apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

On one level I'm glad you're sharing this drama -- on the other, the phrase "ignorance is bliss" first come to mind. But truth be told, I'm taking notes!

oh my gosh, poor thing. i hope the bugs are gone soon.

This just gets worse...!!!

And even though I am far from New York, given the heavy daily travel traffic between New York and Geneva, NY bed bugs are bound to show up here soon, if they haven't already...

My fingers are crossed for Amanda!!

(or maybe i could be more southern and say "bless her heart!")

She's in denial.

Her actions have been based purely on refusal to accept the situation she's in. The longer she puts off dealing with the problem, the worse it will be.

"Amanda", if you're reading this, stop kidding yourself and take action NOW. You have bedbugs. You've been given the resources to eliminate them. Do it. Or don't complain about it.

Did you read the post? She's washing and bagging everything she owns and the pest control people are on their way. What more can she do?

We had bedbugs at our place in the west village, it was SUCH a nightmare. I feel her pain. The pest control people told us they can get stuck in your shoe while walking through the hallway, and then you'll carry one in. They reproduce at an alarming rate and can lay dormant in your furniture for months. I had no idea they even existed before I encountered them, I thought it was just a childhood bedtime saying.

Getting the bugs out of her apartment won't solve the problem. She has to talk to her neighbors and landlord. Likely the whole building is infested. If it's only her apartment, then she needs to determine where they came from.

Are there any preventative measures a person can take to prevent bedbugs??? Though I do not live in NY, a friend will be passing through NY and staying in a hotel en route to coming to stay with me. What do I do? Hose him down before he walks through the door? Immediately wash all articles of clothing he has with him?

I work in a mid-town luxury hotel... and bedbugs are a business ruiner!!!! it is so costly to get rid of them.... and its very time consuming! I hope Amanda gets through this without too much aggrevation. maybe its to late for wishing???

good luck dear!

Doesn't anyone care about the bed bugs? Don't they have as much right as any other creature to live? They spent hundreds of thousands of years evolving to live in parasitic harmony with humans, perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to try to exterminate them.

Someone's off his meds again.

Amanda, please forward all linens immediately to MrGreen so he can live as one with the parasites.

crap. my new neighbor's a flight attendant.

Lourdes, you should be happy. He'll be out of town most of the time and when he's in town, he'll have great parties.

Patrick, thank goodness someone else can maintain a sense of humor in the midst of hysteria and panic!

This. Is. Gross.

Is Amanda reading our comments on previous threads? Did she get that the landlord is liable to pay for the PCO?

As per MrGreen's comments, she needs to tell the landlord and get him/her to take action. Not only should the landlord pay, but getting the landlord to have all adjacent units (top, bottom, on every side) inspected because they are likely infested too). If it is not treated in every infested unit, at once, treatment will not really work.

So dealing with your own problem, on top of being costly, may mean it does not go away.

http://bedbugger.com/faqs/

I'm sorry to be so emotive here, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, enough with the bedbug topic! I feel like it's a headliner on AT almost daily now. I'm sorry - I know it's a big thing in NYC right now, but if you've ever had them, the last thing you want is to be reminded of them daily on one of your favorite blog sites. I know this might sound melodramatic, but it sucks like you wouldn't believe to get them and then to try to get rid of them. And you're always afraid they're going to come back. The last thing we need here is to create any more hysteria around the topic.

If you type "bedbugs" in the search line on AT, there are already all sorts of articles and useful info on the topic. I for one left a lengthy response months ago about how we got rid of ours. For those of you currently dealing with them - just know that you WILL get through it. With the help of our exterminator, we got rid of ours first time around. I recommend Rodney at My Private Exterminator, 718.573.4989. He's super thorough and his rates are more than fair.

And lastly, good luck to any of you currently dealing with this. Just know - YOU CAN GET RID OF THEM!

Is there any way to prevent them??

They can't stop featuring the topic. This is serious business. These things have been MIA for most our lifetimes. People don't know anything about them. And since they are making a comeback, people need to get informed so they don't have to have the heebie-jeebies AFTER getting them.

