[OH THE HORROR] F***ing Bed Bugs

Last week we found out that my aunt's apartment has them, on top of also finding out that she is diabetic and has been having seizures. While she's in the hospital we have been dealing with them and as other posters noted you have to wash everything in hot water, dry on high, spray and cover your mattress. Heat over 120 degrees F kills them so even putting clothes in a dryer on high for more at least 20 minutes will kill them. That is what we have been doing to the clothes we wear every time we come from my aunt's place. Boric acid also kills them and you can treat your mattress with that but covering it is essential.

Cold also kills them but you have to keep them in sub freezing temperatures for a few days. I haven't found any yet in my house but my back up plan is in case I do find them is to shut off the water, and heat and move out for a few days and let the MN winter finish them off.

They are tough ass buggers though and can hide in very tight spaces and survive for a month without a meal. They have evolved to feed on humans but if hungry enough will also feed on other mammals like cats and dogs. They generally get from place to place either hitching rids on people or crawling through cracks. As another poster noted if you live in an apartment your floor or the whole building might be infested.

One reason why they have been making a comeback is that they have developed resistance to many insecticides including DDT. Also cleanliness has little to do with an infestation since they don't feed on scraps and hide most of the time. Ironically some of their predators are cockroaches and ants which we have kept at bay so biological control isn't much of an option.

 

In addition to what rocketsjudoka said, please read this
http://www.diylife.com/2010/08/27/bed-bugs/

 

Termites help to break down dead wood. The problem is that we started living in homes made with wood, and keeping them for very long periods of time.

 

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you gotta get a new mattress they are too hard to kill

 

Let me just tell you as one who works in the industry, they can go a LOT longer than a month - there have been reports estimating anywhere from NINE to FIFTEEN months that they can go in between feedings.

Get a professional. To be honest, even then you can't be fully sure you've gotten rid of them completely (a reputable company won't make the promise that they're all gone for good)...but it's a lot better than trying to go it on your own. Trust me on this.

 

Fleas & mosquitoes used to be very effective for population control via disease. Wasps of all kinds parasitize/eat many varieties of "bad" insects. Roaches and rats clean up organic debris (of which there would be less if humans weren't such wasteful creatures packed into dense areas), serve as food for various small critters, and roaches pollinate many tropical plants. Gnats are insect food & do pollinate some plants. Tapeworms, I got nuthin'.

 

Hate to break it you, but it looks like you have flying bed bugs.

As in cockroaches, wings allow the little pests to achieve god-like abilities to annoy/freak people out. So, it begins in LA: flying bed bug invasion. This sounds like a B-horror movie..

God bless, and good luck.