Topic: Can't Believe This Moron Infected Apt Bldg With Bed Bugs
glm1111
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posted
Sorry, but I am soooo stressed from this I can't keep it to myself any longer. I live in a beautiful gated community senior bldg in the city.
Someone bought a used rug and brought it into his apt, only to find it infested with BED BUGS!!!!
What does he do? He takes it out onto his balcony and shakes it out cascading the bugs all over the place.
This bldg is 18 stories high. We just are becoming aware of it since it is spreading to other apts in the bldg. He told the maintenance people in the bldg, he didn't report it because he was embarrassed.
This is what happens when the ego gets in the way and puts others in harms way. I and the other residents are furious and scared. Tommorrow they are bringing canines into the bldg to "sniff" out the bugs.
This moron is on the 16th floor and I am on 14. Three other apts on 16 are infected and a total of 7 apts in the bldg so far. I have seen 2 people that have been bitten badly.
Sorry guys, just had to vent. I read on line that these bugs are attracted to carbon dioxide. I did a search on essential oils to see if any could repel them.
There were a few such as orange and lemon. Anyone else know of any other remedys short of DDT?
Thanks for listening and if you want to laugh, please go ahead because it's so bizarre.
-------------------- PARASITES/WORMS ARE NOW RECOGNIZED AS THE NUMBER 1 CO-INFECTION IN LYME DISEASE BY ILADS* Posts: 6418 | From philadelphia pa | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
Not funny AT ALL! I'm hearing so many scary reports on these nasty bugs!!
What's the scariest is that they are VERY difficult to get rid of!
I live in an apartment and everything is OK here, but if we ever have to move... it scares me to think I could end up in an apt with bed bugs!
They say they are really becoming widespread.
UGH.. I feel for you!!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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kidsgotlyme
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Oh gosh, that's terrible. What's the deal with bedbugs lately?
Can they not be killed off??
-------------------- symptoms since 1993 that I can remember. 9/2018 diagnosed with Borellia, Babesia Duncani, and Bartonella Hensalae thru DNA Connections. Posts: 1470 | From Tennessee | Registered: Dec 2009
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Carol in PA
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Keebler
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posted
- Kidsgolyme,
the only "conventional" pesticides that work are banned. But I think few have considered thinking outside of the box.
It's a rapidly spreading problem across the country. We all better study up on this so we are prepared.
Gael,
I'm sorry to hear this. I hope you will be spared the hassle of this gross inconsideration. Some people just don't think about the chain reaction of their actions.
Carol,
thanks for those links. Someone's moving into a neighboring apartment now as I type. That's always a toss of the dice - but, now, anything that comes in, we all have to be mindful even of grocery bags, etc.
Moving vans are one source of the bugs.
Luggage is a also huge problem. I hear it's best to unpack belonging out of doors after travel. My days of buying used furniture are over unless I know the seller personally. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
My mother used to say "sleep tight..dont let the bed bugs bite". And until i watched an episode of hoarders recently i didnt know they were real! I guess i live under a rock. Im really sorry youre dealing with this. Going to make me look at garage saleing with a more critical eye.
Posts: 624 | From Oklahoma | Registered: Jun 2010
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Psychological Serious infestations and chronic attacks can cause anxiety, stress, and insomnia.[35] Development of refractory delusional parasitosis is possible, as a person develops an overwhelming obsession with bedbugs.[37]
Other A number of other symptoms may occur from either the bite of the bed bugs or from their exposure. Anaphylaxis from the injection of serum and other nonspecific proteins has been rarely documented.[38][35] Due to each bite taking about 1 ml of blood chronic or severe infestation may lead to anemia.[35] Bacterial skin infection may occur due to skin break down from scratching.[35][27] Systemic poisoning may occur if the bites are numerous.[39] Exposure to bed bugs may trigger an asthma attack via the effects of airborne allergens however evidence of this association is limited.[35] There is no evidence that bedbugs transmit infectious diseases[35] even though they appear physically capable of carrying pathogens and this possibility has been investigated.[34][35]
Hmmm delusional parasitosis? I think it does transmit something. That is just a phrase for saying we don't believe in your symptoms. We've all heard that before.
