I explain how to treat bed bug bites below, but if you don't get rid of them, you'll just end up treating your bites again - so make sure to visit our section dedicated to bed bug treatment.
Bed bug bites can range in severity based on the person being bitten. Some don't even notice the bite while others swell or even become infected. Take Julio's picture below for example, this is was a bad reaction to bed bug bites and it wasn't just his arm, his entire body looked like this! Think that was bad, check out these other bed bug bites!
How to treat bed bug bites? By far, the most popular answer is with baking soda and water to make a paste that you then place on the bite and let dry. Here is exactly how to treat the bites...
1) Make sure to wash the bed bug bites with soap and water.
2) Make a thick sticky paste with the water and baking soda, not too runny and thick enough that it will stay.
3) Let the paste stand until completely dry and then wait an hour or so. Some let it stand for hours while others find that an hour or less is fine.
4) Gently wash the paste off and pat dry.
Other natural remedies for treating bed bug bites include:
Witch hazel, St. John's Wort and Lemon juice - all work by removing the desire to itch (Astringents).
The gel from the Aloe plant is how many treat bed bug bites and contains anti-fungal and antibiotic properties that work great! Simply trim a tip and apply the exposed area to the bite.
Handed down from generations is the bath with peppermint oil, fill the tub with bath water, then add a half cup of peppermint oil to relieve the itching.
How to Treat Bedbug Bites using OTC or Over The Counter medication.
- Cortisone cream to stop the itching
- Calamine lotion
- Just about any topical anesthetic containing pramoxine
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Naproxen or Ibuprofen or a anti-histamine like benadryl to help reduce swelling
- Light paste of aspirin and water like you would with baking soda and water
Have a home remedy or tips on how to treat bites? Feel free to leave a comment below!
I was asleep and it felt like something was crawling on me at 2 in the morning. I turned my bedroom light on to find my blanket and pillow full of bedbugs. I am itching so bad. I came to this sight to find out how to cure it.
8 days ago my friend & i decided to crash at my grandmas house after a wild night out. in the morning we woke up in horror seeing how they freely crawled all over her mattress cover. Within the last 7 days, bite marks have been appearing all over my body, i am practically covered; as to my friend, well lucky her she has only 3 on her arm. The problem isn’t only that i have more bites than her but i believe i have an allergic reaction, the bites have massively grown in size. I do not know what else to try, Calamine doesn’t work, baking soda with water made it worse, Benadryl hasn’t done anything either. I am at a point where i am about to cry. The worst part is that in less than a month I am going on my first tropical vacation. I simply cannot handle the stress, i suffer from mild anxiety & these massive rashes have turned these 7 days into hell. I have stopped scratching because it seems to irritate the bites. Please help.
My doctor prescribed Hydroxyz for bites (usually used for nasal and non-nasal symptom relief). It really works, but it makes you very sleepy so if you have work or things to do only one pill will do during the day, and two at night as long as you have at least 8 hours of sleep.
i went out of town and stayed in a hotel in NY. When i got back home i noticed i had a big bite in my leg. And then they appeared in my waist and torso. I washed my sheets many times but i keep getting bit. It doesnt itch but they dont look nice.
Hello. This is an update on our situation.
A few days ago, the day after I originally posted on here, or the day of, I don’t remember, we pulled the couches out and found three nests on one couch alone, not including some that were probably inside the couches that we can’t get to. It was like a horror movie seeing them, and I physically felt ill.
We vacuumed up the nests and I went in with a blowdryer after that to attempt to kill the eggs. A few hours later, we also sprayed the nests with KABOOM spray, a bleach for clothing. Ever since then, there has been a huge lack of bed bugs. I have found very few adults, and the ones that we have found, have either been /dead/, or dying. We have found hatchlings, but I consider this a good sign, though, as this is showing that what we’re doing is working. I’ve been spraying the KABOOM around where I sleep on the floor since then, and I’ve been able to find a kill any of them that have bitten me for the most part over the past few nights.(I sleep on the floor in the living room because it’s better than sleeping up in my room where we haven’t gotten to yet)
We tried the KABOOM because of a post on here about someone who used something that had a little bit of bleach in it on their children to help with the bites, so we wondered if it would work to keep the bed bugs away.
A deterrence for them that we’ve found, as well as the bleach, is lavender. Blood sucking bugs don’t seem to like it too much. I don’t personally like it because the lotion that we have makes my skin itch, and I’d rather just deal with the bites since my reactions aren’t so bad to them. However, the lavender lotion has been seemingly working, at least a little bit, for my mother and sister. Although this is the case, I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone. It’s okay to use, but it doesn’t seem to be too strong at keeping them away.
I will try to post again in a few days or so and update our situation so you can see what has worked for us and what hasn’t. I hope this helps someone :)
Also, we do have pets and a 10 year old living with us as well. 3 cats and a dog. They have been fine with the bleach smell, though it seems to be making one of my cats a little wild. A suggestion I have, if you try what we’re trying, is put the animals up until the KABOOM has dried, because, where as our animals are seemingly okay, it could still harm them. Luckily our cats are indoor/outdoor cats, so we can put them outside while we do it.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please write, thank you :)
Please e-mail me if you happen to receive a response regarding your “old, hard to heal” bed bug bites. I have them too (3+ YEARS). They refuse to heal, so I know exactly how you feel and look.
mmmiciak@aol.com
Ammonia helps kill the bugs in clothing. Add ammonia to clothes while washing. You can also dampen a cloth with it and wipe off furniture and bed. It is a shame we have gotten away from using the old cleaning products our mothers and grandmothers used.
I love in an apartment and I’ve had bed bugs for about a year. We have been trying many things. We can’t really bomb cause we have pets and have nowhere to keep them during the bombing.
We vacuum the carpets and bed almost everyday, wash everything every week and even sprayed every with bed bug spray. It seems to be working a bit cause they have lessened but I’m still getting bitten quite a bit. Of course they itch and I scratch a lot. I’ve been using the baking soda and water remedy (it works pretty well for me) but before I used to scratch until they bled and now I’m having trouble healing old bites.
The bites are on my arms and my legs (below my knees). I was wondering if someone could give me advice on how I can heal the old bites that I scratched till they bled. They have been healing but its quite slow and some seemed to have scarred. I’m getting tired of people at my high school asking about the bites on my arms and I hate that I can’t wear anything like shorts, skirts and dresses without them being visible.
Any advice on how to actually help me heal them and not just stop the itching would be very appreciated. Also anything on how to treat the actual bugs in the apartment or how to help heal my scarred bites would be great too.
Have you tried the hot-water cure? It’s old fashioned but works for all kinds of bites (mosquitoes, fleas, BB, sand fleas and poison ivy and oak and also for bee and wasp strings but not spider or venomous bites) . My doctor told me about it when I was pregnant and had got bitten by sand fleas. You take a very hot shower, as you put the water hotter and hotter, the itching increases dramatically. You do this until it starts burning SLIGHTLY, BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF!
