# Bed Bugs



## MagicalHome (Apr 12, 2010)

My friend's house is infected with bed bugs. He doesn't know where they came from. How can it be treated? Is this a DIY thing?


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## PAbugman (Jun 29, 2010)

Bed bug treatments push the limits of diy, even more than termite work.
Even for the pros, bbug treatment is chemical and labor intensive, with repeated treatments required, all with less than stellar results, especially against re-infestation. The pricing will be in the range of termite treatments or more, with no residual protection. Two and three operators will work on one infested room for several hours. This type of pest control is different from what we all are used to seeing. 

The more cluttered the house is, the less likely of success. Determine the extent of infestation first, if caught early and it's limited to one room, good. Bad news is there is no real way of knowing for sure the extent until time goes on. Also, lifestyle changes may be required, so as to not re-infest the house again. If a row house, maybe neighbors have them which only complicates an already complicated issue.

There is much to learn about bbug treatments. Google "Potter" and "bed bugs". Read everything that Professor Potter writes about bed bugs. That's what we do.


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## ccarlisle (Jul 2, 2008)

Yup, I doubt if even a good DIYer would do as good a job as the pros do, if only from a chemical availability viewpoint. 

But also you have to know what to look for, where to go, what to use and when to come back - because the bug you see is just at one stage of his whole life and killing him doesn't mean there aren't eggs and larvae right behind him. There are chemical means and physical means involved in eradication of bedbug's house infestation, some things you can do yourself, but again not as effectively as a pro. 

Stay home, don't go to his house in your socks until he's had something done - and don't play the couch potatoe with him and the NFL on your couch unless he showers in Windex first. LOL


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## rodeo (Dec 1, 2007)

Ive been battling these bugs for 2 months - you need to approach it as if like a military operation.

They can hide just about anywhere - inside light switches, inside the table legs, guitars, picture frames, wall thermostats, just to name but a few.

That said, they prefer to be near where you sleep/spend much most of your time. They usually dont hang out in the kitchen or bathroom.

The pleated corners of a mattress or sofa is their #1 favorite place.

If the mattress is infested, consider throwing it away - and if you do, wrap the mattress in plastic before transporting to the trash - dragging a mattress a with bedbugs falling off it everywhere is a bad idea.

Clean up ALL clutter, launder all fabric stuff or at least place it in the dryer for a couple hot cycles. Then keep all fabrics stored in bags, sealed containers. 

Now, for the assault.

1. spray everywhere - cracks, baseboards, carpet edges, dresser cracks, behind faceplates. Keep a watch for the telltale speckled poop pattern which indicates their lairs. Turn off the electric and spray inside the switches and outlets - obviously, you'll need to keep the electric off until its completely dried - a few days perhaps. A hassle but very effective.

Its important to note that merely spraying a surface is often not enough to kill 'em. They need to be DIRECTLY sprayed. This requires you to spend alot of time spraying which flushes some of them out in the open where you can spray again for the kill. Others will attempt to hide from the spray and burrow further in the crevice - drench those crevices - at intervals several times. Vacuuming can be helpful here too in pulling them out.

After day or two or so, when the spray is dry, is time for the last step
DIATOMOUS DUST
This stuff is like magic, non toxic but try not to breathe it.
Put a thin layer of dust over all the cracks and crevices previously treated.
Put on bed and furniture too. Its messy but well worth it as it really does work. Takes about 10 days to 2 weeks. 

Thats the basics, theres more options to discuss, but I'm tired of typin.


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## ccarlisle (Jul 2, 2008)

Good plan: but spray with what? do you know that only a percentage of bbugs out there are sensitive to our sprays and that most feel no effect whatsoever?

There is no 'residual' product out there because they don't absorb poison through their feet like some do.


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## MagicalHome (Apr 12, 2010)

How about using a vacuum cleaner? Will it help, even temporarily?


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## ccarlisle (Jul 2, 2008)

Sure, But use a HEPA vacuum - or rent one - as you don't want stuff floating around in the air once you picked them up. 

However the other part of the problem is the eggs; eggs are sticky and may resisit the pull of the air besides you'd have to really have access to all the nooks and crannies in every piece of furniture to get access to them in the first place. But that's what pros use....as part of the treatment since no one weapon will do the trick.


