We have a ton of visitors asking how they can verify a bed bug infestation; they wake up with bites, but no matter how hard they look, they can't find any bed bugs. Well, we have two solutions for you, both are do it yourself bed bug traps!
Bed Bug Trap using Dry Ice
All the materials needed for a bed bug trap (dry ice not shown)
We are going to place a thermos with dry ice on top of a glass bowl sitting inside a litter box. Bed bugs zero in on the CO2 you give off when sleeping which is exactly what dry ice gives off as it warms. Being heaver than air, the CO2 drops down into the box and overfills into the room - it's like a loud dinner bell!
The bugs climb up the box, fall inside and can't get out. The outside cloth helps them climb up and drop into the box but once in, the power and plastic sides prove too slippery to escape and they become trapped.
It takes less than an hour to make and you can do it with products from your local dollar store. You'll need a plastic cat litter box, glue, white paint, baby power (avoid powder made with cornstarch), scissors, cloth, foam brush, dry ice, insulated thermos with spout on top and small round glass bowl.
Note, I already had some products, but when I went to the dollar store, I found they had everything I needed ($1 each) except for the dry ice which I purchased from Meijer's grocer for $2.00.
Let's get started building your bed bug trap.
Paint the bottom of the litter box white (I used white gloss) so that the trapped bugs are easy to identify. I used fast drying paint and a hair dryer to speed up the process.
Once the paint has dried, cut the top of the box off so that edges are straight. My top had a lip that would have made it difficult for the bed bugs to climb inside.
With my $1 towel, I cut sections that would fit on the outside of the box and glued them in place taking care to not leave any gaps between the cloth and side where the bugs could hide. Make sure the cloth goes the entire length of the side so that as you lay the trap on the floor, it touches the carpet (or wood, etc). This makes it easy for the bed bugs to climb up the side.
Once you have glued the cloth on, apply a light dusting of baby power to the bottom and insides of the trap. Also apply a light coating to your glass bowl. The small bowl will sit on the inside of the trap acting as a base for your thermos and prevents the bed bugs from climbing up the thermos.
Showing how CO2 flows into bed bug trap
This next part can be Dangerous as dry ice can severely burn your skin; use thick insulated gloves, grill thongs or pliers to handle the ice. Placing dry ice in a sealed container without ventilation will cause pressure to build until the top blows. Dry ice releases carbon dioxide which could cause asphyxia so only use one of these traps per average sized room. A 1/3 gallon bug trap is said to be the equivalent of two adults sleeping. Keep away from children.
To test your trap, place some dry ice in the thermos, add a quarter cup water, close the lid and learn the spout angle to determine levels (closed, part way and completely open).
The final step is to place the dry ice in the empty thermos, screw on the cap, open the spot half way and place it on the glass base inside the litter box around 10:00pm. Place the bed bug trap next to the bed. Note: if the spout directs the CO2 away from your trap, you can hang a piece of paper over the spout to redirect the flow downward and into the trap (without blocking the spout).
In the morning you'll see any bed bugs that were in the area. You should set the trap multiple times over a two week period. NOTE: If you move this trap to another room, make sure to seal it in a plastic bag and freeze it to make sure you don't accidentally transport the bugs to another room!
Bed Bug Trap w Alka-Seltzer®
Did you know that Alka-Seltzer when placed in water creates Carbon Dioxide (CO2), yup, those bubbles are filled with it and it's the same stuff that tells bed bugs food is on the table (that being you!).
You'll need a plastic litter box and materials used to finish the box (shown in the image used for the Dry Ice trap), wet sponge, disposable hand warmers, a plate and 4 Alka-Seltzer tablets and DE. Make the box as shown in the image above. Activate the hand warmer and place it in the center of the plate. Place the wet sponge on the hand warmer and then the tablets spaced evenly on the sponge. Now take the plate and everything that's on it and place it inside the box.
The moisture in the sponge will keep the Alka-Seltzer reaction active and continually release CO2; this should be enough to attract any bed bugs in hiding close to the trap. Once they are in the trap, they will be unable to leave and you'll have the proof you're looking for :)
Note: Placing the tablets in room water will cause the CO2 to release must faster but won't last nearly as long (you need to give them time).
I've Trapped Bed Bugs, Now What?
