Someone please help me

[Justisme]

we have bed bugs 😭😭😭

I know I’m being unreasonable for posting on here but I am desperate and so so sickened and mortified.

i was lying there and felt itchy lumps on my neck increasing every few seconds. I decided to get up and have a look at my pillow and low and behold a disgusting bed but on my f pillow.

i am now on the couch and my skin won’t stop crawling and itching. It’s mostly phantom itching.. I can’t believe it. How did we get them?? What did we do wrong

we’ve had a baby and have let certain household bits slide, it’s my husband’s responsibility to wash bedcovers, bins, hoovering and clothes washing but he seems to think washing the bedcovers once a month is ok. I hate it and ask him constantly to wash more regularly- prior to baby I would just do it. He also gets into bed pretty much wet after his shower which I constantly tell him not to for this reason.

please please please help me- what do I do? I would have stripped the bed and be hoovering etc tonight If it wasn’t for the baby. As soon as she wakes up tomorrow what exactly do I need to do?

right now I feel like the only answer is to burn the bed

We have a cat, could she have brought something in?

Could it be a flea from the cat? Tomorrow strip and wash the bedding in a hot wash, plus pjs and anything the cat sleeps on. Hoover everywhere. Flea treat the cat and see if you get anymore.

I think bedbugs are a bit harder to get rid of but not impossible. Good luck!

Are they fleas or bedbugs? Bedbugs are tiny, and they’re nocturnal (rather they sleep when you do) you usually can tell you’ve got them by stains on the mattress etc but they’re hard to see. Fleas can be seen. If it’s fleas, yes it could be the cat. Letting the housework slide and getting into bed damp won’t have caused bugs!

Just Googled flea and bed bug and it was definitely a bed bug 😭😭

do I need to get a new bed and mattress?

Also I think bedbugs tend to bite your legs, not your neck.

This one was big and as soon as I turned on the light (we have white covers) I could see it plainly. My husband who wears glasses and can’t see much without them saw it straight away and grabbed it

therell no doubt be more. A few things are starting to make sense every now and again I wake up with itchy bites and there have been blood stains on the bedding - that could be something else but it’s certainly pointing that way.

I don’t know how much sleep I’ll get tonight. Really wish I could get to work on it now

Did another Google search and looks like they but anywhere that’s exposed. And my neck was ripe for the bite for the little bastard

Clean bedding, linens, curtains, and clothing in hot water and dry them on the highest dryer setting. Place stuffed animals, shoes, and other items that can't be washed in the dryer and run on high for 30 minutes.
Use a stiff brush to scrub mattress seams to remove bedbugs and their eggs before vacuuming.
Vacuum your bed and surrounding area frequently. After vacuuming, immediately place the vacuum cleaner bag in a plastic bag and place in garbage can outdoors.
Encase mattress and box springs with a tightly woven, zippered cover to keep bedbugs from entering or escaping. Bedbugs may live up to a year without feeding, so keep the cover on your mattress for at least a year to make sure all bugs in the mattress are dead.
Repair cracks in plaster and glue down peeling wallpaper to get rid of places bedbugs can hide.
Get rid of clutter around the bed.

Or you can get rid of the mattress and do the rest. Or get an exterminator (if possible that’s what I’d do).

Ah you poor thing. They’re really horrible.

Have you or your husband stayed in any other beds lately, like hotels etc? They usually come from there or other peoples homes.

pest control at the council will help.

Bed bugs aren't big? I don't think you can see them with the naked eye...

Your local council can help. Try not to panic. They aren't nice but they aren't dangerous, and humans have been living with them for millennia.

Thank you! I’ve just looked at an exterminator and they’ve said this - it had clearly just fed on me!

What do Bed Bugs Look Like?
Although relatively small in size, they only feed on blood, making bed bugs the pest control industry’s biggest parasite.

Once grown, the bugs are around 4-5mm in size and red/brown in colour. A common misconception is they are invisible to the naked eye. It is, indeed, possible to spot living bugs, although can be difficult as they are good at hiding; flattening themselves to appear almost as thin as a piece of paper.

When bed bugs have recently fed they appear fatter, resembling the shape of an apple pip. It is not until a bug has fed that you are likely to see them, as they will darken in colour.

Are you getting mixed up with dust mites? You definately can see bed bugs - though they hide very well.

Check the pattern of your bites.
I read that the line of bites is straight with bed bugs.

We had them once years ago. If you travel to hotels they can crawl in your bag, you shouldn’t put suitcases near the bed.

you can get a bed bug spray, boil wash everything and spray the mattress and all the creases.

it worked for us but they can be a bugger, we were lucky.

if you get a torch at night and whip up the bed sheet you might see them scatter.

@StarDolphins yes, we actually have just come back from a night away at a sp hotel. Less than two weeks to be exact. Could be from that? If so should I contact them?

Don’t bother getting rid of your bed and mattress. Get pest control in. Otherwise they will just move onto a new bed.
I had them in a rented house once. It took two visits from pest control to get rid of them.

@Manaslave18 good point. I suppose we need to tackle the root of the problem.

We had the dreaded bed bugs, it was horrendous!!!! My second baby was a newborn and I woke in the night to see one crawling on her when feeding
We got them from a blanket box that came from a charity shop that I put at the end of the bed!!

We did manage to get rid of them, first we got the pest control, he sprayed everything. That didn't work, so we just got rid of the bed and mattress. We were skint and the bed was cheap so it wasn't a huge loss, we got a new mattress and slept on the floor for a while.
They took a while to go completely and we would find the odd one.
I advise to get rid of the bed, get pest control in and vacuum ALOT!!!
You will get rid of them!

Oh gosh @pumpkinpink that is what I fear. My baby’s room and crib being infested. I don’t know how I’ll ever want to sleep in that bed again

how long did it take for them to go away and how do you know when they do? I suppose you don’t get bitten but I’d rather they just go

I wish I could be up there now tackling the bedding and hoovering now

That's so unusual. They're mostly imported from foreign travel and hitch a lift in your suitcase, climb out and up the legs of your bed into the mattress. Have you been abroad in the last 6 months?

Call the council and ask about extermination. I'd dump the mattress and deep clean, boil all bedding and clothing in that room then have it fumigated. Pest control needed.

I read they bite in 3 s. So you get a line of 3 lumps. I feel your disgust

@Justisme yes highly likely that’s where they’ve come from. They hitch a lift on clothing/bags etc then get comfy at yours!

My council gets rid of them free so try yours but if not, vac everywhere a million times including seams of mattresses etc then sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth everywhere & leave it for as long as poss & vac again. Also effective is a ‘rat buzzer’ that puts out a high frequency buzz that humans can’t hear.

I only know this as I had rats in my garden & in my loft & got friendly with the pest control lady that came as I suspected my mum had bed bugs so I asked her lots of questions!

Actually yes, I agree with others, I would ditch the mattress then boil bedding!