I get the h-b's after seeing one cockroach, but that's life. One great aide was when I found a website meant for new exterminators that talked all about how to inspect a dwelling from a pests point of view (head on the floor). I finally learned why the mice originated from the bathroom. There was an opening in the wall about 1"H x 2' long. They were climbing in out of the wall with no obstacle at all!

Be brave, folks. This isn't going to go away.

Gosh, the spelling errors in these posts....

Lady J-

I beg to differ. Did you read my whole entry? There is a PLETHERA of information on bedbugs out there - including searching for past articles on AT. So for you to say "they can't stop featuring the topic", simply doesn't make sense. And then for you to say, this is serious business" - did you not read what wrote - I know firsthand how serious this issue is. I got rid of my bedbugs. It took a lot of effort and a lot of research, but there's no reason why AT has to be a major source of information on the topic.

So if the topic continues to be a feature (and I realize I'm not the only person who get's to weigh in on this matter, of course), it's not because no one would be able to deal with the problem if there weren't a daily public forum on it on AT. All I'm asking is that Maxwell and the rest of the staff at least consider what I, as a daily reader and regular contributor, am requesting. If you've ever had bedbugs, my bet is that your stomach turns and your blood pressure rises every time you see another feature on the topic. So it's really frustrating to see that this has become a serial feature here.

Hysteria doesn't get rid of bedbugs, BedLam Incecticede does!

I highly recommend buying a can -- or several -- of spray foam, and spraying it in, on, and around every hole in your apartment. Cover and seal vents you don't use. Install foam shields that insulate behind switchplates, and childproof plugs for plugs that aren't being used. Apply weather stripping to windows and around doors. Fill in and paint over smaller holes, including nail holes and cracks in the wall. Caulk under baseboards. Look EVERYWHERE for holes and seal them. I bet most bug problems in most buildings could be solved this way. Bugs will surely get in, but infestations will dwindle.

I took these measures in my apartment and my roach problem is history. Most of the bugs were getting in around the kitchen pipes, and from behind a medicine cabinet in my bathroom. I took out the medicine cabinet, rebuilt the wall, and reinstalled it. I also weather stripped the front door. No longer do I not hear my neighbors, the bugs simply cannot get in. Also, in my apartment, the door jambs are hollow metal, and I could feel a draft coming out of the doorknob hole. A draft is a roach highway. So, I installed spray foam. You would be surprised how many holes you can find. And, no, I do not have a life! :)

Carol123-

"Spelling mistakes"? I thought there was sort of a consensus months ago that we wouldn't nitpick about that sort of thing, no?

Dudes! You must chill out! If you don't have bed bugs, you can count your blessings while feeling great sympathy for Amanda's plight. If you have them, you can read about how to get rid of them. If the topic skeeves you out, you can skip those posts. Problems solved!

It sounds like a everyone is worried about bedbugs. Here's what I'd suggest (after having a number of close friends and a boyfriend have to combat the problem):

1. Educate yourself. Know what a bedbug looks like. It looks like a tick, sort of. Also find out what their droppings look like (looks like a cluster of ink dots) and their eggs. This way, you'll know what you see IF you happen to have an infestation.

2. Do routine searches. NOT every day, no need to be obsessive. But, they do like certain places. Cracks of mattresses, behind pictures and posters. Basically: Places where they can escape the light during the day. They will be in your bedroom only, or wherever you (or your pets) sleep, since they have to be within range of a host at night. Gross, but this also means you don't have to search your house.

3. Inform your friends and neighbors of #1 and #2. Chances are, if they have it, they could transmit it to you, so them being informed means you're informed.

4. Repeat #1 and #2 in hotels. Even nice ones. No need to freak out.

5. Know what bites look like. I posted this before. The bites look like mosquito bites with a red pin-prick in the center. The bites will MOST likely be in a rather straight line (thus, unlike the helter-skelter pattern of mosquitos) because that's how bedbugs bite. The bites will most likely be on your extremities, especially ankles and below and wrists and below. My friends rarely got any bites on their torsos (girls got a few on their middrifts once in a while b/c it became visible when they slept in 2-piece nightgowns), and no one EVER got any on their faces. I like that fact.

