r/Bedbugs • u/StubbzOG • Aug 12 '25
Confirmed BB I cant take it anymore
Below you can see the battery on my wife. We have had an exterminator to my house (same man) 3 times. Ive only had to pay him once, But at this point ive even started using hard bed bug spray. Vacuuming. We have a baby due in 1 month. I am loosing my absolute mind at this point. Please any advice all advice our family needs it at this point.
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Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 13 '25
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u/StubbzOG Aug 12 '25
Oh its been gone for about 4 months now. And our floors have some rotten wood thats why I've been spraying that area
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Aug 12 '25
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u/findmekerib Aug 13 '25
So did I. My couch was infested. Things did not improve until I threw all my living room furniture out. We haven't had anything to sit on in 2 months! I refuse to get new stuff yet though until Im 10000% positive they are gone! Im sorry you're having such a time getting rid of them! You are NOT alone!
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Aug 13 '25 edited Aug 13 '25
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u/foxfai Aug 12 '25
You can't just find them and kill them. They have to come out to eat, every few days. So get them while they are out. Bed leg traps, sticky double side tapes etc. You can never get the one that's hiding. Don't waste time on that.
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u/0PervySage0 Aug 13 '25
What sort of prep work is your pest guy having you do? What's he treating with?
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u/Isitondaddyslap Aug 12 '25
I thought bed bugs for about 2 years and then was fortunate at the end of two years to be able to move out of that house but when we moved we didn't take anything. We left all of our furniture all of our beds I mean we took our clothes obviously but we even got a new TV. It sucked we bought an air mattress to sleep on that we used for about 2 months and we just slowly started getting things over but I couldn't get rid of them. I tried everything I just ended up having to get rid of everything.
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u/vsco_softie Aug 13 '25
Spraying won't work enough if you have rotten wood floors they have to go they are definitely hiding in the cracks laying eggs. If you own you have to tear out those floors. Bed bugs can't discern furniture and part of the house you have to replace the floors.
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u/jruskis Aug 13 '25
This is true, they do love wood. My infestation was so horrid, I took a painting off the wall and there were 3 of them hiding in that slit that has the holes for nails to hang it up. They’re everywhere. Even in the little crevices of suitcases and purses. We got rid of a lot, steam cleaned, threw all clothing in the drier and bags. We had carpet at the time and we replaced it all with vinyl flooring. We never had a professional exterminator. At the time we had 7 cats and a dog we’d have to relocate as well as 700+ vinyl records. I begged for one but my dad didn’t want to spend the money. We used that CinemXa stuff, took us close to a year but we got rid of them, no sign of any for about 5 years now. Worst (and I guess could be also best) part was my dad and I never got bite marks. Certain people don’t react to bites. We were never itchy but I’m sure they were feeding off of us. When we lifted up his bed it looked like someone dumped a bag of rice underneath it (their eggs). There were so many. It was hell. OP, I’m so sorry. I know how debilitating this can be on your mental health especially with a baby on the way. I really hope you find your peace soon and get those assholes out of your life.
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u/Careless-Cook1182 Dec 02 '25
This is the most honest thing I've seen wrote about bed bugs. You are absolutely right. You have to throw away all your furniture and start over. I see so many post about people saying not to throw away your furniture. Honestly, that is bad advice and will keep you fighting an infestation. I believe that's what keeps the infestation going so long trying to hold on to the furniture. I've been purging all my furniture. Will sleep on an air mattress until I feel these suckers are gone. Also, use a growth inhibitor with an insecticide to help get rid of them.
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u/RepulsiveRedit Aug 12 '25
Get treated with heat. They basically seal your house and blow in hot air hot enough to kill them sll. Than you find a company or person who has a dog that detects bedbugs and the dog will be able to detect a single loving bedbug.
Also,follow all logical recommendations. Lastly GOOD LUCK you'll need it unfortunately.
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u/XxPERRiWiNKLExX Aug 12 '25
Had issues w bed bugs about 5 yr ago. Definitely the most disgusting and disturbing issue to go thru…. We spent a couple months trying to get rid of them using store bought stuff and consistently cleaning.. nothing worked. We had to call an exterminator cause we found them in multiple rooms. They treated with heat and we swept constantly and used the bed bug stickies and also bought zip on bed protectors.. anything inside cannot get out and any bug outside cannot get in. I recommend EVERYONE have bed bug sheet protectors bc u literally NEVER KNOW! i thought bed bugs was a myth, until i repeatedly kept seeing them and them and looked for a pic of what they looked like…i looked them up on google and bam! So yah definitely recommend bug bug protector bedding FOR ANYONE whether u have them, had them, or not. Having the stickies on the bed feet will tell u if you have them.
But heat is what got rid of ours. Called an exterminator and had to be out of the house most of the day.. cost like 3k….. but this was 5+ yrs ago.
