Question by majortom:
Do I have bedbugs?? How do I get rid of them?
I have noticed several small bites on my body and my friend said they are bedbug bites. I looked online and checked my bed and mattress for all the signs of bedbugs, but couldn’t find any. I cleaned my whole bedroom, washed all the sheets, blankets, and pillows, and vacuumed the mattress. I can’t think of any way I could of got bedbugs, but since I live in an apartment its likely the neighbors could have them. However, I keep getting new bites every night. Is it possible that I have bedbugs and just can’t see them (or any signs of them?) Is there a way I can get rid of them without calling an exterminator?
Best answer:
Answer by Jenny
There was a huge thing about that on dateline i can remember about 5 years ago and unfortuneately there is nothing that you can do. It’s in the internal structure of the bed. Alot of stores got in trouble for this. They would take mattresses that were old and clen them and re-sell them. It was even store chans that did this. The only way to test and see it was to cut the mattress open. NOW…THIS IS ONLY IF YOU ACTUALLY HAVE THEM IN THE COMPONENTS PF THE FURNITURE. My freshman year of college we did not have any air conditioning and it gets hot in Missouri, so we left the windows open when we and my roomate slept and we used to get bitten sometimes. I would use a safe spray for household pests around the peremiter of your room and outside the house first before you check any further into the bed mite thing, If you have pets, use a spray that is not harmful to them and go out shopping or something to pass the time to let it dry completely (even though they say it’s ok for only a few hours). Then go from there. Good Luck!
What do you think? Answer below.
More posts like this one in Bedbug Questions.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
bed bug bites usually area a trail of bites on your body. is it a trail? does it look like you could play connect the dots?
do more bed bug bites spring up after each night, and are you sleeping in the same place each night? cause i got bedbug bites from my friend’s basement bed. i went home, and didnt notice them. if there’s not a sign of any bedbugs, then i dont know it you really have bed bugs. the fatal flaw of bed bugs is that when they bite you and take your bloood, they arent very fast when they fill up with blood, and you end up crushing them when you roll over in your sleep. so there should at least be ONE bed bug in your bed. they are very visible.
are you sure they arent mosquito bites? do you have any open windows?
if you really do think you have bedbugs, then i suggest that you go to the doctor and get some cream for it. that 1% stuff did not work for me. i ended up having the bites for a week and a half! they also might be able to tell which kind of bite it is.
also, bedbugs are a nocturnal bug mostly. so if you look during the day, they probably wont spring up. they mostly pop up before dawn. so you should stay up one night, and see where they are coming from.
try this website just in case.
http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/bed-bugs.htm
You might have bed bugs. If you get new bites every night then you’re most likely going through bed bugs. The signs are, drops of blood on the mattress (sometimes you get blood stains, other times you don’t), little holes in your mattress, red circles around the bites (may occur).
And the way to get rid of bed bugs are to get a bug expert. Get someone who knows a lot about blood sucking bugs. They will tell you what might happen if you don’t do something about the bugs. The best solution to getting rid of them is to get rid of your mattress. Buy another one. Before you do get another mattress, clean your apartment completely. Check the cushions on sofas, chairs, and any other places where cushions are. Check little cracks in the floor and near your bed, sofas, and small areas. Check around the carpet lining. Check to see if there are any black or brown spots on the carpet.
The next thing you should do is clean all your p.j.’s. Make sure they’re washed thoroughly. Check the bed frame, and also check the walls. See if there are any holes in the wall that might be showing a sign of an entrance. If there is, plaster up all the holes and then go and talk to your neighbors. Ask if they have been infested (or more nicely, invaded) by bed bugs. If they had, then ask them if they can take care of the problem. Tell them that you may have bed bugs over in your place. Then wash down all the places that you think bed bugs might love to hide. They love to be in dark places, that are cushiony. Maybe under the couch cushions.
If the problem gets worse, then you may want to think about getting an exterminator. It’s for your own good. If you have pets and you’re worried about your pet’s health, then get a pet-sitter and have the pets, even if it’s a goldfish, or hermit crab stay there for a couple of days, so that the chemicals evaporate in the air. The pets can come back to your apartment in about 2-3 days max.
Hopefully this helps a lot. I care about your health. Good luck.
Bed bugs come from inside the walls at night. Maybe from your neighbors. If you put something out to get them on the the floor below the base boards to kill them. Cedar kills them.
A plastic zip up cover on your mattress could ease your mind and keep them from getting in it.
If you have carpet, vaccum it all over and put the bag in a plastis bag andtie up and throw away. Get the corners of your room. and up the corners.
A little alcohol in the cleaner in a steam cleaner will get them and the eggs.
I
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/