Anyone here ever have a bed bug problem?

I am sure I have them. I think they were here when I moved in but were dormant for a few months. They started biting me around late May, but I thought it was just mosquitos, since once in a while one or two would get in the house. But nights when there were no signs of mosquitos, I would still get bit. After doing a little research online, it seemed obvious they were bed bugs, but so far I hadn't found any. Finally about a week ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and threw my blankets off and one fell out :(

Everyone I've talked to says they are really hard to get rid of without a good exterminator. I told my landlord about the problem and he came out last night to check around and we didn't find their nest. They are definitely here, I've seen one or two, just can't figure out where they're hiding. He acts like he doesn't believe me that they are here :/ I think he knew they were here and just never took care of the problem. So far they are only in my room, not in my daughter's room or living room. Here is the thing - my lease is up this month and me and my landlord are going over some changes he wants to make to the lease that I don't agree with. He seems like he is giving me the option to leave even though there are only 2 weeks left till the end of the month. I really would like to get away from him. He has been careless the whole time I've lived here. There are some health and security issues that I addressed to him months ago and he never did a thing about them. I am really in no way to stay here and fight him in court on every little thing. I just need to be somewhere I can feel safe and healthy - I have an 8 year old daughter and I just can't deal with the insecurity of having this landlord. In NJ the landlord is responsible to treat for bed bugs in buildings with 3 or more apts. (and they CAN charge the tenants for reimbursement). Mine only has 2 units. Most of the laws around here are for 3 or more units so a lot of them don't apply to me. He is obviously not going to do anything about it, or anything about the other issues here. I just want to get away from him for good.

I would really like to move out to a new and better apt. with a landlord who cares (will probably go to a complex where they are more likely to fix things when you need them) but without treating the bed bugs here, I can carry them with me. Ugh. It makes it a very stressful decision.

Anyway, has anyone here had any experiences with them, did you get rid of them, did you successfully move from one apt. to the other without getting infested again?

ps) please excuse my excessive comma use. I know it's bad so you don't need to tell me :D

for example-
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x3853233
If you want to see more, do a search in DU.

I haven't had bed bugs, but right now ants keep invading my kitchen and bathroom though I repeatedly get rid of them for a few days with boric acid powder + confectioner's sugar! They keep climbing from the edge of the sink onto my clothes, and later I find one on my glasses frame, or on my hair, or tickling my arm! :(

Good luck with getting rid of them. I think I'd ask an exterminator how to deal with moving without taking the bugs on your stuff, and bill the landlord, as a post the DU thread linked above suggested.

I can't find anything in the DU search though. I'm probably doing it wrong.

There is actually an on and off ant problem there too. They were there the day I moved in. I moved in there in an emergency (last apt. was evacuated in emergency) so I had to just take it at the time. It's served its purpose but there are just too many health and safety issues I just need to get out. I finally got the ants under control for a while, but I'm sure it doesn't last long - those things never go away either!

If I can somehow get the money for a security deposit for a new apt., I will definitely get out of this one. I'll just have to deal with the bed bugs in the new one if they follow me, but at least I won't have the other 20 problems to deal with on top of it :/

So let's talk about boric acid -- I've never tried it dry, I always dissolve it in water and then add some honey or maple syrup. But it's tricky getting the right formula -- too much acid and they stay away, too little and I feel stupid for feeding the colony.

In the past I've had great success with it, but only when I got the mix just right.

I'm considering mixing it with an oil-based substance, wonder if that would work better. Like bacon grease or something, they seem to really love that sort of thing.

Arrrgh, I hate these ants!

They come for a little while, leave for a little while, come back, leave, on and on. I sprayed the crap out of my kitchen in the areas they were going (around the edges of floor, by the kitchen door, etc.) and I put down boric acid. I haven't had any big ant problems in a few months now. At this point I'd rather be annoyed by the ants than bed bugs!

since I'm sure it fell to page 100 throughout the day...

