LF: Persons Experienced With Bed Bugs / Insects & Exterminators
 

Mods - This would probably fit better under the HealthCare forum, but I would get more views here.

Do any of you guys have first hand experience with calling in an exterminator to deal with bed bugs / insects? There are a lot of pest control companies in Vancouver, but I want one based on the fact that somebody's used them and have been successful.

The story:

So over the last little while, something's been biting me in my sleep. The ONLY change in this time was that a cable guy put in a new outlet in my room. (no travelling, no visitors, no nothing!) I suspected that the installer might have done a half-assed job, so i went out to the side of my house to take a look. When he drilled the new hole in, he didn't cover up the hole too well with silicone (now covered.. by me). So over the last 2 weeks, bugs have probably been entering my room through this hole. I've sealed cracks and wall mouldings with silicone and tape, cleaned my room intensely, so things are quite manageable at the moment. My biggest concern is that these bugs are hiding out in my walls and will relocate all over the house. If these in fact are bed bugs, they can go for upwards of a year without feeding.. fml.

I can't tell for sure what types of bugs are in my room, but I'm puzzled and need to figure this shit out.. NAO!

TIA! :fuuuuu:

edit: it's been a few weeks now, still good. go raid!

the only solution is to rip out the walls leading to the area that shaw cable drilled. Do it quickly to avoid them spreading.

What kind of bite marks do you have? Compare them to google images of other bites and you might have a better idea of what you're dealing with, just a thought.

Good luck.

Had this happen with one of my tenants.. You just gotta keep washing your sheets every 2 days and keep your room spotless for atleast a month.. They will slowly disapear.. They will stay if they keep finding food and things to keep them alive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by obselete (Post 7127751) the only solution is to rip out the walls leading to the area that shaw cable drilled. Do it quickly to avoid them spreading.

If i was infested with adult sized creepy crawlies, maybe. With what I've got now (itty bitty looking things), I think a spray into the hole / wall outlet will be ok. (then again, it's up to the PCO, so i'll leave it to him)

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsx (Post 7127759) What kind of bite marks do you have? Compare them to google images of other bites and you might have a better idea of what you're dealing with, just a thought. Good luck.

From my research, the bite marks vary depending from people to people. Mine are just tiny red bumps. I've found trace amounts of fecal matter on my mattress (cleaned now) and as well, a bit of smeared blood on my sheets (possibly due to me rolling around and crushing the little fcker after it fed on me).

maybe there in your mattress??? get rid of the mattress...

You don't need to throw out your mattress. You can get a mattress cover that zips up so all the bedbugs are trapped inside the mattress. Sleep country sells those for ~$150.
You don't want to buy a new mattress and have the bedbugs infest in that new mattress.

Make sure you clean your room/bed thoroughly. I disassembled all my furniture in my room and vaccumed everything. Wash all your sheets/clothes/blankets in HOT water and dry it at the high setting for 30-45 minutes. For those stuff that cannot be washed (pillows, stuffed animals) I put it in the dryer for 1 hour+, or throw them out. Note that dry-cleaning does not kill bed bugs or their eggs.

Good luck.

dont get a zipper cover use saran wrap and wrap that shit

Yep you will have to get rid of your mattress. Also take all your sheets and clothes put them in a garbage bag and then put them in a deep freeze for at least a week. Then wash in hot water.

Warning signs

Whether it's your home or your home-away-from-home, it isn't always easy to spot a problem. Here are the warning signs to watch for:

- Bites. Different people have different reactions, but bites often appear as raised, red bumps in a series of three -- "breakfast, lunch and dinner". Exposed skin is more convenient, but bed bugs will bite anywhere on the body. You won't feel the feast because their saliva contains anticoagulant and anesthetic chemicals.

- The bugs. Measuring around 1/4 inch, adult bed bugs have flat, oval shaped bodies with flat, broad heads to match. They have six legs and wings (although they can't fly), and they'll be bloated and dark red in colour after feeding. You're more likely to see them at night because they spend up to 90 per cent of their time in hiding.