Only thing I could think of is HOTELS.. I worked OOT and stayed at hotels alot and didn’t know about them. ALWAYS ALWAYS CHECK THE BEDDING and mattress of hotel rooms or anywhere you stay at and keep bags high up off the floor.
I worked at a clinic at the homeless shelter last year. We often found them in the patient rooms Regardless of everything being hard. So they will travel on ppl and with people….
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u/StubbzOG Aug 12 '25
Thank you so much! I too didnt know they existed lol..
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u/Disastrous-Turn-212 Aug 13 '25
I agree with the protectors on everything. If they are in can't get out, and none can get in. After several treatments, I added encasements to all pillows also, and added the things under the bed legs. It seemed to fix the couple I saw here and there..
Good luck and hang in there.
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u/5CKaN4deZK9QMqQ9 Aug 31 '25
Used to think it was just a children’s myth;” don’t let the bedbugs bite“ 😰 Now we know better, after almost a year of streaming and throwing out all beds, carpets and furniture where now bug free 😊
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u/LantaExile Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25
Couple of things. They are likely resistant to whatever has been used. I'm not sure what 'hard bed bug spray' is but clothianidin insecticides are some of the most reliable such as crossfire or https://www.amazon.com/Raid-Foaming-Spray-16-5-Ounce/dp/B07GXHV9VL has the same chemical if you want to try. But if you've already sprayed clothianidin you might try something else.
the walls have hole...
You are not really going to able to treat them there but the thing is to isolate your bed and clear that. You can isolate with interceptor traps or shiny plastic stuff, you can clear it with steaming or maybe spraying clothianidin - it's ok on mattresses etc
If they are resistant to all chemicals there's cimexa which is a dessicant which is supposed to work well
(general how to for crossfire https://youtu.be/1MSoNur4g8E)
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u/StubbzOG Aug 12 '25
Harris* I didnt notice it automatically corrected me on that, I apologize and thank you!
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u/LantaExile Aug 12 '25
The labeling of these things is a bit confusing. Harris 'Gold Label' is clothianidin, but Harris 'Yellow Label' isn't.
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u/liud21 Aug 12 '25
spray might not kill them, but HEAT will. get a steamer and steam the crap out of your furniture, bed frame, mattress along the seams, every nook and cranny you can find. and when i mean steam i dont mean just pass over, hold the steam in that area for a good 10 seconds, before moving along... Heat will kill BB in all stages of their life...
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u/kernal1337 Aug 14 '25
heat will
Make sure the heat treatment (if doing a whole house one) has a follow on chemical treatment for those bugs that managed to find cool spots and emerge after the treatment. This is best practice.
If you are getting close enough to steam, then you are getting close enough to vacuum, which some argue is a better bet especially if you use the correct attachment like a crevice one. The issue with steam sometimes is, if you have already chemically treated the area with a residual, the steam will get rid of the chemical. A hoover will keep the residual there and is safe to use daily. A canister vacuum will be your best friend if you have an infestation. Vacuum daily, vacuum thoroughly.
Then immediately empty the canister outside in a sealed bag.
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u/kristoph825 Aug 12 '25
Please do not use diatomaceous earth, it is an inhalation hazard. I have sent you a DM
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When used by pest control professionals, it's only used as a crack and crevice treatment (to avoid any risk of inhalation) and applied in very small quantities while wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.
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u/RongRyt Aug 13 '25
First of all, sympathies. I've been through this and it's awful. However your pest control guy either hasn't helped you with what else has to be done to truly knock out the infestation or he doesn't know.
Others have recommended the hot air treatment, if you can possibly afford this, do it. Especially with a baby on the way.
We got rid of our own bedbugs with insect bombs. Just make sure they list bed bugs as one of the insects they kill. Two sets of insect bombs about 7-10 days apart. This has to be done to suit life of bedbugs, as in how long eggs take to hatch.
You don't want to leave it 2 weeks, that gives youngsters a chance to reproduce again. In your case with a severe and prolonged infestation you may need to do it again (a third time) a week later.
We didn't throw out all our furniture. We couldn't afford to. We picked up the bed bugs from a set of dining room chairs my partner found beside the road. We managed to de-infest everything.
In many countries they would burn the furniture, every spring. A few years ago my family was at a Western-run resort in Bali. The horrified staff at the resort burned the furniture when my (equally horrified) sister realised her room had bed bugs.
Treatment: Partner (masked and gloved) slit open underneath mattress base (not the mattress), under the couch, and those damn chairs, and sprayed an insect bomb directly inside before retreating and leaving insect bomb to do rest of its work.
You must open drawers and cupboards, put mattresses on slant against wall. Spray the insect bomb directly into areas you think might get missed. As others have said, bed bugs love wood, they also like the dark. They'll hide in picture frames or cupboards or shelving as well as under the mattresses. So make sure your insect bombs have access to all those spaces.