When you have captured the bugs, please, take a picture and share it with others! Simply email the picture to BadBedBugs@gmail.com and I'll edit it before placing it on the site (I'll clean it up, remove any identifying information and size it for the site).
Know that you know you have an infestation, you need to get rid of them, it's war, but war doesn't have to be expensive :) See my page on using bed bug dust to eliminate an infestation, it's inexpensive, easy to do and works great!
Thanks to Dr. Changlu Wang, an entomologist from Rutgers University who came up with the idea of using dry ice to trap bed bugs and Richard Fagerlund, a board- certified entomologist at the University of New Mexico for covering the use of Alka-Seltzer in traps.
Trap or kill other pests:
A peanut butter covered Alka-Seltzer tablet will put an end to mice, rats and other rodents. Combine the tablets with soap and water to catch fleas from pets and mosquitoes looking for food.
Need to download and print out the instructions for this bed bug trap? Here it is: http://www.badbedbugs.com/bedbugtrap.pdf
Thank you all so much for telling your stories and trying to help. In a very morbid way, it’s comforting to see that I am not the only one going through this hell.
I keep thinking… I am smarter and stronger and bigger than them, I will win in the end. But I’ve not and am doubting that I ever will. I had been getting red marks, hives and weird bumps for about a month… I went to the doctor for my diabetes related stuff, and asked him about what to do for the hives, he asked me what ‘new things’ I’d been using (new detergents, etc.) and I told him nothing… he prescribed me Prednisone (a steroid). I’m sure the hives would have gone away if I’d taken it, but I chose to use Benadryl instead.
Two months later I went back for refills and did not mention anything about itching or hives, and was wearing a short sleeve shirt. He looked at my arms and asked me what was wrong with them. I had gotten so used to having red marks all over me in various patterns that I didn’t consider it abnormal anymore. He prescribed me more Prednisone, but I still refuse to take it.
A month later, I went to sleep and remembered I needed to text my friend, got up, turned the light on, and was sitting on the edge of my bed texting my friend… I kept thinking that one of my long hairs had gotten loose from my bun, because I felt a slight tickling on my back, but was busy and ignored it… then I felt a bite. I instinctively ran my hand over the bit area, and saw something fly off…
I went to look on the carpet, where I thought it had landed, and found what I know now is a bedbug shell! at the time, it looked like a dead weird shaped baby roach. I wasn’t pleased, but know that roaches do not bite, so decided to look in the opposite direction, in case I was wrong in the direction that said biting insect might have flown off my hand… which was my pillow… I found bugs crawling on it, I lifted the pillow, they were on the mattress, I lifted the mattress, they were everywhere!
I can’t tell you the horror I felt. I bagged one, looked it up online, saw that it was a bedbug. My revulsion and resentment and frustration and paranoia have not ended since. I have had ‘exterminators’ come out, paid half my paycheck (which isn’t much since I’m on SSI) to have them come… they sprayed a bit around the edges of my carpet and that’s it.
I’m currently filing a complaint against them with the Better Business Bureau, but that will not help *me*, just, hopefully, other people in the future. I got rid of the bed I was sleeping on. When I moved my furniture away from the walls for the pesticide people to spray, my desk broke. When my desk broke, my monitor fell off and shattered. Two days later, I finally ventured into my bedroom and found 3 crawling on my walls – no need for bed bug traps now.
I’ve not slept in a bed in 2 months now. I’m SO tired. I’m SO creeped out. I think they are crawling on me all the time, even though I know that usually (although, sometimes, they *are*) they aren’t. I’ve set off so many bombs in my room… the next day, I’ll find one crawling on my ceiling or wall. I don’t have any money to do this anymore, even if I wasn’t so tired.
I am going to try these suggestions on this site and the bedbug dust, but to be honest, at this point, I feel hopeless. They live for over a year without feeding? By the time they die, I’ll be in an insane asylum.
I wish you all much better luck than I have had.
If you’re looking for the bed bug lifecycle, check out my page on the stages of a bed bugs. You can also try Climb Up Interceptors which you can buy for about $20 or make your own – Each bed post sits in a cup like device, in that device you can have DE and if the insides are smooth enough, the bed bugs are trapped; in this way, the bugs can’t get up the bed to feed on you. This only works if you have a mattress cover made for dust mites (works for bed bugs as well) and they are not hiding in a crevice within your bed frame.
