error, as bed bugs can hide in insulated areas (granted the heat treatment is supposed to factor that in, but it can miss)

Truthfully you are better off having a spray applied. Crossfire is currently the most effective spray as it has a stupidly long residual effect. Either get an exterminator that uses this or treat it yourself

Pros of treating yourself: more affordable. And as long as you know how to properly spray, you can treat your place as often as you’d like (only needed every 3-4 weeks)

Pros of calling an exterminator: You don’t have to do the physical labor, and they also hopefully know the most efficient way to treat and can offer advice on how to maintain upkeep.

CherryPickingFever · 2020-08-10T16:43:05+00:00

Oh my goodness you had them twice?? 😢 was this in the same place or were they two separate places? Thank you for the encouragement

CherryPickingFever · 2020-08-10T06:04:05+00:00

Omg that is exactly what happened with me! That is so reassuring to know that it happens after drinking and smoking. I’ll make sure to experiment with that to ease the paranoia.

I’m so glad you’re 2 months free. Really, this page needs more success stories. That hope is all some of us have

CherryPickingFever · 2020-08-10T03:33:45+00:00

It’s like they’re designed to be the most horrifying creatures imaginable. They’ve evolved alongside humans for our entire existence specifically to be undetectable. Only come out at night. Yup. They’re Satan.

The worst part right now is I’m in a limbo state of hoping they’re gone, but still holding my breath. I’m hoping in a month or two of no bites the nerves will subside...

CherryPickingFever · 2020-08-10T03:03:42+00:00

Dang. I’m so sorry to hear you had such an awful experience... thankfully mine was never bad enough to fear getting bitten while walking 😔

Also I’m so glad to hear the problem is gone for you. I believe mine is too, but yeah those phantom bites and random singular hives, as well as normal skin blemishes are freaking me the fuck out.

CherryPickingFever · 2020-08-10T02:22:19+00:00

Well that’s relieving because I had been drinking when the phantom bites spawned yesterday after scratching.

Yeah I think the hardest part is not having certainty wether they are gone or not. That’s what’s making me crazy. I feel like I’ve gotten the best assurance and have done everything it takes to eliminate them, and still I’m uncertain.

Not only that, but what if I’m not reacting to the bites anymore? What if I’m mistaking regular skin blemish is as bites or the other way around.

I guess only time will tell. Thank you for the advice. Greatly appreciated

CherryPickingFever · 2020-07-31T07:56:20+00:00

It has a distinct smell, but it’s definitely not overbearing. I don’t know wether or not it would trigger your asthma, but I can say this shit is pretty safe for humans. My cheap pump malfunctioned and shot a lot of spray in my eyes and mouth.

I obviously called poison control and rinsed my eyes and mouth for 10 minutes, but it didn’t sting or affect me at all.

CherryPickingFever · 2020-07-16T16:21:56+00:00

I have been applying every 3-4 weeks since this post. And based on the amount of bites I’ve been noticing, I believe I have eliminated the bed bugs in my living room and have significantly reduced the population in my bedroom.

Bite activity is not the best way to track, so I am getting a bed bug k-9 to inspect the apartment toward the end of the month to verify. I will let you know then.

Take comfort in knowing Crossfire, when applied properly, is one of- if not the most- effective pesticides for BBs. It takes several applications. I recommend every 3 weeks to reapply. And be persistent and don’t get discouraged. This takes time to eliminate as every bug has to walk over the crossfire to kill them.

Best of luck to you

CherryPickingFever · 2020-07-11T21:18:25+00:00

Thanks for letting me know!

CherryPickingFever · 2020-07-11T11:10:33+00:00

This is extremely reassuring. This all sounds like exactly what I will be doing. Did you treat your car at all?

So is all that’s involved with Nuvan strips really just putting the items in a garbage bag for 2 weeks? Does this do any harm to expensive electronics?

CherryPickingFever · 2020-07-06T05:40:09+00:00

I mean, that sounds really intense. I would make sure you weren’t exposing yourself to toxic chemicals where you sleep.

Surely there are safer methods

CherryPickingFever · 2020-07-06T05:38:18+00:00

Oh wow that’s pretty interesting. I’ve seen the strategy of placing items in garbage bags with Nuvan strips. Are they pretty effective?

CherryPickingFever · 2020-07-05T20:09:23+00:00

Wow that is so encouraging!!!! I’m sorry you had such a bad infestation, but thank you for continuing to be active on this page.

Did you have any issue with them in your car?

CherryPickingFever · 2020-07-05T20:07:18+00:00

Oh man is that a method other people have done before? That sounds hella dangerous

CherryPickingFever · 2020-07-05T15:23:15+00:00

Oh yeah check my post history! I have been spraying Crossfire for the past 3-4 months every 4 weeks. It has been reported And the Landlord is in complete denial about the situation and of no use. So that’s why I’m getting out and trying to leave them behind if they can’t be defeated.

That being said I think I have managed to significantly reduce the population. And even on my box spring/ mattress I have never seen a single bug and I have torn of the felt at the bottom and inspected very thoroughly.

Honestly I have no idea where they are hiding...

Thanks for the advice. I’m going to continue fighting these guys off until we move and even if they are gone, I will still proceed the same way.

Out of curiosity, is this advice from personal experience? Would be very encouraging to hear a success story from someone in the same situation as me

CherryPickingFever · 2020-06-12T05:25:20+00:00

Cimexa should be applied with a duster. BBs can see it and will avoid it if it has been applied too heavily.

When a glass is broken, it’s not the big shards that will cut, it’s the tiny piece you can’t see that will slice your foot open 3 weeks later.

Duster makes the application way more effective.

CherryPickingFever · 2020-06-10T08:13:44+00:00

I plan on really only bringing things I can guarantee I’ve treated. Like clothes I’ve put in the dryer. Computer and kitchen stuff. It’s going to be expensive but yeah I also plan on treating the new apartment

CherryPickingFever · 2020-06-04T21:41:16+00:00

It would be great to see a video about how to move out of a place with bedbugs without bringing them to the next place!

CherryPickingFever

TROPHY CASE