A friend just told me her aunt has bedbugs and her children went over there almost everyday after school. Could she have them to? I told her to start checking, put everything in the dryer. Anything I read I tried to help her with.
Now, I am freaking out because what if she does have them. She has sat in my car. We work together, so we go to lunch almost everyday together. I do not go to her home but still, do I have them?
I just saw on TV last night the infestation that is taking over in America. They were sharing people stories on how lots of them just walked away from there homes and apartments because they could not afford to get rid of them. another lady had them come to her home 10 times! Another paid $10,000.00. A Lab worker whoes job is to creat a pediside to get rid of them, got them and walked away from her apartment because she could not do anything about. OMG what is going on here. If she could not get rid of the how can we? How can we prevent this from happenening to us?
the bed bug freak out is over exaggerated. Yes its more prevelant right now than in the last 10 years, but its like fleas, they multiply fast and can go along time without food but they are easily treated by an exterminator. If caught early its not even really that expensive.
But i still wouldnt want them , lol
If you have them, you'd know.
We dealt with them. It took two weeks from the moment we realized what we had till our home was clean and noone was itching. We don't know for sure where they came from but we are guessing our vacation a few weeks before might have been the culprit.
I don't know why people would leave homes or spend so much money? It wasn't that bad in the financial aspect but it was grueling washing and bagging up everything as my kids love blankets and stuffed animals.
Just look them up online and look for the signs of them. If your friend didn't get them its unlikely you got them. Your friend would know if she had them, too.
My husband works for a company that specializes in bedbugs and he is the go to guy for bed bugs, so I know a lot from him. You could get bedbugs from her if, say, there are some hiding on her bag, and you brush up against the bag and they attach on to you. However, you will know if you have them. Bedbugs bite, and their bites itch. You would also notice dark red/brown spots on your bed/clothes. Thats bedbug poop and the more you have, the more you will notice their poop. My husband has been working with/treating for bedbugs for years and he has never once brought any home with him. The things is, you have to be careful to never brush up against clothing or fabric materials. If you are entering a home that you know has bedbugs, spray your shoes with alcohol (hand sanitizer), this will help. As money goes, even in the worst of cases, my husband has never treated a home more than 4 times for bedbugs. The average time it takes to get rid of them with an exterminator is 2 times (an initial trreatment and a followup). But, like I said, my husband has never had to go to a place more than 4 times before and it doesnt cost thousands of dollars either.
Hi M.,
Please don't panic. Most people take care of the problem and never deal with it again. I lived in NYC where it was an epidemic. I even had them and knew others that did and they got rid of them as we did.
As a form of prevention get mattress covers that resist them. Wash your sheets very frequently and vacum the floors. moldings and carpets often. Learn about the life cycle. If they don't bite they don't mate. Act fast is you start to get bites. There are all kinds of products out there. Don't watch those shows about infestation. Those are extreme cases. If you are aware you'll spot the signs early and nip it in the bud. We did.
Good luck!
I had to deal with a tick infestation at a previous house... I found an amazing product that works like wonders and is a cure for bedbugs,and other mites as well. It's called Cedarcide. It is also completely nontoxic! You need to order the liquid solution and if you ever need to fog your house, you can get the fogger machine from them as well. All for less than paying an exterminator whose products are toxic and not as effective. Great for animals with fleas, too!
You know if you have bedbugs. You will see them (or their poop) in the creases of your mattress, and you will be bitten all over. Bedbugs are nocturnal, so it's highly unlikely that you'd get them from her. Typically, you'll get them if you travel somewhere and they climb in your luggage. Also, if you catch it early and take some steps -- pull your bed from the walls, wash linens and dry them, put sticky traps at your bed posts and get a cover for your mattress and pillows -- you can usually stop an infestation before it gets extensive where you need an exterminator. But I doubt you will get them from what you've described, plus the key indicator of bedbugs is bites, and it doesn't sound like you have them (you didn't mention that your friends' family has them, either).
I saw the show too and it was stupid scary.. that bedbugs can live up to 2 years without feeding ICK. I'd check all your stuff beds, sheets, etc.. even your car. Keep up with whether or not the friend got them because if she didn't get them then it's likely you didn't either.. but if you did I'd call an exterminator FAST. If you catch it early you have a way better chance.. the lady that had them come 10 times didn't catch it until it was too late so hopefully if they did infest you, you can stop it before it gets out of hand!
Whenever I stay in a hotel, I leave our suitcases and pillows in the hot car for days afterward. I just saw a product at Lowes in the garden/ pesticide department...looked likes fogger and it said bedbugs, fleas, bla bla bla. I have seen news reports...if I were going to battling bedbugs, I would strip the bed, pull I out from the wall, detach headboard, stand mattress up and set a fogger off in the room, then wash and dry everything before putting it all back. Good luck, I hope you don't get them!
That is so crazy about the bed bugs! I haven't seen the show, but my hubby was telling me about it over a year ago. He won't stay at hotels because it's a major problem there.
I have no answers, except to say that I hope you didn't get any...and I'd probably stay away from your friend until you find out she doesn't have them! You might want to consider calling an exterminator asap so he can check and see if he sees any signs of them.
It's crazy how this is happening. Did they say why the infestation is happening? Do they know how to stop it? That would be AWFUL. I hope you're okay...
