Okay well last time I posted here I was suffering from bites and trying to figure out exactly what it could be that was biting me and after looking up pictures and info online it seems to be bed bugs. Now here's my problem: where the heck are they?! I've stripped my bed completely and searched it top to bottom looking for any signs of them but can't seem to find nay anywhere. No spots, no bugs, no shedding, nothing. Yet I keep waking up like once a week or so with huge red welts on my skin and after waking up this morning with one on my neck I said enough is enough. Either my mom has to make some effort to do something about this or I'm moving out asap. I really don't want to spend like $80 on a new mattress but if I have to and it's the easiest way to fix the problem I will. My younger brother sleeps right above me in the top bunk and has never had a single bite on him. I've even had my older bro and his gf sleeping on the floor at times right next to my bed and neither of them have had bites as well. Is my bed like a magic spot for them or something? Also has anyone else had to deal with these things before? If so what was the best/easiest way of getting rid of them? I doubt an exterminator is an option since they're pretty pricey.
I'm not really an expert on bed bugs, but there was an infestation (Cimex lectularius) in my town some time ago so I know a bit about them. First bed bugs are mainly nocturnal and can hide during the day in places like baseboards, cracks and such, but they stay relatively close to your bed (~2 m). In my town glue traps were used to check if rooms were contaminated with bed bugs. These glue traps contain chemicals which attract the bed bugs and can be placed in your room (near matrasses, walls and wardrobe), if your room contains bed bugs you can find them in these traps within a week. Extermination was done by professionals, I'm not really sure but I think the procedure was heating the room until the bed bugs were killed by the temperature. Clothes and such had to be washed at >70 degrees Celcius. If your room is really contaminated with bed bugs, getting a new matress might not help, since bed bugs can wait during the day in other places near your bed. Bed bugs can be transported with clothes to other places. Good luck!
Just getting rid of the bed will most likely not solve the problem. Bed bugs are really good at hiding. They can hide almost anywhere. I know that in my college town they had a problem with them last year. Some were hiding in the electrical outlets. Most people had to call in professionals to take care of the problem.
I had bed bugs over the summer too, and let me tell you, they suck. I'm not convinced though that what you have is actually bed bugs. It sounds like you get about one big welt once a week? In my experience at least you would get then almost every night, and it wouldn't just be one, usually there would be lines of small little bites, and a few of these small lines made up of at least three dots. Also, bed bugs lay eggs that are too small to see. They can be in your carpet, on your clothes, or when I got them they were living in cracks in the wall. Try to put all your clothes/sheets through the dryer, because the heat will kill any eggs if they are in fact bed bugs. Also, have you seen any? Because they are visible, and don't live forever, so you should be finding dead bed bugs.
Finally found some! Though the sight scarred me for life. I read around about checking every single inch of my bed instead of the quick look over and last night nothing was on top but I looked around and saw tears in one corner of my mattress. Then flipped up that end of the mattress and in the corner I found 3 of them just sitting still in a corner. Ended up sleeping on the couch to get away from them. As for having to go through my clothes and everything I really don't see how they could be in there. My younger brother and I have bunk beds and he sleeps directly over me. Not once has he ever been bitten by anything. I also checked his mattress and there's no tears/bugs anywhere. We have hardwood floors throughout the entire house and I moved everything around it and shook out the stuff too, none there. My closet would be another thing to check but I don't mind just tossing everything in the dryer for 10 minutes or so on max heat. Also although it's bedbugs, they for some reason haven't multiplied like crazy. Either that or they all hide inside my mattress near 24/7 since only 3 were out last night and whenever I get bitten it's only one, two in rare cases, at one time.
With insects being the prolific breeders that they are, if you only find 3 then know that there are definitely more hiding. Remember not to scratch your bites. I remember At school they showed us slides of how they suck blood then poop afterwards, directly onto your skin! So scratching can cause an infection. They also carry nasty diseases in their saliva sometimes. Take out your mattress and inspect it thoroughly again. Spray insect repellent in corners in your room (when nobody's in). Sorry if I'm scaring you
Getting rid of bedbugs can be so difficult! We ended up moving apartments because of them and then they had to crazy treat the apartment! Lots of people believe that you cannot get rid of bedbugs yourself, but some people have had success when catching it early on. Here is what I learned to do in the earlier apartment,we weren't able to get rid of them but we caught on when they were in multiple rooms, and we did manage to move apartments without them, which is also a feat 1)put all fabrics in the dryer(including bedding). I recommend doing anything that exists in the room because if you miss two teeny tiny apple seed bugs they will come back. some people say that 5 minutes on high will kill them, but 20 at medium-high is preferred 2)put a cover on your mattress, these can cost maybe 30$ or more but its cheaper than a exterminator, which can be really expensive. 3)spray (they make bedbug spray) along all cracks and outlets (they can lay eggs there), and also on wood that can handle it or bigger textile items,like a soft computer chair) 5)Pray.
