What's the deal with the bedbug invasion

[graywarrior]

and does anyone here have them? I know someone in Maine who has them and is SHOCKED, I tell you, SHOCKED!

[mainegreen]

1. They're all over portland.

This has me seriously creeped out for a year now. A friend of ours had to move out of her apt. because of them.

[graywarrior]

2. No way! My friend lives on Congress Street.

I hope they're not on Peak's. I'm thinking of moving there.

[supernova]

3. It started in NYC last winter, IIRC

I don't know how or why.

Thankfully, we haven't had them here in the South yet. I hear they are well nigh impossible to get rid of once you have them.

[graywarrior]

4. I found this on best of craigslist

An Open Letter to My Bedbugs

Listen up, you heinous little motherfuckers. I am not playing. Before I deliver the grim news of your collective fates, let me give you a brief synopsis of how you have driven me to the brink of insanity over the last three months. Here it is.

Unfortunately, because I am paying over $400 a month in student loans and am therefore very cheap, I made the mistake of accepting a used mattress from a coworker to put on top of my new bed frame and box springs. So. You and I have, by my calculations, been residing together since May. MAY. That's when I unwittingly brought you and your home into my bedroom. That's when I became your new food source. Your "host."

You guys are pretty tricky, I have to tell you. I mean, when I started seeing little purple dots on my toes in the morning, I did what you wanted me to do, which was to blame them on anything and everything under the sun except you. This is because I was wholly unaware that such hideous creatures as yourselves existed. I figured it was a spider, so I vacuumed profusely. Then I thought it was mosquitos, so I busted out the Off. Nothing seemed to be working. But you know this already, don't you? Yes, you snacked on me all through the month of June, getting your fill of my blood while I snored on, retreating back to the crevices of my mattress just before dawn, leaving no sign or trail.
Ahhh, June. What a peaceful, sane month. Ignorance, in this case, was truly bliss.


link
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/chi/196226851.html

[supernova]

5. Used mattress

that's a good explination. Funny stuff though. That person definitely has a future as a writer. :-)

IIRC about the NYC thing.... the complaints started with the hotels. :yoiks:

[LynneSin]

11. A great tip for buying new mattresses....

insist on having them deliver the mattress first thing in the morning, even if you have to wait a bit longer. When Mattress companies deliver your new mattress they remove the old one and put it in the back of the truck with all the new ones which makes it feasible for the bugs to jump from one to another

[graywarrior]

15. Wow, that makes so much sense.

You'd think that getting a new one would prevent getting them, but you're right.

Seems like you have to be careful renting furnished places, too. I wonder if they spread from one apartment to another. They must.

[NC_Nurse]

14. They ARE in the South.

A friend of mine got an infestation in Greensboro, NC.
They tend to come into homes with trees or bushes right outside the window. Apparently birds tend to get them and when the bird leaves the nest, the bugs crawl into the window to look for other food - people. That is what this friend told me anyway.
Blah!

[supernova]

16. Ugh. I can see that happening.

Luckily I don't have bushes up next to my windows.

[Flaxbee]

22. a few articles have said to not bring in ANY used furniture

that might have upholstery... as bedbugs will snuggle in and stay. They can live up to a year without eating, so they're very hard to get hold of.

They'd been mostly wiped out in the US, but articles blame increased business and pleasure travel for bringing them back in luggage, etc. I think DDT was the thing that killed most of the bloodsuckers; unfortunately, it damn near killed everything else, too.

[madinmaryland]

6. Don't let the bedbugs bite!!!!

:evilgrin:

[BarenakedLady]

8. Oh that brings back memories...

:scared:

I used to HATE when my parents said that to me before bed. I would lay there worrying about bugs biting me while I slept.

Meanies!

[madinmaryland]

10. I used to say it to my son, and still say it to my daughter.

She hates bugs, but it never seemed to bother her. Wonder if she will hate me for saying it to her?

[Reverend_Smitty]

7. There was an outbreak of them at my college last year

fortunately the apartment building was on the opposite side of campus from mine, so I never had any firsthand experiences with them. I think college campuses will be notorious for bedbug outbreaks in the upcoming years, used mattresses combined with close quarter living equals disaster!

[NewWaveChick1981]

9. I've seen revolting news reports about them in hotels, and

whenever I have to stay in a hotel now, I go through the process of checking under the mattress and bedding and everything "experts" say to do. :scared: Sounds like overkill, but there is no way in HELL I'm taking bedbugs anywhere with me. :puke:

[xchrom]

12. they can hide in more places than the mattress.

closets, floorboards, etc.

creepy little things.

[av8rdave]

13. I just want to remind everyone...

The more you discuss these bedbugs, the more you reveal our stragegy for getting rid of them.

You're either with us or with the bedbugs!

[LynneSin]

17. Ok YOU MUST STOP WATCHING FOX NEWS

Figures - you're a Cowboys fan :bleach:

[av8rdave]

20. Hey...I don't like the owner....but I DO live in Dallas!

[democracyindanger]

18. Caused by all the liquids on planes

Send the troops to Bedbugistan.

[graywarrior]

19. So it's a War Against Bedbugs

[KamaAina]

21. They all used to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington

but even they couldn't stand the Chimp-in-Chief, so they struck out on their own.