After a few minutes of hot water therapy, use cool water on the bites. You may alternate hot and cool water several times until itching is minimal or gone. Finish with cool water and apply aloes to bites. You will have several hours of relief. My doctor told me the hot water releases the histamine in the skin glands and it tales several hours to refill the glands. About bee stings: I had a extreme reaction to one wasp sting several years ago. Last year I was attacked and suffered over 60+ bites on my face, neck and upper body. I raced into the house and jumped into to shower and opened the hot water full blast.
The hot water felt so soothing on the bites I stayed there until the hot water tank was empty. I emerged from then shower without ONE single swelling. I was amazed as I thought I might die. If you are stuck without an epipen, this might be something to try. I was told bee and wast venom is neutralized by heat. It sure worked for me.
Went on vacation with my husband, just 3 weeks ago. Stayed at a motel in Daytona. Had a double bed. Slept with my husband the first night, we did not go under the cover. The next night slept in the other bed, went under the cover and low and behold felt something biting me in the middle of the night, so I went on top of the cover for the rest of the night. Told my husband about it when we awoke.
Pulled back the sheet and sure enough there were bugs. I saw 2, but I believe there were more. I killed the two then he went to report it to the front desk and they did nothing about it. We checked out the next day and i did not have a reaction until 3 days later after we left for Orlando. Went to the pharmacy, got lanacane oinment and other meds for the itching. Its been 2weeks since the bite and I’m still itching like crazy. Luckily I came on this site and i tried the baking soda paste and it seems to be working. I also used the witch hazel and will try raw aloe also. I hate to little black bugs.
I need some really serious advice. I’m presently staying in a shelter because of abusive situation. It’s only been two days but I am COVERED in bed bug bites. The shelter refuses to move me to another bed because of limited space they said. I have taken oral and topical medications. The thing is it keeps getting worse and worse because every night I have to sleep in the same bed.
Is there anything, and I do mean ANYTHING, that I can use when I go to bed at night that will revoke these little critters. Does anyone know of any strong smelling cream or spray I can use on myself so that when I lie down they will not come near me. I don’t really wanna keep complaining to the staff since I just been here two days but I’m so COVERED by these bed bug bites and constantly itching that I cry.
I literally cry because its so unbearable. I keep myself clean and my belongings clean. My hygiene is impeccable. But I go to sleep on the same bloody bed and in the morning fresh bites to add to the old ones and they are all itching and swollen and red welts. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.
I recently just got bed bugs from my room mates moms house and the pain is so bad it to me feels like there’s poison in my stomache and it sucks. i have done the benadryl spray didn’t work the only thing that i been doing that helps with the itch is the rubbing alcohol, but the thing is it works but for like ten mins and that’s it. Tonight i am hopefully hopping to try the lime thing and see how it goes will keep an update.
I was in a hotel that had bed bugs. The itching drives me crazy but I found that I got a reprieve when I washed the bites with hydrogen peroxide. The peroxide made it sting, which is great change even if short lived. I alternate that with rubbing alcohol and cortisone cream.
My daughter recently got exposed to bed bugs at her aunts home and has severe bites. The burning was so intense that she was in tears and come to find out tucks ointment helps with the burning and itching! I thought I would share that in-case anyone is going crazy from the symptoms.
I have been divorced from my ex for 4 yrs now but remain friends with him and see him often. I recently learned that my ex in laws have a heavy bed bug infestation. My ex lives 3 houses away but is at his mothers every day as they are elderly. He has been dealing with the bugs and my ex’s petulance about the bugs. They have doctors appointments coming up and I wonder if they should tell the doctor about this. My ex has tried to get them to bathe more, treat the bites, wash the clothes but they act as if it is a big imposition to them. I have not asked him over since I found out about them and am reluctant to do so. Am I wrong in thinking that the ex in laws can spread them to others at the doctors office and is it possible for my ex to bring them here?
I recently stayed at a nice resort and ended up with bed bug bites. Since I was on vacation, I had nothing with me for itching except (and don’t laugh) hemorrhoid wipes. I was desperate so I tried one and the itching would stop for a few hours (unless something touched the bites). Now after reading the posts here I see that witch hazel and aloe, both of which are in these wipes, are one of the better treatments for the itching. The wipes were great, they are “wipes to go” which means individually wrapped so I could carry one in my purse and use it throughout the day as needed and then just fold it up and put it back into the wrapper til next time. These can be bought OTC at any pharmacy and I have the store brand, not name brand.
I live in a high rise apt bldg. There have been reports of bed bugs since I moved in two years ago. Recently it was my turn. I see no bugs, but man o man did they have a feast on my legs, and inner thighs. I went for the ammonia trick. The only thing I had was window cleaner. It helped stopped the itch temporarily. Then I’m good for some hours. When the itch comes back, I douse again in Blue window cleaner again. Strange but true.
It’s been over a week since the first attack. I did not know where or when I got bit. Then a few days later in the night, I connected the dots. At 3 am I was up comparing bite pics on the internet and sure enough my fear was confirmed. I slept on the couch which is only 10 feet away in my studio with no problem. I did not see the actual bugs. I went and bought Steri-Fab spray–a gallon of it. I cleaned, vacuumed, sprayed the crap out of everything. I washed all my bedding in hot water. I threw out a throw rug. Sprayed baseboards again and around that side of the apartment.
My bites from two weeks ago are still rough. I have used the window cleaner, cortisone and then for the open areas , antibiotic ointment. I slept in my bed last night with no problem. I will spray again and again and again in the event of new generations. They don’t sell Phantom in my area. That is supposed to kill 95% of the eggs. Wish I could find some. These little bastards are something else. Good Luck to all.
Hey Guys!
Thank you so much for all the advice. My fiancee and I just moved into an apartment and discovered we have these nasty creatures. I have not gotten to read all the comments yet, but I did want to share our remedy for the itch and swelling.
We directly apply ice to the bites until the burning/stinging sensation stops (between 3-5 minutes). So far, after doing this we have not itched and the swelling subsides. But, this is working for us.
I will try other methods also, and keep you posted.
Good Luck!
I am going to share my experience with you all in hoping it provides comfort and hope.
I moved into my new home on June of 2010. By end of September I noticed my feet was itching and little bites on them. The home has a pool and I been spending a lot of time outside so I dismissed them as chigger and mosquito bites. My mom drove cross country to see our new home. She even was worried about stopping at hotels in fear of bed bugs. I remembering laughing. So my mom gets here. We finally got our 8 grand for buying our new house and went and bought 2 new living room sets and my wife and I insist she takes the bed and we will sleep on the sofa pull out.
After a few days my mom starts getting what looks like a rash on her arm and its driving her crazy. We chalked it up to chiggers as we had been doing some yard work. Well time came and went and she left. My wife and I went back into the room and switched sheets my wife found the Bed Bugs that I laughed about weeks ago. I called my mom right away to warned her to check her bed wash all her clothes she brought with her. We got lucky she didn’t take any home with her.
My wife and I panicked which is the first thing you should not do. We threw out our mattress. Went to war with em. Cleaned everything just like I am sure you all have. We even waited like a month before buying a new bed to be sure and slept on an air mattress. All appeared well we bought a new mattress and box spring even bought a mattress cover but it ripped. I also bought glue pads and placed under the 4 post of my bed. Then my son started showing bites. They moved to his room. We panicked threw out his mattress.
