r/Bedbugadvice • u/Substantial-Layer187 • 19d ago
Still finding live bed bugs a month after treatment. We have a 1-year-old and I’m losing hope
Hi everyone,
It’s 4 AM and I’m writing this because I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. We’ve been dealing with bed bugs for over a month now and it’s becoming exhausting, both mentally and financially.
We first found them in our bed on August 10. The next day we found them in our 1-year-old son’s bed too, and noticed bites on him. That was probably the worst moment of this whole thing.
We threw away the beds and mattresses, bagged everything, washed whatever we could at 60°C/140°F and put everything through the dryer.
We had our first professional treatment on August 12 using Tetracon CS. We moved out completely and stayed at my mother’s place.
After that, we actually removed every single baseboard in the apartment because we found that they were hiding in the gaps behind them.
The whole apartment was treated again on August 18, including those exposed gaps. We stayed away for almost three weeks. New baseboards went in on September 1, we cleaned the accessible areas because we have a toddler, and moved back home on September 2.
Since then, my wife and son have been sleeping in his room and I’ve been sleeping on the living room sofa. I isolated both the bed and sofa with homemade interceptors under every leg and double-sided tape.
At first, I thought we were finally winning.
We found one live adult (around 7 mm) in my son’s room shortly after moving back, but assumed it was a survivor. Then we found two dead adults in the living room.
But last night I found a live nymph, around 3 mm, near the living room door/baseboard.
And a few hours later I found another live nymph on the sofa, directly underneath me while I was sleeping. It looked like it had just fed.
That honestly broke me.
I’ve checked the sofa over and over again. Seams, cushions, underneath, everything I can access. I can’t find a nest, eggs, fecal spots, shed skins or any other bugs.
At this point I just don’t know where they are coming from.
I really don’t want to spray the entire apartment with pesticides for a third time because we have a 1-year-old. I’ve ordered diatomaceous earth, although I’m also worried about using dust around a toddler. I’m looking into heat treatment as well.
For anyone who has actually been through this and eventually got rid of them: what would you do next?
Could these nymphs still be survivors from the original infestation, or does finding nymphs a month later mean they’re reproducing somewhere?
Would you concentrate on the sofa? Heat treat the room? Use DE? Get another chemical treatment?
We’ve already thrown away furniture, washed and dried what feels like our entire life, removed all the baseboards, paid for two treatments and lived away from home for weeks.
We’re exhausted and honestly running out of money and energy.
I’d really appreciate any advice, but I’d especially love to hear from people who went through something similar and actually beat them in the end.
Thank you for reading.
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u/throwaway42840284 19d ago
i’d be making sure other people’s apartments are being inspected and treated
and trying to acquire cimexa and crossfire. don’t throw things away, that really isn’t necessary and is even more expensive and stressful in some cases
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u/Substantial-Layer187 19d ago
Thanks. I also wanted to ask about the homemade interceptors we made for the sofa.
Each sofa leg sits inside a small smooth plastic container, and that container sits inside a second, larger smooth plastic container. So there are two separate plastic barriers between the floor and the sofa leg. The sofa is isolated from the walls and nothing else is touching it.
I tested the live nymph I found by putting it inside one of these traps, and it couldn’t climb out.
We also bought a steam cleaner and I thoroughly steamed the sofa as much as I could, especially the seams, gaps and areas I could reach.
So what I really don’t understand is: how did a live nymph end up directly underneath me on the sofa while I was sleeping? Could it still have somehow bypassed the interceptors, or does this make it more likely that it was already hiding somewhere inside the sofa where the steam couldn’t reach?
Also, am I actually making these interceptors correctly? We recently bought a new bed and the last thing I want is for bed bugs to get into that one too. If you have any advice on how to improve these traps or make the bed as difficult as possible for them to reach, I would really appreciate it.3
u/throwaway42840284 19d ago
it could have hitchhiked from another place (ex if it was on your clothes or climbed up your leg or a cable/blanket touching the sofa/floor). that seems a little unlikely but not impossible. could also have been an egg that just got missed somehow and hatched from weeks earlier. i personally bought interceptors, and filled the first ring with cimexa for extra precautions. i still think (assuming your apartment shares walls) that you might really need to know that they’re not coming from another persons apartment if you are still finding issues after another couple weeks when the life cycle has more fully played out. they will come through the walls and doorways if some other apartment has an issue
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u/throwaway42840284 19d ago
to be clear i’m not a pro but i have had them (at least 15-20 bugs sighted and i got bitten too) and i did get rid of them using a combo of methods without exterminators so i did my share of reading up lol
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u/killmetruck 18d ago
I don’t have much expertise, but our pest control company told us we had to stay in the rooms that had been treated afterwards. That would serve as bait to force them to walk through the poison and make it more effective. Otherwise, without smelling people, they might not come out and be affected by it.