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## rodeo (Dec 1, 2007)

I was spraying with ortho home defense max, just ordinary bug spray from home depot. the active ingredient is bifenthrin, which I believe is a derivative of pyrethrins. mild as far toxicity to mammals go although I noticed getting this strange feeling in my throat after breathing the vapors. 

Spraying alcohol can kill them too. I tried it and it does work but it also evaporates fast. 

Good point about the vacuum. Lately, I'm skipping the vacuuming cuz it renders it useless for awhile until they are all killed inside the vacuum. I found it hard to kill them inside my shop vac and dont want them spreading around so I ended up stashing it in the back of my yard covered in black plastic in the sun and cold for a couple weeks. Didnt want to take any chances but dont want to repeat that process.

other things that can help:

1. putting infected items outside in cold weather. It needs to at least 3 days straight of sub zero weather. Cant do this in michigan quite yet.

2. double sided tape - they walk and get stuck on it. Above baseboards is a good place. I use it where the wall meets the dropped ceiling.
(woe to those who have both bedbugs and dropped ceilings)


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## linuxrunner (Oct 18, 2010)

I am usually a lurker, but I had just recently finished looking at this site were someone outlines lots of DIY tricks he used to combat a bedbug infestation. So i thought i would share.

http://softsolder.com/2010/11/08/bed-bugs-overview/

There are at least some good ideas you may be able to take away.


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## jackmilson (Jan 27, 2012)

It is quite long procedure that first you will examine where the bed bugs and then will make a solution over them. Apart from it we should use the bed bug cover and bb- spray in the regular basics. By that we can handle it very easily. Keep trying!!!


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

When I lived in Chicago before and left in 1989, I never heard about bed bugs. I moved back January 2010 and they are absolutely everywhere---even luxury offices. I live in a building, not a single residence, and maintenance is extremely diligent about trying to control them. I have never seen even one in my space but I helped an elderly friend across the hall get rid of his infestation. Part of his problem is that he would only implement some of the procedures when you have to do them all.

Quick bed bug facts first. Good news is while they gorge on blood they do not, as far as we know, carry diseases since they don't cross feed. Obviously if you scratch a bite you open yourself to an infection. The bad news is an adult can gorge and not have to feed again for a year! Nymphs are near transparent and hard to see. 

The consensus here is that chemicals the consumer can buy are an absolute waste of money. In fact the most effective treatments seem to be hypothermal. Many exterminators use liquid nitrogen if they can source an infestation. There is an alternate treatment where they come out with super heaters and take an entire room up to a hellish temperature quickly. They wrap and treat furniture the same way.

An exterminator comes here to spray something periodically.

I will say that whenever I had walls open in a renovation I used boron as a prophylactic tool against bugs before sealing up walls. Diatamaceous (sp?) earth is similar in function and certainly will not hurt anything. Both are minerals and harmless to people and pets. Boron can render soil sterile though. I suspect you can buy a giant bag of diatamaceous earth at a pool supply company for a fraction of what they want for it as a pest control product. It is commonly used in pool filter systems. 

Anyhow, at the risk of repeating things already mentioned, here are things you should do in addition to calling an exterminator according to my building people. 

1. Get rid of all clutter that could serve as a nest. Old papers, magazines and so forth have to go. Make sure piles of clothes are in laundry baskets or bags. 

2. Vacuum frequently and thoroughly including the seams of mattresses (roll the seams up and be sure to get all sides), sofas and so forth. Be sure to move furniture and get underneath. Use the concentrator tool and get at the baseboards. Pull all the books out of shelves and vacuum the tops and behind them. 

3. Change the bag or invest in a bagless vacuum. Empty the canister after every use and dispose of the debris promptly. Stuff a sock or something in the hose end until you know you have the bugs under control. 

4. If you have not cleaned carpets in awhile clean them with an extraction method.

5. Cover mattresses with bed bug protectors. I found places local ready and willing to gouge me but I found better ones online for much less. Bed bugs will either be trapped within the covers or will not be able to get through them.

6. If sofas, stuffed chairs and things are badly infested treat them hypothermally or get rid of them. 

7. Run everything you can---towels, sheets, clothing, stuffed animals---through the highest heat cycle of your dryer for 30-40 minutes. Or take it to a laundromat. Empty the lint filter in to a plastic garbage bag and seal shut. 