Did all we mentioned above, but this time we hired a exterminator. He came out treated the 2 rooms. All once again seemed well. Then my daughter and my grandson was getting bit. So we repeated the above called the exterminator back out this time he retreated my son room and ours also did my daughters room. All once again seemed well. We then noticed our backs were getting bites. We looked all over the room and nothing. Turned out the little bugs had made it into our brand new furniture. Well I cant afford to replace the furniture. So I checked on a bed bug heat treatment and was going to cost about $3,500. So that was out. I called terminx Who said would be $1,200 and they would finance it but would only offer a 30 day guarantee. The way the bugs been coming and going we didn’t want to pay monthly for something and still have the bugs. So we declined.
I did a lot of research on line watched you tube videos and realized our infestation wasn’t near as bad as it could be. I went to my local do it yourself pest control. She told me to buy a insecticide called phantom it was $100.00 and you mix 4 ounces with 1 gallon of water. She told me a local exterminator that has a trained bed bug dog buys that stuff from her. So i figured why not. I also went online and bought a Steam cleaner for 90 bucks at walmart. (be sure it gets over 140 degrees).
We lifted the couches sprayed the Phantom bed bug spray all over the underneath of the couches. all over the box springs all along the floor boards even bought a special sprayer that would spray the phantom mix into the cracks. We formed a moat of the spray around all our beds. It dries don’t worry. Bought Harris bed bug spray at Ace hardware and sprayed the mattress’s and top of couches. We let everything dry.
We then bought some Diatomaceous Earth from Ace hardware and spread it underneath the bed between the mattress and box spring. In the cracks of the bed frames. (I seen this via online videos on how to apply) PLEASE BE CAREFUL DO NOT GET POOL GRADE Diatomaceous Earth!. Anyway about a week later our steam cleaner arrived. I went into action and steam cleaned the couches and mattresses . Burnt my hand doing so but I didn’t care I was getting steam in every crack and fold of the couches. A week later I found more bugs but they were dead. (The phantom takes 7 to 10 days to work) I then vacuumed up the Diatomaceous Earth steamed cleaned all the floor boards all cracks, bed and couches.
Once all was dried placed Diatomaceous Earth in the electrical outlets (took off the face plate and placed it in the hole of the wall around the outlet) * (Be careful) * Also retreated the beds with Diatomaceous Earth as noted above. I resprayed phantom as noted above. I am not seeing any live bugs now. I steam my couches twice a week and respray phantom once every 3 weeks now.
I am not saying I am bed bug free as adults can hide for a year but I am saying My family is bite free and sleeping good as well as able to sit on my new furniture. I think of it as a war and I feel the phantom spray and steam cleaner are helping me win this war one battle at a time. I will never laugh when I hear someone say they are afraid of bed bugs ever again. I had the same fears as all of you have had. I was afraid someone would see a bug crawl on me at work or I would bring them to work and infest the office.
There for a while every little thing I felt I would jump and make sure it wasn’t a bed bug. I have had to stop family from coming into town and visit me as well as cancel get-together’s at my house this summer. I have spent lots of money in drying my cloths over and over.
I know it feels like you will not make it through but trust me if you keep at it and be persistent you will.
In short:
1) Bed Bug Dust (Diatomaceous Earth)
2) Bed bug spray
3) Bed Bug Steam Cleaner
Seems to really be helping me.
I wish you all the best of luck!
When I discovered bed bugs, at first I thought it was just mosquitoes or something. It wasn’t they his exceptionally well. I cleared any clutter I had, especially near the bed. How to Treat Bed Bug Bites, or bugs in general is you need to first inspect the bed. The black dots are a sign where they dwell. You need to be careful not to alarm them or they’ll just move to another location that’s harder to find.
Once you find where they nest. Steam everywhere, you might see them run so be prepared with sticky tape. After you steam and clean your bed, you need to proof it. Get the mattress and pillow covers. Get the wide masking tape and make it into a sticky tape on both sides. Tape around you mattress, around the legs of your bed frame. This will keep them from feeding on you.
They will starve but not die off completely. That’s why you need to sweep, vacuum, and steam the floors daily. If bed bugs don’t feed on you then they can’t lay eggs. Eventually the numbers will diminish. They might even consider relocating. If you share an apt, it would speed up the process if your housemates do the same thing. It may take months to fully get rid of them but at least you won’t be their meal if you follow me bed proofing instructions.
I prefer not to use chemicals because I have to breathe it in. Worse if you got kid and pets. As for the itch, try salt water.. works best if you didn’t start scratching. Keep the area cool to control the inflammation and itch with a wet paper towel. Then soothe with a generous amt of aloe get. Everyone reacted differently to the bed bug bites. Good luck.
hey ive been staying at a motel for about a week and two days ago i have these welt looking bumps that look like mosquito bites after you scratch them. they are in my thigh(3),my right shoulder (3),left shoulder (2) hand(1) and elbow (1) very irritating and itchy!!!! do they sound like bed bugs?
help please!!!!
Last Saturday, I slept over my boyfriend’s house to be safe from that hurricane that came to NY. His house is pretty infested with them, but he bombed the room where I slept, and sprayed a whole lot of bug spray on and around his mattresses, did all his blankets and pillows, and yet I’ve either been bitten so much, that I can’t even tell if they are “breakfast, lunch, dinner” dots, or just rashes from a bad reaction to something. And the baking soda trick, to my surprise, didn’t work! Grrrrr!!!
About a week ago my son bought me a sectional sofa at a yard sale and by the 3rd day my grand daughter had more than 100 bites all over her arms, legs and back. I told my son that it was chicken pox because she got so full of them by the next day again, until i got up the next morning with my legs, back and arms filled with the same bites…. for my luck the sofa was loaded with the unwanted bed bugs and now they were all over my home. This is the worst itching ever not to mention the frustration when people see you with all the bite marks and they see you like you have something contagious . I threw the sofa out and found a spray called “Rest Easy bed bug repel” ($10.00) and a powder (Diatomaceous Earth) ($10.00) and sprayed all the mattress in the house along with the powder and washed EVERYTHING with hot water. I think they are gone now. I bought Calamine lotion, benadryl anti itch cream, and cortisone but the only way that my itching started to feel better was with “Gold Bond max relief cream.
my family isnt sure if we have bed bugs because my liddo sister is four, she sleeps with her mom and she has about 8 bites on her arm and 1 on her face but her momther doesnt have any bites there are a few spider webs in the house but no more then 3 do youthink our family has bed bugs?
I think I have bed bugs. I have them all around my arms arm pits chest back and sides of my body. Every day they go away then come back then go away then come back I have trieds everything I need help please help
I am 17 years old living in an apartment with tow other roommates. One day I noticed, or felt rather, that I had some red, raised bumps scattered around the center of my back and near my armpit. they didn’t itch or anything. The only bothersome thing was that the bed bugs were there.
At first I thought it was acne or an allergic reaction. I ruled out both because I have never had acne problems in my life other that a pimple here or there on my face. Nor have I EVER suffered from an allergic reaction. Until now, I guess. I came across this site and concluded that I was attacked by bedbugs.
