Bugs, I could just cry

[Zoe Girl]

I am a little over the feeling like crying at this moment, however I am icked out and overwhelmed and a little pissed off.

I have been battling bugs in this house for about 2 years, we moved in 2 1/2 years ago. One is that it is an old house and there are unsealed areas in many places. Under the bathroom sinks are gaping holes around where the pipes go into the walls. The windows in the basement don't totally seal in the storage areas, I sealed one with that spray in bright yellow foam for insulating reasons. So every 6 months I do a super bug thing for the spiders and cockroaches and all that.

Then add the bed bugs and my oldest child who moved back in with a lot of stuff and we really are stretched on space. She has mounds of fabric (clothing, blankets, etc) and not a lot of space. She does keep it in her area well, it just needs to all be washed and dried in hot water and sealed up in some way to deal. I had the bed bugs mostly under control for awhile (the kids say no, and one child tells me that I am not dealing with it) but they are sooo very hard to get rid of. Basically it will take a concerted effort by all of us working together to get them back under control. Now to get the severely depressed young adult who I argue with over basic dishes to help with this tremendous task, oh dear.

It is horrible, I am ashamed, my house is fairly clean considering how many people in how much space we have. I seal almost all the food in the kitchen as a habit from living in California, and got containers to seal the last few things that were not already sealed. I wash bedding in hot and got zippered casings for mattresses and pillows for the bed bugs. We have used sprays and diatomaceous earth, I even threw out one box spring that had them. My uncle who is a landlord guessed a minimum of $500 for an exterminator, and I simply don;t have it. The landlord is most likely to say there were not not bugs when we moved in so it is my expense, and possibly reqire I get an exterminator if I move out if I tell her. It just feels like such an uphill battle all the time. If nothing else I am putting my foot down on some things. one is that the kids like lots of pillows and blankets on the couch and I say no. 2 pillows and one blanket and the rest sealed up and available. Also I am going to do all the dishes every night myself rather than nagging and trying to get the kids to do them.

Part of the fallout is no matter how much I clean I don't want to invite anyone over, I am scared to take a suitcase or bag anywhere (I treat them all before I go places), I don't want to tell anyone so we just don't have people come to our house. I really just feel doomed even though I know it is possible to deal with these things,

[Wildflower]

Zoe Girl, could you maybe borrow the money for a professional exterminator from someone, like maybe your parents? From what I understand it takes an exterminator to totally rid your house of bed bugs for good. I could be wrong though...

I'm sorry you are having this problem. I understand how you feel. We had an ongoing battle with bugs at our old house a few years ago. It about drove me crazy, literally....

[CathyA]

So sorry Zoe Girl!
My DD had bedbugs in her old apartment. She spent so much of her time washing and drying things over and over, and then keeping the stuff she didn't use alot in sealed bins. She would put her books in ziploc bags in the freezer for several days, and that would kill any eggs.
We really wanted to make sure that she didn't take them with her to her new apartment, and bought her a steamer. Here's a pic of the one we bought her. It is a great investment, although I don't know if its meant to use alot in a whole house......but you could definitely start in the bedrooms.
I know DD was totally overwhelmed, so I can imagine how you must be feeling.

I've read that the bedbugs only predator is the cockroach........so maybe they are helping a little?
Seriously look into one of those steamers. I know they are expensive, but I think it could really help.
Also........whenever you get a new pillow or mattress, you must get special covers that keep bedbugs out.
And when you dry things, dry them several times over.
Try not to get too discouraged Zoe Girl.
((((hugs))))

http://www.usbedbugs.com/Vapamore-MR-100-Primo-Dry-Vapor-Steamer-58-PSI_p_39.html

[Rosemary]

I'm sorry you're having to deal with all this. It sounds frustrating and exhausting.
When I was a grad student there were huge flying roaches that got into my apartment and freaked me out daily. I hated it if I had to get up during the night, their time to roam! I finally got rid of them by leaving a thin line of boric acid along the kickboard of the cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom (I didn't have any pets). It scratches their exoskeleton and they dehydrate. Perhaps this might work in your bathroom cabinets and basement?

[Float On]

I'm so sorry. The stress of dealing with bugs is horrible. I met a young family who is among our 'homeless count' in the area. Anyone living in week-by-week hotels are counted as homeless. They have 3 young children under age 5 plus the 2 adults living in a hotel room and they are dealing with bedbugs. The bites on the kids were horrible, they can't sleep and they can't afford to move out of the hotel and the hotel won't let them move to another room. Thankfully they are getting some help from several of our ministry groups in the area to get them into a safer hotel and new clothes.