You are not going to be bitten 25 times from one bedbug, and once it’s fed on you, it should not need to feed for awhile, so you likely have more than one if indeed you have them.
Let me know if that works for you – and consider your couch as well if you have one. I wouldn’t be happy either :)
Did we ever get details on the life cycle, etc? I have bites that are probably BB and my husband saw a spot of blood on a pillow. We took apart the beds, sprayed them, and washed everything. He sprayed the windowsills and carpet. I play to bet some DE and put it down around the bed . Other than the dry ice trap, how else can we trap them? I just don’t know where to get the dry ice.
I don’t know if there are any alive in the house so plan to keep actively looking and treating. And to top it all off the bites look ugly, are itchy and painful and don’t seem to go away. I have about 25 in one area of my leg. Nothing new since last week though. Does that mean probably more than one? Yuch! I thought I read somewhere that the bites may not be evident for 9 days after. If that is so, I could be getting bitten and not know it yet? What an awful thing. I feel so bad for people with children!
I also was bitten at home after a long vacation and several different motels. Do not know exactly where they came from, but when I searched I found most of them in the dust ruffle around my box springs. Also found some in the corner of the box springs along the cording. I have a steamer I use to steam press drapes & clothes, so after a thorough vacuuming, I took off the mattress and gave both springs and mattress a good steaming on both sides and especially around sides, seams, handle holes and label, where I found several live bugs of all ages. I enjoyed watching them run from the hot steam, and got sadistic pleasure watching them DIE!
I used a spray insecticide for fleas and bedbugs, closed off the room, washed all bedding in hot water and hot dryer, waited one week, using guest room to sleep. Went back to main bedroom, and first night was bitten. Awoke and found a large bug on my arm, then looked around and found two really fast little devils running across my bedspread. Murdered them all, then took another offensive attack.
Pulled up the entire bedroom carpet, (found really nice hardwood floors) refinished my bed ( found bugs in the carved panel of my antique headboard) got new mattress and box springs, all new bedding and curtains for the master bedroom, and have been sleeping in the guest room for the past two weeks. Sprayed insecticide in the master and closed it off again as well. No bites in the guest room, but I am still afraid to go back into the master. I read that these little devils can live up to one year without feeding. I do not know when I will feel comfortable sleeping in the master again.
Think I will give the bed bug trap a try next week. I now have a really beautiful newly decorated master bedroom, that I am afraid to sleep in. Maybe I can convince my son to pay me a visit and use him as bait.
Stay tuned for the next episode of “The Bugs and the Restless”,
Paula
Guys, we are all exhausted fighting this epidemic. it’s not your fault. BUT this seems to be a VERY GOOD solution, i will try it tomorrow. I read an article about a how a homeless shelter (which are known for their bed bugs) has been able to stay bed bug free for two years now using homemade climbup interceptors for bed bugs!
Basically you need your bed to sit on posts (legs), you then get some cans of soup and empty them, fill with the food grade diatomaceous earth every one is talking about. for the bugs that land on you from the ceiling, try the double sided tape on the walls.
I’m curious – when you post about being bitten, it may help to post your blood type. then we can learn more about what blood type may be more vulnerable. hang in there everyone, at least.. for now, it’s not going to kill us.
During fermentation, yeast convert sugars to alcohol and CO2 at about a 50:50 ratio. This devices uses fermentation to create CO to attract the bed bugs into the trap.
Tools & supplies:
2 liter bottle with cap.
1.5 feet of flexible fish tank hose.
duct tape
elmers glue
1/2 lb sugar
1.5 liters water
poster board
drill a 1/4″ hole in the cap of the bottle and insert the flex tubing.
Use calk or elmers glue to seal around the hole to be sure of no leaks.
Heat water and dissolve sugar in water until no chunks of sugar are left.
Allow water to cool to room temp, or just warm. (baby bottle test works here)
add yeast to sugar water.
pour into 2 liter bottle until bottle is filled to about 2″ from top.
secure cap.
tape bottom of hose to about 1″ from bottom of bottle.
place bottle in center of poster board.
use double sided tape, or glue upside down duct tape to poster board
forming a square around the bottle.