Posts: 743 | From New York | Registered: Apr 2009
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glm1111
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posted
Thanks everyone for your replies.
Carol,
Thank you for the links. I will look into them.
Keebler,
Thanks for your well wishes.
Some one pmd me about the use of Cryonite. (frozen carbon dioxide) Please everyone, be aware of what you bring into your home.
The problem of bed bug infestation has been reported in 50 states. The maintenance man in my bldg told me that there was a meeting a year ago of 200 maibntenance people from all over the city. They knew this was coming!!!
Why couldn't they have taken some precautions. Wonder if management is really going to tell us the truth about how many apts are really infected.
There is a meeting today here at 11:00 AM about the situation. Have to go for oral surgery this afternoon, but will try and come back with an update. This is something we all need to be aware of.
Gael
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2roads
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posted
Oh Gael....that stinks.
I would seal your entry ways with duct tape....the windows, sliding glass doors. Do not open them until given the okay.
Put a pesticide mix maybe with Boric acid inside and outside your door. Seal it from the outside when you leave and the inside when you come in.
Check yourself briefly before entering your flat. Put nothing on the ground outside your appt.
i don't know if they are attracted to food, but maybe stop cooking and eat out for a week.
Hugs
Posts: 2214 | From West Chester, PA | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
man I am going on vacation next week and all I can think about is bed bugs in the hotels
Paul
Posts: 925 | From Connecticut | Registered: Aug 2010
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glm1111
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posted
Hi G,
Thanks for the suggestions. I have done most of the above. I bought a spray at the hardware store by a company that's been in business since 1932.
The co. is J. T. Eaton and the spray claims to kill them on contact and lasts for up to 16 weeks. The maintenance men said they are spraying themselves with alcohol which is supposed to kill them.
The dog was here while I was getting oral surgery and my apt was cleared as well as the rest of my floor.
I am sure i will hear more from other people tomorrow.
Paul,
My son travels all over the world weekly as he is in sales for a large corp. I am very concerned about him as well. Have you done a search on travelers protection for this? Also, see what guidelines and info the hotels are liable to give out.
Suggestion: wear long johns to bed Just kidding,
I know this is a serious problem and not to be taken lightly. Hopefully, your hotel will be just fine. Have a great time and try not to worry so much.
Gael
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posted
well I am hoping the mariot is good for something but that does not gaurantee it will be safe but I think its a better chance then some mom and pop hotel.
wonder if bed bugs make it on cruise ships? I am also going on a 5 day carnival
Paul
Posts: 925 | From Connecticut | Registered: Aug 2010
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lymednva
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posted
Bedbugs are showing up in full force, worse than ever. My son who lived in NYC got them right before they moved last year.
I know my DIL wipes down things with rubbing alcohol. They have a young child, so had to keep some things for her to play with. Put much in storage.
When I talked to my son tonight I told him I had heard dogs were being trained to search for them. He said that was an excellent idea, and probably the only way to really know if they are somewhere, until the bites show up.
-------------------- Lymednva Posts: 2407 | From over the river and through the woods | Registered: Apr 2006
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glm1111
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lymediva,
Sorry your son had to go through this nightmare. We had a dog here today that is trained to smell them.
I read they have a distinct odor. The trainer said that the dogs are 98% accurate, which means we still have to take precautions. I feel like I am always on high alert.
The black dots I sometimes see dancing around in my peripheral vision doesn't help either. Just seems there's no rest for the weary.
They are finishing up the search with the dog by Friday. It will be interesting as they are really trying to downplay it.
Gael
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lymednva
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Their mostly blind dog never sniffed them out, and she gets places by smell, not by sight. But she wasn't trained for it either.
