AIBU to want to moan about bedbugs!! **Thread title edited by MNHQ**

[Strugglingnowcananyonehelpme]

Hi All,

This is my first post although I am a long time lurker.
So I think I just want to let off steam really and maybe see if anyone has any advice.

I have BedBugs - I've had them for a few months now. I have paid out approx. £2k on trying to get rid of them. I have had pesticide sprays x 4, heat treatment x 1 and they're still here. Myself and my dc are getting bitten both daytime and night. I have them in all rooms.

The latest (Heat treatment) was guaranteed which is why I borrowed the money for it, but they won't come back out unless I can find proof - I have monitors they're not picking them up ( if I knew where they were hiding I'd kill them myself!).

I have steam cleaned, put DE down (where safe to do so), all washing has been treated and is stored in plastic bags. I just don't know what else to do, but they're not going to go away are they?!

I have no money left (in debt already through treatment). The companies I dealt with although BPCA registered only seem to be interested in taking money/first treatments - no one is interested in follow up inspections - the emphasis is on me to prove I still have them.

I have contacted the BPCA and am awaiting a response. Has anyone else dealt with this? Did they have them this bad? What did they do? I'd be grateful for any help and advice, please.

Thank you for reading for obvious reasons I don't want to tell anyone irl!

You have my sympathies - we had them a couple of years ago, most likely ours returned via suitcases after a holiday. I was utterly distraught and embarrassed and ashamed at finding them and we weren't even noticing bites!

We had PC out 3 or 4 times, even tho the infestation wasn't 'that bad' according to the PC guy.

They chemically treated as I just could not afford the heat treatment, but in the end I spent over 2k - for me I had to bin all bedding, soft furnishings etc.

Finally, despite advice against it, we got rid of our bed and I'm so glad we did.

When we dismantled it, they were in every cranny again despite being told they wouldn't survive the treatment.
We had a large fabric ottoman which cost a fortune new.

We bagged up all the bits and took it to the dump and bought a metal frame bed.

Thankfully, none since!

It's crap the contents insurance doesn't cover treatment either.

Do check your neighbours.
Is it an older house?
Check cracks in plaster, behind frames, radiators to see where they may be getting in.

In reality, they are a pest and there is nothing to feel embarrassed about, it's not your fault.

frankiesKnuckle

It's a newish house but still a few cracks around. I have a feeling they may have been here when we moved in as the old owner tried to sell me their furniture - they had decided to buy all new..but I may just be being sceptical. I want to think that nobody would actually do that!

Trouble is they are in all rooms so I'd have to get rid of everything, possibly carpets too? I'll have to get a skip which will advertise it to all of the neighbours I have looked at blowup beds/ sofas and will do it if I have too. I think the next step is to speak to the neighbour, get a survey and if that doesn't work I may look into hiring one of the bedbug dogs (more money though) and go from there...surely if the bedbug dog finds them then they'll have to retreat!

Op check with your local council some will treat for free as it is an issue that can spread. they will come and put traps down to capture the bugs and determine if it's them/level of infestation. We had them come out to check when we had a few bites and I was concerned about bedbugs, the pest control person said he had never had a house he hadn't managed to get rid of them. It wasn't bedbugs in the end but it gave me confidence knowing they could help if it was and also it wouldn't cost us money we didn't have to sort out. Good luck!

donteathesofathrow - Thank you but unfortunately our council doesn't support that .

As an update I have spoken to the neighbours who were lovely about it but haven't seen any signs.

It seems a bit better but DC got bites last night so will just continue with all of the advice given. I will crack this

I will update once the survey has been done.

It's been so nice having your replies - it makes me feel like I'm not completely alone especially as I know people are embarrassed about their own experiences (it's taken me months to actually post)

Thank you

Update..

So..it appears that the issue we have is no longer bedbugs (possibly never was..) but perhaps some type of mite? It's so bad that we've moved out and sadly taken the problem with us. I've also got rid of all of my furniture.

