Bed bugs

supernanauna1

jakuss Our local council website specifically states that they will not handle anything with bed bugs. That was the first place I went to, to get some help, but they're quite clear that they won't help.

It wouldn’t be fair to council not to let on you have had a problem with bedbugs as they may use those vans for other purposes.
🤞 you have got rid of the little blighters.

jakuss Our local council website specifically states that they will not handle anything with bed bugs. That was the first place I went to, to get some help, but they're quite clear that they won't help.

Personally I would contact relevant bodies in the uk, social services,help the aged etc, this is an awful predicament your in and you need outside help to take the burden off you, my prayers, maybe someone on here knows who to contact, bedbugs are not dirt but just one of those nasty situations, please let us know if it went ok, I will be praying for you

Councils will remove large items for a fee, no need to tell them it has bugs

Hello, it's me again. Thank you to everyone who has posted - it's nice to know I have some support, even if it's only from a distance. This whole episode has thrown me for six and turned home life into a living nightmare. To those posters who mentioned the dust, I wasn't suggesting that my lack of housework skills caused the infestation, merely saying that I was embarrassed at the amount of dust that I saw while the pest control people were inspecting. I was cringing!

The house will be sprayed again tomorrow. Then I can start putting clothing , possessions etc back where they belong. One thing that has amazed me is the amount of 'stuff' that my son had in his tiny box room. I've always known he's a compulsive buyer but really........I've been nagging him all week to start going through his bags of clothes - he has enough to start a shop - but he keeps making excuses. I even found two boxes of face masks that he ordered during Covid, unopened. Lord alone knows what else is in those black bags.

The back garden is covered in dozens of black bags, clothing, bedding, personal possessions. That will all have to be hauled back in. One good thing at least, there is no sign of rain.

The whole thing has been a total nightmare. I've paid for a one year warranty to the pest control company, just in case any of the little sods manage to survive. That at least gives me a bit of peace of mind.

This whole thing has been an absolute nightmare. Can you imagine trying to empty a three bedroom house in 24 hours? It's impossible.

At 79, I didn't need this. But I'm more than halfway through the process now, so hopefully the end is in sight.

Thank you all for your support.

Depends on how long you have had them.
Loads on YouTube about bed bugs.
I made the mistake of watching a couple before travelling to London.
One clip showed a bed bug travelling up a guys leg on the underground 😩
Read also that they shut down two libraries in London due to bed bugs. Now if I get a book from the library I put it in the freezer for a few days. You are probably more likely to pick them up this way as people tend to read in bed.
Also second hand clothing. So if you do buy second hand (I bought two lovely tops recently from a charity shop) bag them, freeze, then wash.
We are really now a small world with all the travelling, so they are becoming more common for sure.

Bestgrammaever
As you can see from the post above I was very familiar with bed bugs. I’m amazed that your friends could recognise a bed bug so quickly considering they are roughly the size of an apple pip. That is unless they too were familiar with them.

I am in the US - Friends were in Chicago recently and were taking a ride share. They opened the door to the ride share and there were bed bugs crawling across the seat. They refuse to get in and notified Uber immediately. They were on corporate business so the employer hired a limo for the remainder of the trip.

The Uber driver was terrified he would take these bedbugs home to family and was directed to get "diatomaceous earth". It is a fine powder that can be used to coat surfaces. You should use a mask and gloves but its safe.

Plevey08

Do they only come from holiday travel?

I don’t think so.
I was born in 46 and lived with the little critters ( as did most houses that were demolished in the London slum clearance) for the next 16 years.
My mum was always out with the Flit spray.
When we got the letter saying that we were going to be demolished the council also informed us that everything would be fumigated by them before we moved into the new property.

Really silly question but how do you know if you have bed bugs? Do you wake up covered in bites or can you see them or both?

Sorry, cant help but just to say you poor thing having to deal with It on your own

Ahh I bet you felt like ramming that mattresse down your husbands throat 😂
Anyway thanks for updating us on your mammoth task.
You deserve a sit down now 😊

Ktsmum

We had new carpets in our bedrooms and the following spring we noticed carpet beetles on the window ledges, obv present in the carpet when it was laid, we sprayed with carpet beetle spray which did the trick, but we have to do it every spring or the beggars come back again, hopefully they'll die out for good soon. Your bugs could have come from anywhere, hope you get sorted soon

They are a blinking nightmare too.
I’ve steamed my bedroom carpets so haven’t seen any this year thank goodness.
I don’t get they are attracted to white objects but like dark corners to hide in.
Wardrobes also get blitzed.

AuntieE supernatural has a follow up post that say the bed has gone

Our son lived in Boston which is one of the worst US cities for bed bugs. They spread so easily. Put a bag down on a floor and they hop on board and bingo they are in your property. He lived in apartments and they spread from one to another. Nothing to do with your housekeeping standards, they are just very invasive. Second hand furniture is often the culprit, or even second hand clothes. Virtually no one has carpets or curtains in rentals in Boston. Less places for them to take up residence. When travelling he always put his suitcase into the empty bath for a few days when he got back just to make sure there were no passengers. I think climate change is making them more common here.