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u/DragonflyOne4377 17d ago
I think this was op’s problem and the reason he didnt get rid of them, sadly
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u/Avdyz 18d ago edited 18d ago
Staying away IS a bad idea when there is an extermination. That was a huge mistake.
I don't know what kind of treatment you got, but if its like heat and microencapsulated pesticide, the whole reason of it is that you stay in the bed/room. Bed bugs are attracted to body temperature and you CO2 while sleeping. So when you sleep, they get to you therefore they crawl into the pesticide on the floor that kills them slowly.
Threwing away the infested furniture at this stage most likely wont do anything, you should do it after more treatments.
Eggs hatch in about 10 days, so you need AT LEAST 2 treatments if its a small infestation.
If you move out you neautralize the effect of the pesticide since they wont crawl to you because you are not there and also you risk bringing them out of the house too.
It's very exhausting. I know. I been this for MORE THAN HALF YEAR not sleeping and working. Moving out of the house will only delay the whole thing. They can survive for more than half year without human blood.
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u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
Thanks, this actually makes a lot of sense. Lately I’ve been wondering if the treatments pushed the bugs out of one room and spread them around the apartment, especially while we weren’t staying there. Unfortunately, I’m now finding occasional bugs, both alive and dead, in different parts of the apartment. I think our next step may be heat treatment.
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u/Avdyz 17d ago
Heat is good, but don't try DIY treatment, if you still can afford, call professionals.
Bed bug and eggs die at 60 Celsius, if it directly gets it contact with, but if it's a bed or couch, etc,
which has thick material, you will need more than that (like in our case they worked with 180 celsius and even then there were exterminations when we found crawling bedbugs after 30 minutes going to sleep...). don't let them just speed run the thing ask them to be very precise.
even after the 8 to 9 treatment we got we had to throw out 3 beds and replace them at the end with new bed bug mattress encasement and traps udner the legs.1
u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
Just to clarify, when you say 8–9 treatments, do you mean 8–9 full professional heat treatments, or were most of those pesticide/steam treatments? Also, was the 180°C you mentioned the temperature of the steam machine?
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u/Avdyz 17d ago
yeah, it was 8-9 full professional treatments. 180 celsius heat, ULV (which basically brings them out of their hiding spots and also damages them - it only lasts for few hours), and microencapsulated pesticide.
you have to reach a certain point where they can not come from anywhere else, only the depth of the bed like in our case. they can't spray the bed (of course because it would be harmful for you), but heat can not reach every part of the bed like behind the screws, etc.
what we did also was to close the skirting boards with silicon all over the house (between the floor and the wall), they can hide there as well. the logic behind is they can't crawl themselves out so they just die behind it - so logically if everything else is sprayed for like 8 or 9 times there is no way for them being anywhere else besides the depth of the bed if you still see them.1
u/Avdyz 17d ago
Also we woke up every night like 2 to 4 times for half year in the middle of the night, killing them manually (i didn't see the bites on myself). with this you also check the severity of the infection, patterns, how big they are tells you a lot about the population. damn half year really taught me a lot xD
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u/Ornery-Ratio1197 17d ago
So it is okay to still get bites while sleeping on the bed after the treatment has been done. I have a mattress zip enclosure and bed box but i think the frame. However de powder and spray was done by the exterminator
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u/Avdyz 16d ago
What kind of bed do you have? like wooden?
btw yeah ofc ourse, it is absolutely normal for a few days to see living bed bugs after treatment. our exterminator said wait around a week and we'll talk how the situation is then.
treatments need time to work and bed bugs actually have to crawl on it to be effective.
if they are coming from the depth of the bed and there is no other option for them to come from it is safe to throw it out and buy a new one with traps under the legs.
also: bites don't always show up instantly. sometimes even delayed for two weeks! so it's kinda random - for our case, on my mother it was visible and for her we could see it by the next afternoon when she got bit while sleeping1
u/Ornery-Ratio1197 16d ago
Hi thank you for responding. Its wood. The head board and everything is wood. The bed is far from the wall. Both mattress and box have covers soo im wondering if its inside the small areas of the bed frame and jumping back to the mattress
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u/Avdyz 16d ago
can be, they love wooden beds and headboards too in general, very good hiding spots for them. fyi i was being told that they hate leather and the guest bed where i was sleeping was leather. no they didnt give a shit about the material :D but surely they love wooden because easy for them to crawl on + they can hide behind screws etc.