- Eggs or egg casings. Look closely -- these hard-to-spot white, pear-shaped eggs are roughly the size of a pinhead and appear in clusters of 10-50.

- Fecal stains. They look like tiny black spots on your mattress or sheets -- like someone dotted the surface with a pen.

- Exuviae (shed skins). Bed bugs molt five times before they become adults, leaving behind evidence of their growth spurts.

What to do about them

If bed bugs move into your home, experts recommend consulting a pest management professional because pesticides can be difficult and dangerous to use, and they may not take care of the problem alone. Integrated pest management techniques -- which involve deep cleaning and inspection -- are also part of the plan. Regardless of whether you bring in the experts or decide to go it alone, you should:

- Vacuum the infested room. Yes, the entire room because bed bugs can hide just about anywhere -- including in closets and drawers, behind picture frames, under wallpaper and inside clocks and electronics. Use the nozzle or brush attachment, and try to get all of the eggs too. When you're done, dispose of the vacuum bag right away and inspect the attachments for bed bugs or eggs.

- Thoroughly steam clean your mattress. Beware that if there are tears and holes, the bugs may migrate to places you can't reach. If you do have to throw out your mattress, dismantle or destroy it so someone else won't take it home.

- Launder your linens and any other items that can safely go in the wash, like slip covers and pillows. Use the hottest water possible -- then put them in the dryer for at least 20 minutes.

- Turn on the hot or cold. For items that can't go in the wash, experts advise using heat or cold to kill them instead. Wrap items in plastic and put them outside on a hot, sunny day or freezing cold day for a few hours. If you go the cold route, make sure the temperature is below freezing and leave the item outside for longer (up to a few days, for instance).

- Get rid of clutter. Less stuff means fewer places for bed bugs to hide and breed.

- Deep clean. Depending on the severity of the infestation, you may have to do some serious cleaning.

- Be patient. Sources say it can take up to two weeks to fully get rid of the problem. You can expect to see a few bugs during this time, but you don't panic unless you see a lot.
And we know you want to, but don't scratch the bites -- you could scar your skin or risk a secondary infection. Instead, treat them as you would other bug bites with an antihistamine or bite remedy. A medical professional should have a look if you have a more severe reaction.
How to prevent an infestation
The most common ways for bed bugs to get into your home include spending the night in an infested place or bringing a contaminated item into your home. In multi-dwelling residences like condos and apartments, bed bugs can travel from unit to unit via pipes and ductwork.
What can you do to help stop an infestation?

- Conduct periodic inspections. Thoroughly examine mattresses, including the seams, the bed frame, any cloth furniture, cracks in wood, etc. Because bed bugs are night time critters, it may be easier to spot them with a flashlight in a dark room.
If your son or daughter is moving in to a dormitory, teach them how to conduct inspections as well.

- Clean house. In addition to keeping surfaces free of clutter, regular cleaning and vacuuming -- especially your mattress and cloth furniture -- can help deter the pests.

- Be cautious bringing home used items. Carefully inspect any furniture or used items you plan to bring into your home and ask the seller if it has been checked for bed bugs. Free stuff can be tempting, but items left on the curb can be especially risky.

- Cover your mattress and pillows. There are many different types of mattress covers on the market -- some of them plastic -- and you can cover the zipper with duct tape for a complete seal.

- Seal the cracks. Make sure the windows and the exterior of your home are sealed up to prevent other pests like birds and bats who can host and transport the bugs. If you live in an apartment, talk to your superintendant about sealing around ducts and pipes to prevent bugs from moving next door.

- Check out your accommodations. When you travel, inspect your room and bed for signs of the pests before you settle in. If you encounter a problem, contact the person in charge so the problem can be dealt with -- and you can be offered a new room.

- Keep your bags off the floor. Even if can't spot a problem, keep your luggage off the floor (use a luggage rack or dresser top) and keep your bags closed.

- Quarantine and clean. When you return from travelling, the worst thing you can do is put your suitcase on your bed to unpack. Unpack elsewhere -- like your garage, if possible -- and inspect your luggage. Don't mix your clothes in with your regular laundry, but wash them in hot water promptly. (If you know an item is clean and bug-free, you can pack it in zip lock bags to keep bugs from getting in.)