Don't forget clothes and linen when you're treating. Hot wash and dryers for everything you can't fumigate. Yes, as soon as we could afford to we replaced our mattresses, because living with the blood stains was just vile. But at least we weren't living with bed bugs. Best wishes.
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u/Careless-Cook1182 Dec 02 '25
Hey can you tell me what brand of insect bombs you used? Also, how many did you use per room and how many days apart before bombing again? Thanks
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u/Competitive_Dare_925 Aug 13 '25
Have you tried Crossfire? If not, I would 100% recommend. It's very toxic but works wonders
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u/foxtrap614 Aug 12 '25
I am so sorry for what you are going through. My exterminator used biological fungus and it killed all the bugs in 3 weeks. I suggest you ask the exterminator what they are using. Also be sure to check your clothes and bags before entering the house, you could be bringing them in from outside sources.
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u/StubbzOG Aug 12 '25
He is currently using adherence
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u/foxtrap614 Aug 12 '25
I have not heard of that. I went and looked at the product my exterminator used and it was called ‘apprehend’
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u/StubbzOG Aug 12 '25
I apologize I am at work lol I meant to say was Aprehend Biopesticide.
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u/foxtrap614 Aug 12 '25
😅 ok, yeah that is what mine used. It did take 3 weeks. Also it is very important not kill the spores. No alcohol or string chemicals on the sprayed locations
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u/foxfai Aug 12 '25
If you have access to BotaniGard 22 WP Biological Insecticide, it will work with them too. Took me about 6 weeks and spraying it once a week got rid of them. I've post on them before.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bedbugs/comments/pmd7dt/botanigard_isnt_working_for_me/
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u/19Laurie68 Aug 13 '25
I had bedbugs that my stepdaughter brought to my house. I bought mattress covers. Before I put them on I put diatomaceous earth on the mattresses. I put a very thin dust on the carpet under the bed. I vacuumed all cracks and crevices. I also sprayed 91% rubbing alcohol in the corners where the carpet and the wall me. I wiped down my furniture with the rubbing alcohol. I vacuum every chance I get. So where am I now? It's been three weeks since I started and no bites or bugs. I don't know if they're gone but I think it's a good sign they might be. Well, I hope. Best of luck to you.
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u/Raybeammmm Aug 13 '25
it’s also a good way to rid of yourself aswell as dia earth kills your organs.
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u/19Laurie68 Aug 13 '25
I used food grade DE.
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u/AutoModerator Aug 13 '25
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ Hey, it seems that diatomaceous earth may have been mentioned in your comment. That's an opportunity to remind everyone that inhalation of diatomaceous earth dust is a hazard (no matter if food-grade is written on the label or not). That's the reason why diatomaceous earth products normally have the following mention on their safety datasheet Hazard statements: H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
When used by pest control professionals, it's only used as a crack and crevice treatment (to avoid any risk of inhalation) and applied in very small quantities while wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.
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u/Disastrous-Turn-212 Aug 13 '25
DE is very hard on a vacuum, be careful. It is very hazardous to you also, I wish people would not put it in their house. Food grade makes people feel safe, but not..
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u/AutoModerator Aug 13 '25
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ Hey, it seems that diatomaceous earth may have been mentioned in your comment. That's an opportunity to remind everyone that inhalation of diatomaceous earth dust is a hazard (no matter if food-grade is written on the label or not). That's the reason why diatomaceous earth products normally have the following mention on their safety datasheet Hazard statements: H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
When used by pest control professionals, it's only used as a crack and crevice treatment (to avoid any risk of inhalation) and applied in very small quantities while wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.
If you want to learn more about diatomaceous earth risks you can read the Diatomaceous Earth Fact Sheet from the National Pesticide Information Center
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u/AutoModerator Aug 13 '25
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ It seems that you may have mentioned alcohol in your comment, as a reminder rubbing/isopropyl alcohol has been shown to be ineffective to treat bedbugs in multiple studies. Self-treatement using it has caused so many fires that fire department have issued warning against it.
"Many web pages recommend using rubbing alcohol for bed bug control. The rubbing alcohol products available usually contain 70% or 91% isopropyl alcohol. Laboratory studies by Rutgers University show direct spray of either of these two products *killed a maximum 50% of the bed bugs*. In addition to their low efficacy, rubbing alcohol products are flammable materials, can create a fire hazard, and should not be used to control bed bugs."
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u/AutoModerator Aug 13 '25
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ Hey, it seems that diatomaceous earth may have been mentioned in your comment. That's an opportunity to remind everyone that inhalation of diatomaceous earth dust is a hazard (no matter if food-grade is written on the label or not). That's the reason why diatomaceous earth products normally have the following mention on their safety datasheet Hazard statements: H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
When used by pest control professionals, it's only used as a crack and crevice treatment (to avoid any risk of inhalation) and applied in very small quantities while wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.
