Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Good Night...Sleep Tight....

but the bed bugs are still biting.....  The house we stayed in had a case of bed bugs.  Guess who brought them home today?  I've treated Puddin, J & I with Pyrethrin.  Our bug guy told me to leave all of our stuff in the car and once the car hits 113 degrees for an hour it will kill all of them and their larvae.  It may take two hours with all of our clothes in luggage.  Feeling a little like Typhoid Mary and that everything I touch has critters on them.  The bug guy also said that if even one bed bug jumps off me in the house it will create millions because they're asexual and don't have to have a partner to procreate.  Lovely.  Hoping they don't have to b omb our house because we'll have to depart for a few days.

I will never, ever again sing the "Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite" song to J.   :(

Anyone with experience with the critters please pass on any info....

12 comments:

Diana said...

OH, YUCK!!! What a way to kill a perfectly good vacation!

Jules said...

Have you tried diatomaceous earth? I've heard that it works very well. It's an abrasive powder made from the fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. The sharp particles damage soft-bodied insects (bed bugs), snails, and slugs, causing them to lose moisture and die.

Linda said...

Oh ewww ewww ewwww! They sound impossible to get rid of! It's hard to think of it being so hot down there yet...up here he'd probably have to bomb the car. Good luck with these critters! Did I say ewwwwwwwwwww...!!!!

Lee said...

Oh Lisa I am sooooo sorry. I work in housing and it has become a really big issue. The exterminator we use said even riding public transportation or movie theaters are great places to bring them home from too. Extreme heat and extreme cold are the 2 non pesticide methods of killing. Our exterminator uses a 3 treatment method. People don't have to leave for days though, only for a few hours. Of course our complex does not allow pets so I don't know if you were told that because of Puddin. We were also told at our training that the critters can live for a really long time (like a year) without feeding. So getting rid of them can be hard. If they get into your mattresses somehow there are special mattress covers that are guaranteed to prevent them from coming out and snacking at night. If you need the info let me know and i will search my poorly organized papers for the info! (smile)

~Dinah said...

Ewwwwwwwww, head lice in school and bedbugs online.....I'm just creepy crawly all over.

What a bummer end to vacation! Guess you won't be going back there.

DD said...

Don't put pesticides on yourselves for bedbugs. They live on furniture/in a room, not on people or animals -- so putting pesticides on yourselves is potentially toxic and does nothing to eliminate them. The care with your luggage and clothes is appropriate -- to avoid bringing them into the house. This website has good information about bedbugs http://identify.us.com/bed-bugs/

Pyrethrum is found in head lice remedies and permethrin (elimite) is used for scabies.

Deb

The Accidental Mommy said...

Oh nooooooooo!

Anonymous said...

Oh Lisa, you have ALL the fun! ;-)

Annie said...

I just remember listening to the bedbug story on This American Life. They made it sound almost impossible to get rid of them. Good luck! Makes me want to stay home, that's for sure.

Kerry said...

Aren't you sweet to make up this whole story to stop us from being jealous of your trip!

The good news is that they don't transmit disease, and as far as pests go they are fairly "clean". I will send some bedbug free thoughts your way!

Sky said...

diatomaceous earth

Sky said...

Diatomaceous earth is awesome, non-toxic and enviromentally friendly. I'd put some down for comfort factor, but it is rather dusty.

I've had bedbugs at where I work. To keep them from the home I did the following:

1: Set up 'decontamination'. Clothes went off at the inside of the door into sealed plastic bags. I showered right after just to make sure. Clothes then into the laundry.

2: Put down diatomaceous earth in decontamination area: aka bathroom. This was after I SAW a bedbug in that room and had a minor heart attack.

3: I inspected beds every 2-3 days.

This kept them at bay.

At work we had the ladies bag their clothes in plastic bags and laundry everything they owned. The heat is great for the suitcases, as they either need to be sprayed, thrown away or put into above 112+ degree heat.

If you can afford it, you can get the plastic mattress covers and cover your (and your kiddos) mattress to curb infestation possibilities. The one they market up here supposedly will lock them in or out.

I'd give your car a good bedbug spray just for good measure. There are over the counter brands with varying effectiveness. You can also dust it up, if you can handle that.

They say that the exterminator is the only way to have the 100% sure death and I do believe it even though my apartment survived a single bug.

I hate them. Good luck.