[rodeosweetheart]

WE have similar issues in the South with fleas. I bought a Shark a couple of years ago, the handheld model, and forgot about it until we started cleaning the pantry yesterday. I am steaming the shelves and thought, this would kill bug eggs, too. IT might be worth a try, that and I second the boric acid.

I put a part of a flea collar in my vacuum bag, too. Maybe that would help with the BB?

I am sorry you going through this--I know what you mean about the bug infestation--exhausting and I start to feel really guilty and bad about the environment and it's hard to fix a problem that won't go away!

This is kind of out of left field, but there are people that feel they can communicate with the bugs or mce and get them to leave--like a meditative thing? Not sure how it works, but it was through communicting with them to go elsewhere--my mom can do it with her ants, but my mother is very advanced with nature and spirituality, more so than I! Maybe look into that?

Here is a link to an article about patchouli that says it is insecticidal
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/patchouli-oil-benefits.html

[Zoe Girl]

Thank you all, I think I will check out patchouli. I use limited sprays since we have allergies to everything under the sun and that concerns me.

The rest of it is another family drama. I decided to just clean the kitchen myself before bed every night I am able. My kids tend to stay up later. I woke up this morning to a pan of rice left out and uncovered, so one child will wake up to a pan of rice in her bed.

[Float On]

I wonder about tea tree oil? Do bugs not like it? I know when one of the kids came home from camp with lice (that wasn't fun) I used a really strong tea tree oil that I ordered and it worked better than all the chemical shampoo things. For a long time I'd add a bottle cap of tee tree oil to the kids shampoo bottle....just in case but thankfully we only had to deal with that the one time on one kid.

[CathyA]

Float On.......moving them to another hotel room probably won't help. I'm sure the bugs and eggs are all through everything they have. They are such a scourge!
Zoe......in order for steam to kill them, it has to be over a certain temp. What's good about the dry steam machine like I posted, is that it is much less likely to cause mold in upholstered things.

[Float On]

Float On.......moving them to another hotel room probably won't help. I'm sure the bugs and eggs are all through everything they have. They are such a scourge!


That's why the ministries are supplies all new clothing and household items. Most people living in hotel rooms don't own much to start with.

[Gardenarian]

(((hugs)))) zoe girl You will get through this.
I'm so sorry you're having this nightmare!

[Packratona!]

Hey Zoe girl I am going to tell you the truth: Take it from someone who has been there: only way to get rid of them is to have the whole house heated up to the correct temperature by a professional company that does this (they bring in gas heaters, hoses and tents). They will tell you what to do to prepare for the heating. I will cost you probably $1,550 to $2,000 to do this but you must find the money for it. Otherwise you will not get rid of them, even if you move, disinfect everything, throw away everything in your house. Because they hide and will follow you.You will have to tell the landlord, and also be aware there may be laws in your state that will require the landlord to pay for it.

[Tussiemussies]

Maybe if you do some research on the Internet you could find which is the best way to get rid of them...I do believe that tee tree oil is potent and we were in Bed, Bath and Beond and the now have mattress covers that totally encase the mattress just for this problem.

There is an epidemic in NJ where we live so I refuse to go to any hotel, or a movie theatre where it is dark, I read that somewhere.

There has got to be a way to get rid of them. Is there any type of food that attracts them that they would drown in? Or something like that? How about sleeping with the lights on? Maybe that would help? I too have read that certain essential oils will deter them and you can spray it where they hide....

Hope you find a solution soon....

[Packratona!]

1) Only food that attracts them is human blood.
2) Sleeping with the lights on will not help, they will still come out and bite when they get hungry.
3) Spraying with tea tree oil or other disinfectant could work if you could locate every last bug and spray it with it. Miss one pregnant bug and forget it, useless time and expenditure. They are very good at hiding may I add.
4) Encasing the mattress will help to keep them out of the mattress inards. However they will just crawl onto the surface of it and reach you. Also, you will have to have your home heat treated which will kill them on the mattress with or without the mattress encasements. So personally I would not waste money on them.
ONLY SOLUTION IS THE WHOLE HOUSE HEAT TREATMENT.

[peggy]

Hey, just read this morning that the leaves of the kidney bean is an old remedy that folks are looking into now. Of course they are trying to make a synthetic version, but it just might be time to plant some kidney beans. I think I saw the article in google, but if you google bed bugs and kidney bean leaves I'm sure you could find it.

FYI, might be a good side crop/product for the farmers market if it really works.