It may take a few days for a full ferment to get going but will also last for a few days/weeks
Gary
bed bugs are nocturnal. If you want to find bed bugs i have found that you need to turn your lights out and wait about ten or fifteen minutes then take a flash light to the infested area. The best thing to do is get bed bug approved covers for your bed and couches. These run about 75.00- 150.00. Keep your bed off the ground and put dirty clothes and clutter in hampers and off the floor. This is the main way that bed bugs travel. They go from one room to another because of you not because they travel on their own. Vinegar is also something they hate. If you can handle it spray your base boards with vinegar then try to light inscents to get rid of the smell. The main thing is not to stress and let these things ruin your life. Keep lights on and you most likely wont get bit. Well hope you have luck, remember these things die from heat higher than 130 degrees. Most terminators companies fail.. don’t waste your money unless the company gives you a one year warranty. these bugs can go months without eating so just when you think you have gotten rid of them you get bit……
I can’t take these items with me when travelling or aquire them while on the road in order to build this trap. Any suggestions for frequent travellers?
Hi Angie,
Yes, the bed bugs can get trapped in your cloths and make their way home with you. They also can go without food for months, and once in your home, may take a while finding your sleeping quarters. However, this is unlikely and more a bite of something else. You can make a bed bug trap that I have listed on this site for less than $10 and may help you trap them / discover if you have them or not.
My friend got bitten by bedbugs at a local hotel didn’t know she had been bitten until she went home that morning an undressed to shower, she tossed her cloths she had wore into the laundry hamper and went onto work , came home an washed cloths right after work. It’s been lil over a month now an she woke up today with a bite on shoulder and hand , is it possible that a bug was on her skin or cloths she wore home from hotel ? She had nothing else with her, no bag, etc, just the cloths on her back! She also washed her cloths over at my house and slept in my room a few days ago. if in fact she did bring them home over a month ago an just got bit today could she have got them that long ago and just now got bitten? And should I worry because she washed an slept here?
Freaked out!!
Glad I found this website. Very informative. Like everyone here who is allergic, I get the same red marks on my body that is extremely itchy. I have yet to see a bed bug but judging from red marks that I have, it seems very much so. My temporary solution right now is to sleep in a concealed tent while I routinely clean my room. Hopefully this should be a temporary fix until I find a better solution. I also have a steam cleaner and will be steaming my tent just in case they make their the inside. Will report back again soon.
About 4 yrs ago we had a bedbug infestation. Worst 7 wks of my life! Its mentally excruciating knowing you have to go to bed and they are coming for you ( …in your bed otherwise they will follow you & infest some place else). I read everything available at the time. Insecticides don’t work.
What did work was double-faced tape along our baseboards & glue traps. We used that in conjunction with diatomaceous earth. You have to get it online or from a feed store. Do not use the kind sold for fish tanks – its too fine and can cause severe lung problems. They recommend you do not breathe any of it so wear a mask when using it. We put down a light dusting along baseboards, closets, etc. and the perimeter of our bed (which was pulled away from the wall & wrapped). It cuts their underbellies when they crawl over it – do not put down a heavy dusting – they will avoid it. If they can’t feed they can’t reproduce. For weeks we did nothing but freeze, wash & throw everything into the dryer.
So now, we think we have them again. I really appreciate the dry ice info. I knew they were attracted by carbon dioxide. I’ll be able to tell right off if they are back & kill them before we get infested again.
This is a great site, really well organized, with great links!
The bed bug trap is truly ingenious.
One very important question – how much dry ice? Do you basically fill the container and then add water? The quantity of dry ice to last from 10 p.m. until dawn seems like an important part of the instructions. Advice will be greatly appreciated!
I’m on a long-term travel for work, and just had a big bad hotel BB scare – I want to be able to monitor my home. I’ve done hot wash & dryers on all my clothes and backpacks, and bagged up the rest of my stuff pending treatment in a Thermal Strike, but my husband came down here three weeks ago before we knew about the infestation in the hotel.
Neither of us has had any bites, and he kept his bag on the couch (no luggage racks), but… I am SO paranoid, I’m afraid he may have brought them home. Or maybe I did, in my purse or my briefcase over the last 8 months. (I leave all my luggage and all but the clothes on my back in the hotel over the weekends I go home, but I bring my purse & briefcase). The hotel moved me to another room after an inspection found one dead BB in my room, and gave me the time & money to cook everything I could in the dryer, and bagged the rest in double heavy-duty Zip-locks until I can heat treat it. The hotel seems to be on top of it – I am just SO paranoid.