6. First sign of the above, go through all the steps to confirm you have bedbugs. If you do, TREAT THE DAMN PROBLEM! Don't try to do it yourself. Find out what landlords are responsible to do, find out who's actually a specialist at this. Don't bug bomb, spray or do any other steps. Contact the local EXPERTS, not necessarily the typical bug spray company. They have to know how to deal with bedbugs. Repeat this until the problem is done.

7. If you have an outbreak, notify your friends. Limit your visits unless you are certain you aren't carrying visitors to their place. Make sure they're educated on the warning signs (listed above).

Really, this isn't that much of a problem. Treat it like an ant infestation or hornets. You know what to look for. Educate yourself. Don't be naive when the signs are presented. If you do this, you'll sleep well. If a lot of people do this, the outbreaks will be fewer and not as serious. There's no need to freak out. Just be educated.

One last point to the person who said this isn't appropriate for the AT site. I DISAGREE completely. If you have a serious infestation (you've been ignorant and ignored all the necessary steps to take), you could have to throw away a lot of your expensive, nice, and/or coveted belongings. Your beautifully designed apartment/house/home could be somewhat gutted. What more on-point than a discussion that PREVENTS this from happening and educates readers to keep this from occuring???

Just my 2¢... ok, perhaps a bit more than that.

Carol123, don't be a looser.

Lawdesigner,

Great post but I have to chime in here to say I did get bedbug bites on my face. And neck. And shoulders, arms and legs. So it can happen.

sorry to be a bearer of bad news but amanda, you will need to be exterminated SEVERAL times. My exterminator told me that the average was three to fully kill them off. It took three times for my "mild" infestation.

Bedbugs are annoying as posts. However, as a reality where you get bitten, they are a nightmare happening every night! They rob you of sleep more than the worst mattress. That is how they end up wrecking everyday. They are wrecking the tourism industry from New York to Australia! (No joke.) Makes me glad I live in "Podunk" Illinois (downstate=south of I80).

You go girl!!!

Harley,

You know full well I read your entire post. I simply object to your request to stop featuring this topic. It's not a personal attack for goodness sake. All it boils down to is you want AT management to know how you feel about the topic and I want it known that I take the opposite view. What AT decides to do in future is up to them. Although it seems pretty clear.

Your being upset by the mention of the topic is understandable. You probably noticed the part in my post where I sympathized with you and confessed that roaches generally freak me out. But if someone else wants to share their experiences them and share advice on how to clear them out, who am I to tell them not to do it here?

Peace.

I'm in complete denial, although I live in DC, in the Bos-NY-DC metroplex, and I'm sure they're on their way here too, so I won't read this because I just can't. Even though it looks like there might also be a good dogfight on this thread.

sorry - I agree with you Harley. Isn't this a design blog?

If you people think you don't already have bed bugs in D.C. and Geneva, well, you just haven't investigated the matter. Especially D.C., which is absolutely infested.

Lady J-

Likewise - this was not a personal attack on you either. And not to worry, I didn't take it as a one on me. But thank you. Re: "you know full well..." - I apologize for misunderstanding. The way I interpreted your response, it just seemed like you were preaching to the choir.

If people want to talk about this here - cool. Was just putting in my 2 cents. I'm always happy when other people do, so...

GOOD LUCK to those of you currently dealing with this. I know what a pain it can be. But it is possible to get rid of those little suckers (no pun intended)! So don't get discouraged. And check out Lawdesigner's post above. Tons of good information!

As someone who has lived through bedbugs, I just want to dispel this false notion that bedbugs don't come out during the day (the whole "sleeping with the lights on" idea). I've been bitten countless times during the days.

If AT is smart, it will continue to cover this topic because of the high level of interest.

While AT and other alternative media like Bedbugger.com merit praise, there's plenty of blame to go around -- especially entomologists, public officials, the mainstream media, and Craigslist.

By and large, the Web sites of entomology departments contain conflicting information and not nearly enough photos, videos, or research papers.

City Hall has ignored the problem, which means we don't know its extent. Only the government has the power to force PCOs to report infestations.

