Bed Bud Prob

This happened to me in my dorm when I was in college many years ago!!

If I were you, I'd get rid of the mattress and pillow. I know it may be expensive, but if they're that bad then I think it's worth it. And I'd ask the pest guy too if he knows how to keep it from happening. And on the new mattress, I'd get one of those plastic mattress covers that zip like the other poster said.

Good luck!

You know they have a spray that you can use for bed bugs that they sell at Walgreens next to the lice shampoo. I don't think it matters how clean your house is. Bed bugs are passed from person to person, so maybe you've been on vacation recently & slept in a hotel room?

Here's another thought. We were waking up with itchy bites around our ankles too & my mother came up with the idea of bed bugs. Problem is, none of us had been anyplace to get them. Turns out, it was red bugs (chiggers). When we sprayed our bermuda grass for those beasties, the problem went away.

Krogers sells a product called cedar cide. It is all natural and has work for everything they say it does. It is made from a compnay out of Cypress Texas. Go to their website: www.cedarcide.com

Lice spray can be very toxic to children. Please DO NOT put it in your child's bed. He could become very sick. Unfortunately there are few options, if you truly have bed bugs. They are resistant to many toxic pesticides, including the lice spray. They hide in the mattress, but also behind pictures ... anywhere that is dark. Call your local or state health department's zoonosis branch - they deal with things like bed bugs, mosquitoes, and other pests. They can give you some good advice. They may even be able to send someone out and get a sample. Depends on the state.

I would call pest control and then I would get a whole new bed! If it is truly bed bugs...they are hard to get rid of since they live in the matress! They can spread so I would get that matress out!!!

Do a search for bed mites. You know the phrase dont let the bed bugs bite. Well they mean it. Sometimes you get a lot of bed bugs. I think having a liner on the bed helps with that. Good luck. Sorry your family is getting biten in the night!

You can spray with rid. I haven't seen it by itself but in the full treatment package there is a spray can for fabrics. I would also suggest febreeze allergy. Strip the beds, spray them down, let it dry and then thoroughly vacuum the mattresses. Next cover the mattress and box spring with allergen covers. You can use a cheap plastic one on the box spring but they are not good to sleep one. I got the one for the mattress at Wal-Mart. I recommend one made from 100% cotton. It's more expensive but worth it. Make sure to get them for the pillows also. Next wash ALL bed linens in super hot water. If your washer does not heat the water you can boil water on the stove to add to the washer before it is full. Or you can take them to the laundry mat and wash them there. There good thing about that is that you can run them all at the same time. The washers and the dryers are much hotter than the ones we have at home. Also wash all stuffed animals and decorative pillow in hot water. If the item is not washable then you can put it in the freezer overnight. Hope these things help.

Call pest control ASAP!!!!! Once they establish, they are almost impossible to get rid of completely and you will end up having to buy new mattresses. It has nothing to do with cleanliness. They are pernicious little hitch hikers - we brought some back with us from a trip to upstate NY. If they are only in the one room, you should be able to contain them, but do not delay.

If you have a pet, regardless of whether it's inside or not, and it gets on the child's bed, that's one way to get them. I'm sure there are many others. My pediatrician told me to wash the sheets, etc. in hot water, buy new pillows and, if that does not work, then get a new mattress. If they're just on the surface, doing the sheets and pillows should work. If they've actually gotten into the mattress, a new one is the only way to get rid of those. Also, at the same time, thoroughly clean his room (you almost have to be neurotic about) even though his room is probably clean anyway. The bad part is all of this has to be done at one time. For the bites on your child and husband, there is an over the counter anti-fungal cream that my pediatrician told us to use (can't remember the name off the top of my head, but it's a popular brand). Hope this helps!!

do you have any pets? could be fleas... flea powder the bed and under. wash everything on super hot.

If you did not buy your furniture used then they came home with someone. Either on clothes or blankets etc. Have an exterminator over to take care of the problem. before they spread they most likely have already buy now so do this soon.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/management.html

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/

You might pick up a can of RID spray that is used for lice. Read the label & see if maybe it kills bedbugs too.

I think I had them in my apt after the hurricane. I had something. So, I sprayed my bed & futon with some RID I'd bought my granddaughters for lice a year ago. The problem seemed to go away.

Good luck

This is to anyone who is suffering with bed bug problems -
From reading all the responses, there are a lot of misconseptions about bed bugs.
They can be treated - you do not have to through out your bed or other furniture!
It is very expensive though
Once they are gone they are gone! The only way to get them again is by bringing them back into the house.
Pets do not bring them in
They are picked up at hotels, visitors can bring them in, used furniture of any kind (beware of CL purchases), used lugage, etc.

If you ever need to get rid of bed bugs you can email ____@____.com to get an exact quote on your situation. They do come and do a full inspection before giving a price!

I've never had bed bugs but I know someone who has (she got her sons toddler bed/mattress from craigslist and it came with cooties). Call pest control and cancel, it's a waste of money, unless you want them to take care of the floors and treat the house. To get rid of them from your beds you'll have to get rid of your beds with the problem. It's such a hard thing to get rid of that it's cheaper and easier to just throw the things out because even if you do get a success with pest control, the bugs can come back, they are just that hard to get rid of. I'd say throw out the beds, wash your sheets REALLY good and any bedclothes that you and your family wear, and just get pest control to treat around the house and the furniture.

Also, another thought, do you have any pets? If so, they may not be bed bug bites, but flea bites (i've gotten fleas in my bed before from my dogs and would get bit, not fun). Even if you don't have fleas but maybe a neighbor has a dirty dog or cat they can get into your yard too and on you and your kids, in your house too. In that case treat your yard for fleas even if you don't have animals. If they are bed bugs you will be able to see tiny black things moving along your bed, look close, they can be heard to miss sometimes. When you take the sheets off especially you can see them on the edges of the mattress where the creases are. Good luck in getting rid of them!

For a cheap and no poison fix you can go to Walmart and get a plastic zip bag/ mattress cover for the bed. I had one on my sons bed for a couple of years, I was worried about allergens and "accidents". The bugs will die in the plastic zip cover. Bed bath and beyond sells anti allergen mattress covers, but walmart is cheaper, they are in the bedding section.

you should look up images of bed bug bites online. They are generally in a line on your skin (usually on your legs and feet). If that's what it is, you have to use a specific treatment to get rid of them, not just general pesticide. I can't remember the name, but you should be able to google it. And while your home is being treated, you will have to wash ALL soft materials in your home...clothes, curtains, stuffed animals, towels, EVERYTHING.
If your bites don't look like bed bug bites, it's probably fleas. A natural, easy way to treat fleas is tea tree oil, it can be found at Wal-Mart in the pet section. You dilute it in water in a spray bottle and spray on EVERY soft surface in the home...again, carpet, mattresses, curtains, couches, etc. and wash everything else that you can. Tea tree oil is natural and safe to use around kids and pets. Hope this helps!