fear of bedbugs seriously cramping my scavenging - Page 2

[simple living mama]

Havent read the other post so sorry if it's been suggested.  You can get some diatomaceous earth, very cheap, at your local hardware store.  Before you bring in any furniture bought second hand, paintbrush the d-earth in all the cracks of the  furniture you purchased.  Do this out side as you don't want to breathe in the fine powder.  Let sit for a day before bringing in. If you want an extra bit of assurance, buy some cedar oil and between the two, I guarentee you will not have any living bedbugs in your house.  We brought in a bed loaded with bedbugs from freecycle.  It was hard work but finally got rid of them with these two non-toxic bed bug killers. 

[Juvysen]

there've been infestations in stores, too... victoria's secret was one, I think?

[emmaegbert]

my sister says they've been found in Barneys NY and other very high end stores here in Manhattan.

GROSS.

anyway, we had a double extermination while apt was empty, and nobody is currently living down there. I plan to encase all mattresses and pillows, but like an earlier responder said... we are not the tidiest people. An extermination after we're living there will be such a PITA. I guess I am not doing used stuff that can't be washed-- but what a bummer.

And yes I'd heard that freezing doesn't reliably kill them. :(

I am thinking of thrifting for baskets (for toys and storage and clutter-containing) and heard that there is something I can put in basically a ziplock bag (airtight) for a couple of days that will kill them... maybe that was ceder oil?

[Juvysen]

also goldman sachs?  Somewhere on wallstreet.

diatomacious earth should work I would think, too, in a plastic bag on baskets.  I didn't think bedbugs were that small, though...

http://pestcontrolcanada.com/INSECTS/bedbugs.htm  <-- says adults are 1/4 inch long.  That's a pretty good sized bug...

[Ornery]

I'm so itchy after reading thjs.  Yuck.

[ltlmrs]

I have had several bedbug scares, but I think it's hit or miss if they attack your home or not.

1) When I lived on the East coast, half the building where I lived got infested.  My side of the building did not get infested at all for some reason and when I moved, nothing moved with me.

2) Some friends of ours were living in an old farm house and their little girl's room had bedbugs.  The poor thing was a sight to be seen.  Nobody else was affected by them, no other beds, furniture, etc was infested and when they came to stay with us they did not bring anything with them in their luggage or on their person.  I have to say though that this was a very close call and I still catch my breath when I think of what may have been...

3) When we were traveling this summer one of our hotels had bedbugs.  But, again, only one of the beds!  We left everything in the car in the heat for three days and afterwards I took all the blankets and pillows that we had brought with us directly to the laundromat without bringing them inside (I like to travel with my own wool blankets & pillows because the hotel ones are usually icky polyester).

That said, I would be very hesitant to buy anything used now except clothes, which I was at a laundromat before bringing home.  We very badly need a new mattress and I see them on FC all the time, but no way am I getting one there!

[Juvysen]

but... I heard that because the trucks pick up the old mattresses sometimes brand new mattresses can be infected with bedbugs?  Maybe I'm crazy... anyone know?

[Vancouver Mommy]

Originally Posted by Juvysen 

but... I heard that because the trucks pick up the old mattresses sometimes brand new mattresses can be infected with bedbugs?  Maybe I'm crazy... anyone know?

Brand new mattresses are usually still wrapped in plastic, hopefully.

[Juvysen]

Originally Posted by Vancouver Mommy 

Originally Posted by Juvysen 

but... I heard that because the trucks pick up the old mattresses sometimes brand new mattresses can be infected with bedbugs?  Maybe I'm crazy... anyone know?

Brand new mattresses are usually still wrapped in plastic, hopefully.

Maybe that's not enough?  I just did a cursory google search and it turned up way too many hits involving getting bedbugs from the truck that the mattress was on, for my liking... http://www.google.com/search?q=new+mattresses+infected+trucks+bed+bugs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

[simple living mama]

So when we had bed bugs, we ordered a new mattress.  The mattress delivery guy said he would take our old one away in the same truck which carried our new one.  I informed him that we would take our own mattress to the dump so we wouldn't infect his truck.  But it got me thinking how bed bugs must spread.  Trust me when I say the d-earth and the cedar spray works.  Must be diligent about it but it really worked and the best part is it's non toxic.  Just wear a mask when using the powder.   We got our from a bed we got free from Freecycle.  Beware of getting any new furniture with out a thorough inspection and even then, it doesn't hurt to dust it with d-earth. 

[omamasmama]

 

simple living mama....did you see them in the bed from freecycle? i'm wondering what to look before bringing something into our home.

[simple living mama]

Omamasmama, yes you can see them if you are looking for them.  They are pretty flat if they haven't been feeding on anyone (eek) but plump if they have.  About the size of small apple seeds. 

[sonrisaa29]

There is a bed bug registry if you do a google search.it's a website thatlists neighborhoods and hotels by name that have had bedbugs

[EviesMom]

I do clothes second hand as those can be washed. I only do furniture from known family without bedbug though. I've never worried about used books, actually, just because it's not a really appealing place for a bedbug from my knowledge so I think you'd have to have a pretty awful infestation before numbers would hide out in books. Besides, we check stuff out of the library, and if I have to start worrying about all used books, it's just too impossible to fight against IMO. 

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

so what about things like dressers and changing tables? i was thinking of buying those of cl, but now you all have me worried.

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

another thing, i have found brown little bugs in our couch a couple times but they don't look like the pictures of bed bugs i've seen they are longer and skinnier and move slow, not like a flea, what could they be? I thought for sure they were bed bugs but they look nothing like the online pictures.

[EviesMom]

Originally Posted by ILoveMyBabyBird 

another thing, i have found brown little bugs in our couch a couple times but they don't look like the pictures of bed bugs i've seen they are longer and skinnier and move slow, not like a flea, what could they be? I thought for sure they were bed bugs but they look nothing like the online pictures.

carpet beetles maybe? They eat fibers.

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

Originally Posted by EviesMom 

Originally Posted by ILoveMyBabyBird 

another thing, i have found brown little bugs in our couch a couple times but they don't look like the pictures of bed bugs i've seen they are longer and skinnier and move slow, not like a flea, what could they be? I thought for sure they were bed bugs but they look nothing like the online pictures.

carpet beetles maybe? They eat fibers.

thanks did some googling, looks like they may be powderdust beetles. Our couch does have some wood finish, ah, not too happy about what they do to hardwood.

http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/powderpostbeetles.htm

[jentilla]

I had a friend in Louisville who got infested due to here neighbor who had them for MONTHS without telling management. She has said you can kill them with 90% or higher rubbing alcohol. I treated a few toys that the kids took when we traveled with a spray bottle of it. I'm terrified of them, but I think frequent checks of your bedding, etc and arming yourself with knowledge is the best way to deal with them. 

[PeacefulSeams]

I have had to deal with bedbugs in the last house i lived in. We bought a secondhand couch from a thrift store. DS liked to sleep there with his blankets and pillows. He ended up transferring them to his bed. I tried EVERYTHING!  They eventually made their way to my room. We ended up throwing everything out and moving.

It is horrible. You wake up with all these little itchy bites all over you. They leave blood trails and can hide anywhere. But they prefer to be close to their food source. The best way to see if you have them is to wait till dark and take a flashlight in the room. You will see them on the bed, walls, sheets....and can usually follow them to their "nest". They are yucky annoying bugs!!