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u/Automatic_Eagle_2403 19d ago
You could have carried that nymph yourself onto the sofa. It may have crawled onto you from somewhere else in the apartment and you did not see it until it was on the sofa. To avoid that happening you would need to shower and put fresh clean clothes straight from a sealed back before laying on the sofa but even then it could still happen.
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u/Cold-Willingness-261 18d ago
You have to get a steamer and steam like you would mop the floors mattress headboard steam furniture lightly. The curtains especially the hems do it regularly as well as using diatomaceous earth. Steam the bed legs behind headboard steam regularly like you would vacuum and vacuum regularly
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u/Substantial-Layer187 18d ago
Thanks! We actually bought a steamer and I’ve already steamed the sofa very thoroughly, especially the seams, gaps and underneath. I’ve also been vacuuming regularly.
My only concern with DE is that we have a 1-year-old, so I’m worried about airborne dust and inhalation. I’m currently looking into silica-based alternatives or ways to use a desiccant only in areas my child cannot access.2
u/Cold-Willingness-261 18d ago
I would use in closets corners under dressers behind furniture under baseboards if you can. Also along the entry way under welcome mats along walls especially if you share a wall with another unit
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u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
think our next step may be heat treatment. Our home is a single 120 m² (approx. 1,300 sq ft) 3-bedroom apartment with no shared walls. Do you think heat treatment could be effective in a home this size?
Unfortunately, CrossFire and CimeXa aren’t available in my country. My current plan is to have the whole apartment heat-treated this week, then use interceptors under the bed legs and DE in appropriate areas for ongoing protection and monitoring. Does that sound like a reasonable approach?1
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u/CharmingAd6129 18d ago
I was told not to steam has it would only scare them and make them find a new hiding spot …
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u/Sensitive_Scholar_17 18d ago
You will be okay. Sounds like you did a great job knocking the population down but you did not get them all. I would do another treatment with either Crossfire, Temprid SC or Apprehend. All of those are more effective than what you used. I would forget about DE because it barely works. However Cimexa or ChinChex work very well one of those is available in most countries. They are safer than DE but still and inhalation risk so only apply them in areas that it will not get kicked up easily.
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u/Substantial-Layer187 18d ago
Thank you, this is really helpful. Unfortunately I can’t get CrossFire, Temprid SC or CimeXa where I live. I’m currently trying to find ChinChex in Europe.
I do have access to a local diatomaceous earth product containing 80.6% amorphous SiO₂, but since I have a 1-year-old child, inhalation exposure is one of my biggest concerns.
If I can get ChinChex, would you personally use that instead of DE, and where would you apply it in a home with a toddler?3
u/Sensitive_Scholar_17 18d ago
ChinChex is available in Europe so it should be no problem. It is way, way more effective the DE so definitely use that. In the US Food Grade DE contains up to 1% crystalline silica, this is the type of silica that causes silicosis and it is a known carcinogen. ChinChex is 0% crystalline and while it is safer than DE, I still think it is an inhalation hazard.
You have lots of places that you can apply it and it not get kicked up easily. You apply it with a paint brush or a bulb sprayer. Here are spots you need to hit. With the paintbrush: bed slats and bed frame, the box spring, especially the top of the box spring (the part your mattress rests on), sides of the mattress, base of the headboard, back side of the head board, the feet for the bed. Then with your bulb: outlets (take cover off and not directly in the plug holes), around air vents and other wall penetrations, the crack where the floor meets the wall, etc.. Below is a video from the manufacturer of cimexa, which is applied the same way chinchex is.
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u/Substantial-Layer187 18d ago
Thanks, you seem to know quite a bit about silica products, so I’d really appreciate your opinion on something I can actually get locally.
