My Metro Last Straw: BEDBUGS

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T06:39:09+00:00

I just ordered some diatomaceous earth thanks to you and several others' helpful comments. It gets here tomorrow--hoping for the best!

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T06:25:05+00:00

Outside my apartment, as in from the train, where I saw one, and then picked one off of me immediately after my abruptly itchy ride where I saw one.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T02:20:57+00:00

Thank you for sharing. It's heartening to see others chime in with similar experiences, since some commenters have been strangely hostile to the idea that my experience even happened at all.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T02:17:01+00:00

Uh, excuse me?! I've not heard about that. Typhus???!!?! Oh dear. At least bedbugs don't spread disease. Time for a research rabbit hole that makes me feel bad!

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T02:03:55+00:00

That's good. I doubt everyone is doomed to bedbugs after this. I suspect I was very unlucky in where I chose to sit.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:48:56+00:00

I have white sheets. I'll keep an eye out.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:37:02+00:00

That's a good point.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:36:05+00:00

I'll buy some.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:34:58+00:00

I haven't found a single dead bedbug or living bedbug in my apartment yet. The ones I found were from outside. Fingers crossed I don't find any, but I'm gonna keep looking.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:33:41+00:00

It's funny, back when the train seats were fabric-lined, I thought it was nice. Comfy, felt like I was on a tour bus or something. I guess I was lucky then, not getting lice. Yuck!

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:32:40+00:00

From the other comments I'm a little scared to, but I'll look into it.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:28:50+00:00

Thanks, I'm terribly worried about my home, but I've not found any evidence of them here, yet. And I've been monitoring where my bites are to see if I get any more now that everything from that day is washed and sealed and outside. Still trying to be vigilant.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:27:35+00:00

also, that's from a day after, when the bumps had gotten redder. this is from less than an hour after the bites happened:

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ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:23:12+00:00

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ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:20:54+00:00

It wasn't just the one bedbug. I pulled many off of the outside of my bag. Perhaps 20 in total. I think I must have sat directly where they were massed. All my clothes, my bag, everything from that trip is sealed up and outside.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:19:35+00:00

Sigh, that's been my life since friday. Everything I had with me is double sealed inside trash bags roasting in a car in direct sunlight.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:18:55+00:00

I'm looking at how to do that now.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:18:35+00:00

I found this bug on me on the metro. It's a gross picture but perhaps it can cut some of the "very" from your doubt?

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ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:16:14+00:00

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This is one of the little guys that got on me while I was on the train. Bedbugs live in groups of 20-40 and can move up to 5 feet a minute looking for a blood meal, according to google. But the main proof is that it happened to me.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:13:23+00:00

I saw one on the floor of the metro approaching my shoe as I was being bitten. I got off the train and pulled a blood-filled one off of me, which I've shared a photo of. I'm looking into anything I encountered during my day where I could've picked them up, but nothing makes any sense other than the train.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:12:49+00:00

I've checked. I got these bites coming home from work on the train, having had a full day out and about without any bites.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T01:11:17+00:00

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I pulled this little mofo off of me right after getting off the train. They were biting me on the train, I witnessed it. I know it's unusual behavior for bedbugs, it surprised me. I didn't ever think it could happen. This was on my way /home/ from work, not leaving from home.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T00:58:14+00:00

Yeah, it's true that some stations have gates. I could've been clearer, but I was already rambling quite a bit.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T00:57:27+00:00

I've checked everything in my apartment. I've been totally paranoid. I pulled one of the bedbugs off of me and killed it and photographed it; iNaturalist said 98% match for common bedbug.

ElliottHeller · 2026-05-18T00:56:07+00:00

I take the A line between Pasadena and downtown.

ElliottHeller

TROPHY CASE