8. Pack all you ran through the dryer into plastic bags and seal shut until you have finished with everything.

9. Vacuum all the closets and drawers from which you took the stuff to run through the dryer. 

When I did all these things for my friend, and with the exterminator visits he has gone from infestation to not seeing a single bed bug in over a year now.


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

Also, since you can't throw mattresses and sofas in the dryer, I've heard that running the iron over them will help. Be diligent with safety though


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## eleazer (Jan 29, 2012)

Bed bugs are INCREDIBLY difficult to get rid of. They can survive over a year without any food so even if you eliminate any source of food they can still stick around. Once you have bed bugs they multiply and get worse really fast, so your best bet is to go with a professional service. But you can take steps to prevent future infestations. The main thing to remember is that bed bugs like clutter. The more "stuff" you have around in your room or home, the more opportunity these bugs have to spread.


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## cpci (Mar 13, 2012)

I would like to share my story with you all between me and bed bugs.. 

I have been bitten for the last eight months. I kind of figured it was bed bugs, but my boyfriend or my children did not get bit. I searched my bed and found nothing. It wasn't until my daughter slept in my bed and woke with bites that i knew it had to be BED BUGS. I researched the little critters online and I found a lot of helpful solutions green rubbing alcohol was my first step. Then I vacuumed my entire bed and then I brought a streamer machine and steamed my bed and i bought vinyl covers and that was the end of my problems........luckily I did not have an infestation.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

cpci said:


> I would like to share my story with you all between me and bed bugs..
> 
> I have been bitten for the last eight months. I kind of figured it was bed bugs, but my boyfriend or my children did not get bit. I searched my bed and found nothing. It wasn't until my daughter slept in my bed and woke with bites that i knew it had to be BED BUGS. I researched the little critters online and I found a lot of helpful solutions green rubbing alcohol was my first step. Then I vacuumed my entire bed and then I brought a streamer machine and steamed my bed and i bought vinyl covers and that was the end of my problems........luckily I did not have an infestation.


Just remember they can and will travel on bed clothes to sofas, upholstered chairs so be diligent about them too! Vacuum along all baseboards with a crevice tool. Discard what the vacuum picks up. Steam clean the sofa and chairs. Steam clean the carpet if you have it. 

They will hide in laundry and luggage so be careful about putting your bed or travel clothes in with other clothing. Inspect and vacuum your luggage seams after every trip. See my post about the Chicago recommendation to diligently wash or at least run ALL clothes through the dryer and seal what you have done in bags until the process is complete. Gets expensive but all you cannot wash needs to go to the dry cleaner too.

They love to hide and lay eggs in clutter, seams and carpet fibers! And remember, adults can go a year without feeding and can travel on your work clothing too (they are now into some pretty ritzy office buildings here). I saw one crawling around on a pharmacy counter the other day. Clearly it traveled there on someone's clothing. 

The latest recommendation here is never to buy resale shop upholstered furniture or used mattresses (lots of reason not to buy used mattresses). If you need to dispose of either there are services that will come, wrap them, and torch them or something.

Some exterminators are still claiming great results with either cryogenics (e.g. liquid nitrogen if the source of the bugs is identifiable) or super high dry heat. Neither of these approaches are within the reach of DIYers save for carefully taking a hair dryer to mattress and furniture seams---with a rated fire extinguisher handy as fabrics and foams can go up in flames in a matter of seconds. 

If you live in an apartment or condo, eradication will only work if all cooperate---hard to pull off some times. Progress is being made in this building but it has lots of people from a post-depression era that are reluctant to throw anything away.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

cpci said:


> I would like to share my story with you all between me and bed bugs..
> 
> I have been bitten for the last eight months. I kind of figured it was bed bugs, but my boyfriend or my children did not get bit. I searched my bed and found nothing. It wasn't until my daughter slept in my bed and woke with bites that i knew it had to be BED BUGS. I researched the little critters online and I found a lot of helpful solutions green rubbing alcohol was my first step. Then I vacuumed my entire bed and then I brought a streamer machine and steamed my bed and i bought vinyl covers and that was the end of my problems........luckily I did not have an infestation.