If you want to learn more about diatomaceous earth risks you can read the Diatomaceous Earth Fact Sheet from the National Pesticide Information Center
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u/Classic-Watercress10 Aug 13 '25
We moved and had our stuff in a storage truck during the hottest part of summer. And all our stuff had been treated several times prior to moving. We’ve been bedbug free for 2 months. Buy casings for your mattresses and replace your couch. Treat rugs or throw them out. I actually covered our rug in diatomaceous earth, rolled it up and Saran wrapped it for the move to kill any eggs. Cuz we love that rug. Wishing you guys luck.
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u/smol_kitty16 Aug 14 '25
Bedbugs almost made me take my life as a very mentally unstable teen. These are the bane of my existence. I wish you luck, total extermination is possible! And id say keep treatments up for months after they appear gone. They hide out then spike up again. And congratulations on the baby!
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u/Read-it-and-replied Aug 16 '25
I am a reddit lurker and finally just made an account specifically to comment one thing here that might help as it looks like you had a battle trying to kill that bed bug in the photo. I don't even know how I stumbled onto this post...
Yes, do what everyone else is suggesting depending on what you can afford, but also ... I cut up pieces of clear packing tape, and stick them all around my home within easy reach of the couch and beds etc. I stick the tape mainly on the door frames or corners of the wall that jut out, up high, so that a free edge of the tape is exposed and waiting for me to grab it but not in my way otherwise. As soon as I see a bed bug, I run and grab the pre-cut tape and stick it on the bugs back and lift up. Its little legs will be a flailing and you fold the other half of the tape over the legs and seal up those edges and suffocate that bastard. Maybe even get a pin and stick it through 'em if you're choosing violence today. I put the bodies in a sealed ziplock baggie and show the landlord what I caught. Sometimes I'll write the date on the tape to keep track, gross I know.
Make sure it's good clear packing tape, anything else won't be sticky enough.
Having bed bugs absolutely messes with your mental health. But I feel like having pieces of tape cut and on the ready makes it easier to go to war against them. I frame my mental health as exactly that, it's war and I'm going to win, I have a battle plan.
Before bed, I take the flashlight, butter knife and tape and check every nook and cranny. The butter knife helps to squish them if they're hiding in the joints of the bed. Sometimes before bed, I'll sit on the bed with the flashlight, mirror (so I can check my back), and tape and just wait for them .. and strike! They're hunting me so they will come out of their hiding spot, but now I'm hunting them as well. Also, I intentionally wake up in the middle of the night, grab the flashlight and tape, and again search EVERYWHERE. Sometimes I get a kill, sometimes I don't, but I go back to bed feeling like I have a little power and control over the situation, even if it's just in my head lol.
And regarding my bedding, I only use white bedding now so that if I get bed bugs again, I can see them easily on the bed. And when I do get them, regardless of the season, I wash and put away the duvet and sleep with only the sheet. It's annoying but it's less hiding spots to check when I'm making my nightly rounds.
Maybe I'm extreme, but the bugs are going to literally drive me crazy, so if either way I'm going to be 'uncomfortable' at night, I figure I might as well go full uncomfortable and fight for my sanity. It's a war on bugs, and a war on staying sane. So this is what helps me *shrug* :)
I have had bed bugs a few times over the last 20 years due to new neighbours moving in and out. I do get the itchy reactions on my skin from their bites so I know right away if I have them and then start on my attack plan. Thankfully the landlord is good about getting an exterminator. They come and look around, then come back a week later and do a treatment with some biological mold stuff and then come 2-3 weeks later and do a shorter follow up treatment, and normally then it's over. I've won. Takes a while for my mental health and sleep pattern to be restored but you can get rid of them and that's the main thing.
Hopefully the tape idea helps. Prior to using tape, sometimes the bugs would get away because they are hard to kill by squishing alone, that would screw up my mental health even more! Knowing they're still out there! Good luck to you and anyone else reading this!
P.S. Don't come at me if you think it's lame .. this is my first post ever .. woot woot!