I've had lots of pest controllers come out but they can't find anything. I'm being kept awake every night with something crawling on my face, in my ears and my nostrils. Its like something from a horror movie. I was watching my dc keep rubbing their faces last night in their sleep.

My legs have a crawling feeling on them all day long.

I no longer know where to turn as the pest controllers are treating me like its all in my head (after taking my money) and even though the people where I am staying have now also been affected in the same way!

Trouble is we can't see anything so we can't get it identified.

Not sure what to do next tbh. I've steam cleaned everywhere had the carpets professionally cleaned....

If anyone has any advice it would be very welcome. I'm not sure how much longer I can go on like this and I have to go home at some point.

I can't see any bird nests nearby although symptoms are similar...

Oh and its not scabies - been treated for that just in case...

Oh God, this sounds awful..I'm so sorry you're having to go this OP. Absolutely no words of advice whatsoever, but theres absolutely no need to be embarrassed.

Hi OP
Pest controller here. There are lots of different types of mite, birds, plaster, flour, paper, etc. For bird, flour or paper mites treatment should be chemical in the form of fogging, including the loft, as this is where the bird nest could be.

If it's plaster mites you can use a dehumidifier to dry out the plaster and thereby the mites. You can hire one and move it from room to room. Plaster mites are really common with new builds.

All mites can be difficult to see because they are a bit translucent and so take on the colour of the thing they are eating. And technically, they can't bite humans because their mouth parts are too small, however they do irritate and this looks like a bite.

A pest controller should not treat for anything unless they find evidence so it looks like you could have been mis-sold.

You could put some sticky taps down to see what you catch. You can buy 10 cockroach traps off amazon or ebay for less than £5. You would need to rip the top off them so they are no longer an envelope and the sticky bit is open to the air. Just dot them around where you are being bitten, so bed, sofa and check them the following morning.

Once you know what you are dealing with you know how to treat it!

What area of the country are you in OP?

Thank you mumto3boys, I've Pm'd you. Really grateful for your help.

Just so you know I had the same. Bedbugs were awful and took ages to get rid of. Slept on the sofa for a year, got rid of bed, (metal bed better), body is so scarred as I picked and picked the bites. Utter misery.

Sorry to hear that MrsReacher1

Have you got it sorted now? We fought for so long to get our own home and then this has happened as soon as we settled. It's so difficult.

Bedbugs WILL NOT die in the washing machine, even at 13000 degrees. It's heat that kills them I.e tumble drier heat

Where are your bites? Did they start around wrist/elbow creases or between fingers? The feeling of something crawling on you sounds a bit like scabies which are incredibly contagious, has your doctor seen the bites? If it should be scabies they are a lot easier to clear; lotion prescribed by your doctor and applied to everyone in the house daily and a marathon of hot washing bedding and towels. Hope you manage to get it sorted soon.

growinganotherhead

Bites are all over and a general itchyness but seem to go for the face/mouth and ears at nighttime.
We've tried the scabies treatment just in case - although Dr was certain its not that and it didn't work or make any difference.
Thanks for your suggestion though.

Yes - we finally got rid of them but it was expensive and took a long time. (Several treatments plus ditching some old furniture, sitting bed legs in dishes of water, steam cleaning like a demon etc). You really do have my sympathy - it is so horrible and it takes so much time and so much money to sort out. Good luck - and persevere - is all I can really say.

I am so sorry you're going through this :-( last year after I had a miscarriage, we forgot to de-flea the cat. I ended up farming out every bit of fabric in the entire house to friends who washed it at 90 and put all of it in a drier. We also had the council in to do extermination spray - removed all the furniture from the house (put it in the back garden - Yes- just me, husband at work) sprayed all rooms, did smoke bombs, steam cleaned carpets and wooden floors, ..... possibly the most exhausting and depressing thing I've ever done. Massive hugs in your direction. Hope it's sorted soon. Xxxxx

Bloody hell this is an awful read! I’m so sorry for you! It sounds like such a terrible and also expensive ordeal and I wish I could cheer you up. You have my sympathy and should not feel ashamed or embarrassed. It’s great that a pest control person has replied to you on here.