-------------------- Lymednva Posts: 2407 | From over the river and through the woods | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
Glad your apartment checked out OK, gael. So far, so good!
I was thinking today about whether or not hotels would be having customers sign something that says the hotel is not responsible for bed bug contamination.
So be careful what you sign.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Tricky Tickey
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These cooties seem to be as hard to get rid of as head lice! I remember my kids getting head lice back in the 1980's. It was starting to get bad then, I suppose it still is.
I used to go through their hair looking for eggs. I had to wash their hair with a special shampoo, then spray the linens with a spray that was very costly at the time.
You had to wash everything in hot water. It was such a hassle! I even found one of the little blood sucking beasties in my 2 year old's hat! They're hard to see.
When in a hotel, I look in the crevices of the mattress closely for bed bugs. GRoss!!!
-------------------- Early Disseminated LD- 2010. Currently doing acupuncture and yoga. Negative Igenex (IND & Pos Bands) ISSUES AFTER: Tendonitis, letter reversal, Low immune system. PREVENTION:SaltC,Iodine,Humaworm, Chiropractic. Posts: 1013 | From In a van down by the river. | Registered: Jun 2010
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posted
Good grief! I had no idea. I have to say this shocks me. Understanding that i thought it was a myth and had NO idea it was this serious. I guess i need to google a picture since i wouldnt know a bed bug if it bit me. Now im going to add them to my growing fear list. Sheesh.
Posts: 624 | From Oklahoma | Registered: Jun 2010
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posted
I am with you all... Gael, I am so sorry. I am grateful that everything checked out for you...
You know, I always ask hotels have they had an occurance and I am sure they could lie but for the most part, I think if you tell them you are sick and you wouldn't be able to treat them with the chemicals you might get the truth. When going to NY to see my new doc, I did just that and boy was I glad I did.... Saving a little money vs. what it would cost to treat... if you could treat. Geesh!
Here is a good website on checking on reports at different hotels etc.
posted
The way I have found to deal with them is to use Orange Guard, or TKO Orange in concentrate form. Kills them on impact and deters them.
Put a little in a spray bottle and spray everywhere they are, and around the perimeter of where you are, like around the bed.
The orange stuff is biodegradable so needs to be applied on a daily basis. The orange smell takes about a half hour to clear out.
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glm1111
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Amelia,
thanks for the registry info. Going to forward it to my son.
Robin,
The Orange Gaurd looks good and makes sense, because orange was on the list of aromatherapys that repel bed bugs. Thanks for the info.
Did you have to deal with these extensively to the point where you had to pack up your belongings?
P. S.
They passed around 2 baggies with a couple of bed bugs in them at the meeting yesterday. They look like appleseeds and are totaly visible to the naked eye. This is all just so yucky!
Gael
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kam
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Not able to read what others wrote this am, but thought of this subject while channel surfing and learning the Fire Department had to leave their residence for a few days and stay in hotels as the fire house had bedbugs.
They said they used hot steam to get rid of them.
I assume it was one of the firemen and wondered if they also checked the homes of all the firemen.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
That is encouraging -- hot steam! I am always on the lookout for non chemical means. Thanks so much! Amy
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Andie333
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Gael,
I completely understand your concern!
Actually, bedbugs were just on the nightly news here tonight--another college in the state has found bed bugs in the dorms.
I'm so paranoid about them and have been reading about their proliferation in dorms, hotel rooms, condos, etc.
We're planning a trip to Italy in the spring, and we're renting a farmhouse as a home base for the two weeks we're in Tuscany.
The woman who owns the farm is really aware of the bugs and seems more paranoid than I about them. Of course that still doesn't protect us from bedbugs that hitchhike in luggage compartments and inspection bins.
Before I travel anywhere, I search for bedbugs on tripadvisor.com. If I go to the general search bar and search for the place I'm traveling AND bed bugs, a number of places come up. Also search for bedbugs as 1 word.
