# Small bed bug issue - resolved?



## rockwood610 (Jun 27, 2021)

Hey everyone!

We just had what we think is a small bed bug issue over the past couple weeks. The Mrs. makes a habit of falling asleep on the couch after work.

A couple weeks ago, we stared noticing bite marks all over her. We were not really sure what they where at first, but it wasn't long afterwards we discovered bed bugs crawling on the couch.

When she noticed this, she made sure to not sleep at all in the bedroom in fear of getting them in the bedroom as well. We have an area carpet in the living room, and the rest is hard wood floors. We have debated on getting new furniture for the living room for a while now, so we decided this would be a good time to do it. 

We had movers come in and wrap the couch up in plastic and take it out of the house. We have not seen or had any other issues that we know of with the bed bugs, other then with in the couch. The reclining chair had no issues, but we decided to get rid of that as well. We haven't seen any sense, but we also haven't spent much time in the living room since there is no furniture at the moment.

After the couch and chair was removed, I thoroughly vacuumed the area rug with our baglist Dyson vacuum and emptied it into a plastic bag and sealed it and removed it from the house. I then mopped up the entire hardwood floor in the living room area with a Swiffer wet jet. I then washed all the blankets we had on the couch and dried them on high in the dryer. 

Today I used the hoover carpet shampoo machine on the area rug with hot water rinse, and vacuumed again. We have not done much in the living room without any furniture, but we also have not seen any bed bugs anywhere else in the house. 

We have our new couch coming in a couple weeks. The Mrs. no longer has bite marks on her after 4 days. 

Is it possible that the bed bugs where contained within just the couch? How can we be certain we have gotten rid of them before the new couch comes in?

We do have cats at dogs in the house as well. Not sure if that makes a huge difference. 

Thanks for any helpful advice you may share with me.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

How did they get on the couch?


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## rockwood610 (Jun 27, 2021)

We have no idea. The only thing we can think is, the Mrs. works in a nursing home and they may have come home with her. No where else we've been to recently has any issues that we know of, and we haven't had people over much recently.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Bed bugs are a difficult problem. Hopefully, a Pest Guy will come by.
I've worked in hospitals for most of my adult life & I'd highly recommend that your wife bag up her clothing and take a shower as soon as she comes home, each workday. Then she can take that well deserved rest on the couch.


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## jim_bee (Feb 23, 2021)

It's possible that you caught the problem in time and have taken care of it. You might want to take a look at this "How to Check for Bedbugs" webpage. The US EPA has a web site with some good information.


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## ObserverX2930 (Jan 19, 2021)

We had them in our office a few years back The building had some training classrooms where students came each day from local hotels.
Hard keep them out of a place when travelers come inside the building every day.
We now have a pest control contractor come every 90 days.
Never saw them again.

Manufacturing plant had uniforms for the workers. Once a week, the workers bring in their worn clothing and exchange for clean ones.
We always could see the bed bugs crawling on the piles of dirty uniform shirts and pants.

Hard to control any of this when several households bring items to the same buildings.


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## rusty baker (Feb 13, 2009)

M son got them once when he rented a couch from a rental company. Turned out that all the furniture they had was infested.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

I have no direct pesonal experience....but A friend with a rental unit did run into it and wanted to halt it immediately, and keep it from other units.

The service brought in trained beagle that spotted in their sons backpack after sleeping at a friends....it was isolated to one or two rooms.....they brought in a truck with gas electric generators and heated the rooms to some hot temp for 15 minutes..........did the job, but ws about $800.


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## jim_bee (Feb 23, 2021)

Once they get established they are difficult to get rid of. It would pay to do a good inspection now and if you find any evidence, get an experienced pest control operator.


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## Glassit (Jan 30, 2016)

I've read elsewhere of someone who had a significant infestation and eventually solved it with diatomaceous earth, but he also encased his mattress and bedspring in plastic with the DE. Just sprinkling it around is often not enough. 

As mentioned above, heat is the surefire way but is expensive. I stayed in an infested hotel room once, fortunately it was summer so as soon as I got home I bagged up all my clothes, parked car in the sun with heat cranking for several hours and a thermometer to confirm it was above lethal temps in there.

You might be able to save some $ and DIY a house by plasticing off doors to affected rooms and renting 1 or 2 large construction heaters from United Rentals or Sunbelt, or even a few salamander type kerosene heaters from a hardware store - if they do return.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

@Glassit - What do you do with the CO from the kerosene heaters?
We don't know if they live in an apt.


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## Glassit (Jan 30, 2016)

Many shops and jobsites run these for heat all winter long and most (all?) are rated for indoor use, CO is supposedly only a risk when oxygen falls below a certain level and incomplete combustion occurs. Doubt they'd want to be in the same room anyway given how hot it would be. Good idea to point out the risk though.


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## rusty baker (Feb 13, 2009)

Glassit said:


> I've read elsewhere of someone who had a significant infestation and eventually solved it with diatomaceous earth, but he also encased his mattress and bedspring in plastic with the DE. Just sprinkling it around is often not enough.
> 
> As mentioned above, heat is the surefire way but is expensive. I stayed in an infested hotel room once, fortunately it was summer so as soon as I got home I bagged up all my clothes, parked car in the sun with heat cranking for several hours and a thermometer to confirm it was above lethal temps in there.
> 
> You might be able to save some $ and DIY a house by plasticing off doors to affected rooms and renting 1 or 2 large construction heaters from United Rentals or Sunbelt, or even a few salamander type kerosene heaters from a hardware store - if they do return.


Tried some diatomaceous earth in a rental once for roaches, they loved it.


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## Denscher (7 mo ago)

Bed Bug Interceptors by ECOPEST is my first choice for bed bug issue. These minimalistic bug trap detects insects easily, versatile design,Heavy-duty.
2 months after residual spraying and steaming my room I found 4 dead stragglers stuck in one of the bed cups and a few live nymphs from leftover eggs.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Glassit said:


> Many shops and jobsites run these for heat all winter long and most (all?) are rated for indoor use, CO is supposedly only a risk when oxygen falls below a certain level and incomplete combustion occurs. Doubt they'd want to be in the same room anyway given how hot it would be. Good idea to point out the risk though.


CO is a risk regardless. I think you meant to say that it's only produced with incomplete combustion.


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## rusty baker (Feb 13, 2009)

Had a small rental sprayed. Cost $900. They reappeared in 4 months. If they do the heat treatment, all electronics must be removed. Even fridge if it has a computer panel.


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