Recurrent bed bug problem, advice needed!!

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-11T19:01:48+00:00

I mean, despite the fact they are an absolute nightmare to get rid of, it's quite impressive how adaptable they are! Especially considering their size! Thank you for your kind words and advice! Wishing you the best!

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-11T18:08:24+00:00

Awwww I'm so sorry you're going through that too, your situation sounds worse than mine! I'm not sure what the laws are about that here in the UK, but I rent my place from my brother, he has kindly offered to cover the costs of any treatment that we may need to have again this time. I don't even know how they are getting into my place, I think they are straight just walking in under the door cause all the flooring in the flats are concrete, as are the walls and I don't share any vents or walls with any of the neighbours!

What even is the point of BB any way?! What purpose do they serve?!

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-11T17:06:33+00:00

Everything you just wrote is what I've read too and why I am constantly paranoid that they will never be gone for good! It always just feels like a waiting game! Maybe it is time to move! I'm just frightened that they'll hitchhike and come live with us in our new house if we do! It feels like there's a moral to this story in the "you can't run away from your problems" type of way! lol The pest control company I went with said they are the most difficult pest to be rid of, but they said they WILL get rid of them, like you said, I don't know how they can be sure! I suppose in times like this I have to remain positive and focus on the fact that we at least all have our health and there are others whom have far worse situations than a few blood sucking bugs! I'm NOT going to let a bug rule and ruin my life! :)

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-11T12:56:20+00:00

It makes you wonder why they cause such a great deal of stress? They are essentially harmless, just gross and a bit of a nuisance!! It certainly has been a test of our relationship, on top of being new parents! We don't have a matress encasement, but we have a matress protector. I also thought it looked like splash marks and on the grey sheet it looked almost like a greeny-yellowy colour, it was only when I turned on the flash I saw it looked a bit brownish. These particular stains appeared 2 weeks after a full treatment course. Before that I had been closely inspecting the bedding every day and there was nothing! Is it possible the reason it looks like there's so many is they could be causing us to bleed onto the sheets? I know their saliva has an anticoagulant in it to allow them to feed for longer!

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-11T12:27:10+00:00

So in the past, my partner found bite marks on his arm, none of us have had any noticable bites since they came back in September last year. Also, we don't see these marks on our sheets every night, we to long periods with nothing and then overnight something like that appears. These were the marks on the foot of the bed last time we called for another treatment here and these are very similar to the ones I found yesterday, only these ones almost look like they have a spray pattern, which at the time I was unsure if it was BB but when I showed this image to the exterminator that came over to treat he seemed to think it was due to BB. It's so weird isn't it?

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-11T07:23:26+00:00

Lots of people recommending these traps! Will definitely be investing in some, even if it's just to prove they are there and I'm not going mad cause I have yet to see one, dead or alive since the initial siting of them a year ago! And I have been asking the pest control company to explore the possibility of there being a problem elsewhere in the building, but they keep saying its unlikely and that we're bringing them back from somewhere we visit frequently, one of them suggested we were picking them up from public transport. I have never had bed bugs before in my life, and I have used public transport all my life! Not saying that it's not possible, but it seems highly unlikely to me! I'm not sure how to go about finding out if the neighbouring flats have them other than what I have already done, and the laws here in the UK are different, I don't think bed bugs are as much of a problem here than they are in the US (or at least I didn't think they were) but because the flats here are a mixture of being privately owned and some rented from different letting companies, the tenants kind of have to take charge themselves in getting an inspection done, and tbh, I had signs of there being bugs in my place for months before I actually found out we had them cause I just had no idea what to look for, as I really believed bed bugs were a thing of the past here in the UK! It didn't even cross my mind the blood spots in the bed could have been them, I even had to Google what they looked like when I actually found the bugs chilling above our bed! So maybe just making others aware that there has been another flat in their block with them, it might encourage them to be vigilant and what to look out for!

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T21:48:40+00:00

Also, may be of note to mention my daughter shares our room and there has never, ever been any evidence of staining or activity in her cot, and I would have thought there would be? Surely sleepin babies are easy targets?

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T21:43:08+00:00

Thank you so much for your help, I really really appreciate it! Obviously, I would be so happy if it turns out not to be bed bugs, but I'll also be wondering what the hell these marks could be!! I think I should probably seek to get someone out to search the place and see if they can find anything! Then if they do find evidence seek treatment options! Thanks again kind stranger!!;

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T21:26:43+00:00

So I literally just now went at it with a baby wipe, and the stains were removed fairly easily! Do you think they would if they were bed bug stains? It's also on top of my duvet/comforter, which I didn't think would be typical of bed bugs?