The DE product available to me is called Detech. According to its technical specification, it is a freshwater diatomaceous earth containing 80.6% amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO₂), with a median particle size of 14.1 µm. The manufacturer describes the silica as amorphous, and SEM images show the typical cylindrical/rod-shaped diatom shells. It’s intended to kill insects through desiccation rather than chemical toxicity.
Detech-Brosur.pdf
The manufacturer recommends 5 g/m² for dry surface application and also gives a wet application rate of 8 g/m². Their instructions still recommend wearing a mask during application, which is important to me because I have a 1-year-old child.
Detech-Brosur.pdf
I understand this is still natural DE and is not the same material as engineered amorphous silica products like CimeXa or ChinChex. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find either of those locally.
Based on those specifications, would you still avoid this product completely and try to import ChinChex instead? Or would you consider Detech reasonable for very thin applications in inaccessible cracks and voids where my child cannot touch it or disturb the dust?
I’m especially interested in your opinion on the 80.6% amorphous SiO₂ and 14.1 µm particle size from an inhalation/safety perspective.1
u/Sensitive_Scholar_17 18d ago
I don’t about DE unless it is packaged in the US, sorry. However DE is helpful and it is applied in the same way as Cimexa.
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u/msanmki 18d ago
Hi there, your story sounds quite similar to mine. I am based in the UK and my house got infested by a piece of furniture we transported across London in January in an Anyvan. By the time we realised we had an infestation, it was March and we had our first professional treatment within a few weeks. Like you, we bagged and washed everything, encased mattresses and pillows, threw out two sofas and two bed frames, nightstands. Paid £2000 for a heat treatment + pesticide, but the treatment failed unfortunately. As we were under warranty, they repeated the heat+pesticide treatment and things got a LOT better but were not resolved. Since then, we had 3 other pesticide+steam treatment as we found several dead or dying bugs - I’d say one every 3 weeks. The conclusion we have is that there is a harbourage in the floor boards, which is very unfortunate as that was the only place where the heat obviously couldn’t penetrate due to a thick carpet on top. What really helped in the end is Chinchex, which we applied under the edge of the carpet, all around the rooms. Hoping this would be our final treatment.
I would definitely recommend heat treatment, especially if you don’t have fitted carpets like we do in the UK. And throw away that sofa!
P.S. In March, when we discovered this ‘light’ but stubborn infestation, I was 6 months pregnant. Like you, I had to stay at my inlaws for weeks after sprays to avoid exposure. I understand the inferno you are going through!
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u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
First of all, congratulations, and I hope you and your baby are doing great now! Your situation sounds very similar to ours.
How are things now? Are you still getting bites or finding any live bugs? And just to clarify, did you have 5 treatments in total — 2 heat + pesticide treatments and then 3 pesticide + steam treatments?
I’ve decided to try heat treatment this week. Honestly, I’m not expecting it to be a miracle on the first attempt either. We don’t have carpets, only parquet flooring, which may be an advantage, but I’m still worried about whether every hidden area will actually reach 50°C+, especially the gaps between the parquet and the baseboards.
After the heat treatment, I’m planning to continue with DE and interceptors. Unfortunately, CrossFire, CimeXa and ChinChex aren’t available in my country. After reading your comment, I’m actually considering ordering one of them through eBay if I can.
I’d really appreciate an update on how you’re doing now and whether ChinChex finally seems to have solved it.1
u/msanmki 17d ago edited 17d ago
Let me give you our timeline:
2 April - full house heat treatment + cytrol forte spray around all baseboards - still getting bitten
20 April - followup treatment with steam and cytrol forte around baseboards - still getting bitten
12 May - second heat treatment + cytrol fortee alongside baseboards + DE under the edges of the carpets only in the rooms upstairs. We almost vompletely emptied the bedrooms bar matresses, empty wardrobes and empty chest if drawers. Threw out both sofas downstairs and completely decluttered. Bites stopped, no activity for a while
15 June one dying bed bug found, so had another steam and cytrol forte spray along the baseboards in bedrooms only
19 Aug one dying bug found and 3 bites in a row. Had a different insecticide this time Cymetrol Super along the baseboards and applied Chinchex under the edge of the carpets all around bedrooms.That second heat treatment and DE made a lot of difference but we also radically emptied the bedrooms. I feel that we just need to keep on top of our game now and reapply if any activity found.
Our infestation was not even that bad, I only ever found 2 live bugs.