The mainstream media has failed to cover this issue. Case in point -- no New York newspaper picked up this AP article:
http://www.spokane7.com/culture/stories/?ID=6070

Finally, Craigslist does not contain any warnings about used furniture, especially beds and nightstands.

I don't know if we have an epidemic on our hands, but the problem seems to be getting worse. The best way to avoid bedbugs is to leave apartment life (sorry AT) and buy a single family home in a state that permits vikane gas treatment.

Good luck.

Yes, they're increasingly common in DC, too. We had them in an apartment we rented while house-hunting when we first moved to the area. I still sleep with one eye open, and I'm even too superstitious to publicly declare that it's over.

I was really interested in the bedbugger registry. Consciousness in DC could use raising, so I'll encourage the afflicted to put themselves on the map.

I'm with Harley: enough with the bedbugs. Please.

I feel for the folks who currently have them, but the site now has extensive information about the topic and I'm not sure what further discussion (or visuals) can add. There is a difference between providing information and fomenting hysteria. I, for one, feel like we're about to cross over....

If you've lived in NYC for any length of time, chances are good that you have some kind of fairly traumatic vermin story. I'm not saying that to diminish Amanda's woes, but to opine that home invaders are common enough that a play-by-play seems...gratuitous.

I feel terrible for Amanda, but I agree with Harley and a few others. This does not need to be a daily topic or even a weekly topic. Bedbugs are horrible, I'm sure, but this subject has been covered extensively here, and I don't think we need a blow-by-blow.

I think it was totally valid that Amanda asked for opinions about what to do, but can we let it drop until we get a recap about how she solved the problem?

And, Amanda, I wish you the best of luck and you have my sympathy!

So far, we haven't heard very much that's actually helpful in these comments.

I'm one of the people who finds the topic skeevy to the point of anxiety inducing. I wish At wasn't posting about it, and yet I can't help reading everything that comes through.

Aside from hermetically sealing your home and delousing yourself and your guests every time you walk through the door, what the $% can you do to prevent them? Anything? Are "they" developing improved ways to get rid of them that don't require buying all new stuff to replace everything that's in plastic quarantine for 2 years?!! Anything to share that's more optimistic, please?

Wow, the level of denial and avoidance and resentment is incredible.

I cannot think of a single issue more fundamental to the whole concept underlying Apartment Therapy than having a parasite-free apartment.

Some people seem to be concerned only with the external appearance of things, and are totally unconcerned by anything truly important.

I don't think you can compare bedbugs to the other vermin inhabiting New York apartments, the major difference being that those other pests don't feed on you or live a few inches away in the interior of your mattress.

Pubic lice & head lice are even worse than bedbugs.

Lice not only feed on your blood, but live and breed crawling around on your body, and attach their eggs right onto the base of your hair.

Lice don't even have the courtesy to sleep in the mattress during the day.

Harley, Lynn, and others: in the first of the "Amanda" series of posts, Maxwell expressed apparent surprise that bed bugs were found in an apartment that was "chic, beautiful and CLEAN." That, and the fact that readers were able to tell Amanda her home should not be "bombed," among other things, tells me that AT does not already have enough information about bed bugs.

I respect your point of view, but I am among those who thing AT readers need to know this can happen to them, and what to do when it does. MrGreen is right that AT readers need, if nothing else, a pest-free home.

MrGreen, one thing: it does not take months or hundreds and hundreds of dollars to get rid of lice. A few days and a doctor visit should do you, though I have not had the pleasure, personally.

Ignorance is bliss, especially for the bedbug that will be feeding on you if you refuse to learn about the potential problem.

If you don't want to read about bedbugs, fine. But you're a) spreading the problem, and b) potentially losing and having infested all the fantastic furniture, art, linens, etc that you have. And, since you're an AT reader, those are probably nice things with sentimental value.

If you don't want to read the post, then don't click on the link. Just please stay away from my apartment in case you're carrying critters. Ew.

MrGreen, two words: Elephantiasis [and, far more horribly], Onchocerciasis. Quite a few folk in NYC have these.

MrGreen, do you ever *not* preach?