Three days after the initial “feeding” the sores hurt really bad. They itch like no other. By the way, none of my roommates have experienced this. I started panicking and washed all my clothes and sheets. I checked every corner of my room. Nothing. I couldn’t find anything, so them things must be hiding pretty well. Unless it isn’t bedbugs. Today I woke up and realized I had three more bites on my arm just above my elbow in the “breakfast, lunch, and dinner” pattern this site talks about.
After I noticed the first bites on the center of my back, I moved to the living room, thinking that would be fine. But obviously not because I have three more to the collection. I don’t know if I can fix the bedbug problem or not, but I only have a little under a month until I move out. I just wanna make the pain go away. Not to mention they look awful.
I sleeped over my boyfreinds house just for a night my 4month old daughter and I slept on the bed and we got bit bad but my poor baby seems to have pus on her bites..she got bit even on her face her fingers etc..but funny thing my boyfreind didnt get bit, I got home and i washed everything we took in hot water dried in hot washed my beeding all her blankets the car seat was left out in the heat for 2 days..then i washed it in hot water i vacumed the whole room sprayed alcohol on the carpet on my matress..question is what more can i do? is there any chance that they could still be in my room?
i just recently stayed at the A-1 Motel and our bed had bed bugs. i really want to get rid of these bites because they itch so bad. i have them all over both my arms, legs, neck, back, and my stomach. i want to get rid of them so i can go out in public without having to be embarrassed over them. i will try the baking soda and water thing and i hope it will work.
Ive had a boy friend that stayed at a gospel mission in seattle and complained an complained how bad they were there. He came over to my house, which im not blaming him, he has never been bitten. Plus we had another person at our house that came over that has the same problem. Ive been getting bit for about 4 months. Kids sleep in my room an they havent got bit at all. I bombed the room, ive vacuumed, scraped mattress,washed all clothes several times in hot water searched everywhere took off matting that was on my box spring and I could not find a single one!!!! Well since i bombed I havent been bit, but tonight as i was sitting here i finally saw one crawling on my clothes that were on the floor. Now im freaked out! Could there only be one? Or do they always produce a family?
I am staying at A up scale hotel where they are charging me top dollar to be attacked in my sleep. I am waiting for the hotel management so I can introduce him to my new hostage (bed bug). I woke up at six and pulled back the sheets and there it was one of my knight time terrorist. They ate me like I had cherry flavored lotion. I HAVE TO WARE PAINTS TODAY AND ITS HOT. I AM NOT HAPPY. So how to treat bed bug bites like this, what lotion works best?
Hi all Im sitting here at 3 in the morning itching away got first bite 3 days ago I know the apt upstairs was heat treated 10 days ago I guess they traveled down here. glad I found this site yesterday I went all around with a hand held heat gun all over base boards and any cracks I can find also vacum three times I will do it all again tomorrow stay tuned Jack
I dealt with these creatures for over 7 months. thought I was going crazy. 3 doctors- allergist-GP, dermatoligist. was treated for scabies as well. every day 2-3 new bites. some days none. i did the diaclamateous earth- alcohol- website bed bug kikkers. Finally, I actually saw 3 in a box. then i called an exterminator- for bedbugs. showed him the box he came 4 times – every sat for a month. something to do with how they reproduce. luckily this was a good man and he charged 300.00 and guaranteed it. i ripped out the carpet- the baseboards- everything in my room. only saw maybe 20 bugs in total. he said i had been treating them so that was why there were so few. Finally they are gone- 2 months now. I was the only one getting bitten- my husband did not until the very end and not nearly like me. The drs do not know for sure what the bites are when we go. and when we traet ourselves we kill them… but they hatch and are not gone. Had I known i would have gladly paid the 300 in the 1st place as these things nearly made me crazy. Just my story
Just came back from a hotel stay, have one VERY itchy bite on my wrist. I don’t know for sure that it is a bed bug bite butI haven’t unpacked my bags yet, so hopefully everything is safe. Right now I have an aloe and lidocaine gel over the bite, but when I get home I may try soaking it in tea bath. the tannin in black tea can also help with itching and swelling.
I have been suffering from these stupid bed bugs but i want to know if the baking soda mixture thing only cures the itchiness or make the spots disappear because i try as much as possible not to scratch it because it makes it expand. I am looking for something to make my skin color be maintained not to be having unwanted spots all over. I’m on the heating business to cure the bugs though. Thanks for the hints.
I dont know if i have bed bugs but they look like them. i tried to pop one that really hurt and i did and pus came out. Do bed bugs leave pus behind? I am in pain. i Have one in my back and it hurts all the time i move its worrying me. Can some one help me GET RID OF THEM.!!
I spent the night at my boyfriends house 5 nights in a row, knowing that his family owns a couch infested with bed bugs. I find it weird that I’m the only one, out of 7 family members, that gets bit by the bed bugs! Its crazy! I get bit during the day when I sit for a few mins, or even sleep on the bed at night, but it still baffles me that I’m the only one who is suffering from the itch of the bites. My son who I share the bed with does not get bit at all, which is great, but I’m curious, “why only Me?”
Someone Help Me
the exterminator said they live can live anywhere!! your light sockets,outlets, cracks in your walls,your tv,dressers anywhere. We threw all our furniture and beds away and months later still have this problem all over again.
My family and I have had bed bugs for about 6-8 months we have tried everything that we could except hire an exterminator because we cannot afford it. I am actually awake right now because I just found 3 bugs in my bed!!! I have been rubbing baby oil over my whole body and have not got bit I suggest that you try it, it has helped me I can honestly say I do not get any bites when I use the baby oil
My husband and I recently stayed at a Scottish Inn, off I-75 in Florida, on our way back from NJ. We needed a room on the first floor. The only thing they had was a $32.00 room + tax. Since we were tired from driving, we took it. During the night, I woke up and I felt like something had bitten me. When we got up to get ready to leave, I noticed both my arms, left leg, one on my face, left ear and one bite on my neck had been bitten. I immediately took a hot bath, but I still can’t stop itching. I’ve never had bed bug bites before so I visited this site. I definitely will be trying the baking soda and water mix. My husband has two bites on his arm, but they’re not as bad as mine. He thinks he received them at the prior motel we stayed at.
I think that hotel/motel/inns should be mandated to fumigate their rooms. I might also purchase the special light that’s used to detect bed bugs before getting into a motel bed.
I’m 19 years old; I Been staying at my aunts house for a while now and I just knows she has bed bugs; I always thought it was maybe a mosquito bite; but realized they aren’t put yet my arms stomach and back keeps getting bit I have ugly marks on my arms from this scratching I’ve Ben doing; it’s hidious… My question is how do I tell my aunt u have bed bugs without her being offended?