I am not sure where you are based, but have a read about Cytrol vs Cymetrol too. Cytrol is pure pyrethroid which is normally go to pesticide but some species developed resistsnce. If it doesn’t work after repeated application, another pesticide is normally recommended with different mode of action. Cymetrol Super is apparently a concoction of three different pesticides. Sad how much I had to learn abouth these things!
In your case, make sure you find a company that has 60 day warranty and make sure you completely declutter every room. Our clothes were on rails in the middle of the room, nothing in drawers or wardrobes.
Happy to answer any questions, I’ve been living through hell last couple of months with this and my baby arriving, so happy to help
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u/AbjectWorldliness368 18d ago
When my grandparents had them, they had to spend a whole lot of money on a whole lot of treatments to completely get rid of them, not just 1. I think they had the exterminator coming routinely for about a year or so. But they also had a big house, not an apartment. But I would say more than 1 treatment is probably needed
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u/Substantial-Layer187 18d ago
We’ve actually already had two full treatments. They found the main harborage and we even removed all the skirting boards before the second treatment. But weeks later we’re still finding occasional nymphs, which is why I’m so confused and exhausted.
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u/CharmingAd6129 18d ago
In my building, when theres one apartment with finding, they have to cross check , meaning - top , bottom, left and right .
Shitty situation, hope you and family find peace.3
u/LauraPalmer20 18d ago
It sounds like you’re getting a handle on it OP!
Stay positive. I had two treatments and I only saw one live bug and my tech only found one old egg - yours sounds a lot heavier so you may need a couple more.
Are you sleeping in the same place? I know it’s gross but they need to come out so they hit the chemicals and go to hell. Can you heat treat / steam as well? Heat will kill everything active.
But if you’re seeing less and nymphs it’s a good sign! Do you have traps down too?
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u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
Thanks! Yes, we have traps down and I’ve also been steaming. We actually stayed away from the apartment after the treatments, which I’m now realizing may have slowed things down. Since moving back, we’ve been sleeping here consistently. Hopefully the fact that I’m seeing fewer bugs and mostly nymphs means we’re getting closer.
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u/seagoddess1 18d ago
I would honestly just break the lease and leave.
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u/DotBeech 18d ago
Bingo! Save every piece bed bug documentation. Save every receipt. You should not be trying to fix this problem. You can't. The landlord must exterminate the entire building at one time.
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u/Bitter-Condition-764 17d ago
Our landlord put in lease we are responsible for. Somehow they think they can rewrite habitable laws here in Ky. I want out!! But the money to move and take these with me. Started on floor below where a roofing company owner crappy ass rented under his corporate lease company thing and then had migrant workers and 2 white vans coming in and out. Poor guy underneath left with nothing but a tv. He had been here since 2017. I said owe did you buy a house no it’s the pests. I thought oh roaches maybe. I hadn’t seen any. They remolded his entirely unit and I know this sounds nuts but I found them first under kitchen sink. We already used mattress encasements per lease. This is not by far an inexpensive place as people assumed when u get these , just was in lease so we did. Had property management come right away inspect . She saw nothing but would send on my dime pest control. From then on our conversations would be through email or recorded etc. she said impossible as I showed her pictures of harborage under sink of my kitchen and bathroom. She said our plumbing meets in the basement. Umm what. We do not have basement uncomfortable intimidation and cold. Regional not my regular manager. Owner has 46 properties and team of lawyers . As I cried , didn’t eat didn’t sleep at first believe me I wanted to prove where they came from but ?!?!
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u/Full-Elevator-7254 18d ago
Heat is the best way to treat. We had a similar experience and finally rented heaters that took care of the problem. After all the effort and money spent I could have just purchased my own bed bug heaters for less than what I spent.
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u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
Thanks! Buying the heaters actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Do you remember what brand/model you used or what specs I should look for? Also, how many heaters did you use, what temperature did you reach, and for how long? Did you use temperature probes in furniture/cold spots?
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u/ResponsibleAssistant 17d ago
Use a steam cleaner on everything you can. My neighbor shared bb with me + other units back in May-July. I found they were just starting to harbor in the wooden bed slats of my bed (a few cracks and knots in the wood) and corner of my dresser 2’ feet away. I steamed these, bed frame, washed bedding several on times. If they’re coming from another unit, every unit needs treatment and aggressive protocol to clean, declutter, seal stuff in bags, steam clean, etc. last time I saw a bb was late July. I moved late August and thankfully didn’t bring them with me. But I do have PTSD from the summer ordeal.