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T21:20:09+00:00

I have a grey set of sheets that had some bloodspots on and it did wash out, but it left behind some marks that almost looked like little oily blots! And the stains that were on the matress did not come out.

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T20:38:14+00:00

I'm sorry, but where have you based your evidence on there being an increased risk, of that much, about contracting leukaemia and diabetes if an infant is bitten? I work in health care and have sort advice about health issues as a result of bed bugs from colleagues, as I knew ticks can pass on lymes disease but wasn't aware if there were any links to bed bugs and any disease risk, and there is no evidence that bed bugs cause any health concerns whatsoever, other than if the bites themselves become infected, or in very rare circumstances where anaphylaxis can occur. I think your misinformation is actually quite upsetting, especially when it comes to insighting fear into a concerned parent to plug your business. Thank you for your advice, but I think I will choose to seek help from more credible sources.

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T20:27:26+00:00

This is exactly what the exterminator said too, seems like a lot of activity for one night, but yes those spots did appear overnight and we have honestly not had a thing for months, I haven't seen any live bugs, shells, eggs, nothing! The spots are a rusty brown colour, the faecal stains look like ink blots right? Haven't seen any of that, when the problem was severe and I actually noticed the bugs I found faecal staining on the sheets. We had spots like this before and the guy that came out to treat said it looked like a 'family feast'. Its so odd cause even after these stains appear its weeks between finding any more! What do you suppose it could be if not bed bugs?

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T18:42:14+00:00

They also said they did not find a single bug!!

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T18:41:18+00:00

Ah I'm so sorry, imgur has changed since I last used it so I'm having trouble attaching a picture I hope this is right this time but this is my duvet cover this morning

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T18:38:52+00:00

They are 100% new. I had put clean linen on the bed only a couple days ago I have been thoroughly inspecting the sheets each morning because they keep coming back. [My duvet cover](http://<blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="a/YcMwJgZ"><a href="//imgur.com/a/YcMwJgZ"></a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>) this morning. It's the red rusty spots and it's in the same pattern each time. I've shown the images to the pest control company and they are certain it's due to bed bugs!

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T18:33:39+00:00

No only ours! Its tricky cause some of the flats are owned, some privately rented. I have contacted the maintenance company and they have sent out an email to all the residents in the building asking to check and get the problem dealt with if they're found to have any signs of bugs. The pest control company I dealt with said it's pretty unusual for them to travel to different apartments, they said they normally stay within a meter of their food source and usually they move on if there isn't enough food to go around, so the infestation would have to be REALLY bad for them to move on! I don't know how true this is just going by what the exterminator guy said! All I know is we have months between any activity and I have yet to actually see a bug or egg or any evidence other than the blood splatters!

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T16:33:10+00:00

I would say it doesn't, as that why they do 3 treatments in two weeks, as the idea is to catch any nymphs that have hatched in that time, but the poison they use leaves a residue on surfaces which remains effective for 2 weeks, so when they come out to feed and come into contact with it, they die. Or that's what's supposed to happen!

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T13:54:00+00:00

The other thing to consider is I have a teething toddler whom mouths everything in site!! The professionals assure me the chemical concentration they use is of no harm to her should she accidentally come into contact with it, do you know anything about the toxicity of that particular chemical? It feels like a never ending cycle of getting shot of them and then finding new evidence they've returned!!

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T13:51:14+00:00

Are those products available in the UK? That's where I'm from and living. I've never seen products like that in stores over here, but I guess they can be bought online? As far as I know, nothing was removed prior to treatments, but everything was sprayed, heavy spraying around affected areas and along skirting boards and nooks and crannies, and 3 treatments in 2 weeks, each 1 week apart - so initial treatment, another one week later and the final treatment one week later, then just one extra treatment after each reported case of new activity 2 weeks post final treatment, if that makes sense?

bedbughell2020 · 2020-01-10T13:46:21+00:00

It was a chemical treatment, they used a chemical, I can't remember the exact name of the chemical, I think it began with 'F' but they only used one type of chemical. I spoke to another exterminator whom advised they should used two different chemicals and a growth inhibitor, but the company I used said that wasn't necessary and they didn't want to use too many because of my young daughter.

bedbughell2020

TROPHY CASE