As most of you know bed bugs were once on the down low but have now returned with vengeance or as some may say a bed bug epidemic is on the rise. With this ever growing problem it is key to learn what a bed bug is, where they hide and how to get ride of them and keep them gone for good.
Susan Smith-Durisek wrote a great and informative article for Kentucky Living. In her article she highlights many ways to minimize your contact with unwanted critters - bed bugs. The main points that she covers include inspecting your mattress in a hotel room before settling in. What should you look for? Rusty spots or actual bugs along the mattress seams and headboard. Also, one of the most important things to remember is never, ever pick up discarded furniture on the side of the road. You never know if there are bed bugs lurking in that free recliner chair and it's wise to know this is one of the most common ways to pick up bed bugs and cause an infestation in your own home.
On BadBedBugs.com you'll also find a FAQ section as well a checklist to use when traveling. Be sure to check out these sections if you have further questions on bed bugs. You'll also be able to share your own bed bug experiences while reading about other visitor's experiences as well. If you have any tips not mentioned in this article, please feel free to share them with us below!
For everyone that is has these disgusting critters, my mom used to have them but she got rid of them by washing all clothes and leaving all furniture outside in the sun because these bed bugs don’t like the heat an second she clean every room with bleach. Just remember heat will kill these bugs blow dry your mattress throw your close in the dryer!!!!’nnnn
Transparent could simply mean it hasn’t feed yet and in it’s youth, do you have a picture?
I found a bug crawling across my forehead one day and I’m not sure if it’s a bed bug. I am getting bites, but only on my head and neck, and a small cluster on my wrist. The one I found on my head wasn’t a dark brown, it was more transparent. Any advice? Thanks❤
Can bed bugs hide in clothing basket’s ? I found out i had bed bugs in February & i’ve been trying to get rid of them ever since then Also, after cleaning out my bedroom & spraying everything, I found one running across my matress cover & found some on the carpet and on the wall’s.
How can i keep these nasty critters away & gone FOR GOOD ?
PLEASE IM DESPERATE FOR HELP .
Can bed bugs hid inside my carpet (i dont have shag carpet) cause we got rid of our couches and have diatomatious earth on every edge of the walls in my house and around and under beds ive had a “pro” spray my house but I dont think its working very well…… i dont know what else to do and im at my wits end
From what I know, my exterminator tells me those store brought bombs will not kill an infestation off bed bugs in your home. Professional strength fumes will be key. (This can be pricy) Also getting rid of precious furniture and clothes is a waste of money since they could be hiding anywhere and you risk spreading the infestation when you start to move things. So anything suspect, like mattresses, box springs, shoes, purses, toys, clothes etc, should be sprayed with alcohol (which doesn’t kill them but only irritates the hell out of them and brings them out) then put your stuff into plastic bags and inspected one bag at a time before placing back into closet, drawer, etc. Meanwhile professionals should treat furniture, crevices, and rooms before bringing personal belongings back into room. One good trick (putting clothes in the dryer for about 30-40 min will produce heat that will kill off any live bugs or potential eggs. You can buy those plastic bed covers from walmart to cover mattress, but have mattress treated first! Hope this helps. The store brought bed bug spray is also just a temp fix. Take that with you when you travel.
here’s my problem… i have been bit by two bed bugs… i of course killed both of them before they had the chance to run off n breed. they weren’t the adult bed bugs cause the weren’t huge n fat like the ones i have seen on the internet… but i have been flipping out because i found these two.
I checked for all the signs and have found no traces of these pests. not no where. i refuse to sleep in my finished basement room at my grandmoms because of the two i killed. i have a two year old who sleeps with me. we moved up to the second floor and have no bites. i’m just wondering if there’s more bugs laying low cause i set their comrades on fire. lol I’ve been in the basement since then but not to sleep.
Also like to say i was bitten at 8 and 10 am you know in the morning well after their supposed feeding time. i just don’t know what to do. we can’t keep sleeping on the floor upstairs. my daughter misses her room and her toys. if anyone has solid advise please let me know. and my grandmom sleeps on the first floor and has no bites at all. i don’t know if this means there was only two bugs or if their just hiding some where off the normal checklist.
I used to work in a feed store years ago and we had an all natural section which included Diatomaceous Earth. From what we were taught about this product was that it kills crawling insects by cutting they’re body like glass (as they crawled over it) .Yet it was safe enough to sprinkle in bird seed (feeders) and it would not harm the birds. According to other posts also it dehydrates the bug ,either way it works. Just be careful not to get in eyes or breath into lungs. Also rubbing alcohol put in a spray bottle will kill them on contact.
Hi Tosh,
It can’t be just any power, it has to be diatomaceous earth if you want to kill the bed bugs.
So do you have to use that special powder or will like baby powder work? Does this work for Spiders and things to or only bed bugs, because I am not sure if I have bed bugs or not but I just doused my house couches everything with baby powber and hopefull that will kill whatever it is.