IMO, if bedbugs stress you out, don't click on the article & read the thread. There's nothing offensive/shocking that shows up on the main page. Being freaked/grossed out by all the comments isn't AT's fault/problem. Note that I'm personally freaked out by all of this but am still reading b/c I'm paranoid about having bedbugs due to living with someone who travel 1-2x/month.

About the bites in a line, are the bites grouped close together or spread more than 1/4-1/2" apart? I ask because I have ~10 random spots where I have a cluster of 2-7 teeny bites that itched like crazy for a couple of days, but they're all clustered in areas about the size of a quarter. I don't know if I'm having an allergic reaction to a friend's cat or if it's bedbugs.

Just a small word of support for Carol123.
Why have Harley and Mr Green jumped on her observation? AT does seem to have its larger-than-normal share of spelling mistakes in the front-page entries. Most blog writers seem happy to fix those. Why isn't it welcome at AT? Or maybe this is just a generational disconnect, and we're supposed to not notice spelling and grammar even when it screams out? Whatever!

Monika1
don't draw the devil on the wall!
I was wondering what this bedbug-story is about, and if they exist here in Switzerland/Europe. So far, i haven't heard of them ( fortunately!).

Jany -

My husband was bitten by bedbugs in London many years ago -- 1990. Bedbugs ARE here in Europe, even in neat and tidy Switzerland. They are at an epidemic level in places like NY, and given international travel, we are bound to have a larger outbreak of them here. It is inevitable.

Keep these posts coming - I love them!!

Really folks if a blog about apartments isn't the place to post this kind of stuff then where is? - please give us as much information and feedback as possible about this ever increasing problem - just sticking our heads in the sand isn't going to help anyone!

No one is saying to stick our heads in the sand. I am interested in how the problem is resolved, but I don't think it's useful to have all these daily posts like, "OMG, Amanda still has bedbugs!" in the meantime. Yes, presumably, she will still have bedbugs for quite a while, and we can hear about how she eradicated them at the end.

This has already edged into hysteria, but I'll just skip the posts. I hope the one with the resolution is clearly labeled so I can read that one. :)

Amanda, maybe some DIY extermination will help save some $$$.
http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/bed-bugs.htm

I don't think you can have it shipped to NY but if you have friends in NJ.....

Kit, thanks for encouraging "Amanda" to import forbidden chemicals to NYC to spray in an apartment building that may have pregnant women and children living in it. May the life-long treatment for their consequent nervous system disorders be provided in your honor. (IF they have health insurance.)

Fiona, I hope YOU never get bedbugs. Then you would be forced to THINK about them. Ostrichism only works until it doesn't.

Jany, please make a point of never coming to the U.S. We don't want you getting bedbugs and taking them back to Europe and infesting your pristine continent. Let's keep Europe bedbug free!

Sea, my post to Carol123 said, "don't be a looser". If you have no sense of humor, keep your comments to yourself.

Patrick, do you ever *not* whine? ;-)

Since "Amanda" did not notify her landlord or neighbors, we can assume that she may get a few days' respite from the bedbugs before they are back in larger numbers than before. Awaiting installment IV.

I would like to clarify that I feel the topic is *exhausted*, not in any way invalid or irrelevant to the site's purpose.

At this point, the community has had multiple opportunities to provide good information and advice and resources. There are multiple references for exterminators, there is detailed anecdotal advice about what to do if you have them, there is the NYC registry... I feel fully informed about the topic, grateful for the AT community's responsiveness and knowledge, and a bit more vigilant re: bbs.

To me, the only follow up I can imagine adding anything new to the conversation is a Q&A with a professional exterminator who can answer all of the questions over these posts and disabuse us of any misinformation.

Just my two cents.

I really enjoy the first hand comments on this subject. I think the insight can be helpful. I would really like to see how she resolves this issue. I also feel that you can simply scroll by this post if you would not like to read it.

uhm probably a dumb question but what is a pco?

elizabeth in AL, it's an unfortunate acronym for "Pest Control Operator".

Mr Green,

I have thought about them. That is why I have a cover on my bed that supposedly will prevent an infestation, at least in my actual mattress. Beyond that, I'm not really sure what to do to prevent them (given information like you can carry them in on your shoe), and that's kind of my point. If there is any useful information like how to prevent them or how someone has successfully treated the problem (as I'm sure Amanda will, given a bit of time), then I think that is useful. The general hysteria of a blow-by-blow daily posting ("She still has bedbugs a day later!") is not really useful, though.