If not, there is little likelihood that you're being bitten by bed bugs. Bed bugs feed exclusively on blood, and that means their feces are usually bloody. An infestation usually leaves lots of tiny blood spots wherever they feed, meaning in your sheets.

Also, they're reasonably good sized for ectoparasites-- I mean, you can see them easily. Shake your sheets out over a light colored floor-- not carpet-- and watch for any moving brown insects about 1/16 inch long. They have plump abdomens, and might not move immediately, but will after a few seconds.

If you catch something you suspect is a bedbug-- see the pic below-- PM me and I'd be happy to give you information about sending specimens to me for a positive identification. I'm an entomologist.

Hiding in the baseboards during the day, I mean. They'll also rest in the crevice between your box-spring and mattress, etc.-- any place that's secluded and safe.

They're not SUPER hard to exterminate-- the main problem is that since they only feed on blood, any pesticides you use can't depend upon ingestion or foraging away from humans as a delivery vehicle. I don't usually give props to the pest control industry-- lots of semi-scrupulous operators out there that'll sell you products you might not really need-- but if you're already certain you've got bedbugs it's best to call in someone licensed to apply pesticides. I don't know what they'll recommend-- as I said, the difficulty is in reaching the little buggers with an insecticide, not so much resistance. Most supermarket insecticides, i.e. Raid and the like, will certainly kill bedbugs, but you won't be able to reach most of them with the product.

Regarding the suggestion about diatomaceous earth, it might help a little if the bedbugs are resting relatively far from your bed, but unless you sleep in it yourself or spread it EVERYWHERE it probably won't solve the problem. Again, the issue is that cimicids don't forage like many other insect pests do-- they live close to their hosts and move more-or-less directly between their hiding and feeding places, usually nocturnally, so opportunities for getting them into the scratchy diatomaceous earth are limited.

Boric acid is utterly useless-- I think I saw that suggestion up thread-- boric acid works by ingestion, i.e. combined with a bait or groomed from body parts. Bedbugs only suck blood, so they'll just ignore boric acid and their mouthparts are not suitable for grooming. You might kill one with boric acid every now and then, but it's absolutely not an effective control for bedbugs.

Good luck!

just like in that pic. It obviously wasn't completely full like the one in your pic. I think the one in your pic is a full adult who has filled up on blood. The one I found was close to being clearish yellow-brown with some red in the middle where his organs would be. YUCK.

I ALMOST envy you-- we don't see bedbugs very often anymore so I have some professional curiosity, and would like to add more to our university teaching collection (we mainly get them from birds nests now).

On the other hand, I don't envy you the bites!

You want them live or dead?

A graduate student in my lab does some research on them. I'm sure he'd give me a few.

PM me.

DU hiccuped.

I seem to remember reading that you can sprinkle it all over your mattress and it will kill any bugs (it essentially dessicates the bugs I think). Otherwise non-toxic (but I wouldn't go snorting it or anything)

I have decided I AM going to move (lease is up anyway) and I will throw away what I can and whatever I take with me I will spray the hell out of with Bedlam, this spray that is used to kill bed bugs. The only problem is killing their eggs....that is hard to do without a professional, which I cannot afford.

Your landlord should pay for taking care of a problem that you only encountered by living on his property.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=renter+landlord+issues+advice&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

Your landlord should pay for taking care of a problem that you only encountered by living on his property.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=renter+landlord+issues+advice&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

Unless somebody knows of a way to sterilize it reliably (I suppose you could cover it in plastic under the sheets for however long their life cycle is, plus a little extra for safety?) you're probably going to bring them with you if you bring it along.

Also, bedding goes from your old place to the new only via a laundrymat. And I would cook the hell out of it all in the dryer, unless it's white and can be bleached.

if you have a freezer, get your sheets & pillowcases wet, then put them in the freezer for a couple of weeks. Also pillows,comforters & such. That will kill the nasties.

dg