My daughter stayed at a friends for 2 nights…. And brought home bedbugs!! She has bites from the top of her head to her feet. The itching must be horrific. Poor child. After 2 days of not being able to stop the itching, as a last resort (on a Sun at 11pm) I told her to use a bathroom spray cleaner that had bleach in it. She only put it on her legs, but the itching stopped there, just not on arms, stomach or in her head. Don’t recommend bleach but she was able to get a couple hours of sleep. I will try several things to try to help her that I have read from previous comments. Thanks everyone….
so part three!
woke up expecting to find one or two crawling up my wall to die. no signs of life, no new bites. was feeling better…
then i found one of all places in my kitchen sink!
decided to also throw away my coat and two chairs…and am going to buy that powder and an allergen cover for my spare bed (which is now in my room). I am going to hold off buying a new bed for a month or so…
I thought I would add a little follow up. I intend to win this little war and I intend on doing it quickly.
First and foremost I think the wisest course of action to take is to get rid of your bed. the whole shebang…the mattress and box spring and all your linens, blankets, pillows and articles of clothing you use to lay in bed with (robes, pajamas and underwear). It’s just not worth it. Get a temporary air mattress for a few weeks if need be. You will be better off in the long run.
I wish I did this about five weeks ago when i was first bit. My mistake was thinking this was like something like crabs or lice which could be treated quickly with a topical solution and some special shampoo. By the time you actually get to seeing one after you’ve been bit it’s too late for your furniture.
I’ve cleaned the entire area…this time sprayed it all down with a bedbug killing spray (Raid). Everything, nooks, crannies, corners, the vent. I’ve also re-inspected my spare mattress. No sign of anything. I’ve gone as far as going into both. the inside of my boxspring has been saturated with the raid spray as is the “down” side of the mattress. I slashed into the side of the mattress and sprayed inside there too. I am going to be mopping with bleach in the morning and afterward I will do my spray down again.
I’ve been doing my best to create a disturbance…on top of the whole poisoning them thing I’ve been beating my mattress and wrapping on the floorboards and walls for the past few hours and I haven’t stirred anything up yet. i think this is a good sign. I’m hoping the problem was mostly confined to my bed.
One thing I’ve noticed is my cat is unaffected by all this. I’m assuming I’m the tastier option of the two but I’m not discounting the fact she may be spreading eggs around my apartment. she has been carefully inspected from tip to tail with a nit brush and she has no bites, isn’t scratching and seems to be just as snug as a bug in a rug. To be precautionary I am going to begin dusting her with flea powder in the morning when i go buy some.
I think the lice/bedbug/flea killing shampoo and gel I’ve been using accounts for me not getting munched on that terribly…as i stated earlier the worst of it seems to be over and I’m going to keep using gold bonds and neosporin. I had a few other topical anti itch creams lying around and while they’ve helped some…nothing soothes like the golds bond. I feel very lucky that I’m not bitten in anyplace visible. my right bicep was where i was bit the most (besides my feet)…which is also the side i sleep on.
I am also going to look for some of that feeding powder…I have no idea where a livestock store is around here. I plan on using it the way you would a borax. I’m going to put it in a squeegee bottle and pour it along all the nooks and crannies of my room, between the floorboards and between my spare mattress and box spring.
I will say be careful with using baking soda on your skin. Maybe some people have had success with this but to my knowledge all you’re going to do is cause further irritation. You could potentially create lots of tiny little red white heads where you let it dry on your skin.
There is another old wives tale that says sprinkling a little garlic powder in your pets food will prevent it from ever having fleas. never tried it but i just might now…
I guess its time for the true test…time for sleep…
don’t let the you know whats bite….
last Christmas i decided to treat myself and got myself a brand new comforter set…i think that’s how they got into my home because ever since i broke out this expensive comforter set i started itching. silly me had to go and buy it at a discount store…
been fighting them the past month. got rid of my bed today…cleaned the entire area very well and fortunately i have a seemingly clean twin bed in my spare room to sleep on till i get a new bed in for myself (twin is too small) and when that comes this bed is going out too. I threw away ALL of my pillows and bedding. I’ve inspected the boxspring and beat the mattress to stir anything to see if they are there as well but as the spare room is just that. The twin bed and the spare room have barely been used in years.
i don’t know…while i hate it this doesn’t seem to be in the “full blown infestation” mode…the bites stopped about two weeks ago when i started power cleaning and using bedbug repelling shampoos and gels and they’ve faded away almost completely.
best thing for the itching for me: gold bonds anti itch cream and neo sporin to help promote the healing.
tonight’s my first night with the spare bed. like many i pretty much live week to week…i can get something if i want to go as cheaply as possible (about 350 for a queen/300 for a full) but now I’m paranoid these “bed-in-an-hour” companies will bring more into my home…
Bobby Larson,
NO you cannot contract HIV from Bed bugs in fact as far as I know they haven’t been found to transmit ANYTHING they are just a nuisance and if your allergic to the bites its worse otherwise they are not dangerous. However there is always the danger from infection I mean the bites becoming infected if you don’t take care of them like any wound not HIV. And they are creepy but ultimately mosquitoes could be more dangerous if u there is west nile around or something.
BuggedOut,
Maybe before you go fear mongering, you should at least Google whatever your about to say that makes you look bad? First read above. Second to answer your question how did you say it….. oh yes ……. Is the blood cleaned by the bed bug when sucked up from infected people? Well the answer is yes and no. HIV can’t live very long at all once the blood has been exposed to air much less been digested by something(ick).
The bed bug can not give you HIV not even if you ate one that was full of HIV infected blood tho I doubt this has been tested(GROSS) lol . Now moving on to your “instant cure for AIDS bed bug digestion transfusion?! um first off I think you really mean Bed Bug dialysis from what you are describing however if anything like that would work don’t you think just giving someone all new blood via clean blood transfusions would work? We do have the technology to clean someones blood which like I said above is called Dialysis. However we can’t clean HIV virus from the blood.
The problem with this idea of yours the BuggedOut’s Bed Bud AIDS Cure Dialysis Machine is that the blood in a bed bug is dead blood. That is why it is red and since HIV is a virus which is also alive it guess what…. yep you guessed it ^_< Live Blood which has Live white blood cells in it which is where HIV the virus that gives you AIDS lives and when they die………………. get the picture. The second problem and also the reason HIV hasn’t been cured yet is even if we could clean HIV from the blood with Dialysis or some other method like the medicine they prescribe today, is that HIV is able to move between what is called the blood brain barrier where we are unable to do, with medication or any other means and so the HIV virus hides in it and even if your bed bug machine was to work and you cleaned the blood of HIV and then put it back in the person soon as it you did the virus would come running out the brain barrier to greet & infect it………
It isn’t 1980 ya know there is a plethora of information about HIV how it works, how it is/isn’t transmitted and HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF from it. I can tell ya ignorance is not one ….. st
I have been getting bit for over 5 years, I went to the Dr. he said it was welts from allergies, once was bitten on the face, it swelled so bad my eye looked like I had been hit..the whole side of my face swelled into one welt…some on my upper leg are 7-8 inc. round.
I am 59 and never had any allergies before.. My other half never got bit until recently, and it is only recently I’ve seen the bugs.. we got a new kittie and he gets them before or after they get me. That’s how I finale got to see one, he woke me up chasing it..the bites I cover with alcohol for 2-3 days, the itching stays down… am going to try the Diatomaceous earth trick, am on a small pension and can not afford Orkin or any others..love this site, great information..