Did you identify that you had bed bugs and not fleas or ticks by the way? Not sure where you live or if you have pets but you mentioned your boyfriend was not being bitten. Bed bugs seem not to be selective. We could tell when the dogs needed flea treatment when my girlfriend would wake up bitten. They never bothered me. 

The good news about bed bugs is they do not seem to carry any diseases or cause illnesses. Of course if you scratch the bites you expose them to the possibility of infection. Fleas and especially ticks can be a different story. Even people in NYC got lyme disease when pigeons carried infected ticks from the wilds into town.


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## John75 (Sep 6, 2012)

Hello, I moved in recently into a new flat, and I am thinking (but I'm not sure) that I have a problem with bed bugs. There are three red spots on my arm and they are incredibly itching. I went to the pharmacy, lady gave me some powder for that. I suppose that I have to check bed and use those expensive vacuum cleaner. Does anyone have more propositions?


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## gobug (Jul 13, 2012)

Long ago, according to a book I have about CO, Indians and ranchers would kick over a cone shaped anthill. The red ants would flood to the surface. Then a bedbug infested mattress would be placed on the anthill. The ants would remove all the bedbugs. People would put the legs of their bed in bowls with water or even kerosene.

Bedbugs can live with pets, squirrels, raccoons, pigeons, rats, bats, swallows and on. You need a microscope and a technical bug guide to distinguish between a bedbug, batbug or swallowbug. They look the same to the naked eye.

Gentrol, unfortunately, is not on the consumer market. I use it as insurance since it makes immature bedbugs sexually sterile.

The bedbug has a chemical it uses to deaden pain so the bite does not feel like a mosquito bite. That is part of the reason some people will get a little red mark where bitten. Some people show no mark. I do not think 2 people in the same bed in a bedbug infested room would not both be bitten. They don't run, jump, hop, or fly. And I don't think they climb over one person to get to the other. Some people are just more sensitive to the bite.

They usually live very close to the bed. If a person moves from the bed to the couch, it takes a couple weeks for the bedbugs to find where the person went.

Since multi unit dwellings are connected with plumbing, heating, and electricity, those become bedbug pathways, as well as hallways, stairways, and elevators.

I do not think bedbugs go longer than about 6 months without a blood meal. No blood, no eggs. Now ticks go a lot longer, but they also lay a lot more eggs at once than bedbugs.


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## John75 (Sep 6, 2012)

Ok, I will start cleaning my room and bed
where can I find Gentrol if it's not on a consumer market? Is there some efficient non-chemical approach in exterminating bed bugs?


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## mikey48 (Dec 6, 2007)

Google Gentrol. Plenty of places to buy it.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

John75 said:


> Ok, I will start cleaning my room and bed
> where can I find Gentrol if it's not on a consumer market? Is there some efficient non-chemical approach in exterminating bed bugs?


See my first page post on City of Chicago recommendations that seem to be having some effect. It does not require much money except for the dryer and dry cleaner but does require that you complete everything and remain diligent. 

Of all of the listed? My elderly neighbor across the hall had a major problem and I have never seen a single one in my unit. For him we got rid of lots of the clutter they could be hiding in (traumatic for him), we ran all his closet and drawer clothing through the dryer (or dry cleaner) and sealed all in bags until done completely with all (and all us dry new clothes first thing), we bought bed bug covers for mattresses (cheaper online than in stores here), and we were diligent about frequent vacuuming and especially with a crevice tool around baseboards and on top and under mattress and upholstery seams. We moved and vacuumed under all furniture. We emptied and cleaned the vacuum container after each use and stuffed the end of the hose in case some bugs survived. We extraction cleaned carpeting. He has not seen one in over a year!


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## angelatc (Jun 10, 2012)

sdsester said:


> When I lived in Chicago before and left in 1989, I never heard about bed bugs. I moved back January 2010 and they are absolutely everywhere---even luxury offices.



My uncle is an exterminator, and he said that the government outlawed chlordane in 1988, which is why bedbugs made such an impressive comeback. That seems fits your timeline.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

angelatc said:


> My uncle is an exterminator, and he said that the government outlawed chlordane in 1988, which is why bedbugs made such an impressive comeback. That seems fits your timeline.


