Bed Bugs--please answer this if you have experience with this problem or info

[JTFenthusiast2]

My relatives are coming to visit me from NYC and they told me today that they have bed bugs.  Hello???

My understanding is that these creatures easily pass from human to human through clothing or just from sitting adjacent to people who have them in their homes.

I have a busy life and I cannot have bed bugs in my home. 

Am I wrong to suggest they postpone their visit until they successfully address this problem?

Also I need to find an apt in NYC for June/July and I am scared s**tless that these creatures will be in my new abode.

Anyone??? 

[Dr. Dan]

they need to take care of the problem first.  you need to postpone.  bed bugs hide in clothing

[JTFenthusiast2]

Thanks Dr. Dan,

That is what I thought and I was bold enough to say something like that to them, but they didn't really want to catch my hint. 

What about finding an apartment without bed bugs?  If you ask a landlord are they legally obliged to tell you the truth??

I really can't handle bugs, they freak me out

[~Hanna~]

I've never had that, but I watched a video recently about this one family who had to have their entire house fumigated....the entire house....they had professionals come in and close up the house and use a big huge vacuuming machine also...it was a huge operation. Seems like it could be quite spendy, also.

From what I've read, it is becoming a problem all over the USA, now.

[JTFenthusiast2]

Hanna,

It's disgusting. I went online to look it up and saw it is all over NYC.  My relatives who do everything env't friendly said it was 500 dollars a room to debug the apt for each visit.  Two visits required before the apartment can be considered free of bugs.

I would go into debt to get my house clean.  I can't stand bugs.  I dont care if my house is messy, but bugs...I can't even think about it without getting creeped out

[cjd]

From what I have been told you should really put off any visits until they are sure that the problem has been taken care of  . I was watching a show about bed bugs one night and from what they said once a place is infested its almost impossible to get rid of them short of getting rid of anything made of fabric. It seems from what they said the eggs just keep hatching and producing new infestations. Thank G-d out here in the sticks we only have ants and termites that turn the house into sawdust but leave the inhabitants alone    Renting a furnished apartment may be a problem however an unfurnished  one will not have all the stuff that harbor bugs like that. I think dealing with something like that might cause me to burn my entire house down  Lets put it this way there would be nothing env't friendly about the removal process I would want the strongest stuff on the market. From what I hear them buggers bite.

[Baltimore]

They MUST postpone the visit in a polite manner. These bugs are incredibly hard to get rid of. You can not risk it.

[JTFenthusiast2]

Ok, CJD, Baltimore, all of this is helpful.  Thank you.

[Yaacov Ben Yehuda]

I had them! And I must say it was the absoultely WORST experience i ever had! And i've been thorough alot!  I was getting eaten alive at night to the point that I would wake up with dozens of red welts all over my body, including my face! They itched, and itched, and when scratched they get infected.  I ended up losing 3 nights sleep, and went crazy to the point that I punched my wall from all the stress, and I broke my hand!  So there I was with a broken hand in a cast, bed bug bites all over me, and my nerves shot! 
It took 4 times fumigation to slow them down, but they came back, so besides throwing out practically all my furniture including my bed, I bought a steamer to steam everything I own that wasnt thrown out.  I slept on an army cot for 3 months, and then finally moved out of that apt. after it seemed like the bed bugs were gone!

It was hell on earth! a living nightmare!

[Abben]

bed bugs are no joke. They can come into an apartment via the trees as well. They die from high heat so steaming is good.

[IsraelForever]

Having read so much about this, this is a very big fear of mine.  They've even come in with beagles where I work to sniff them out.  Trained beagles can sniff them out, and when they discover bedbugs, they bark.  Unbelievable, but very true!  I have a question:  If, G-d forbid, I ever get them in my bed, can you simply cover the entire mattress with sheets of plastic and tape the whole thing shut (in essence imprisoning the bedbugs in the plastic) and then sleep on top of that?  I know someone who stayed at a hotel and woke up with welts all over.  This is not a joke.  Now getting back to the steaming idea:  Supposing they are in your bed?  Can you buy a steamer and steam them to death?  Do you know how many people in NYC who have had mice in their apartment?  It really has to be 80-90%.  They're a nightmare.  I've had them.  But may G-d give me mice galore verus 1 bedbug.  That's how much I fear them.  And the thing is this:  Someone in the subway has them on their coat -- you sit next to them and bingo! -- they get on your coat.  Or you go to work and you seat on a chair and get a bedbug from the person who sat there before -- all unwittingly.  It's a disaster waiting to happen.  I won't even take a vacation where I have to stay at a motel anymore.  That's how much I fear bedbugs.  I like that army cot idea someone said above.  I guess I'd have to get one.  Would you believe that I'm itching now just thinking about this?

[Ithaca-37]

A good friend had his house infested, he thinks from his luggage after returning on a business trip to China.  He brought in an experienced exterminator, and like some earlier comments on this board, the exterminator could only promise a stalemate unless he disposed of his mattress, box springs, and carpeting in all the infested areas of his house.  So, the net cost to get totally clean was several thousand dollars.

37

[Dr. Dan]

A new patient of mine infested with bed bugs came into my office. Long story short, I closed the office the nxt day to fumigate the office  and sued him. That's how bad bed bugs are. Implore your folks not to come until their problem is solved.

[Abben]

A new patient of mine infested with bed bugs came into my office. Long story short, I closed the office the nxt day to fumigate the office  and sued him. That's how bad bed bugs are. Implore your folks not to come until their problem is solved.

I didn't know you can sue a patient over that.

[Dr. Dan]

He was a new patient came in for an emergency referred from his wealthy brother.  Bugs were literally crawling all over this guy's body.  We called the brother up and he paid for everything...no lawsuit...he reimbursed us for the exterminator...we were lucky to take care of it immediately...

A new patient of mine infested with bed bugs came into my office. Long story short, I closed the office the nxt day to fumigate the office  and sued him. That's how bad bed bugs are. Implore your folks not to come until their problem is solved.

I didn't know you can sue a patient over that.