Good night, sleep tight, don't let the BEDBUGS bite!?!?!? EEK!

[Wildflower Fever]

Nothing important here to say except I wanted to express my dismay. I own a condo in a crowded urban area, and was oh so excited to hear yesterday that bedbugs, yes bedbugs, were found in other units of my building. I heard they were making a comeback, but I thought only in a few areas. Turns out even Minneapolis now has a "bedbug taskforce." My fellow owners appear to be "normal" folks, but I know a few are eccentric gleaners who can't resist a good dumpster dive now and then. This is usually how bedbugs infest otherwise clean and non skid-row buildings, that and the unwanted stowaway bedbugs that hop a ride in your suitcase from hotel rooms. I was going to buy a new and much deserved $2,000 bed, but that is obviously on hold for now. If they infest your home, you literally have to throw EVERYTHING away, not just your bed, but clothing, electronics, everything you own. Thankfully, I don't have evidence of bites/rashes, and haven't seen the lovely fecal/blood stains on my mattress that they warn you about. For anyone not aware of this resurgence, they look like flat ticks, and tend to congregate in narrow spaces of your mattress, bedframe, and floorboards. Wish me luck fending off the unwanted invaders, please!

Below is an image of where I've been told they tend to hide, the seams of your mattress:

http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20071118/470_bed_bug_found.jpg

[GodSistah]

I suddenly feel itchy now...

I'd like sage your condo of all the evil juju, WFF!

I'm sure some Rudie Vibes will keep all the bedbugs away.
That and a little Vanity 6 should rightly protect you, bro!

;)

[DaveM]

Well (scratch) that sounds (scratch), rather....interesting (scratch scratch). Surely there's a way to get rid of the things? Something like a bug bomb or the professional equivalent? I do recall going through a delightful episode with a dog with fleas....the trouble being that they not only get on the dog but hide out everywhere in the house. Fleas, however can be starved out relatively quickly so as long as you keep the dog covered with something to keep them from feeding, they do eventually go away (though as I recall it took several months). Bedbugs can go for well over a month without feeding and as you noted can hide anyway.....so about all you can do is make every effort to kill them. I wouldn't be too worried about using pesticides--there most likely isn't anything in them that isn't in Minneapolis city water.

Sending the Vibes at a frequency insects will find unbearable, and meanwhile, hang in there. In a very real sense it is unfortunate that one cannot do a local application of something like that classic insecticide, DDT. Not nice for a wild environment but in an artificial one like an apartment....it would do the job.

I'll send you my housemate. Being obsessive-compulsive, she will most likely hunt down and deal with the little suckers one at a time, and not stop until every single one is gone.

Then again, if you think bedbugs are troublesome....

[Wildflower Fever]

Thanks, Andrea. I think I'll stick with the Appolonia 6, Vanity didn't have enough meat on her bones for me. ;)
DaveM, you're right, we should have fed them some water last month when it was nice and "fishy" from all the spring melting and runoff into the Mississippi. Gotta love the fact our "drinking" water comes from the Mississippi. I have thanfully not seen these pests in my condo yet, and from what I understand, you would definitely know. These things most likely are making their way literally through customs, and I'd like to know what INS is doing about it. I should think everybody entering with personal property from 3rd world nations should be inspected, that would be a start. Didn't DDT originally wipe these things out? You can send your housemate if you like, I'll put her to work. Then, I'll send her to the building next door, where there is a lovely woman who talks to herself who is just waiting for somebody of equal mindset to respond. ;)

[DaveM]

Sounds perfect....will see about getting a big Overnight Express box from UPS. She and that woman would have a grand old time picking at each other like the various simians one sees doing the same in nature documentaries.

Yes, I believe DDT did wipe things like bedbugs out, and it was used all too casually. It was in "personal dusting powder" to be sprinkled on oneself to get rid of ticks, fleas, and lice (a few years ago the local army surplus store actually had some for sale. I bought a couple of cans which went to a display at a nature center. Then one day the wrong person spotted them and the Health Department was in there with a Haz-Mat team getting rid of the stuff--no joke). It also used to be sprayed everywhere and in enormous quantities. The trouble with DDT is that allowed freely into the environment it doesn't break down for a very long time and it affects the health of plenty of living things much larger and more desirable than bedbugs.

I would imagine that there is something out there that can be sprayed around your place to keep them out....might be worth at least making a call to an exterminator. You could also try wearing a flea collar while you sleep.....I have heard that some people enjoy that sort of thing.

I have no idea whether it would actually do any good, but you might want to invest in a large bar of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap. If you read the fine print on the label long enough, you will most likely find a remedy for anything.

Guess we'd better start burning tar and sulphur belowdecks on the pirate ships. Scratching pirates are not a pretty sight.

[hoops]

rudie vibes on a bedbug frequency..git little critteres git! best to you wff
peace
hoops

[Dee]

In my hunt for a new apartment I am making good use of this site:

The Bedbug Registry (http://bedbugregistry.com/search/)

I can only hope and pray that it's kept up to date and accurate because I definitely not looking for any roommates! Yikes!

[DaveM]

Given your experience with apartments, Dee, I'm amazed that bedbugs haven't shown up yet! Then again, you've had neighbors who were worthy of the name.

[Wildflower Fever]

In my hunt for a new apartment I am making good use of this site:

The Bedbug Registry (http://bedbugregistry.com/search/)

I can only hope and pray that it's kept up to date and accurate because I definitely not looking for any roommates! Yikes!

Wow! My condo building comes up clean (for now), but it lists ten buildings in a two block radius that have reported bedbugs. This problem is definitely growing. I thought about reporting my building, but the site mentions the possibility of no anonymity guarantee for libel action.

[DaveM]

In order for a written statement to be libel, it must be made "with malicious and reckless disregard for the truth". And of course we all know how much that means when the other guy can afford a better lawyer.