Bedbugs and new cats :(

[derbygirl24]

We are horrified we saw a bedbug the other day in our house. We got pest control around and they couldn't find anything, but we keep getting bitten.
DH wants to go ahead with the bedbug treatment, but I'm really worried about the treatment and the cats.
The council and private companies use a spray called Ficam W, which they say is ok after 4 hours out of the house. Has anyone with cats had to go through this? x

Could it be fleas?

My husband saw two bedbugs... but pest control couldn't find any evidence...
Also, we only get bitten at night, which would suggest bed bugs.

Not necessarily. When we we have had a flea infestation I notice the bites in the morning. Probably because I was bitten the evening before.

Have you definitely seen bed bugs?

More likely to be fleas.

If they’re new cats have they been flea treated? If so with what!
If they’re new they can’t go out yet so what will you do with them for 4 hours if they can’t be in the house? Eek.

Where were the bugs your husband saw? Unless they were actually on the bed or very closeby it's unlikely they were bedbugs. If you see another one, trap it on sellotape and put it in a zip lock bag for identification by pest control.

To check if you have bedbugs you need to look under your mattress around all the seams, buttons and labels, and in the nooks and crannies of your bedframe. Look out for black dots on sheets, pillowcases and the bed itself like these in the picture, as well as cast skins and live bugs.

They may be in bedside furniture, under pictures, mirrors etc above the bed or around skirting boards next to the bed, but it's less likely than finding them in the bed itself. They like the underneath of things and they like edges they can squeeze under.

It does sound like cat fleas are the most likely culprit. Another possibility is mosquitos. I know it's only April but I killed one in the bathroom yesterday.

If it turns out you do have bedbugs there are pesticide free options. If you're in the London area I can recommend these people:

www.bed-bugs.co.uk/

Whatever you do, don't try DIY pesticide treatment for bedbugs. It's very unlikely to kill them and will just make them scatter throughout your home and possibly adjoining properties.

Thanks for all your messages!
My husband saw 2 bedbugs on the bed (I’m 99.9% sure they were bedbugs as we looked it up.
But, I’ve had two pest control people in and neither could find evidence... but we did see them.
The cats are from the RSPCA and have been checked for fleas by vet and were clean, also all up do date with everything as this shelter doesn’t let them go to a home if they still need treatment or anything.
And I will have to take them to my mums place for a few hours...
but I just wondered if anyone has had pest control treatment with cats around? I am in two minds as to proceed... thanks again for all your replies

I wouldn’t be happy treating for bed bugs the bug guy can’t find. What were the cats treated with?

They’ve been treated with advocate... but vet said they were clean aswell...
and we did see 2 bed bugs... might put it off until the cats can be let out... but we would risk an infestation... grr! The timing is crap. Just wondered if anyone has had to do this with house cats?

How are you going to treat the bedbugs if you can't find them?

They spray this thing called Ficam W in all the cracks and joins in the room as well as bedframe etc as apparently they’re brilliant at hiding...

This is a product that's licensed for professional use only and no reputable pest control company would use it unless they had confirmed the presence of bedbugs because it's highly toxic.

I've recently had an infestation and I completely understand the desire to treat everywhere right now. For some reason they're extremely mentally distressing - far more than fleas, headlice, mice or rats IME.

Honestly, I think you'd do best for now just monitoring the situation. If you find another bug, trap it for ID and call pest control if and when you have definite evidence. If you've checked the mattress and bed frame thoroughly and have seen no signs and you think they may be elsewhere in the room you could try some traps like these:

www.amazon.co.uk/Beapco-10013-4-Packing-Organiser-Detector/dp/B00B9BLLMU/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

You'll need to pull the bed away from the wall and any other furniture and put a trap under each bed leg. Make sure no bed covers are touching the floor and the bugs have no other way of getting onto the bed except by crawling through the trap. Obviously if they're already living on the mattress or frame they won't give a shit but it will at least prevent them spreading.

PencilsInSpace, you legend. Thank you for all that. Yes, I’ve been really distressed and ashamed, but like my husband says, its not a reflection on us, but I can’t help but to feel like it is!
Anyway... yes, the council wouldn’t treat unless they had evidence, so I think I might cancel the company on Monday and get some detectors... I just don’t want a crazy infestation.. it seems like we may have caught it early, you see...

It's absolutely not a reflection on you. Lots of people pick them up from 5 star hotels. All the bugs care about is being near a human.

You still might not have them at all, and if you do it sounds like you've caught them early. If two pest control companies have found no signs then you don't have a crazy infestation and they don't breed that fast, at least in the early months. The two your DH saw might have been recently brought in and you might not have any more. Did he kill them, btw?

I'd say for now just keep monitoring the situation and don't do anything that might make things worse:

• no DIY pesticide treatment - you're far more likely to scatter them than kill them

• stay in your own bed - if you move to another room they will follow you and you'll have another room to treat. If you're getting really bad insomnia you could sleep elsewhere for the odd night or take turns but don't leave the bed uninhabited for more than a night or two at a time.