In addition, some experts recommend leaving pillows at home because they can be difficult to clean.

- Keep an eye on local news and health. Are bed bugs bad in your area? You may want to take extra precautions when you're out, like not setting your purse or backpack on the floor. You might not hear a lot about bed bugs because of the stigma and the threats to local businesses.
Remember, bed bugs can affect anyone, so having them isn't a comment on your cleanliness or housekeeping. If you spot any signs of infestation, don't be afraid to get help. Unfortunately, many people suffer in silence due to embarrassment.
ON THE WEB
For more information on bed bugs, check out your city and province's health department websites. Here are some other sources for a start:
Health Canada: Bed Bugs Fact Sheet
MayoClinic.com: Bed Bugs
Medicine.net: Bed Bugs
Additional Sources: The Globe and Mail, The BBC, Ottawa and Toronto city websites.

Seemed like some useful info

I've taped up all the edges to my bed in hopes that I'll catch something trying to crawl up, but nothing so far. I think they might be coming out from the baseboard at the end of my bed, so I'll get to work on that tonight.

I put my mattress into an allergen / dust cover after noticing the dirty spots. The day after, I found tiny black specs embedded into my mattress fibers (steam cleaned last night). They might be coming from inside my hard foamy Sea Horse mattress. I'll open up the cover tonight to see if any spots appear again, which will confirm if they are actually in my mattress.

So.. does anybody have any PCO recommendations? Even if I can successfully take care of this myself, I still want somebody to come in to evaluate my situation to prevent long term implications.

Oh dood. Hope that you don't have bed bugs. Those fuckers are so hard to get rid of especially if you don't have the right tools. If you do have bed bugs, call an exterminator. Seriously.

maybe the installer went to a house with bed bugs and left a gift for you when he was installing in your room?

i had bed bugs, got em in a motel

the classic sign is what they call " the breakfast lunch and dinner" bite. It's usually a row of three bites. But the bites will appear in clusters and like I said before in lines. When I had it I had over 200 bites was savage!

double check your mattress. bed bugs love to hide in the seams and along the edges of the bedframe. steam clean is really the only effective way to clean your mattress. also the clothes you wear to sleep, be weary of those as they can also cling onto that.

i took a course in pest control and a safe way to clean your clothes of bed bugs just in case is to put them in sealed tight bags and put them in the freezer for 1 day. then clean it afterwards.

Call Vancouver Care Pest. They come with bed bug sniffing dogs and go from there.

Start writing large checks. We spent 1000's on one of our buildings. Horrible experience. The fucker that brought the problem into the building didn't do the steps necessary to get rid of them and we went through the extermination problem a couple of times.

So irritating.

maybe shaw has a deal with the pest control companies
plant bed bugs for a comission :troll:

how come I don't have bed bug bites? is my house so dirty the bed bugs dont want to come in it?

Thank you for all your suggestions. I didn't call a PCO, as i'd have to do a lot of preparation work prior to calling them in, so i figured i'd have a go at it myself first, then proceed from there. After spending countless hours cleaning, taping, sealing, and spraying all week, here are the results:

Throughout the week - some bites.
Saturday - one bite.
Sunday - no bites.
Monday - no bites.

Everything looks good so far. I've collected a bunch of dead bugs in my cleaning, nothing resembling an actual bed bug (one being a carpet beetle and as for the rest, probably lint and unknowns). My bite marks were just dots / double dots, no indication of being bed bug bites, as indicated by consecutive bites being side by side by side aka breakfast, lunch and dinner.

From this experience, I'll tell you guys what works.. RAID, and lots of it. I must've used 1.5 cans in my room. Asides from this, applying silicone and taping all the cracks and crevices along the base of the walls + my furniture and lastly, throwing everything in the dryer.

good to hear things worked out

just a couple of days after I see this thread, my place is infested with bed bugs now.

Also, when you call a junk remover to remove items infested, please notify them so they take the extra precaution when removing from your building.
otherwise you will be billed extra for clean up