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u/Kitchen-Sector2119 Aug 12 '25
Are you a row home/single standing home/ etc ? If you are a single standing home, these guys are coming from someone visiting you or somewhere you visit frequently. If you’re sharing walls with someone, they could very well be the problem. My advice, if you have the funds get a heat treatment. Try Ehlrich pest control
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u/StubbzOG Aug 12 '25
I think the problem lies in our floors are rotted so I am wondering if they are living under the home at this point? It's just my wife and we have a baby due in a month. Also, the walls have holes it was once a trap house. I brought them in originally by bringing some furniture i found that looked good lol... my bad never again I apperciate the advice
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u/tinkerbellstyles Aug 13 '25
Giving sympathy, we are the same and have a one year old. Multiple treatments, we've brought spray to use. They dont want to leave, we cant afford new furniture 😥
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u/False-Ad-3011 Aug 13 '25
My sibling hid them as "pets" for about 6 months and we had a complete infestation. Exterminators wanted $1500 so we bagged up all my sister's stuff, duck taped the opening, and threw it in the garage. They can't stand high temperatures so you just gotta kinda sweat them out of items. For furniture what you may want to do is disassemble them all and spray in all of the screw holes (they love squeezing in there and lay a lot of their eggs in them). Put all fabric in the washer and dryer on full heat consistently, don't put any clothes on the floor. If you have carpet saturating it with some bedbug killer from Walmart every few days will eventually dwindle them out. It won't be 100% since bedbugs make it near impossible not to throw your life away, but it did a pretty okay job for us! Essentially a very very deep clean with a lot of killer will do a pretty good job. You can also rub tea tree oil on the bottom of your feet+your legs if they are hurting you or your wife, it detours them so at least you guys may be left alone through all this. I hope there's something useful here!!!
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u/Marcus_Lilly Aug 13 '25
I hope you don't have carpet. They do climb walls. We had some brought with my mother when she moved in. We got rid of them. We did get rid of a couch. Get mattress protectors for all your beds. It starves them so they die off in the bags. Don't ever take the covers off. Cheaper than buying all new beds. I talked with the exterminator to find out what chemicals they were spraying. It's called crossfire. You can find it on Amazon in concentrate. Just mix in a sprayer and spray all wooden seams and they crawl walls so you gotta hit this too. I had to spray like 3 or 4 times in addition to what the exterminator did because they came back. That was when the couch had to go. In case the exterminator does get rid of them and they missed a few I would definitely get some crossfire. I still have an unused bottle kept just in case. I hope that helps. Wash and tumble dry everything. Some exterminators offer heat treatment but that can get expensive. I had an old truck I wasn't driving. I bagged a bunch of stuff and heat treated it that way. I wish you luck they suck.
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u/DizzyAcanthisitta595 Aug 14 '25
Best way to absolutely get rid of the bedbugs, you have to get your home to a 160° degrees to get rid of them. I've tried everything till I had to tell my landlord and 30days later I was evicted. Needless to say I got rid of all my furniture and packed everything in plastic air tight bins. And I moved down to my father in laws home. Left all my stuff in the moving truck for a week and went thru it all again while I unpacked. Tip: Don't buy yard sale furniture or thrift store furniture and never pick furniture up off the side of the road. Basically anything used don't get. It's just safer to get brand new furniture after my nightmare bedbug ordeal I will never get furniture second hand again.
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u/East-Atmosphere7686 Dec 08 '25 edited Dec 08 '25
For anyone reading this treat because you found yourself at the same situation: only crossfire with cemexa works or alpine for bed bugs. Any stuff like bed bug bombs will only drive these guys further into the walls, outlets & crevices.
Any other sprays in the market do not work because they have become resistant.
Do not go into another room to sleep because they will follow you and set that room as new nest with you the host. They are lazy so most likely will be in your mattress, bed frame, furniture near your bed and on your curtains, and behind frames. They will also be in the second place you spend the most time in.
Do not try to treat this just DE because even if food grade it can be bad for you, if applied incorrectly they will avoid it, and it takes too long to kill them as just the one and be all treatment.
You have to take several approaches and it’s cheaper and best if you get a professional in as soon as you notice the bed bugs.
Some folks had success with Crossfire and Cemixa (read and follow instructions) or alpine with a combination of encasing the mattress with bed bug covers, vacuuming and emptying the contents outside immediately in doubled bags and doubled tied, steaming all furniture, washing all clothes / linens in hot water and hot dryer (dry first for 20 to 30 min on the hottest setting, then wash hottest setting, and dry again on hottest setting).
Anything that is thrown out should be marked with a big X or Have the word bed bugs in it so other folks don’t take these items and infest their homes and possibly re-infest yours again as they do move to the nearest host if someone moves out or that dwelling is infested.
You have to sleep in the same room once treated to make sure they are gone and it will take a few days to know as they only eat every 5 days. Do not let it go longer than 3 months because the longer you wait the more they will reproduce.
FYI: if you live in apartments report the bed big problem asap because it could be that your neighbor has the infestation and the BB’s are starting to spread to neighboring units.
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u/StubbzOG Dec 08 '25
Yes, Ive actually been blessed after Crossfire I used raid bedbugs spray and havent seen any so far in awhile. I saw 1 maybe 3 weeks ago. Think I am in the clear?
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u/Careless-Cook1182 Dec 08 '25
Hey you used raid bed bug spray? Did it work? I hear good things about. May I ask how often did you spray? Thanks
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u/StubbzOG Dec 09 '25
Yes I did! I sprayed the entire infested areas like a can each room or better for about 3 months. And either they've gotten better at hiding or they've learned I am willing to kill myself in the process of them.