I’m not home 90% of the time, and if my husband were to be totally bitten, he would just ignore it and act like it was nothing. I want to catch an infestation before it is out if control. So the trap seems to me like a perfectly ingenious monitor. Just give a little advice as to how much dry ice, and I will be ever more grateful.
Thanks!
TG
These little blood sucking bugs are consuming my life!!!!
Have only been dealing with bed bugs for couple weeks but feel hopeless going by some of the other comments. Have a sleep number bed that cant be encased and am freaking out. Have poisoned and washed and dried everything in hot. Was I suppose to put linen in bags too? Even though it was washed and dried? Is the larvae looking stage right before they turn into clear nymphs? What is the time line? Eggs hatch in what time and how long are they little wormy larvae before they turn into nymphs? Cant find specific info on life cycle other than they can live a yr without food.
Has anyone tried boric acid? Do the bombs kill eggs? We found larvae under the bed in a box after bombing and they were alive. Feel like we’re wasting money on poison. Not a lot of choices in stores. Trying DE next. And to think…..I use to worry about dust mites!!!! Will never feel comfortable again!!!!
im a mom of 4 and just found bed bugs all over my bed after waking up to being biten by something. i have a 1 yr old daughter. i dont have the money for an exterminator. i want to know the best way to get rid of them and something that actually works as well. and if they can harm my kids if they gets biten.
Hi,
Yesterday I came backed from basketball practice and took a shower. Then when I got out of the shower I noticed like 7-9 bites on my butt cheeks. I thought it was a reaction or some sort of thing then decided to forget about it. Then when I woke up the next morning I realized that I got more several bites on my hands, arms, fingers. I was creeping out that if there was any type of spider in my room. I’m on 14 and don’t know what to do. And I don’t know if they are bed bugs bites, or some of reaction. I don’t want to tell my parents because it would cost money for my Parents. So please give me suggestions of what to do.
Hi
Q1 – will bedbugs get into your hair and bite (I have very short and fairly thin hair)? I started with what I thought were pimples from sweating about the head, then my shoulders were covered with what look like bites, then other places on my body–sides, inside thighs, ankles, toes. That is when I saw the doc and she is treating me for scabies, but I had those in college and they were in the webs of my fingers, mostly. Anyway, the scabies meds seemed to help, but I am still getting little “bites” all over, especially during the day. I do have two cats, but we all live in a 32-ft fifth-wheel (RV) and they don’t have fleas (never go out and no one has been in). BY THE WAY! I was on a small cruise boat for four days and also the same motel for a day before and a day after the cruise. But I am sure I had the head “bites” before that trip, but not sure. Also, my “bites” don’t itch as bad as scabies, just a little bit, and I would think bedbugs would itch badly.
Q2 I have done two exhaustive laundries and the one I did today I looked at the lint (it is an RV park machine) and think I found a dried up misshapened bedbug, but I am not sure. So now I am concerned about bedbugs. After first laundry last week I put most of my bedding into big bags and put them in the back seat of my car where they have been exposed to heat as has been discussed. How long to leave them there? I won’t bring them in while I figure out if I have bedbugs. My problem is that I have another 12-day vacation to Alaska coming up July 7 and will be staying on the same boat six days plus two diff motels in two diff cities. I do have to new AllergSacs which I will sleep in which I did not take on the first trip.
Q3 I will build the bedbug trap you describe. I don’t have a thermos like you do, but I do have some of those thermos-type stainless travel cups. Would they work? They have the lid with the little slider opening you drink coffee from. I live in a TINY town and finding one with the spigot like yours might be hard. Did you use a Pyrex glass container? Yours appears to fit the bottom of the thermos exactly. I have a two-piece Pyrex (bottom and lid) but it is a bit bigger. What is the purpose of the glass bowl?
Q4 I have a white Rubbermaid-type container you use in a sink to wash dishes (or lots of uses). Can I use that if I cut the lip as you did in your red box? Since mine is white already do I need to paint it? What is the purpose of using a red box with white paint if I white box would do? Just wonder if you have a reason!
Q5 How do I deal with my cats? They don’t sleep in my bed with me but sometimes they get into the bedroom and take an afternoon nap. Will they have bedbugs or the eggs on them? How do I get them off?
