TheCatSite.com › Forums › General Forums › The Cat Lounge › I'm angry and mortified!!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

I'm angry and mortified!! - Page 2

post #31 of 41
1/27/12 at 5:29pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by mrblanche View Post

The big problem with bed bugs is that they were just about eradicated when DDT was common.  If it were approved again for treating houses, we could probably eradicate them again in a fairly short time.  So far, no one has shown another effective treatment.  Heat is the method that gets mentioned.

 

The classic sign of bed bugs is three itchy welts in a row.

 

We had one of our trucks get infected, probably from a temporary driver. 



I heard that the 3 welts in a row was a flea problem not bed bugs.  Perhaps they are related. :)

 

Linda, I hope you manage to get rid of them quickly.  

Reply
post #32 of 41
1/27/12 at 5:41pm
Thread Starter 

I wouldn't know if I had  3 welts in a row or not. With my Dermatographism I get welts just from scratching, so when I itch I scratch and I get welts. However, with the dermatographism the welts are usually in lines, not single hive-like ones, which is what I've been getting. I told my doctor that it's unlike any hives I've ever had.  And even he didn't know what they were because they come and go and even cleared up for awhile.  Which is why we were suspecting some kind of freaky medication allergy.

Reply
post #33 of 41
1/27/12 at 5:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aeevr View Post
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/emergingdiseases/mattress_fact_sheet_275417_7.pdf


I don't think any business should be allowed to sell used mattresses...anywhere. Thankfully, its illegal here. People can still buy used ones from other people but stores are not allowed to sell them.

 

But yeah, sorry this happened to you. Don't be ashamed though, it's not your fault and it happens to all kinds of people. Hope you get rid of them soon though!

Reply
post #34 of 41
1/27/12 at 6:04pm
Thread Starter 

I'd never buy a used bed!  I don't even like staying in hotels because of the whole shared mattress concept. 

Reply
post #35 of 41
1/27/12 at 6:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by speakhandsforme View Post


It also has an effect on songbirds and birds of prey, as I'm sure you know, but I just wanted to point out the other side of the DDT debate...
My dad, who has lived in the same area of the Florida Panhandle for his whole life, has noticed in the last few years a major increase in the number of bald eagles, which he attributes to the outlaw of indiscriminate DDT spraying.


Definitely.  I remember the trucks going down the streets of Denver, putting out a fog of DDT when the mosquitos got bad in the spring.

 

Reply
post #36 of 41
1/27/12 at 6:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yosemite View Post


 



I heard that the 3 welts in a row was a flea problem not bed bugs.  Perhaps they are related. :)

 

Linda, I hope you manage to get rid of them quickly.  

The three welts in a row are considered a prime sign of bedbug infestation.  The are from the same bug, and they are referred to as "breakfast, lunch, and dinner" in the industry.
 

 

Reply
post #37 of 41
1/28/12 at 7:34am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrblanche View Post


Definitely.  I remember the trucks going down the streets of Denver, putting out a fog of DDT when the mosquitos got bad in the spring.

 


They still do that here, only now they allow "buffer zones" where people can put their names on a list of "where not to spray" and the city won't spray within so many feet of that address. Which causes a great deal of contention between neighbours when some want the spraying, and others don't.

 

A few years ago the mosquitos were so bad that they denied buffer zones.  People were laying out in the streets in protest to block the trucks! 

 

Reply
post #38 of 41
1/28/12 at 7:49am
Unless something has drastically changed without my notice, I highly, highly doubt that those trucks spray DDT, mostly because it's illegal. http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/ddt/01.html (

It's likely a different chemical(s) altogether. They do spray in my family's neighborhood too, but interestingly I haven't seen any sprayer trucks around here, even though it's way more humid. Maybe they only do it in high summer.

ETA: I just noticed you live in Canada... please disregard the EPA stuff above. laughing02.gif
Reply
post #39 of 41
1/28/12 at 2:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by speakhandsforme View Post

Unless something has drastically changed without my notice, I highly, highly doubt that those trucks spray DDT, mostly because it's illegal. http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/ddt/01.html (
It's likely a different chemical(s) altogether. They do spray in my family's neighborhood too, but interestingly I haven't seen any sprayer trucks around here, even though it's way more humid. Maybe they only do it in high summer.
ETA: I just noticed you live in Canada... please disregard the EPA stuff above. laughing02.gif


I checked.  The chemical they use here is  Malathion, not DDT   http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2010/06/19/mb-mosquito-foggin-10619.html

 

Reply
post #40 of 41
1/28/12 at 2:38pm
Thread Starter 

Well, the girl from the agency is here to help me. She has cleaned out my linen/storage closet, and is currently working on putting the clothing from the closet into the dryer.  She's already vacuumed the bedroom and pulled stuff from the walls.

 

When she is finished here, she has to go next door to do the guys apartment. And from what I saw as I passed by when he was talking to the caretaker, he really hasn't done much.

 

She's really nice. She's from Croatia. Her English is pretty good, but she is taking some English classes but has been struggling with the grammar portion.  She wants to be a nurse and until her grammar improves, they won't accept her. I told her that if she is interested I'd tutor her.  Years ago I used to volunteer as a tutor with adult education, which was more about teaching than it was tutoring.

 

 

Reply
post #41 of 41
1/28/12 at 5:45pm

I feel so sorry for you - but honestly, wouldn't worry about a 'stigma' - google New York City and bed bugs - many of the nicest buildings in NY have had to deal with the same problem.  It's certainly not a sign of poor housekeeping for most people.

 

Also, re DDT - well, if anyone has read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson - DDT is really not something we want to go back to using on a routine basis, from what I can tell.

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: The Cat Lounge
TheCatSite.com › Forums › General Forums › The Cat Lounge › I'm angry and mortified!!