Bed bug questions

[margecat]

No, I don't (thankfully!) have them, but my friend's daughter's apartment building does.  I think this has been going on since the summer ; I remember my friend mentioning it.  I know they trashed her daughter's mattress and upholstered furnishings. As I know they treated the problem at least once before, am I correct in assuming the eggs hatched, with a new crop of bed bugs? Any idea on the average amount of time it takes to eradicate them permanently?  Yesterday, my friend told me that they need to get her daughter a new mattress (she's sleeping on an air mattress now), but they were so expensive. She had asked her friend, who rents low-rent housing out to obtain a used mattress (yuck). Apart from my aversion to using a used mattress, wouldn't that be yet another bed bug infestation risk? Well, I couldn't stand this idea--I have a soft spot for her daughter, who is bi-polar, only can work part-time, and can't drive. I decided to buy her a new mattress for a Christmas gift (and a bed bug-proof mattress cover). I am having it shipped to my house (it comes compressed in a box).  I just got a call from her Mom--my friend--who just found out that the bugs are back!  I'm trying to get an idea of how long I should keep the mattress at my house. I don't want to give it to her, only to have the bed bugs infest it.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[pinkdagger]

We had a bed bug scare at our apartment building something like a month or two after we moved in - scary and infuriating because it meant all the animals had to get out for at least a day. To prepare myself for what could come next so I wouldn't have two days notice to pack and garbage bag ALL of my belongings, I looked up what was necessary.

A lot of companies, when they verify bed bugs are present, do 2 or 3 treatments approximately two weeks apart, so keep clothing and bedding and pretty much any belongings sealed tightly and live elsewhere, ideally, during that time. Mattresses are trashed, and I'm very hesitant to take second hand mattresses because a lot of them end up getting tossed due to bed bugs, and not a lot of people have the forethought or decency to mark them as bed bug ridden.

I think the bed bugs and the eggs should be taken care of after the second spray, but if you're unsure, see if you can get the name of the extermination company handling it to ask what their protocol and recommendation is. I like to let the place air out for a couple days so the inhabitants aren't breathing in the leftover fumes, and the same applies for anything porous or absorbent.

 

[cats4sky]

I think the bed bugs and the eggs should be taken care of after the second spray, but if you're unsure, see if you can get the name of the extermination company handling it to ask what their protocol and recommendation is. I like to let the place air out for a couple days so the inhabitants aren't breathing in the leftover fumes, and the same applies for anything porous or absorbent.

i agree with this. Definitely look into the exterminator company and find out about how long it will take for the problem to be completely eradicated. You might have to hold onto the bed a little longer than you think. if any bugs are still there they will start to infest it again. I had a bedbug problem at my last apartment but my landlord was too cheap to actually use an exterminator. He just wanted to use the DIY sprays. Diatomaceous earth sprinkled on the carpet of my room did help until i was able to get out of there. i had to throw away my bed/bedding. I'm honestly still too afraid to get a bed at the new apartment cause its easier for them to infest in there. Right now hubby and I just sleep on the floor with one of those memory foam pillow tops and lots of new blankets. That is something i never want to go through again!!!

 

[Winchester]

I think Natalie_CA dealt with bedbugs last year, maybe? She even moved to another apartment and, IIRC, she got rid of her mattress, too. Hopefully, when she gets on today, she'll have more info for you. 

What a wonderful thing to do, to buy her a new mattress! 

 

[jcat]

What a wonderful thing to do, to buy her a new mattress! 

@Natalie_ca encountered the problem twice, IIRC, so should be able to advise you.

 

[sivyaleah]

I had a bed bug run in with a rental a few years ago.  Terrible experience.

For a couple of months, I thought mosquitos were getting in through a small crack in the window which held the a/c unit.  I was getting bitten up, but my BF, when he visited did not (I later found out bed bugs prefer certain people over others for some reason).

When I discovered a small, dark, flat looking bug in the bed one morning I just knew what it was.  Took a photo, sent it to my brother-in-law who is a health inspector.  He confirmed it.  Kept the bug in a bag and wrote the landlord.

This turned into a "he said she said" kind of thing at that point.  She insisted, I brought them in .  However, I had come directly from my home after leaving my husband.  There certainly were not bed bugs in my house.  My suspicion, was the prior tenant, who evidently traveled quite a bit, brought them in with his luggage.  She refused to even believe it at first until I forced the issue and an exterminator was called out to verify.  Sure enough, the entire apartment was ridden with them.  The couch even had them.  And, I found out, they hide in places like electrical outlets and the crevices of wood furniture.  So incredibly disgusting.  

The entire place had to be fumigated many times over until they were eradicated.  She refused to purchase a new mattress choosing instead to encase it (the bugs will die of suffocation).  As Pinkdagger mentioned, our clothing/linens had to be kept in plastic sealed bags.   I actually moved out before that since I'd already found a place to live elsewhere with my BF, who was moving up to be with me.

All of our bedding, clothing, etc. had to be professional washed and dry cleaned.  It cost a small fortune.  In the end, because she wouldn't take complete responsibility I offered to split the difference of the exterminator just to get it done.  

When we moved to our new apartment I was terrified we'd bring some with us.  Luckily, since not much in the way of furniture was mine in the place (it was rented furnished) all that came with us was our clothing and personal effects.  I made sure everything was freshly washed and kept the luggage on the balcony for a couple of months.  It was getting much cooler out and apparently they will die when exposed to cold air.  

Never had a problem again, although when I purchased my home and we subsequently moved in there, I still had small concerns that they might be around.  Thankfully, they weren't.

A professional is needed for sure to take care of this.  The average person can NOT eradicate them on their own.  

 

[swampwitch]

It is okay to give her the mattress now, as long as the bed bug cover is on it, with it on bed bugs can't get in. You can even put the cover on an infested mattress so they can't get out, and they will all die in it that way. If you can swing it, a bed bug-proof pillow case is also a good idea - she can put it on her existing pillow.

Be careful when she visits since they can travel in suitcases. A steam cleaner is the best way to kill them in your home without using poison, but for an entire apartment building professionals are needed, as others have already said. Hope they get it under control!

 

[margecat]

I appreciate all of the advice! I hope I NEVER experience bed bugs...

My friend's daughter will be spending Christmas all alone in her apartment, as her mother is afraid she may "bring" them with her in her mother's car. Is this possible?  I hate to think of the poor soul spending Christmas all alone. (She won't be bringing luggage, as she only lives a few miles away ; she would have to return that day anyway, because of her cat--oh, another question: do they bite kitties????)

Her sister had ordered bed bug-proof pillow covers, BTW.