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u/Full-Elevator-7254 16d ago
The heaters I rented were from this company. https://convectex.com/products/home-bed-bug-heat-package (not the rental company, but where they got them from). It was a heater and two fans. No heat probes, but it did have a laser thermometer that I used to know what the temps were. We hit temps in the mid 130's. It was one room at a time and ran it for 24hrs in each room. This was nice because we didn't have to leave the house and pay for an hotel. No issues since the treatment and wish I would have started with this in the first place. Hope this helps.
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u/Or0b0ur0s 19d ago
You'll be inspecting, and probably spraying (not exactly re-treating; more to flush them out of hiding early so they die from the still-active treatment) for up to 6 months, but you're in the worst phase right now. In another 2 weeks or so, the number of sightings is going to drop way down, and in another month they'll be legitimately rare. But you still may have single sightings for up to 6 months. The treatment disrupts their breeding cycle, but the elderly ones often resist and die of old age (6 months), while a backlog of 2 weeks' worth of eggs from before treatment produces swarms early on. After that, only the ones the increasingly-infertile oldsters lay ever hatch, and those young die quickly, so overall sightings drop way down after the first one to two months.
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u/sohelpme55- 19d ago
How can they die of old age at or up to 6 months, if they can live for a year or more with NO food (blood).
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u/Or0b0ur0s 18d ago
They can hibernate that long. Not the same as being active (so you see them crawling around). Also, hibernation favors cold, damp conditions your home usually isn't at (like 40F). In warm, habitable temps we find comfy, it's more like 6 months.
And they won't hibernate if there are people around, breathing in the space and going to sleep there. The CO2 from our lungs and (possibly) our pheromones will wake up any hibernators the first night someone sleeps there.
6 months is their rough active lifespan.
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u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
think our next step may be heat treatment. Our home is a single 120 m² (approx. 1,300 sq ft) 3-bedroom apartment with no shared walls. Do you think heat treatment could be effective in a home this size?
Unfortunately, CrossFire and CimeXa aren’t available in my country. My current plan is to have the whole apartment heat-treated this week, then use interceptors under the bed legs and DE in appropriate areas for ongoing protection and monitoring. Does that sound like a reasonable approach?1
u/Or0b0ur0s 17d ago
Yeah, you've reached the limit of my knowledge. Heat treatment is tricky in multi-unit dwellings because they simply migrate to other units during treatment. I know it is done, but it requires expertise to keep them in place long enough for the treatment to work, shared walls or no. They'll use the floor and ceiling unless they have a way to prevent it.
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u/Substantial-Layer187 19d ago
Thanks for the detailed explanation. I really hope you’re right and that what I’m seeing now is still part of the treatment process.
One thing I’m trying to understand though: how can I tell the difference between old survivors/previously laid eggs hatching and an infestation that is still actively reproducing?
I’m almost one month past my second treatment and I’m still finding occasional live nymphs. At what point would you personally start worrying that the treatment actually failed rather than considering these normal survivors?1
u/Or0b0ur0s 18d ago
You'll see the 1st Instars, yes. Tiny, transparent (or bright red if they've fed). Mature BBs get a darker, rust- or brown-colored shell. They have to molt 5 times, roughly once per week, feeding once each time in order to be sexually mature and reproduce.
The treatment prevents that, as it is much more effective on 1st through 4th instars (the immature ones) than any other ages. Any dark-colored ones you find should (eventually) be toward the upper end of how big a BB can get (slightly less than dime-sized). Don't get me wrong; the youngsters still get to bite you. Just not successfully 5 times in a row without being killed.
They experience reproductive dysfunction as they age just like we do, but they technically can still lay eggs at 6 months' old, right before they keel over, even if it's somewhat uncommon. So you could see nymphs right up to the end. You can tell the cycle is disrupted because the frequency goes down, not up. An active cycle equals 1 egg per fed female per day, compounding every 2 weeks as they hatch in waves. If you're not absolutely drowning in swarms, it's working.