Lots of good pesticides had to be removed from the market because people, mainly diyers, were overmixing them and overusing them without proper equipment and protection. DDT is something my Mom, Aunt and grandfather used to talk about using growing up. There is some talk of bringing the use of some back, temporarily, but only under strict license to qualified exterminators. 

Meanwhile, I think I mentioned elsewhere on the site, some exterminators are having success with extreme temperature treatments---either cold or hot. The deal is homeowners, hotel managers, etc. have to do their part and de-clutter and dry all clothing for things to work. Temperature treatment is also a contact method so you need to know where they are.


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## gobug (Jul 13, 2012)

It is not chlordane that was used for bedbugs, it is DDT. All bedding materials were treated with DDT. They would dip sheep in a DDT bath prior to cutting off the wool too. Chlordane was used for termites and outdoors, not indoors during my involvement. Chlordane and DDT are entirely different from each other chemically.

Good to hear that googling Gentrol results in locations to obtain it. I haven't needed it for years, and used to obtain it from my chemical supplier, not the big box. I have never seen it there and just jumped to a conlusion that it was still difficult to obtain.


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## John75 (Sep 6, 2012)

Thanks guys. I'll go with washing and vacuuming for a start. I have child and animals so I'm trying to skip chemicals as much as I can.


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## bigbearbear (Dec 1, 2010)

I try to use Suspend SC at home whenever I need to spray something. It does not smell and will not stain anything, which is nice. It is also not very toxic and harmless to humans/pets once it is dried.


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## gobug (Jul 13, 2012)

I do not accept that bed bugs cannot walk on smooth plastic. What is smooth? I have seen them on glass and plastic. The plastic mattress cover is covered with bedding (you do not use the plastic as the bedding). How can a plastic covered mattress with bedding covering the plastic prevent bed bugs from getting to their dinner?

I have treated apartments with plastic wrapped mattresses. The tenants still were being bitten in bed. The plastic does reduce the number of areas where they will reside and lay eggs. This is the seams, buttons, and holes.

I use Suspend SC and mix gentrol with it. One thing about the pesticides is that they are tiny crystals that are on the surface after the water has soaked into or evaporated from the treated area. An insect which crosses it will carry it. If it is not an encapsulated or crystal like form, the bug must have a longer contact time to get a lethal dose. Most bedbug pesticides are repellent.

Vacuums will remove pesticides. Gentrol soaks in and hence is not removed when vacuumed. I suggest a thorough cleaning prior to application of any pesticide. Then wait about a week to 10 days before it is vacuumed again. If you still see bedbugs in that time, you missed something.


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## Westernd00d (Jul 10, 2011)

I've had a little experience in getting rid of bed bugs in my apartment. I was also on the board for a large building that had a bed bug problem. From the research the board did, it wasn't worthwhile to hire professionals to get rid of bedbugs. Most give a 30-90 day warranty and it's too easy to have them come back right after the warranty period. 

In my place I setup traps underneath all of the cushioned furniture and that worked pretty well. Start with your bed because they feed on your blood. Cover the mattress and set the traps underneath the legs. Make sure the bed isn't touching the wall. Once your bed is safe, I think it's much more maneagable from there.


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## loubugs (Dec 1, 2012)

Sorry about my post, but I was trying to answer many people's posts at one time. As an entomologist, I've worked on bed bugs for over 15 years.

ccarlisle
---- Actually immature bed bugs are called nymphs


rodeo
DIATOMOUS DUST
This is diatomaceous earth. There are also other dusts such as derived from silica gel.
"This stuff is like magic, non toxic but try not to breathe it.
Put a thin layer of dust over all the cracks and crevices previously treated.
Put on bed and furniture too. Its messy but well worth it as it really does work. Takes about 10 days to 2 weeks."
---- Actually you are applying it too thickly and will cause health problems affecting lungs and breathing. Use of a dust mask is useful when applying, but if applied to so many places such as in furniture and bed, you would want to sleep with a dust mask. It's actually not non-toxic due to its physical nature, but not chemical nature.
You can take the bag out of the vacuum (if your vacuum cleaner has a bag) and dispose of it.