Q6 I have a Jiffy steamer (big dude to steam clothes with) and also an attachment for upholstery on my carpet cleaner. (RV bedrooms are small and the bed itself sits on a wooden platform and is surrounded by carpeting (darn!) which I think we steam and then put double sided tape around it (expensive)? If I vac the bedroom, then steam it, how long do I steam each spot? I have seen NO SIGN of bedbugs other than what I think was in the lint (maybe from someone elses RV???). My bed is already covered with a zippered anti-bedbug cover and I have no box springs or frame, just the board that acts like springs. In RV’s that is part of the slideout mechanism under that board.
I will look for more bugs today and then clean the bedroom. I am putting all the now laundered bedding in plastic into my car to let it cook. Does this really help?
Thanks, sorry for this being so long, but I have a long drive to get some dry ice….none in my town. I am running out of time to fix this before leaving on my second trip to Alaska.
Lilarose
Q7 Then I have to do the bathroom and then the “great room,” which is going to be awful–kitchen, living, dining all in one.
For about a month now I have been covered in bites, my arms are a disgusting mess. Ive been in the hospital, I thought it was a stress rash, Ive had some deaths in my family recently and I thought maybe I just couldnt cope. Last night I found the first bed bug. Luckily Im the only one in the family being attacked. Its just one more thing I dont feel I can deal with. I think it might have been better if I was just having a nervous breakdown. Does anyone have any good tips on how to keep them from biting me while I battle them other than bed bug traps (since I know I have them)? I could really use a break right about now.
Yes, this should work as long as it’s placed in the right location, so move it around. It won’t get rid of the bed bugs, but it’s a way to find them if everything else fails!
Does this trap really work I need to no to c if I have bed bugs please answer back I need to know.
I do not know what to do I got bed bugs tried sprays from chemist which cost me 16 pounds tried tea tree drops and stripped all beds and treated mattress I at my wits end I dont like sleeping in my bed is there any cheaper way to get rid of the bed bugs for good as both bedrooms have them now my 15 year old and I have been bitten I embassed about them makes me fill dirty having them in my home what can I do I am a single mum cant afford to have some one in to treat them is there anything I can treat them with my self x
I have everything new In my house but the problem is the house has bed bugs, what kind of bed bug traps work best? What do I need to do?
Hi Jose,
Make sure you take pictures while building the trap and then some with the bed bugs in the trap – you could end up with some cash :)
4am i been stayin @ my girlfriends house. She just moved in bout 6months, @ first we though they were mosquitos, until i seen a bug on the pillow, were thinkin of gettin rid of the bed, this bug really suck, i check the mattress an didnt find none, several times i check finally i found thm on the bed frame, im gana try the dry ice an see if it works
Hello. About three months ago I bought new bunk beds for my kids. my youngest and my oldest started getting bit. About 1 month latter I found out there were bed bugs in there mattresses. At first we thought they were flea bites. We tried to treat it ourselves with no luck. So we informed our manager and she had the apartment treated twice and they are still here. And since the last treatment its seems there back with a vengeance. My youngest has been sent home several times from school because of her bites. I can’t say I blame then her bites look very bad. some times they ooz. I really need to get rid of these things.
Hi! Lastnight i had just layed in my bed when i felt somethen bite me and i look there was a big bed bug on the bed so somethen to ld me to look round the bed and they were all around i couldnt sleep after that
Hi I have bed bugs, I found 1 bug, I’m am sooo aggravated they keep biting my 3yr old daughter even in the day, my son has only gotten bitten 2 times. I have not been bit. I have used bleach, alcohol, bed bug spray, and roach spray because I heard it worked. But my daughter is still getting bit. I can’t find anymore, so I have no idea where they are. And I have to be honest I don’t have a lot of money I am a single mom so I need to get rid of them asap but it must be cheap. What do I do please help
Hi every1
Well after 4yrs of a really big infestion were we had to replace 3beds and about 200.00 in washing sheets comforters ect. The blood sucking bugs are back n now I have a 16month old n dnt kown how to handel it cuz last time we just replace everything but now money is very n we cant juz spray poison everywher cuz of the baby please help me someone
I had a bed bug sniffing dog in last week who had 4 positive hits; bed, and 3 sofas. No visual sitings of bed bugs; but I have been getting bitten for at least 4 mos. Today I had another inspection from another company; just to get a 2nd opinion. This was a visual; he took apart my bed; the 3 sofas; looked behind some picture frames in the bedroom; nothing. I did get mattress and box spring encasings last week; as well as the climb up traps for my bed; I have had a few new bits; maybe 3 or 4. I am not sure if I should get my home treated or not with this. I have been 2 several MD’s; my internist; who thought it was and treated me for scabies; but was still getting bit – 2 dermatologists doubted if it was scabies or bed bug bites; one said maybe bed bugs. I am not sure what to do- washing all of this laundry is exhausting and I am really upset by this.