How did they get in to your house? It seems now lots of holidays seem to be having this problem. They seem to like hiding in suitcases only to give the owner a shock when they get home. Its a terrible business but now you have everything out maybe be time to decide what to get rid save taking it all back in again.
As for housework its a joint thing.

In this heat wave you can certainly ask a friend to help you.

Just make sure your helper or helpers bring a complete change of clothing in a sealed plastic bag that they do not bring into your house with them, so they have something to change into after showering in your bathroom when the work is finished.

If the bed is too heavy or bulky to cart out of the house, you need a helper who can use a power saw to cut it into manageable pieces.

There are regulations regarding how asbestos has to be packed before collection by the local authorities, so I assume there are similaar regulations regarding bed-begs.

If you have not done so phone and ask the relevant authoritiy about this, and ask the company who are coming to spray the house etc. if they can and will help with the heavier furnishings, or can provide the name of a firm that will.

Even in my 30s I could not have carried say a box mattress out of the house alone and now, at 74, I assuredly cannot!

None of this is your fault, and you are dealing responsibly with the disaster, so please do ask for the help you need.

My ex - a scrupulously clean man - accidentally brought them when he flew in to visit. He complained to Singapore Air, because he knew that he’d been bitten during the flight but to no avail. I put the duvet in the freezer for a couple of weeks, threw out video tapes of great sentimental value, lots of books etc. Was lucky to find a young chap who was happy to take the bed regardless and had to sleep on a camp bed with the heat turned up high to attract the little darlings before any spraying could be done. It’s not an experience I’d wish on anyone, but I think that going through it on my own was probably easier than the way you’ve had to go through it.

We had new carpets in our bedrooms and the following spring we noticed carpet beetles on the window ledges, obv present in the carpet when it was laid, we sprayed with carpet beetle spray which did the trick, but we have to do it every spring or the beggars come back again, hopefully they'll die out for good soon. Your bugs could have come from anywhere, hope you get sorted soon

The 2 products from Amazon, are:

Terminix - 30 to 90 day guarantee

Orkin - 30 to 90 day guarantee

These 2 products are exterminator quality with guarantees.

Best wishes.

Oh dear what a to do don’t blame yourself. I don’t think not being big on housework gives you bed bugs, the little tykes have been carried in by someone or sonething
You ve done a massive mission with your son’s help and it ll soon be past and gone and you can look forwards.

I hardly dare say this but is your marriage good, because it sounds if it was me that I d much rather be on my own than with a huffing, puffing, sitting on his hands husband. Just saying
Anyway a bit of dust or more clutter than you need is not how bed bugs become involved, somehow they have arrived at your house via somebody or something.

Thanks for your messages folks.

I found a company to wrap the bed and take it away. That was the biggest single problem solved.

The house has been sprayed, with another treatment later this week, and all clothing, bedding etc. has to be washed. The poor washing machine doesn't know what hit it!

Trying to empty a house in 24 hours is simply impossible. The pest control people wanted everything out, but it just couldn't be done. I have never worked so hard or such long hours in my life. The back and front gardens are now covered in layers of black bags - luckily I had the foresight to label them saying which room they came from. God only knows what the neighbours are thinking. Nothing can go back till after the second treatment is done, so it's been tough trying to find whatever uniforms or clothing were needed for today, but with my son's help I managed it.

We're probably halfway through the whole process, but all I can say to anybody else in this situation is you have my sympathy. The whole thing is a nightmare. Absolute hell. I've been amazed that my creaky back hasn't acted up yet - maybe it's adrenaline keeping me going.

To be brutally honest, it's only now I realise how much I've let housework slip in the past few years. I have a difficult marriage - he has spent the last three days sitting on the couch, sighing and huffing and puffing - and lots of times I just say 'sod it, can't be bothered' and sit down with a book. Well, that's come back to bite me. I thought I was good at decluttering, but the amount of 'stuff' in the bedrooms has been astonishing. And as for the amount of dust....it was embarrassing walking round with the pest control person as she inspected the house. When all this is over I'll need to pull my socks up.

As to where they came from? Absolutely no idea. Nobody has been on holiday or anything like that. So your guess is as good as mine.

supernanauna1 I can’t help practically but just wanted to say
I m sorry you are in this pickle it’s horrid and you sound as if it’s all on your shoulders.
If you can get anyone to help they could wear those (paper) overalls that could be burned afterwards ( you can get them easily on Amazon or diy shops )
Do you have any idea where they came from ? has your husband been on a holiday or anything, with them just infecting his room.
We had a concern last year with my grandson whose work takes him into many weird and wonderful sleeping/ living conditions when he came up with itchy spots but it turned out to be a form of eczema….panic over
Good luck and let us know how it goes

We treat for such critters regularly in our holiday cottages just to be on the safe side With so many people through the beds like to be on the safe side. Never had a problem but never say never

Do they only come from holiday travel?