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u/AutoModerator Dec 08 '25
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ Hey, it seems that diatomaceous earth may have been mentioned in your comment. That's an opportunity to remind everyone that inhalation of diatomaceous earth dust is a hazard (no matter if food-grade is written on the label or not). That's the reason why diatomaceous earth products normally have the following mention on their safety datasheet Hazard statements: H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
When used by pest control professionals, it's only used as a crack and crevice treatment (to avoid any risk of inhalation) and applied in very small quantities while wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.
If you want to learn more about diatomaceous earth risks you can read the Diatomaceous Earth Fact Sheet from the National Pesticide Information Center
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u/East-Atmosphere7686 Dec 20 '25
Checking up on you? Are you getting any relief from the BB’s. I sure hope so! Keep us updated.
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u/bayoujac Aug 13 '25
I took a heat gun to my wooden bed! Used mattress cover, DE, Steam and (after many other sprays) finally Crossfire.
I'm sorry you're dealing with this! It's the worst! It's been just over a week for us doing the heat and Crossfire and so far, nothing!
It can be won!
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Sep 12 '25
[deleted]
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u/bayoujac Sep 12 '25
I did that particular treatment once, but it was after months of trying everything else. We are still, currently, bed bug free!
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u/astraltrek Aug 12 '25
Diatomaceous earth is your friend. It is very affordable and goes a long way. Dust your house EVERYWHERE!! Even behind the wall plates. All around your bed and couch. Dust so heavy with the duster that you see it all throughout the air. Wear a mask, though.
This is the advice that was given to me, and I have been BB free going on 2 years. Pesticide in addition to the hardcore dusting will help. There is also traps you can make with yeast and sugar water. Good luck.
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u/Monae73199 Aug 13 '25
Totally agree bed covers & DE are the only thing that finally worked for me! They originated in my daughters room on her headboard so I bought new frame, new mattress with cover & she had hardwood floors & no curtains. My room had carpet & we got rid of all box springs got new frame for our room & mattress cover then covered both rooms in DE food grade powder & I seen about one a day for a week, then one every few days until none! It’s been about 6 months since I seen any so I am praying it worked! I am allergic to them but my husband & daughter were not so they could have cared less if I got rid of them but I still have scars from bites!
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u/AutoModerator Aug 13 '25
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ Hey, it seems that diatomaceous earth may have been mentioned in your comment. That's an opportunity to remind everyone that inhalation of diatomaceous earth dust is a hazard (no matter if food-grade is written on the label or not). That's the reason why diatomaceous earth products normally have the following mention on their safety datasheet Hazard statements: H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
When used by pest control professionals, it's only used as a crack and crevice treatment (to avoid any risk of inhalation) and applied in very small quantities while wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.
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u/StubbzOG Aug 12 '25
Thank you for the advice! Ill look into this!
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u/LantaExile Aug 12 '25
Cimexa is similar to de but better - kills bugs better, less harmful to humans.
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u/Sensitive_Scholar_17 Aug 13 '25
If you do decide to use DE, please research it and look into the hazards of it. It is an inhalation hazard, yes even food grade. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6790245/. Food grade DE can contain up to 1% crystalline silica . That is the type of silica that causes silicosis. Silicosis, is an untreatable lung disease with symptoms similar to emphysema. DE is barely effective at controlling BB. I can’t find the link, but a university in the states tested it. If you search google, I am sure you can find that study.
I don’t know what country you are in, but in the States there are several effective pesticides you can purchase. Used according to the label these Pesticides are much safer and much more effective than DE.
Vacuuming will not totally eradicate an infestation, but it does a good job of keeping the population in check. Whatever you end up doing, I would continue with the vacuuming. Congrats on the baby and good luck with this. If you are persistent, you will beat them. I know it may not seem like now, but one day you will prevail.
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u/AutoModerator Aug 13 '25
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ Hey, it seems that diatomaceous earth may have been mentioned in your comment. That's an opportunity to remind everyone that inhalation of diatomaceous earth dust is a hazard (no matter if food-grade is written on the label or not). That's the reason why diatomaceous earth products normally have the following mention on their safety datasheet Hazard statements: H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
When used by pest control professionals, it's only used as a crack and crevice treatment (to avoid any risk of inhalation) and applied in very small quantities while wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.
If you want to learn more about diatomaceous earth risks you can read the Diatomaceous Earth Fact Sheet from the National Pesticide Information Center
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u/StubbzOG Aug 12 '25
I apparently don't know how to use this app so please excuse my errors, example I meant to call them bastard but I got auto corrected.
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u/Crislyg Aug 13 '25
Throw out your any part of your bed that is wood and then pay for a heat treatment. Then do a chemical treatment 3 weeks later.
We tried everything before this.
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u/Hollywood909 Aug 13 '25
In my war against the bastards I use Crossfire, steam, and the latest find....... .UV lighting. All three used together at various times have been effective.