My daughter had one single bed bug on her neck once and killed it- but identified it as a bed bug by checking internet. The bites were exactly as pictures shown and the bug identical so we were pretty sure. It was just as she was moving house and bringing all belongings to store at mine! It was a panic for me and she didn’t want me to put clothes in the dryer etc. I washed and wrapped up every item of clothing and haven’t seen any sign of a bug but it’s a worry. Especially as they seem to be so prevalent and we use public transport etc.

I really think the environmental health department at the council should help you out in this situation. It’s not your fault you have this and it’s in everyone’s interest that these issues are addressed.

Are you any nearer to finding out what exactly you have if not bedbugs? Did you ever see them? Was it just the bites or did you see them around you? Did you set any traps for them? Where are you staying? A hotel or friend’s?

I hope the company come back to do a survey and that you find a way to get rid of whatever it is you have.

I think the best approach sounds like the methodical checking and treating room by room. And not to take it personally or feel ashamed.
I really hope for the best for you. The idea of infestation is distressing for anyone. And the expense and the work for you sounds huge. Please have a lovely Christmas and try not to feel bad. I’ll be watching for your updates!

You need The Bed Bug Man, based in Battersea. They’re really hard to get rid of, which is why ‘they seem to go but then come back’ some of the methods you’re using is just making them hide seeming like they’ve gone. They can go 18 months between feeds...

This is a great site, so much info:

www.bed-bugs.co.uk/educational/

Apparently an overgrowth of Demodex folliculorum, the ‘eyelash mite’ can cause symptoms like yours, OP.

It is sometimes associated with Rosacea.

My bed bug killer chap told me he’d been called to a situation just like yours, and eventually that was the diagnosis. I think he said his client’s GP prescribed a cream and it did the trick.
Hope you get sorted soon

Oh my goodness. Im so sorry for your update.

Could you try the council again?

Would the G.P prescribe something else in case it is scabies?
The first prescription may not have worked.

Would the G.P refer you to dermatology to get some help?

This is absolutely dreadful

I honestly hope someone helps you asap

I read this is why you should never come home and put your coat on your bed. Years ago people knew this but that knowledge is being lost.
It must be torture for you OP and coping on your own too.

When I had them we took all curtains, clothes etc away and boil washed them and put them in bags as you have done. Then we moved all the furniture to one room of the house. Then we deep cleaned each room and steam cleaned the entire room. Then we steamcleaned each piece of furniture thoroughly before we put it back in the room. We wrapped the mattress and sofa and any soft furnishing in plastic. Took a whole day from morning until night but it got rid of them. We didn't take the plastic off the sofa and bed for months, but it was worth it.

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for your responses.

I have "escalated" the issue and am now waiting for a response from the powers that be...

I've moved back home - don't panic anyone I wouldn't stay in a hotel it was with friends who were fully aware of the situation and the risks but also very worried about me. I work full time and with no sleep I was about to crack.

It's still itchy unfortunately (DC complaining too) but I have taken/am taking the steps advised by the lovely pest controller on here and am hoping whatever it is might die out?!

I will make another Dr's appointment just in case and see what they have to say - although last time they gave me the cream they didn't really want to as they said it didn't sound like scabies.

I'm now learning coping strategies... ie Vaseline all over my face, natural pesticides etc but honestly it's crap.

I will continue to update you and if I ever find an answer I'll let you know. However embarrassing it turns out to be...I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go through this.

BTW I have had 4 separate pest controllers tell me there is no sign of bedbugs so it can't be that anymore.

It's good to know people are out there that care

Also I just want to add that I do keep a clean house.... and everything (including ceilings) has been steam cleaned more than once.

I'm so sorry you're still having problems. I hope you can find out what it is