Bed bugs

**luna moth** · June 20th, 2014, 01:05 AM

We've finally worked out that we our girls are being attacked by bed bugs. It was hard to work out, because we had it come in a spurt and then go, back in Jan/Feb, then nothing else until May. And just now we've been away for a week - no bites - and now we're back and the bites are back on DD1. But tonight I made the connection that the Jan/Feb attack was from a portacot that a friend gave us, and then from May we were using a blanket on DD1's bed given to us by the same friend. Both times DD2 got a pretty bad allergic reaction, so I'm glad I've worked out what it is.

But now I have to get rid of them. Need tips. Many tips. And sympathy. I am so irritated by it - so angry at myself for letting it happen.

**Mum2SweetCs** · June 20th, 2014, 01:14 AM

Buy the protectabed and lock those damn bed bugs away.

They encase your whole mattress as thats where bed bug love to live.

For blankets and clothes i think read up that you can use a dryer to kill them off and the eggs.

Some also suggested diatomaceous earth!

I had a scare and read up alot about bed bugs but turned out mine was carpet beetle larvae.

All the best and hope you get rid of these pests!!

**ladybirdflies** · June 20th, 2014, 12:38 PM

My friend had bed bugs, the only way to get them killed is by treating and locking down the mattress for a certain amount of time. Apparently you can wash blankets and put them in the dryer and then in a sealed bag in the sun. Ring a local pest person about bed bugs ASAP!

**AnyDream** · June 20th, 2014, 02:33 PM

Massive sympathy coming from here!! I am massively paranoid about this because my DH travels a lot but he's the sort of person who wouldn't notice/react to the bites so I would be the person who gets the full force of it. If that were me, I would get your home treated professionally, vacuum like a maniac (especially in any of the suspect areas & nooks & crannies) and hot wash & dryer every last shred of bedding (including any thing that might've been stored/in cupboards with the suspect bedding.

On the positive side, you know what you're dealing with now & you know not to accept any more donations from your friend!!

**luna moth** · June 21st, 2014, 02:13 AM

On the positive side, you know what you're dealing with now & you know not to accept any more donations from your friend!!

This. I need to acknowledge the emotions around this. I'm pretty dark at her - laugh at your non-housework all you like, but don't go making my life harder!

I did a bit more searching tonight and I don't think we've got it too bad. It doesn't look anything like the images on Google! If I didn't have the bites for evidence, I wouldn't know. I went crazy vacuuming today, and I'm going to steam or freeze all the soft toys and probably a few other things that were in their room. We will try diatomaceous earth. And I'm pretty close to replacing the single bed mattress anyway. The cot mattress is a tougher call as we're nearly done with it.

We don't have a dryer, but I'm going to see what I can arrange.

**AnyDream** · June 21st, 2014, 04:42 AM

Yes, I think I would be feeling quite upset at having received such a "gift" too. FWIW I'm not sure that that bedbugs are 100% preventable from housework & many people don't react to the bites so they might not have realised, kwim?

Have you seen any of the little suckers? How do you know it's bedbugs for sure? Without a sighting, is there a chance that it might still be another kind of critters (like fleas)? How would you know?

**Mum2SweetCs** · June 21st, 2014, 11:34 AM

Yeh marydean brought up a good point. Are you sure it is bedbugs as i had a bad reaction once with little limps and it turned out to be bird fleas (a nest was found outside my window)

I think they said u can put sticky tape upsidedown or something to try catch these critters??

All the best and i too would be soo mad!!! Oxoxo

**luna moth** · June 26th, 2014, 01:16 AM

Feeling more and more certain it's not bedbugs. Have seen one, and it doesn't match google images for bedbugs. Or fleas. So what else could it be?

I found a few tiny spiders around the kitchen, which is nearby, but they wouldn't attack, would they?

**Mum2SweetCs** · June 26th, 2014, 01:18 AM

Luna does it have like stripes? Look up carpet beetle larvae

**surprised** · June 26th, 2014, 01:49 AM

If you use diatomaceous earth, be really careful as the non-food grade version is dangerous if inhaled.

Good luck!

**AnyDream** · June 26th, 2014, 05:12 AM

I was reading about headlice today & I discovered that people can have body lice - which typically hang out in the seams of clothing, bedding, etc. Might it be something like that?

**luna moth** · June 27th, 2014, 01:56 AM

If you use diatomaceous earth, be really careful as the non-food grade version is dangerous if inhaled.

Good luck!

It's food grade. I'm planning to also use it on my kale.

MD - I've been checking out lice! The bug I found under her bed matches the body description for a louse. Just trying to work out what kind it could be. The bites don't look like the body lice ones, and neither did the bug I found.

**Netix** · September 16th, 2014, 03:50 PM

How have you gone with it Luna Moth? Any progress in identification and erradication? I can only imagine the frustration.

For what it is worth, I always put a few mL's of tea tree oil in with the rinse (I pour some white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser, then the oil) when I wash bed linen and towels. Every now and then some eucalyptus oil in the rinse too, because I am pretty sure that most bugs don't like either! Or spiders for that matter, so I don't get any spiders in my linen storage. It has worked so far (knock on wood).