sdsester
"Quick bed bug facts first. Good news is while they gorge on blood they do not, as far as we know, carry diseases since they don't cross feed. Obviously if you scratch a bite you open yourself to an infection. The bad news is an adult can gorge and not have to feed again for a year! Nymphs are near transparent and hard to see."
---- I don't actually understand what you mean by cross feed, but this bed bug species feeds on warm-blooded hosts, typically us, but birds and mammals are fare game. The adult bed bug doesn't gorge and then not have to feed for a year. It's only under very cool conditions where it can last for a long period of time after having eaten. If a host is around, it will feed. The hatched first instar nymph is white and difficult to see; once fed it is easy to see it since red blood is in it which darkens as it is being digested.
"The consensus here is that chemicals the consumer can buy are an absolute waste of money. In fact the most effective treatments seem to be hypothermal. Many exterminators use liquid nitrogen if they can source an infestation."
----
Not true. Many chemicals are the same as a professional can buy. It's really where you apply the chemical that's important. No, it's not liquid nitrogen but a carbon dioxide system called Cryonite. Not many exterminators use it.
"I will say that whenever I had walls open in a renovation I used boron as a prophylactic tool against bugs before sealing up walls. Diatamaceous (sp?) earth is similar in function and certainly will not hurt anything. Both are minerals and harmless to people and pets. Boron can render soil sterile though. I suspect you can buy a giant bag of diatamaceous earth at a pool supply company for a fraction of what they want for it as a pest control product. It is commonly used in pool filter systems."
----100% wrong. Borates are not advocated for bed bug control. Diatomaceous earth must never be the pool filter type for insect control. It is a food grade version that is used. Inhalation of the pool grade version will produce silicosis, a condition very much like asbestosis.
There really is no nest of bed bugs since the insect is not a social insect like honey bees, ants, termites, but it's called a harborage.
The mattress encasement is not as important as a box spring encasement.
An iron is good to iron mattresses, but a high heat, low vapor steam is better. Slowly steam surfaces.
"They love to hide and lay eggs in clutter, seams and carpet fibers! And remember, adults can go a year without feeding..."
---- They actually don't love to hide, but clutter gives them more places in which to hide and females lay eggs and these glued to surfaces. That's why clutter is a problem.
"Even people in NYC got lyme disease when pigeons carried infected ticks from the wilds into town."
---- No, not exactly. Not necessarily pigeons, but other bird species that forage on the ground where ticks would be and their normal rodent or other small mammal hosts live.

gobug
"Gentrol, unfortunately, is not on the consumer market. I use it as insurance since it makes immature bedbugs sexually sterile."
---- There is some discussion regarding Gentrol. Recent studies showed that using it at 300 times its recommended dosage had an effect on the bed bugs. It's not recommended at this time. Its action is not the same as it has on cockroaches.
"The bedbug has a chemical it uses to deaden pain so the bite does not feel like a mosquito bite. That is part of the reason some people will get a little red mark where bitten. Some people show no mark. I do not think 2 people in the same bed in a bedbug infested room would not both be bitten. They don't run, jump, hop, or fly. And I don't think they climb over one person to get to the other. Some people are just more sensitive to the bite."
---- There are different proteins used in the saliva of bed bugs versus mosquitoes and that can be the reasons for different reactions to different insect bites. I've fed bed bugs for over 15 years and don't react badly, but a mosquito bite causes itching. Bed bugs can run very quickly and may climb over a person to feed on another, but most likely will stop and try feeding on the first one it comes to.
"I do not think bedbugs go longer than about 6 months without a blood meal. No blood, no eggs."
---- Correct, if there's not blood, there's no eggs, no sperm and also sperm that is in the female from mating will also die. Warmer conditions and their metabolism is sped up; cooler and it slows down.

cfowler429
---- Without copying your entire post, it is basically without merit. You post the exact same thing on many forums and all experts in the field continue to tell you that you don't understand bed bug biology.

bigbearbear
"I try to use Suspend SC at home whenever I need to spray something. It does not smell and will not stain anything, which is nice. It is also not very toxic and harmless to humans/pets once it is dried."
---- Actually Suspend (deltamethrin) is one of the products that there has been reported resistance issues in bed bug populations. It's not good to use the same product (same chemical family) over and over again because of resistance issues.


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