Right now I am in the worst feeling of disgust and guilt I have ever felt. I would say several months ago, even last summer, my 4 year old son starting getting huge red welts on his legs and I assumed it was mosquitos from playing outside. There were times he would be covered from head to toe in these bites and then other times nothing. I dismissed it as him being more prone to insect bites than me. Then my mom started to get bites when she would stay over and sleep in my son’s room. I slept with him also and never one bite. Again I dismissed it as they were more prone to mosquito bites from being outside. Then about two weeks ago I got bit. Not just one or two bites, but my son and I woke up covered in red welts all over our bodies. I knew they had to be bed bugs. I ripped the bedding apart and washed it. I checked the mattress, I got up before dawn and snuck in his room searching for the bugs. I saw NOTHING.
One day I went and searched the corners again and found a bed bug shell from one that molted. I got a mattress and pillow covers immediately and we tried his bed again. Bites all over us in the morning. I was going to throw out a body pillow I wasn’t able to cover and figured that was the problem since I never saw one live bug. Then it was mentioned to me that they live in the carpet, bed frame, and drapes.
Tonight I checked the drapes–nothing, the windowsill– nothing, looked at the bedding and mattress again and again nothing. Here I thought I was going crazy so I got a can of Lysol out started going postal on the bed frame just in case. All of a sudden there was one, then two, then I looked in the cracks and screw holes and found my son’s bed infested with these disgusting blood sucking bugs. My husband and I ripped it down and threw it outside. I sprayed Lysol everywhere. They were crawling all over the bed. And we are talking adult bugs.
I feel so bad that I did not suspect this sooner and my poor son has been awakened every day to their bites and I never caught it. Exterminator tomorrow because I think the carpet must be their new home. For all of you who feel like you are going crazy, you aren’t. Check wall outlets, cracks, BED FRAMES, and make a trap to be sure. Even if an exterminator could guarantee the bed is bed bug free, unfortunately it is going to find a new home at the dump.
jena…yes they are elusive. I had same thing, I could not find them and thought I was going nuts. Even the first bug guy didn’t see them. But his boss did. I was shocked.
And Jlynn…yes, it is the same in my house. I am currently the only one getting bit. My daughter had in the past. And yes, mine are lasting some time…worse than mosquito, very itchy, and last a week.
I am still battling. I will keep everyone posted with my results. I am creeping up on week three. Feel like I have pesticide poisoning from spraying so much. I have not seen any in the last week, but I am getting bit.
I tried the trap but I must have done something wrong because it didnt last long enough to catch the bugs…it fizzled out pretty quick.
Good luck everyone.
Dear Lillian Mercer,
I found one recent report of bedbugs at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami Downtown, 340 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33132. It was by rickinva, on 3-31-11, he was “Very Disappointed BedBugs”.
Thanks, BBG
We are going on a cruise and plan on staying at the Holiday Inn across from the Market near the main pier in Miami. I read of 1 person complaining of bed bugs just a few days ago, however no on else in the reviews have said anything. Can you check to see how many repoerts of bed bugs show up.
Hello and Thanks for so many helpful tips .. I have been dealing with these pesky little creatures for about 2 months now.. I tore my mattress to shreds found just a few on the out side none on the inside so I called the bug man .. Showed him what I found we searched my entire house didn’t find another bug, we tore down trim and dry wall everything ..
I bagged everything up placed my stuff out side in a building that sits away from my house.. thought I was in the clear last night I was out in my recliner and felt a bite I grabbed my flashlight and sure enough I had I tiny clear flat bug drinking my blood, after looking at some pics I now know that this was a baby bedbug.. I pulled a reddish flat long bug off the back of my shirt right after finding the baby.