Hi Lauren,
To find out if the bed bugs are using the couch as their main breeding ground, visit my page on bed bugs traps located at the top right and make one to place next to the couch!
My boyfriend is staying with a man who rents a room out in his house. The last tenants had bed bugs and the living room couch and everything is infested and theyve been gone for a month. The bugs were dormant until a week or two ago. The man has sprayed the house with something that is supposed to kill bed bugs yet my boyfriend is continuously being bitten. We counted around 100 bites. They are swollen and the itching is making him crazy. He is unable to sleep at night. We are trying to convince the man to just throw the couch out. Since he has no carpet we believe the couch is their main breeding ground and the sprays DID NOT WORK.
Hello all I just want to put this out there that heat is the best way to kill these little pests. I work for a company that uses heat to do structural pasteurization, in other words we heat the entire house up to 140°+ (which is higher than the the thermal kill point for bedbugs) for an hour or more (though they can only withstand that heat for less than 15 min) This has been the ONLY way to kill them with a 100% success rate since they are becoming resistant to chemicals and DDT is illegal. Some things work for some infestations but not for all, there are a lot of good ideas on here :-)
It is a little on the expensive side but personally I can’t put a price on my comfort I don’t know about you!
WE have been battling bed bugs and ive had a horriable reaction to hundreds of bites resulting in huge welts.. Sarna is an over the counter lotion for itching that has worked better than the 3 creams the doctor gave me. JUst thought id share.
Well I have those blood sucking bed bugs in my house my kids scratched so much it left marks how do I get rid of it
when i was a young kid and got the chicken pox my mom had bathed me in warm water and oat meal, when my children developed chicken pox i did the same for them, this helps with the itching for several hours. You can buy packets of oat meal at a drug store for purposes suck as chicken pox, poison ivy, poison oak, etc. The packets sold at stores contain oat meal and other ingredients to ease itching and burning. I hope this is helpful for anyone who is willing to try it, it works for my family.
Just recently had my first experience w/ bedbug bites in Nicaragua. Hundred plus bites in one night and over a period of three days they became so inflamed, there were tiny blisters on each bite. These suckers snacked on me like I was an all you can eat buffet. I itched 4 days straight and finally went to a pharmacy there, which prescribed me acne creme. Worked, I guess, at least psychologically. But the bites kept festering more and more.
Luckily we were at the tail-end of our trip and once I arrived back home I immediately soaked in a hot-hot Epsom Salt bath. I used 3 cups of Epsom Salt, repeated that twice…and shazaam! The bites reduced in size and the itch was “almost” completely relieved. I had an extremely severe reaction going on and at one point considered going to a dermatologist or hospital to get some professional care.
Now I’m REALLY paranoid the little bastards are slinking out of my backpack and into the carpet, soon to reach my bed – thus sparking another outbreak. Did wash almost everything that was in my possession on our trip. But, who knows… I’m itching just writing about this.
TRY THE EPSOM SALT BATH….
I noticed the bites the day after my landlord came and sprayed for other bugs. I had 31 bites when i woke up the next morning. I told her and she said they looked like flea bites and gave me bombs.
I never actually saw a bedbug in my apt. I don’t notice anymore bites while i was home but a week later i broke out in what looked like hives. I went to the emergency room and they gave me a steroid and said to take oral antihistamines for the itch.
Now it has been 2 months and i when I spent the night at my boyfriend’s home, i got bit several times and thought it was hives cause the marks look the same. This has been happening for about 2 or 3 weeks now. I came over tonight and decided to wash the bedding and found one crawling on the mattress pad.
How do you get rid of them without having to call the professionals cause they even bite through clothes!?!??!?!?!?!?!
Bobby,
If the bed bugs fill up on an infected person’s blood, then you crush one of those bugs and it bursts infected blood on you, or your hand going to your mouth, then why would it not? Or better yet, how could it not infect you?
Is the blood cleaned by the bed bug when sucked up from infected people? If so, why not expand that and do a massive transfusion of infected people’s blood through a device using the same method used by the bugs? Instant cure for aids, right?
my concern is i am homeless and staying at a mission for now downtown Seattle there are thousands of these things in our city and biting a lot of sick people …”CAN YOU GET AIDS FROM A BED BUG???”i guess this is a major concern for a lot of people and how do we go about eliminating them in our city???..what do we put on the bites or do we just leave it alone???
And, how much does heat treatment for bed bugs cost?
My husband returned from a Military Deployment…and brought bed bugs home with him. The day after we realized we had them, an exterminator that specializes in Bed Bugs came to our house and sprayed. They scheduled themselves to come back in 14 days to spray again (to kill the new bugs that hatch after the initial spray). We were old the spray would kill all the adults and babies…and the second spray would get the new hatchlings. 3 days after the initial spray, we started seeing adult bugs again!
We took extreme measures and hired a Heat company to come in. They heat your house to approx 150 degrees (internal wall temp of 140 or more). Bed bugs can survive for 7 minutes at 115 degrees. The heat company heats your house to well above that temp and maintains it for 4 hours! It was great!!!! We have not seen a bed bug since…except for dead ones!! I will warn everyone…the treatment is not cheap. We have a 3200 sq foot house that is only 2 years old…the cost was $4000. They base the cost on square footage, age of home, insulation, etc. I freaked when I heard the estimate, but worth the money to be rid of them!!
Clearasil acne cream does work for the bites. Just apply on affected area and repeat – in about 2-3 days the itching will stop.
WE have been dealing with these pests for over a month now! WE are covered with welts and itch continuously. I tried bathing in shaving cream and get some relief. the shaving cream has a disinfectant in it that purifies the skins and relieves itching for several hours. I still find a stray bed bug every now and then but we have almost got the problem solved.
I used an Aloe Vera Gel that also worked.
The baking soda and water remedy cured it up within the hour i had it on. THANK YOU! :D
I thought “Goodnight, don’t let the bed bugs bite” was just a saying before I went to sleep as a child. Now I know they’re real…
The bed bug is a universal problem yet it can be dealt with on a regular basis. used items and new items carry bed bugs. always wash and dry for 20 min. ( its the heat that kills the bug). bed pillows need to be washed and dried on a regular basis and the beds head board are full of body skin cells that attract the bugs. a good old cleaning with vaccum and wipe down is needed. keep your vac cleaned and bag empty after each use, the bugs are in the vac.
use home remedies first and its safer. don’t try something just because someone tells you to do it or they say it worked for them. do some research first and then make it your own idea. ask pharmacist because they are knowledgeable about medicines and chemicals, but even be careful and do researching when given advise. kalee signing off.
All these bed bugs can be dealt with. it is best to use a non chemical treatment to make it safe for your environment . here is one i found, food grade Diatomaceous Earth found at garden centers, follow instructions, and move beds away from the walls, sprinkle in the carpet deeply, on to base boards , ( it works like borax powder for fleas and roaches) .
Wash all things washable and leave in HOT dryer for at least 20 minutes. The old timers used to sun dry and air their hand made quilts outside in the sun all day and bring them in before the dew would start to settle. they also did their mattresses and pillows and cushions and this must have heated up things a bit but be careful that the sun doesn’t fade the color.
