Bed bugs?

[momofmine]

I am really grossed out by this possibility, but I think it's possible that we have them in one of our bedrooms. I found some larvae, put them in a jar, and plan to take them in to see if I can have them identified. But from looking at google images, I think it is possible that they are bed bugs.

The thing is that no one has ever had any bites at all, there are no symptoms other than finding these few larvae. And to be honest, I have noticed the remnants of these things off and on for years in that room. I never see more than a few at a time. We have hardwood floors in there, and no one has suffered from itchy bites ever. Is that possible? Or could it be that we just don't have the signs of it, but really they have been feeding on us. Pretty gross to think about so let's please just not go there.

Anyway, obviously I am highly motivated to get rid of them, but everything I read online says professional extermination is almost always the only way, and that even five-star hotels have them, so it's not necessarily a matter of cleanliness.

First of all, what would you do?

Second, anyone know of any home remedies I can try? And how do I even monitor if what I am doing is working? Since I very rarely see them, and when I do, I only see a few remnants, how would I know? This time I saw actual live, crawling larvae (only four tiny ones), so this is what has caused me to seek action now. Before, I only ever saw what looked like a shell of a bug or something, and I never thought anything of it, just "old house". (Our house is 100 years old.)

Thanks for any ideas!

[Vancouver Mommy]

Oh dear. I'm sorry for your stress. Is it possible that they are carpet beetles? I'm pretty sure if you'd had bed bugs for years that somebody would have been bitten by now. We had carpet beetles in our last place even though we had no carpet. They seemed to live in the baseboards. Diatomaceous Earth is a fine silica powder that can be sprinkled around the edges of your home, even under mattresses and in closets. It basically dries them out and they die. If they are bed bugs, I personally wouldn't mess around with "natural" solutions (despite being extremely anti-chemical).

[momofmine]

Thanks! Yes, I think it seems odd that no one would have had any bites or symptoms at all if that's what they are. Of course, I am frantically cleaning now. I am hoping to get some answers from the local agriculture/bug place.

[momofmine]

Oh you know what, I just realized that where I found these four larvae was on the floor next to the bed, and they were on some clothes that had been lying there for a couple of days. So maybe that means they are just carpet beetles. I can hope!

[yeahwhat]

HOw big are the larvae? Bed bugs are very tiny.

[momofmine]

I just googled carpet beetles and I actually think that is what they are now. Phew! Thanks for the replies.

[momofmine]

Originally Posted by yeahwhat

HOw big are the larvae? Bed bugs are very tiny.

about the size of a sesame seed

[zoebird]

Diatomaceous Earth is the answer. Or one of them.

anyway, you can sprinkle it on carpets, it's pet and kid friendly, and it will kill them all.

i went through a similar freak out because of the bites my husband and baby had (i didn't have any), and we discovered it was chiggars, not bed bugs. thank goodness for it. but, i did a lot of research, and even had a green exterminator come out and give our house a good once over, and she said we even had very few dustmites (yay!). so, that's pretty cool.

anyway, we discovered the wonders of DE in that process, and even though we haven't used it yet, we know it is there. like a security blanket. LOL

[momofmine]

Thanks to everyone! zoebird, with the DE, do you sprinkle it down and then vacuum it back up? For example, if you sprinkle it on the mattress and the hardwood floors around the bed, would you just elave it there a day or two and then vac it back up?

[bigteamug]

Don't forget to change the vacuum bag (if you have one) or empty and clean the canister when you're done. Important whenever you are dealing with wee beasties (lice, fleas, etc.)

[lonegirl]

I wouldn' consider DE to be pet and child safe:


Certain varieties of diatomite (particularly the flux-calcined form) have higher concentrations of sharp-edged crystalline silica, which can result in severe respiratory problems and silicosis, and even cancer of the lungs, if you get exposed to it without wearing a dust mask. As a result, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates the level of crystalline silica that can be present in the dust particulate. Even with small exposure, it can result in irritation of the eyes and skin

Read more: Is Diatomaceous Earth Dangerous? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6522262_di...#ixzz0xBjrgIJN