Ok I need help the past 3 nights I have woke up with bites all over my legs they are very small and very light but they itch so bad and they itch all day long. I am the onlyone who has bites though none of my 4 kids have any bites. Also I can not find what is bitting me and not me or my kids have went anywhere to attract them so I do not know how we would have got them. I am going crazy please help!!!!
if I move from my apt now and get new things will I have to replace all of my clothes in the closet?? will the bed bugs be hiding in my shoe boxes in my closet already??
I will be travelling soon but im scared that I might sleep in a hotel where the bed might have nasty bedbugs in them… Is it possible for me to know if there are bedbugs in the mattress before sleeping??? like are there ways of knowing?? I really don’t want those bedbugs travelling in my suitcase and helping themselves when they arrive at my home :s
Yes, one of their favorite places, that is why you need mattress covers to seal them in and starve them to death!
can bed bugs hide INSIDE of ur mattress?
It is not a joking matter Rick, these infest your home, attack you at night and cause major reactions (at least for me). If they keep biting you, it’s only a matter of time before your reactions become more painful and then you’ll think twice about letting them live!
Come on Fellas, Dont be ludicrous…….. it’s just a teeny weenie bedbug, how much can those suckers drink your blood? u probably wont feel a thing even if 10 of them sucking u, besides isn’t is wrong to kill? They too have the right to live. If it gets really out of hand then one can learn to hypnotize the bugs and put them to sleep.
Wat say fellas?
the answer is yes…yes…yes……. they can be anywhere and do anything…..but don’t fear them….look at it as a game to play….my solution is a hammock……one of those self supporting ones with the metal frames……..then rap the frame in double sided tape so the bugs cant crawl up it………and also use double sided tape around the base of the walls……all around the room…….it takes quite a bit of tape but its worth it….this way the bugs cant crawl up the wall and drop from the ceiling………also spray the room……there’s no need to get expensive or fancy……i have a secret recipe that i mix up……do a little research and experimenting……and make your self a spray……..and don’t forget to thank me for changing your life…….
I dont how i got them..extimator came and three weeks laters I came back home…now i come back and found 2 more…what can i do …they freak me out…please help
i live in some old apartments after two years my 3 year old son was getting mosquito bites ,at least that’s what I thought, but one night I saw a black spot crawling on the side of the bed so I started looking for answers and it was bed bugs so i sprayed the whole room and they seemed to be gone.
Two weeks later they reappeared so i got rid of the bed set and mattress and got new furniture and they were gone ,but now 3 months later I’m seeing them again but these are BIG they don’t look like ants they look more like roaches.
Friends tell me it cause the old apartments but they only come out in one room and in one wall can they really live in the outlets…… ? HOW DO I GET RID OF THEM??
The reason why some get bit and some don’t is a myth,trust me,you both get bit,its just some don’t react at all to the bites. You can be eaten alive and not even show any bed bug bite marks, hows that for evil and stealth.
Even if you double side tape your bed legs and use vasoline ,the BB`s climb walls and drop onto your bed from the ceiling,they can detect your breathe as it rises up,So make sure you tape all around the top of the walls.
Hello Cordelia,
Yes, they will hide in your cloths. This is the most popular form of travel among the bed bug community when trying to find a ride from the hotel to a nice home :)
Will bed bugs hide on our clothes? pls reply me asap! thks
I am waking up daily with more itchy red bittes.I was getting them everywhere and then i started wearing fluffy comfy pants to bed and now its only my stomache nd arms. I have not noticed a pattern of “3″ bites they are in clusters. I also have a dog and he is going crazy itching. help
It could be a bed bug Ashly – send me a picture (badbedbugs@gmail.com) and I’ll let you know for sure.
What If i think I found a bed bug on my mattress but have never had any weird bites or my boyfriend???? Is it still a bed bug or could it be something else???
Someone told me to spray the hotel bed with Lysol. Does it work in killing bed bugs???
Yes! Bed bugs will travel when you use a bomb. They will just go somewhere else, to another room, to another apartment. These things are aggressive. And they can live for almost two years! Now that is scary! Almost two years without a feeding!
Another way they are spread, people buy things, take them to their house, and then decide that they don’t want it anymore and take it back to the store for a refund or an exchange. Well, guess what, now they are in the store and someone else is taking that problem home with them. Ugh!
Oh, I wanted to add, if you have carpet, I’d rip it up!! The bugs can hide under the carpet and have babies, lots of them, and you will never know. Fact is, You will have to throw away everything you have, shoes, clothing, everything, wash your clothes, get naked, and put your clothes on from the dryer and get out of there! :-) seriously… you are going to have to take some serious precautions to stop these things from going to the job, the theater, the library, the beauty salon…
My daughter returned from an overseas trip and shortly after her return she started get bite behind her legs. I didn’t think much about it because it could be misquotes. Each night the bites were worse and looked like hives and very itchy.
She slept in my room on air mattress and her bites were worst on her legs & buttocks. I don’t understand why I’m not getting bite.
We’re looking all over the bedrooms and can’t find one bed bug. Any suggestions?
Is it possible to get them on a brand new bed?
Can be bugs hide in packed boxes?
My question is, someone told me not to bomb my house with anything while I have bed bugs. Is this true? Will it make my situation worse? I am doing other stuff to get rid of them, but I think I might have fleas, so I want to bomb. Please let me know. Thank You