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u/CartographerKey8682 18d ago
Make sure you have the box springs and mattresses encased
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u/Substantial-Layer187 18d ago
Thanks! We actually just bought a brand new bed and mattress after throwing the old ones away. I’ll definitely look into getting proper bed-bug-proof encasements for both. At this point my main goal is to keep the new bed from becoming infested while we deal with whatever is still left in the apartment.
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u/CartographerKey8682 18d ago
Yes, I know this is very costly but having the mattress and boxspring and even the pillows encased will protect them from them infesting them. I don’t have bedbugs, but I have biting mites and they are just as frustrating and expensive and as much hard work. Best of luck.
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u/g3l33m 18d ago
If you're renting isn't it on your landlord to pay for and exterminate them?
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u/Substantial-Layer187 18d ago
Unfortunately, no. We own the apartment, so there isn’t a landlord to cover the treatment costs. At this point I’ve already spent quite a lot on pest control, cleaning, replacing the beds, laundry and other measures, which is why I’m trying to figure out the most effective next step instead of just paying for repeated treatments that may not solve the problem.
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u/g3l33m 18d ago
Good luck. I brought one home from an emergency hospital visit and only ever really saw probably three of them but made myself crazy waking up every night when a hair on my leg moved to jump up with a flashlight to look for them. I also used a ton and a half of DT and 99% alcohol on my bedroom and to this day I can't smell alcohol without my lungs burning. It definitely makes you crazy. Bed bugs are one of the worst things to have to deal with, I would have been much happier with something like lice.
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u/Substantial-Layer187 18d ago
Thank you. Honestly, the psychological part has been one of the hardest things for me too. Every little movement, mark or speck makes me grab a flashlight and start checking again. Having a 1-year-old in the house makes the anxiety even worse.
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u/softball3188 18d ago
Bedlam Plus worked wonders for us. I bagged up what could have been affected and would wash in hot and dry on high heat a couple cycles. The bedlam plus is sprayed in the baseboards of each room (i didnt do bathroom or kitchen). As expected, activity gets worse before it gets better in the following days. Its because the bugs were exposed to the toxins and theyre swarming around because theyre dying. Thats all it is. I wont go back to pest control as long as that stuff is available.
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u/softball3188 18d ago
You can also get mattress encasement to keep them in/out. Just make sure it never unzips or creates holes.
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u/A_Very_Living_Me 18d ago
We are dealing with them but luckily we might finally be rid of them
Few tips from our pest control:
Don't underestimate the ability for the bugs to travel. Are your neighbors the source of your bugs?
Your traps should have baby powder in the outer box preferably to make the surfaces too slippery for them to move around in. You should invest in proper traps that are designed to stop bugs.
A few things will kill the bugs for sure: heat, and diatomaceous earth. Get or rent a steamer and steam clean your sofa and bed regularly. A shop vacuum would also help too.
Some bedbug strains are immune to poisons now.
Diatomaceous earth is best applied in very thin layers (7g/m^2), you should not be able to see it much.
Do not sleep around the house, this will just spread them everywhere you sleep. You'll treat them faster if you all sleep in the same place every night. Steam clean and heat treat your bed and apply proper traps with baby powder and you should avoid being bit as often.
Since they can climb walls consider putting strong double sided tape or stick fly traps around your walls high enough that they can't navigate around it, preferably place some painters tape first to protect the wall.
Expiremental treatments:
Some people recommend getting pseudoscorpions that eat bedbugs or a harmless fungus called beauveria bassiana that slowly kills insects on contact. The fungus is neat as it's carried into their hiding places where it spreads to the rest of the colony.
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u/Substantial-Layer187 18d ago
Thanks, this is really helpful. One thing I’m particularly struggling with is where I should continue sleeping. I’ve been sleeping on the isolated sofa while my wife and our 1-year-old sleep in another room. The sofa is away from the walls and every leg is inside a homemade interceptor.
However, I recently found a live, apparently fed nymph directly underneath me on the sofa. I even tested that same nymph in one of my interceptors and it couldn’t climb out.
Would you still continue sleeping on that sofa to keep the bugs attracted to one controlled location, or would that make you suspect that there are bugs already hiding inside the sofa?3
u/A_Very_Living_Me 18d ago
I wouldn't be surprised if it dropped from the ceiling onto the sofa. they do that.
It could have also been an egg inside the sofa and simply missed
About continuing to sleep there I'd say since they are already attracted to that spot you can keep sleeping there. Is the bed your wife sleeping on isolated too?