• don't throw all your stuff away and don't move any furniture from room to room. Again, you're likely to spread any bugs that are there, and even if it turns out you have bugs your stuff can be saved.

• if you wear night clothes change out of them before you leave the bedroom and don't sit or lie on your bed in day clothes.

If you have them you'll see more signs soon enough.

Had them once about 5 years ago, didn't know what it was until it was too late and after 2 failed pest control attempts we just had to chuck everything, clothes, bed, mattress the lot. In the end we moved house because the fuckers weren't even in the bed, they were behind the skirting boards and floors, the built in wardrobes too.
Horrible experience

Best way to see if you have them is run a bank card with a sheet of paper over it into the cracks of the bed, behind the skirting boards and wherever else you can think of and see if there's any blood on it. Check the foot and head end of the mattress for little black/brown spots, pull back the seams of the mattress too and check there.

Don't leave it too long OP they breed like mad and are truly a nightmare to get rid of.

Also DO NOT buy any sprays to use at home because all you will do is put them in hibernation for a while (they can go without feeding for around 12 months) so you'll think you've tackled the problem but it will make matters worse.

@derbygirl24 we had bedbugs a few weeks ago. I used indorex through the whole house and we've not seen one since. Try it

Thanks! We haven’t been bitten in a while, but will look that up, thanks for the tip...

Indorex is effective against fleas and dust mites. It's not effective against bedbugs and it's not licenced for that use.

It will kill a few of the weakest ones but it will just piss the rest of them off and they'll run and hide deep in cracks all over the room, or in the next room, or the next house or flat, or onto your jacket and then onto a bus or a chair at work ... What doesn't kill them makes them scatter.

The ones in your bedroom will stop sulking and come back and breed. And they'll pass on their resistance to Indorex so next time it will be even less effective.

Sorry to shout but PLEASE DON'T USE DIY PESTICIDES ON BEDBUGS

They are rapidly becoming resistant to pretty much every pesticide on the market, even those that are only licenced for professional use.

There are ways you can tackle a small infestation yourself if you can find where they're living.

Shock and Awe won't work though, you need to sneak up on them and kill them in their sleep. You need to use physical methods because pesticides have more or less stopped working. I'll write more about this over the easter weekend. It probably belongs in housekeeping rather than the litter tray though.

Most professional companies use combinations of pesticides with an eye on the latest research on effectiveness and resistance. Some have abandonded pesticides altogether and recommend heat treatment or behavioural treatment. There are varying rates of success.

Diatomaceous earth

@PencilsInSpace I've read on indorex reviews that others have used it for bed bugs so it does work. I was told by my vet that she used it for bed bugs and it got rid of the problem. I used it and they've gone so yep it does work on them 👍🏼

And I couldn't give a shit if it's not licensed for that use as long as the fuckers have gone 😂

The main ingredient is permethrin. Populations of bugs across Europe and around the world are rapidly becoming resistant to it and the whole class of pyrethroids, as well as most other types of pesticide.

I very much hope it has worked for you but I would be completely unsurprised if it hasn't.

I also hope you live in a detached property.

You can use diy bedbug treatment around cats and you need to do it asap.

I am in the US and can buy spray that comes in a battery powered sprayer bottle. This is the best option if you can lay your hands on it as the spray is evenly applied and the nozzle can be used at odd angles. Saves your hand from fatigue too.

You can also buy powder.

To tackle the bugs, every single drawer of every single chest and wardrobe in your room must be carefully emptied. All removed items must be carefully placed in black bin bags, sealed, washed and preferably dried in a dryer.

Non clothing items must be wet washed using bedbug spray. The furniture must all be pulled away from walls and sprayed inside and out, paying particular attention to corners.with the furniture away from the wall you spray the wainscoting and floor near the walls. Built in wardrobes must also be emptied and sprayed. Don't forget doors.

You need to take all bedding off the bed too, place it in bin bags, seal them, and it must all be hot washed and preferably dryer dried.

For clothing and bedding, try a commercial diy laundromat if you don't have a dryer.

Handle all clothing and bedding very carefully.

Whatever clothing you have on needs to be taken off and put in the bags too. If you have clothing that is just out of the dryer or off the line wear this while you work, then it too must be washed and you can put on items you just cleaned.

All footwear must be sprayed inside and out.

The bed itself must be sprayed, as well as the head board. The mattress needs to be inspected thoroughly and sprayed all over, particularly the seams.

The whole floor needs to be sprayed - you will have to move the furniture around to do this. The doorway, doorposts, and lintel need to be sprayed too.

If you want to be extra thorough you can do the whole house.

If you bring the clothing and bedding to a laundromat in your car wearing the clothes you wore while working in your room/ house, you will need to spray the car too. This is an incredibly hard thing to do but it's not worth taking chances.