We spent a week at the beach this month, and I checked under the mattress and the top of the box springs on the beds.
I've lost 15 years of my life to parasitic bugs; the last thing I want to do is have more from any source.
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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glm1111
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Andie
The vacation in Italy sounds wonderful! Enjoy yourself. I hear you about "bugs" taking away quality of life. It stinks. Everyone is on edge here even after the dogs came.
I just ran into someone that lives in the bldg and was bitten pretty badly. He travels a lot since he used to work for the airlines and can go anywhere for free.
He said they found 2 dead bedbugs in his apt before the dog came. He said the handler brought the dog in and he was cleared.
The dog sits down if he finds any. Well, to make a long story short, I asked him how the bites were healing on his arm and he said that they were much better.
I asked if he thought his apt was clear and he said " well something bit me on the back of my neck last night and not sure what it is" (this is after the dog cleared him)
I looked at it and sure enough is was another bed bug bite. He is very laid back about it. Too much for my taste. I went to Whole Foods today and bought the Orange Gaurd suggested by Robin. "Thanks Robin".
Andie,
you might want to take some with you on your trip since it is biodegradable and harmless to pets and humans. Amazing how damaging bugs can be to the quality of our lives.
Gael
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Andie333
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Gael, I can't take anything on the airlines that's more than 3 oz. Would the concentrate work with what little?
andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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glm1111
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Andy
I don't know if that would be enough, but the maintenance men in the bldg are using alcohol which kills them on contact.
They put it in a spray bottle and it's supposed to kill them on contact. Alcohol could probably be bought in Italy.
Gael
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lymednva
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Bed bugs cannot be compared to lice. My kids all had lice when they were young. It took one treatment, of both their rooms and their heads and that was the end of it.
My son told me the weekend they debugged their small apartment was the hardest thing he had ever physically done, and he has done an Ironman length triathlon!
All that and they still had some come back a few months later.
I do not believe this is being blown out of proportion from what I have witnessed first hand.
In a city such as New York it is a nightmare, as they simply go from one apartment to another, one floor to another, and so on...
The bugs are also resistant to treatments that eradicated them previously.
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glm1111
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I agree lymediva, and if you check out the bed bug registry that Amelia posted above, you can see all of the hotels that have reports first hand from people that got bitten there.
Nike on 5th Ave. was just closed down. I am hoping that somehow the professional exterminators will figure out how to get rid of this Nationwide problem without putting people in harms way.
Gael
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posted
Curiously this has been ALL OVER the news lately. Almost daily. The OSU dorms were infested and they treated them with heat. Makes me itch just thinking about it.
Posts: 624 | From Oklahoma | Registered: Jun 2010
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glm1111
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Lymetoo,
I don't get that statement either. Maybe novy is referring to things like "shaking a rug full of bed bugs all over the place" That certainly would be a case of poor mental hygiene.
Maybe novy can elaborate on what else that statement means. Right now, my apt smells like a creamsicle from the Orange Gaurd spray. I really like it.
Just had another thought. If the bed bugs are only after our blood, then what could we slather ourselves with to repel them?
I'm thinking if they can't stand the source of their food, maybe they'll pack up and leave. Anybody have any ideas of a safe lotion that people could use to make these bugs go "YUK" I think i'll go to another restaurant?
Gael
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posted
what about using something like enormous ziplock type bags to cover mattresses and box springs?
Posts: 94 | From shaker heights, ohio | Registered: May 2010
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glm1111
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You can buy mattress covers and covers for your pillows, but it can be costly for decent ones. They have begun fumigating different apts here and everyone who didn't have a problem that the dog detected is holding their breath.
Several people including myself have bought bed bug spray made by a reliable co. I am afraid to spray my mattress with it though.
I also bought Orange Guard and spray with that. I think anything that bit me would die because of the antiparasitic herbs I take.
Gael
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