You are also very new to the site, so you may not realize the extensive discussions about bedbugs that have occurred here in the past.

fiona, apparently a lot of disinformation is still in place on Apartment Therapy regarding bed bugs as evidenced by this statement at the top of this very page:

"Even though I slept with all the lights on on Saturday night, I still got bit again."

ssaaannk you mr. green.

I say move!!!!

My landlord has been good (not great) about dealing with this issue - spraying the building etc., but he has complained that this is a problem because many of our neighbors do NOT participate in the exterminations (not moving their furniture away from walls etc.,) so there is only so much they can do by spraying *around* things.

Most recently, they have a new program with the exterminators where they have gone through my apt. (and my neighbors) and drilled numerous holes (3 or 4 per room) and injected or sprayed something into the walls to try to eradicate this problem.

Has anyone heard of this "drilling hole" technique? Is it any more effective? How does it work?

Thanks!

Yes, MrGreen, frequently. Like in the post where you yourself commented on my maintaining a sense of humor.

I find the daily updates from bedbug front fascinating and horrifying, and certainly people who don't can skip them, but I would request that the before-the-jump picture not include actual photos of bedbugs. Because, yeah, that is skeevy. (Amanda and all the other sufferers, past and present, have my complete sympathy.)

On another note, I'm about to take my first big vaykay since I learned of this epidemic--is there anything I can do to help reduce the chances of bringing home some bloodsucking freeloaders? (I will follow the advice I saw somewhere of keeping my suitcase in the bathroom, if there's room for it there.)

re: "is there anything I can do to help reduce the chances of bringing home some bloodsucking freeloaders?"

Yeah, stay out of singles bars.

Cassis, just sleep with the lights on and you'll have a safe and healthy "vaykay".

Mr. Green, honey, "looser" is an adjective. "Loser" is the noun.

MrGreen, what's with all the sarcasm and aggression? Whether you think you're funny or not, Fiona, Jany, and Cassis certainly didn't do anything to deserve your comments to them. Stop jumping on the sincere people, and focus either on enlightening us with your considerable knowledge about the issues at hand, or on picking on people who match your talent and taste for cynical sneering (these will more easily be found at other sites).

For hotels, overnight stays, etc : I'd recommend finding out what the bedbug's droppings look like and then doing a quick check on the mattress of the hotel (especially the seams on the sides of the mattress). You might not see bugs, but their droppings/markings are hard to get rid of, and a sure-tell sign that you'll need a new hotel. If they aren't there, I'd sleep securely. If I find bites, change hotels. When you get home, wash your clothing and check your bag. I wouldn't fret too much about it. Enjoy your vacation!

Here's a good link to a visual of the bug markings: http://www.bed-bugs.co.uk/slat2.jpg

Patrick (too)--duly noted.

Mr Green--"thanks" for your "help."

Lawdesigner--thank you! That is disgusting but useful.

Yes, pretentious, I assure you I understand that.

My original post was in response to Carol123's complaint about peoples' spelling. Don't worry, Snarky Sea doesn't "get" it either.

Cassis, "you're welcome"! Enjoy your "vaykay".

Hi,

Bed Bugs are unfortunately back with a vengeance. If you travel or stay away from home you are increasingly likely to come into contact with this nuscance pest.

The good news is that they are generally avoidable if you take the time to check and if you check you home on a regular basis you will avoid having a major problem.

As the problem has grown around the world there are now some great information resources to look at and understand the nature of the problem. I cant stress enough though that this is something that you want to read into before you start trying to treat.

For information and feedback one of the best sites is:

www.bedbugger.com

For pictures I host an extensive gallery at:

www.Bed-Bugs.co.uk

This is a problem affecting thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people world wide and although public education is still low it is starting to occur. It is also important to understand that you may have bed bugs and not appear to be bitten by them, an estimated 60% of people do not initially respond to bed bug bites.

Sincerely hoping its never a problem that affects your home.

David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited
London UK