The skin treatment for the bites can be trial and error because each person reacts differently to treatments.
(1) In the tub put 1 half cup peppermint oil in your bath…
(2) make a paste out of baking soda and apply to the area where you were bitten
(3) I was in Fla. one year and my two children were bitten by Jelly Fish and the sting was horrible,,,,the life guard wet the sting area and poured Meat Tenderizer Salt on to the wound…and this worked so quickly , the pain was gone almost instantly.
(4) When bitten by Chiggers found in the grass and also called Red bugs, the Pharmacist told me to get some Petroleum Jelly or Vaseline and apply to each bite and it would smother the Red bug and it would die….IT WORKED SO QUICKLY ….and now i pass that on to everyone.
the Red bug bite is just as painful and itches with no let up like the Bed Bug bites,,,only difference is the Red Bug is in your skin living under your skin until you kill them. I remember my mom and dad use to say when fresh grass is cut not to roll around on the ground because the Red Bugs ( or Chiggers) would get ALL OVER YOUR BODY, and they were right so back in the 60″s we had only few treatments and the old remedies were passed down from family to family. ( you can buy Chigger ointment from pharmacies like Polks or old timers Drug Stores) we used Micureocome and Methilate for bites and scrapes. My spelling isn’t great.
NEVER PUT ALCOHOL ON BEE STINGS OR WASP STINGS OR ANYTHING WITH A STINGER..it will force the venom into your blood stream and increase the danger, always use like Meat Tenderizer salt, toothpaste, and anything that draws out the venom from the skin. Use lemon juice, Aloe Plant, NEVER EXPERIMENT WITH TREATMENTS OF ANY KIND. i hope this helped. CHECK OUT YOUR LOCAL WHOLE FOODS STORES AND HERBAL STORES FOR HELP. BUY A BOOK ON HOME REMEDIES FOR INSECTS, GO TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY AND CHECK OUT BOOKS FOR HOME REMEDIES THAT ARE SAFE.
Most of all don’t get too busy to just give your every room and your car and your yard a GOOD OLD SPRING CLEANING AND DECLUTTER UNUSED STUFF….BASEMENTS AND STORAGE BUILDINGS BREED UNWANTED INSECTS FOR US. CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN THE OLD FASHION WAY. IT DOES HELP MOST OF ALL.
KALEE SIGNING OFF.
We took a road trip with our kids, stayed in a nice hotel and guess what? Bed bug bites on all of us. I usually carry a product with us as it works on insect bites so we decided to try it… thank goodness it worked and got rid of the pain and itching quickly… i ordered it from a website but soon found out that I could do the same thing with baking soda and water as mentioned on this site. Before you buy, consider the alternatives! Thanks and good luck to everyone!
I recently flew on Airtran Airways, First trip I went well. flying back I had a 30 minute layover in ATL (not enough time to sit down). By the time I got home I was covered in bites from the back of my thighs to my neck. I counted over 100 bites! We have got a serious problem here. these bugs are on planes. I knew nothing about these bugs. Thank you for your stories and remedies. I won’t think twice next time they ask me if I want to upgrade to first class.
i kno what most of yall ppl saying ….i recently stood over a friends house and my bestfriends brother bed was infested but i never knew it was so we bunked together. I stayed over ther for 3 days. The friday i came home stayed in for the weekend and bam monday morning woke up outta my sleep with the most painful itching ever! it got bad within hours
All my life i’ve been allergic to basically everything i thought it was a normal allergic reaction…when i went to the doctors she told me it looks like a random bug bite not a bed bug bite but i didn’t believe her she sent me home with some cream and steroids for the swolleness…but why i think most doctors lie to u idk because i google’d the cream she gave me it was for scabies {so that means i got bit by a begbug and didn’t even know} not even a doctor knows half of the times what are things…thank god i read up and treated my self for bedbugs!
I moved into my apt in April and started getting bitten in June , my apt have been professionally treated 3 separate times. I have a 3 year old and I’m so worried for her she doesn’t seem to get bitten or if she is she doesn’t have the bad reaction that I do which is good. I have 18 bites in the past week the worst I’ve ever had. I can’t find the little blood suckers but I found a bed bug spray at home depot. I’m going to treat my house wash and dry all my clothes in hot temps , then caulk every crack and crevice in this apt. I plan to do this every week until my lease is up and I can move out this apt 7 more months.
I just moved into my new apt with my 1 yr old and 3 yr old sons. the first night we slept on covers on the floor until i got the beds in. that very first morning there we woke up with bite marks on us. i thought maybe they were just mosquito bites or something. after the beds got in we continued to have this problem. poor kids cant play right from the itching. I’m pregnant so when the bites we on my stomach i went crazy especially since i worked so hard not to scratch and cause stretch marks.
I don’t think my infestation is very extreme RIGHT NOW. i know for a fact they aren’t in or on the mattresses so that only leaves the crevices along the sides of the carpet. i got on my hands and knees to look but i still didn’t see anything. I KNOW THEY’RE THERE, WE HAVE THE BITE MARKS TO PROVE IT!!!!!! the little blood suckers are excellent at hiding.
I told the landlord and if his exterminators don’t get rid of them, I’m moving out asap, no questions. its totally uncomfortable and irritating to have to worry about these type of things.AND POOR 1YR OLD CANT SCRATCH LIKE ME AND THE 3 YR OLD CAN!!!!( maybe that’s why his bites don’t look as bad)
We helped a girl who we ran into who was being beaten by her B/F. She and her daughter stayed one night, and we got them to a safe place. Now we have bed bugs. I threw away our bed. (Our guest had used one of our blankets.) Thank God my landlord is going to get an exterminator! It’s at least $300 for them to come in. And yes, the itch is unbearable.
Since DDT was banned there has been an escaltion of bugs. Malaria is killing millions and now bed bugs are taking over. I am waiting for a exterminaor right now. Something is biting me and I cannot find out what it is. I know Benadryl itch stopping cream has been my salvation. I have order a few things from an online shopping network and wonder if we are getting these bugs from other countrys. I am stopping all shopping online. The only way I feel like something is on me is to take a shower. Where is the CDC on this problem.
recently i have gotten an infestation of bed bugs.. i noticed it not long after i got an exterminator to come spray for ants and other outside bugs.. after he sprayed i noticed an increase of spiders(especially black widows) and a lot more bugs coming inside.. i have a fairly new home(5yrs old) and i shouldn’t have this problem… make sure you get a real professional company to come and do the work. ask what they are spraying/laying down, and what they are treating for and research it to be sure.. i think my house was baited rather than treated
I had bedbugs in my house in Florida. Bad infestation. I got rid of them without any harmful chemicals. I moved all of the bedroom furniture away from the walls and vacummed very good and then I bought a bag of diatomaceous earth and sprinkled it all over my baseboards, carpet, etc. This acts like borax powder used to kill fleas.
I got down on my hands and knees and rubbed the powder deep into my carpet and it cured the bed bug problem. I have now been bed bug free for 3 years. You can find the diatomaceous earth in the garden center and it is very inexpensive.