I did read something about the females going off to have there young .. so I am hoping that was the female and I killed her .. I flipped the chair searched it and again found no signs of them living in it.. how ever I have found that rid lice spray will kill these blood suckers on contact and so will bleach water.. I’m tired of loosing sleep and I cannot afford $700 to have my house treated.. But the oddest thing is I’m the only person in the house to get bit.. I have two kids and a husband and they look at me like I’m CRAZY…
I’m going to try some traps and re-bleach my sheets and walls and bed frame .. I guess I will burn my chair omg this sucks … I’m going nuts nuts nuts nuts.. Days will pass and I will not suffer a single bite, then all at once I am covered head to toe in what looks like mosquito bites after a cold shower the bites fade away…. sorry for just rambling I’ve lost a lot of sleep over the past 2 months and I’m going nuts..
HELP
Hi I’m willing to share a secret about killing the bed bugs (in Spanish there called chinches) I never experienced this before but when i did I found the solution to killing them by using the mosquito repellent spray (OFF) it really works you should try it and then respond back to me to see if it worked for you too. Thanks good luck and hope you get a good night sleep!
I don’t understand! It appears I have the symptoms of these small itchy, mosquito type bites that so far sound like they are bed bugs but I can’t find them anywhere. Are you sure you can see them? I lifted up my mattress, ripped off my sheets (and fast so i could try and catch them), but I’m not finding them anywhere, no skins, no fecal matter as I have looked at these pics now.
I looked behind the bed…places where they said hey could hide, under clothes on my floor. is this what i have even if i don’t see even ONE sign of them? These bites are certainly lasting longer than mosquito bites. even the same bite STILL itches from two weeks ago now…or whatever these red bumps are.
It is EXTREMELY distressing and makes me feel like i can’t enjoy spending time with other people out of fear of spreading this if this is what it is. I would rather have lice!!! which I’m incredibly afraid of than this if they can live up to a whopping year!!!!
Also, I know you’ll probably say try the trap. I will, but it’s also hard to get all the supplies as I do not have a car etc. For now is there anything you can say in your knowledge if this is what it sounds like and if you can still in fact have them even if you don’t see a sign of them ANYWHERE?
Rachel,
I also am the mom of a 16 month old. I have been suffering a similar tale….please read. Six months ago, I was getting mosquito-like bites and could not figure out where from. I couldn’t figure out where they were coming from because I never saw any bugs. I went to the doctors and had a bug man come….no one knew what they were. They even checked for bed bugs in my house also….and did not find them. They checked the mattress’ and everything.
All this continued until last week. My daughter (13yrs old) woke up to bugs on her wall everywhere. I scooped one up and saved it and called my bug man. Sure enough, it was a bed bug. He called his boss out, and he found the infestation immediately.
I was shocked! Even though the bug man had checked a couple times and never saw them, his boss was able to find them immediately. In my daughters curtain, where the rod goes through, there must have been a million. Somewhere we never thought to look. Apparently, when the bug man previously sprayed the corners and baseboards, this left the bugs a lack of places to go, hence them scattering on the wall.
We have been battling them since. Its a nightmare. My advice to you is, do not take the mans word that the bugs are not there….even though he is a bug man, he could be missing them. If you saw one, chances are there are more.
They hide well. I found them behind my daughters mirror on her wall too, and behind a poster….after we sprayed potent stuff! If you are still getting bit….you still have them. Unlike a mosquito or flea which you feel it when they bite, if you get bit by a bed bug, you wont feel it until after they are done and gone. If you have the money, see if you have a local exterminator with the dogs. The dogs are trained to sniff out the location of the bugs.
Try the bed bug trap Rachel and let us know what you find. There is a ton of information on do it yourself pest control on this site, just look at the bed bug treatment section.
Hello. I am terrified. I am a mother to a 2 year old son and am pregnant with another due next month. On Tuesday during the day I found a bed bug on my sofa in living room. I bagged it and called exterminator. Exterminator came over and said he checked everything thoroughly but didn’t see any other traces of bed bugs or larvae. But for some reason the past 2 nights I have been getting mosquito like bites all over my stomach and sides. I don’t know what to do. I am losing sleep over this. Please help me :(