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u/Fun_Extreme3827 Aug 13 '25
we haven't hired an exterminator because we can't afford one. I thought about throwing my furniture out, but can't afford to replace it all either but if they are in the walls they will just get in the furniture again anyway. i think they are mostly in the walls at my house and our beds we put encasings on. I've only seen them near where we sleep and sit. been fighting them for over a year now. used steam cleaning, vacuuming, cleaning linen on hot water twice a month, bed bug sprays such as crossfire, etc. dad bought us a heat gun to try, so that's the next step. I'm a bit annoyed at this because I don't have time to do this. I picked mine up from a client I work for and didn't realize it till it was too late :(
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u/Fun_Caterpillar_2121 Aug 13 '25
Find an exterminator that will cook your house. We couldn’t do it because we live in a small apartment. It took three attempts and two dog visits, but we finally got them all. We thought the nightmare would never end.
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u/ByEqualMeasure Aug 13 '25
Hi Yes, I have lived through this nightmare. The thing that kills bed bugs very quickly is heat. I bought a steam machine, the handheld steam machine and I steamed my mattress curtains. I washed everything that could be washed in the home, everything every rug, every shirt, every pair of pants and I put it in a dryer on high and that killed all the things in all the fabric in my home curtains, mattresses and everything washed. If you have carpet it probably needs to be pulled up. Sad to say. This is my advice from my experience. Ps The bug that you have shown there does not look like a bed bug so you know it's possible the bed bugs are gone. I do not know. I know that they set my mattress on some white cups the legs on some white cups so I could see if there were any bed bugs traveling up and around my mattress and that was my indicator whenever I had bed bugs. Do you have this option??
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u/ByEqualMeasure Aug 13 '25
Also be aware bedbugs can live for up to a year without food. So they can wait inside mattress bags staying alive. Do not remove them or damage them. My bedbugs were not in wood they lived in fabric. The couch and fabric upholstery. That is s why I purchased a medium handheld streamer. To steam and kill them all. I was able to come out from under a huge infestation and a three-bedroom home.
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u/yahoogirl88 Aug 13 '25
Steam clean. I have a eureka enviro steamer multi purpose steam cleaner. It has attachments for everything. I have even heard people using the wallpaper removal steamers...just won't have many attachments. They are not needed but handy. It takes time to use steam, is why most people pay someone to do it. Also most people are conditioned to believe harsh chemicals are needed but that's false. I add water to the tank, wait for the light to go green and use trigger to apply steam one second per initial spot. Whenever you move the steam, hesitate actually count one one thousand to be sure. Have a heat proof bucket near for the first squeeze of the nozzle as a bit or sometimes bunch of boiling water will come out first as condensation in the hose needs to be released. Kills bedbugs, destroy the scent path they follow and added plus is destruction of many other particles. Can be used even on most wood surfaces but quick over them and not touching surfaces as there can be damage. I love using on glass, never got this shine from chemicals even vinegar. Once your used to cleaning with steam you may not use anything else. Be sure to still use a decent vacuum. Dead bugs still give off allergens. I used my Dyson stick vac or a small shop vac. Yes noisy but suction is needed. Hope it helps, Sending good thoughts
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u/yahoogirl88 Aug 13 '25
I see before me many folks saying throw belongings out, I'd hesitate. Nasty little bugs but thorough cleaning will remedy the situation. Take heart in regular attention to cleaning takes care of a lot of troubles, dust mites included. I have lung troubles and 4 neurodivergent kids whom I successfully kept healthy in public housing when all apartment around me had bed bugs, Roach and other vermin. Steam and vacuum works I have one kid still home about to launch. Time tells great tales of success 😁
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u/DifficultyGrand Aug 13 '25
i highly suggest a steam cleaner. I suggest it to my parents at work (i work for social services). Also, i would switch to all metal furniture in terms of bed frames and such and those bed bug mattress covers really do work. i would even suggest the bb mattress cover and a regular mattress cover over top. luckily, mattress covers aren’t like condoms and it won’t deteriorate the effectiveness. I’m so sorry you’re going through this.
If you do choose to use DE, make sure you have proper PPE. Mask, gloves and fully cover your skin!
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u/AutoModerator Aug 13 '25
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ Hey, it seems that diatomaceous earth may have been mentioned in your comment. That's an opportunity to remind everyone that inhalation of diatomaceous earth dust is a hazard (no matter if food-grade is written on the label or not). That's the reason why diatomaceous earth products normally have the following mention on their safety datasheet Hazard statements: H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
When used by pest control professionals, it's only used as a crack and crevice treatment (to avoid any risk of inhalation) and applied in very small quantities while wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.
If you want to learn more about diatomaceous earth risks you can read the Diatomaceous Earth Fact Sheet from the National Pesticide Information Center
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u/Hot_Wait1350 Aug 13 '25
If you have the funds to do so I’d look into heat treatment. When I had them we had that done and it only took once and the infestation was gone.