Your only cost is your own labor.
I’m suffering a similar problem. I had a friend who stayed with me on and off for a few months. She just didn’t tell me she had bed bugs right away. I had three kids and one on he way at the time. I bombed everything, threw out lots of things, and washed everything. Its now been a year and they’re back. Only now i have three kids and I have recently become the only income. Im barely holding rent and i don’t know what to do. I’m about ready to burn everything i own. I just can’t take it. I work 40 hrs., go to school, and have a child starting school in a week. Urgggg!!!!!!
Here’s one for ya…I drive over the road truck. On Friday 8/13 it was miserably hot so I stayed the night in a reputable motel. I now have bed bugs in my truck!!!! I’m getting a new mattress but am going to tell them to wrap it and tape it real well until I get home and bomb my truck. Being such a small space I figure using an insect smoke bomb will work. Well, at least it better!!! I have tons of bites all over my ankles, feet, several on my face, on one arm and on both thighs. Yup, the itching sucks…
n washing will not kill bed bugs.. you cannot drown them heat kill them only
will bleach work when washing don a matress to kill bed bugs?
Keke and Becky I hear u on what u wrote. For one I don’t think any1 likes bugs unless they r getting paid to get rid of them or show them at a zoo. Why do they call them bed bugs when they are not always in your bed?
I’ve only thought of them as some bug that is usually found in a hotel room bed because of the different people in and out doing who knows what causing germs. When you have your home and keep it clean where do they come from??? I know what fleas, ticks and mosquitos r.
Well thanx to my yahoo “what’s the trend now” would have never came on this site, plus it comes at the perfect time, kind of weird.
Excellent question! Check out Rebecca’s bites on her legs on my hotel bedbugs page.
Thank you Jayne!
Jim
what will the bed bug bites do to black skin
I have read a lot and saw a video where professionals can heat up your house with a machine to 140deg which will kill the bed bugs.They do make bed bug sprays (raid and others) and you can get mattress covers at wallmart. the ones for allergens will do. Don’t forget to seal up zippers. Read you can mix baking soda and water to a paste put it on for an hour or so. Wichazel, st johns wort and lemon juice, aloe and peppermint oil in tub may help relieve itch. Hope this helps.
I can’t stop inching . I have not had any new bites .but I’m still inching .please tell me how long do it last when do the inching stop? My friend give me a mattess n box s. Last week I just started wakeing up n the med hours of the night with bites n hives on my arms n hands. One night I seen a bug n google it , it was bedbugs i jump up waking everyone up in house we put both mat n box s. Out cleaned up real good spary everynight n havenot seen one sence, but how long is the inch? N are they gone or just hiding.
What in the world is going on with this awful bedbugs? They seem to be all over the place, on the news and now in my bed! I hate these things! Why where they ever created in the first place?
I have no idea what works…. all the benedryl, cortizone, calamine lotion, and any cream/ointment said that they help with insect bites DOES NOT work. Once you start scratching, it’s over, you are going to scratch until the cows come home. If I am able to the trick is not to scratch at all. The enzyme is only released when you scratch, unless you are highly allergic like the picture that is show above, and I thought I was allergic, guess not.
Thank god! Witch Hazel seems to work. I am gonna try the baking soda paste and peppermint oil and see if that helps. I guess I could get off the embarrassment wagon and ask my doctor for something.
Why do I have over 100 bites on my left leg (from toes to mid-thigh) and I have none on my right (leg)?
Also, I blanket sprayed my sofa with 91% Isopropyl alcohol and how do I get rid of the fumes?
Warning! Never allow a friend going through a divorce to “house-sit” your place for a few days when they’ve just come from a 3 night stay at a $50 a night cheap motel!
I use witch hazel with aloe vera (from Thayers). Apply with Q-tip or cotton ball. WORKS VERY WELL for me, especially when applied soon after bite is detected. Found that if it stings a bit when applied, it is likely that bite was recent, and more likely to reduce the itch. If I apply soon after a bite, I feel a little sting from the astringent, and the itch if often eliminated (although not sure how large the bugs are that bit me).
So if you are good at being able to detect the bite ASAP, you may be more likely to reduce the itch than if you treat long after you’ve been bitten. The more mature the bug, the greater the reaction.
Plain witch hazel probably also works fine, but the additional aloe vera in the bottle I use may help.
Tried vinegar once when I had no witch hazel, and it seemed to help, but not as much as witch hazel. Very dilute ammonia had no effect for me. Hydro-cortisone helped, but not that much.
Hi Ann,
I have not idea on the success rate of tenting a house to kill bed bugs, perhaps someone here who has done this can chime in?
Jim, Do you know what the success rate is for having your house tented with Vikane Gas/Chloropicrin is?
I’m still freaking out about this. I see where someone said that they had their house fumigated and they still have BBs. Has anyone ever had their house tented and with what and what was your results? I had my house done over a week ago and I havent’ stayed there yet.
Well I had my house tented for bed bugs. It cost me $2600. My home is about 2000 sq ft. They said it wasn’t necessary to wash anything unlike some of the other treatments. It is more than worth it to me as long as it works. I haven’t stayed in my house for over a week now. I’m still itching, but no new bites. Is that common, to still itch for so long afterwards? I just don’t feel comfy/cozy at home any more. I don’t want to be here. I’m seriously thinking of selling or renting my home and moving out. I’ll keep you posted as to whether it worked or not as soon as I can start staying home again.
Another problem is mites. Yes, mites! A mourning dove had built a nest by my apartment window. The baby bird died, not sure if it was the mother or a crow. Anyway, the bird mites swarmed and caused a similar problem. Covered with bites! Had to call an exterminator! Same thing as bed bugs!
My house mate has bed bugs and I just moved in with her the bites are so bad on me that I had to go the hospital! She thinks that its fleas and refuses to believe that she has an infestation of bugs!
OMG! This is the worst ever. I have no way near the bites I’ve seen in your pictures, however this itch is worse than any pain I have ever felt. I would take the birth and labor pains of childbirth over this any day and I have had 4 kids, natural. At least I knew the pain would end.
This…this…ugh!!! I went to the doctor and the moron said my son and I had scabies. I wish. They are easier to get rid of than bed bugs. He gave us a CREAM to cover our bodies from head to toe. Said to bag everything that can’t be washed. Make sure sealed air tight for 3 days. Ok I believed him after all he is a doctor. Did everything just as he said I had to pay 70 $ cash for my medicine. I lost 3 weeks of work because of how severely I scratch in my sleep.
One month an a half later here I am. I went back an d told the doctor, it isn’t scabies because I have been to the badbedbugs site at least 30 times this past month and he should feel free to check it out. I guess he felt insulted. Needless to say I have changed my carpet, washed everything in hot water, and vacuumed and vacuumed yet somehow 1 or 2 pop up daily.
Please some help here. I cant afford this. Does the baking soda really work. And my son poor guy is only two his blood is sweeter than mine. He has like 3 or 4 new bed bug bites a day. Help!!!!!!!!
I recently went through a bed bug experience in my home. My upstairs where my children sleep was infested. I am still in the process of having my home professionally exterminated. Lots of money invlolved.