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"Don't let the bed bugs bite"
StarLabs
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
I'm new at this and wasn't sure what category it goes in... But
I used to think bed bugs didn't exist, that " don't let the bed bugs bite" was just some metaphor. Then, I actually got them when I moved in an apartment building. We told our super that we had them and he said he gave us papers on what to do and the fumigator came a few days later... We then 1 month later got new beds. ( thinking they were gone) and we soon discovered that the bastards were still there... Like wtf do we do now? I can't even sleep anymore and I always feel like they're crawling on me
I used to think bed bugs didn't exist, that " don't let the bed bugs bite" was just some metaphor. Then, I actually got them when I moved in an apartment building. We told our super that we had them and he said he gave us papers on what to do and the fumigator came a few days later... We then 1 month later got new beds. ( thinking they were gone) and we soon discovered that the bastards were still there... Like wtf do we do now? I can't even sleep anymore and I always feel like they're crawling on me
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Have you asked neighbors? Generally everyone has to wrap stuff in plastic for a while after a pest control sweep of all the effected units is done. It has to all sort of happen at the same time throughout the floor/building.
What you do now is call your apartment manager and tell them the bugs are back. If you're on good terms with your neighbors you ask them to do the same. There are states where failure to manage a problem like this actually terminates a rental agreement, so most places will do whatever they need to.
Edit: Bed bugs is one of those "get out of a lease free" cards in most states.
Depending on the state, you may have tenant laws that absolve you of responsibility. So look into that.
Otherwise, how the infestation began is almost impossible to prove so in a lot of cases the landlord will shunt responsibility onto the tenant. I don't know the legality of breaking a lease and using a scorched earth policy. I'd be wary of litigation. Especially since the landlord knows about the infestation.
Unfortunately, fumigation seems to be almost useless since the little shits can get where the chemicals can't settle, which is required to kill them. The best bet is heat remediation (which is what I ended up having to do.)
There are pros and cons to this.
Pro: It's very effective. They bring in a couple of heaters (1 per room) and crank the temp up to like 140 or 150 degrees Fahrenheit. This kills them regardless of where they're hiding at all stages of their life cycle. So furniture, beds, carpets, walls, picture frames you name it.
Cons: it's really expensive. Some companies will charge by the room, some by the square foot. The square foot option actually comes out cheaper in a lot of cases. I had to pay $1 per 1 sq ft and I live in a 1200 sq ft apartment so it's not going to be cheap unfortunately. Make sure whoever you use has some kind of 30 day guarantee or something.
You maybe able to get the landlord to foot the bill entirely or possibly split it since it's in their best interest to clean it up as quickly as possible, as well.
But if you determine you can safely toss up some deuces and get out of there then buying new furniture may be the cheapest of all options. Be sure to bag your clothes and bedding in trash bags and take them to a coin laundromat and run them through the dryers once or twice. That will kill anything that might be living on it. Then put them into NEW BAGS afterwards.
I know how awful it can be an hope this helps you maybe get it taken care of a little quicker.
This was our experience - we moved to a new apt in the same complex, and first night discovered bed bugs. Some comments to add to the above:
Terminex wanted to do a 'cold spray', which is basically spraying dry ice... which is great at killing anything visible, but similar to fumigation, useless at actually killing them completely. We basically forced the complex to pay for heat treating (by not so veiled threatening to make them pay for replacing all of our stuff).
For us, we very carefully checked and moved electronics out ahead of time, heat treated (without staying in the apt afterwards), and then very rapidly moved everything to a new (clean) apartment, WITH careful checking. Heat treatment was better, but we still found one alive wrapped under layers in a cowl-necked sweater, so you really have to check everything. It also destroyed a few things (some clothes shrunk to the point of uselessness, a ski helmet basically disintegrated, etc).
Keep in mind that they're attracted to CO2 - so in our case, they only came out when we first stayed in the apartment and must've been in the walls.
Good luck - it was one of the worst few weeks I ever experienced :bigfrown:
Bed bugs are fuckers.
they're also ridiculously adaptable to pesticides.
this is by no means a complete solution, but if you don't have pets, you might want to try putting down diatomaceous earth around your apartment. the stuff kills beg bugs through a mechanical process by scraping off their chitin and causing them to dehydrate. it's fairly cheap to get at hardware stores.
this doesn't solve the larger problem of a building wide infestation though...
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They also work for getting rid of excess spiders and low levels of terror.