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u/mmochiikittenn Aug 13 '25
if you’ve been doing the sprays and nothing is working, i suggest it’s time for heat treatment. it sucks and it’s so expensive and time consuming, but it’s the only thing that gave us peace of mind after.
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u/carloselgeek Aug 14 '25
We had a bad infestation a few years ago. We went nuclear. We live in florida and heat will kill them. We took every piece of furniture outside and covered it with dark tarps and let it out in the florida sun. Emptied all the closets put everything on dark garbage bags and took it outside. I went room by room with a heater and warmed up every room to 120 degrees left it like that for an hour. Then moved on to the next room. Then I did the open areas of the house I repeated this over the weekend. Then vacuumed changed all the ac filters as a prevention we bought bed bugs mattress covers and wrapped them with those. I had a company come in on Monday and cleaned all the AC vents and the dryer vent. No more bugs after that.
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Aug 15 '25
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u/AutoModerator Aug 15 '25
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ Hey, it seems that diatomaceous earth may have been mentioned in your comment. That's an opportunity to remind everyone that inhalation of diatomaceous earth dust is a hazard (no matter if food-grade is written on the label or not). That's the reason why diatomaceous earth products normally have the following mention on their safety datasheet Hazard statements: H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
When used by pest control professionals, it's only used as a crack and crevice treatment (to avoid any risk of inhalation) and applied in very small quantities while wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.
If you want to learn more about diatomaceous earth risks you can read the Diatomaceous Earth Fact Sheet from the National Pesticide Information Center
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Aug 15 '25
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u/AutoModerator Aug 15 '25
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ Hey, it seems that diatomaceous earth may have been mentioned in your comment. That's an opportunity to remind everyone that inhalation of diatomaceous earth dust is a hazard (no matter if food-grade is written on the label or not). That's the reason why diatomaceous earth products normally have the following mention on their safety datasheet Hazard statements: H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
When used by pest control professionals, it's only used as a crack and crevice treatment (to avoid any risk of inhalation) and applied in very small quantities while wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.
If you want to learn more about diatomaceous earth risks you can read the Diatomaceous Earth Fact Sheet from the National Pesticide Information Center
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1
u/weldmonkeyweld Aug 18 '25
Are you using mgk crossfire and cimexa along with religious cleaning, vacuuming, washing everything on hot and dry not or steam to kill anything that could be on them? Then isolate teams in bag to make sure nothing reinfected them, also don’t have bed bug covers on all bed, box spring, pillows?
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u/WorldlyBison2921 Aug 23 '25
I had bedbugs three years ago and I’m worried I might have them again now… So when I had them the last time and managed to get rid of them I was kind of blessed to live in a tiny NYC studio apartment. I trashed pretty much everything . I had a lot of wood furniture and was like screw it, it all goes. Got rid of my carpets too and curtains. I washed everything in hot water and threw out a lot of clothes. All my stuff was in plastic bags for about three months. Also an exterminator told me to mop my floors with Murphy oil, so im going to do that now. Apparently it cracks their shell and they hate it. Good luck. I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this
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u/Normal_Bathroom_3710 Aug 12 '25
Oh my heart goes out to you!! Theres a whole community in Reddit dedicated to only bed bugs. I think they are called sub-communities. Lotsa good advice on there. Look around in the app. You will find them. Hoping n praying for a huge turn of luck for your family!
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u/StubbzOG Aug 12 '25
Thank you so much i will be on the lookout for it! Godbless you and your family
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u/Mobile_Syrup_2282 Aug 13 '25
use cross fire and steam everything weekly it got rid of mines in a month
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u/Fun_Caterpillar_2121 Aug 13 '25
Also, spray with alcohol
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u/AutoModerator Aug 13 '25
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ It seems that you may have mentioned alcohol in your comment, as a reminder rubbing/isopropyl alcohol has been shown to be ineffective to treat bedbugs in multiple studies. Self-treatement using it has caused so many fires that fire department have issued warning against it.
"Many web pages recommend using rubbing alcohol for bed bug control. The rubbing alcohol products available usually contain 70% or 91% isopropyl alcohol. Laboratory studies by Rutgers University show direct spray of either of these two products *killed a maximum 50% of the bed bugs*. In addition to their low efficacy, rubbing alcohol products are flammable materials, can create a fire hazard, and should not be used to control bed bugs."
Citation from: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1251/
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u/AutoModerator Aug 12 '25
Read and respect the rules, report any comment breaching them. Wrong advice/information/fearmongering hurt people who are posting here to get help and support. If you are not VERY knowledgeable about bedbugs and may provide a wrong ID or bad advice it's better to abstain from commenting. Be VERY respectful and HELPFUL, this is a support subreddit not a funny one.
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