After 1 week we were bite free. Cleaned up the dust and applied again for safe measure. We have cleaned up the second application and happy to say bed bug and bite free for 5 weeks. We were apprehensive at first that it would work, but luckily proved wrong.

Professional treatments and extermination were out of our budget and this worked just as effectively and much more budget friendly. Make sure to wear dust masks when applying and buy mattress covers and pillow covers. We didn’t end up buying the “bed bug” labeled covers as they cost $45 each at walmart and opted instead for the vinyl mattress zippered cover and pillow zippered cases that were $12 and $4, respectively. And your furniture should be 6 inches away from the wall during the application.

Your room will feel messy for a bit, but it ended up working out. I would also recommend purchasing the poly duster as it will make the application much easier, than using a flour sifter. As well, I had ordered 2 4lb bags, but only ended up using 1/2 of one of the bags. This stuff goes a long way and you must apply it in a thin layer barely visible to the eye, otherwise it wont work. Only downside is you must clean the dust thoroughly afterward. I’m talking wiping down the floors and furniture on your hands and knees at least 2 times and vacuuming the box spring and mattress.

We also took all of our sheets (bed skirt, duvet cover, comforter, sheets, pillow cases and pillows) to a laundromat and used their super large machines and their very hot water option to was and used the hot dryers to dry our linen. The hot water and dryer will kill and potential bugs or their eggs and by going to a laundromat you won’t break your machine.

DE works like a charm for do it yourselfers!

The only way you bring them to your boyfriends house is by transporting something they are hiding in, like clothing, furniture, etc. Check your car to make sure they are not in there as well!

I am washing everything in hot water and drying hot. Now I am going to get the diatomaceous dirt as suggested and some bed bug sprays. Does alcohol really work? I appreciate all the suggestions. I guess I am not too tasty because I don’t have bites just the bugs. ARG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so worried about getting them in my car or my boyfriend’s house! Will just being clean when I go over there be good prevention for spreading them? Every little thing makes me think there is one on me. I feel so sorry for those being bitten especially the kids.

I am terrified of the bugs and the expense of getting rid of them. All I receive for income in SSI. I hope the DE helps me get rid of the bed bugs!

I’m a medical student so i did my own research and found that it was indeed a bed bug. i didn’t know what to do. that was my first encounter. i read about DE but i couldn’t find it anywhere. i study abroad so it’s much harder, i don’t know where to get it in this country. one day i went to a mart nearby and saw some kind of chalk used to kill ants, cockroaches and bugs.

I decided to give it a try. i drew around the perimeter of my bed. so far i found them dead whenever they tried to crawl up my bed. served them right! ohh and the chalk is really cheap! I’m so happy because well, I’m just a student. i couldn’t afford all the professional service thing. thank god i gave the bed bug chalk (DE) a try :)
good luck to all you guys!!

My husband took my living room furniture to the dump today … see I thought I was home free for about 2 months until three days ago when I noticed the breakfast, lunch, and dinner bite pattern on my left arm and then realized my whole right hip was covered in bites. I had fallen asleep on the couch.

Today we found 1 on our outside patio furniture. I was sitting outside since we don’t have a couch anymore. I am the only one in my house getting bit. It’s hard to understand how crazy this can be if you are not a direct victim. My husband was not convinced it was a problem initially… now he is ready to move and leave everything behind. Every time I start to get comfortable and think they are gone… they aren’t. I can’t sleep. I work a lot, and I miss my bed… at least just being able to get in it and relax… I threw out all my favorite pillows. There’s no where to go that just says “homme”.

It always feels like something is crawling on me… I can’t tell people. It’s like I have herpes or crabs or lice.. pure humiliation. I’m so exhausted. I’m so afraid to have people over. I don’t feel like going anywhere. This said speak your mind… I’m speaking my mind.

Dissolve sugar in water completely. (heating may speed up this process, but you MUST allow it to come back to room temp before using.)
get warm tap water and dissolve yeast in it.
Fill bottle about 75% full with sugar water.
Add the yeast water.
drill a hole in the cap and insert a small length of the flex tubing.
Seal any air gaps around the hole with calk or Elmers glue.
Put the cap on and seal the hole around the tubing with the tape.
Tape the other end of the tubing near the bottom of the bottle.

Place the bottle in the center of a piece of poster board and secure double sided tape (or glue some duct tape upside down) in a square surrounding the bottle. As the bed bugs try to make their way to the bottle, they will get stuck on the tape.
Known Issues:
I do not know how the CO2 rate from this fermentation compares to a human’s exhalation. If you are in the same room as this device, you may still attract them to you with a stronger scent.
I do not know how long the ferment will last, and with the above method I don’t know how to measure it, but if you live near a home brew store you can buy a water seal that includes a ball in it*. This ball will click letting you know the progress of the ferment. (also consider picking up some Champaign yeast while there, it will last about 4 times longer than bakers yeast from the grocery store)
Lastly, bed bugs secrete an “alert” pheromone, I don’t know the range, or how long it lasts, but if enough gets on the poster board and its persistent then you may have to replace just to eliminate the warning to future bugs.
*If you decide to get this there are some size issues with the exit side of the CO2 monitor and the fish line tube. These can be managed by cutting the ends off small balloons and using a rubber band to secure to both ends. Be sure the rubber band on the hose side isn’t so tight that it clogs the airway. This can be identified by the balloon having an internal air pressure.

Hope this helps. If some DIY’er out there decides to build & test it, let us know how it goes.
Gary

I was so disappointed to hear that I’m again on my own to rid my apt of this problem. I have done extensive research, and I will be purchasing Phantom today and distributing the pesticide myself. I emptied out my dresser and closets, washed, and bagged everything. I still have not seen any bedbugs. But my son and I continue to get bit every night. I’ll post again after I exterminate.

I will be moving out in April when my lease is up, and I pray that I don’t take them with me. I’m not keeping anything except our clothes, electronics, and my son’s toys (which I will be freezing for a few days to kill any bedbugs hiding inside).

Good luck to everyone who’s battling this issue, it SUCKS!

The problem, though, is that we have absolutely /no/ money. We’re even on food stamps. Neither of my parents, nor I, can get a job. Is there anything anyone can suggest that is super cheap, or maybe doesn’t cost anything that can get rid of them?

They’re in every room of the house, and we don’t have the money to replace furniture or beds.

If you know anything that can help, please e-mail me @ notsoeasyzz@gmail.com I would appreciate it so much. In the mean time, we’re going to try and get DE, and hopefully tax returns will bring in enough to get heat treatment.