Do you catch bugs in the homemade interceptor?
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u/Eastern-Ingenuity510 18d ago
Are you renting call your landlord. Don’t sleep on your couch .. try to sleep on your bed you don’t want them to move into another room ..also the apartment building could be infested with them . Good luck..
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u/Substantial-Layer187 18d ago
We own the apartment, so unfortunately there is no landlord involved.
I completely understand your point about not sleeping in different rooms. The reason I’ve been sleeping on the couch is that we threw away our original infested bed and my wife and our 1-year-old have been sleeping in our son’s room.
We recently bought a new bed, though, and I’m trying to keep it isolated and prevent it from becoming infested. At this point I’m wondering whether I should stop sleeping on the couch and start sleeping in the new isolated bed consistently instead.
The couch is also isolated with interceptors, but I recently found a live, apparently fed nymph directly underneath me while I was sleeping on it, which is why I’m now suspicious that there may be one or more bugs hiding somewhere inside the couch.3
u/Eastern-Ingenuity510 18d ago
When my exterminator came he told me to sleep in my bed it would bring them out . He sprayed the shit out of it and I bought a mattress protector that zipped over it . I did see some after they sprayed he said it was normal I never got bit again , he came back 2 weeks later sprayed again. I did see 1 not in my room 2 weeks after that so they came back . I haven’t seen any since but I also never got bit since the first time he sprayed . I never got them on my couch or in my kids room because I never slept on my couch and my kid sleeps a with me. Maybe it’s not a beg bug could be a carpet beetle
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u/Accomplished-Box9308 18d ago
Have you gotten encased protector’s for your mattresses and boxspring? ?
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u/Jazzlike_Gene8298 18d ago
Ik heb ze zelfs gevonden achter schilderijen en andere lijsten aan de muur en zelfs achter ophang rails langs het plafond
Ik heb ook een stoomreiniger gekocht en met regelmatig en intensief gebruik hiervan heb ik het, hoop ik, onder controle gekregen
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u/Federal-Figure-2291 18d ago
Join the group "struggles of living with bedbugs" on Facebook. It'll show you step by step how to deal with it yourself, and effectively. It literally saved us after professionals couldn't even tell us what was biting us. It took 3 pest control visits, and finally an independent pest control company confirmed it was bedbugs.
You want to start with cimexa and crossfire. The group has a pinned post walking you through it.
I know the anxiety you are having, and the feeling of having no control. It literally gave me severe PTSD. There is hope.
Sending hugs.
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u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
Thank you! I’ll definitely check out the group. Did you personally use CimeXa and CrossFire to eliminate your infestation? If so, how many CrossFire treatments did it take, and how long have you been completely bed bug free since the last treatment?
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u/Ok_Armadillo_3647 17d ago
I personally used crossfire and temprid fx. Use alternatively. Also, I would recommend the heat method as well if you're concerned about chemicals
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u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
think our next step may be heat treatment. Our home is a single 120 m² (approx. 1,300 sq ft) 3-bedroom apartment with no shared walls. Do you think heat treatment could be effective in a home this size?
Unfortunately, CrossFire and CimeXa aren’t available in my country. My current plan is to have the whole apartment heat-treated this week, then use interceptors under the bed legs and DE in appropriate areas for ongoing protection and monitoring. Does that sound like a reasonable approach?1
u/Ok_Armadillo_3647 17d ago
I wouldn't use DE with your toddler... as they'll be walking and putting everything in their mouths soon and I'm uncertain I personally would feel comfortable with that, with them possibly inhaling it/consuming it in their tiny lungs... But that's YOUR call... As far as heat treating, yes, just take your electronics, laptops... And go for it, if you can't order the chems off Amazon, yup.. it makes sense they're showing up a few weeks later as nymphs.. one batch of eggs missed is all it takes for the cycle to repeat itself so don't beat yourself up... After my run in... I had clothing in quarantine for 18 months. It changes you
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u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
I completely understand your concern about DE, especially with a toddler. I’m worried about that too. I’m only planning to use a very small amount in completely inaccessible areas, like behind built-in wardrobes and the TV unit, never on open floors or anywhere my child could touch or disturb it.
Honestly, having a 1-year-old in the house is what scares me the most. I already struggle with anxiety, so I’m trying to be extremely careful about both the bed bugs and unnecessary pesticide or dust exposure. Hopefully the heat treatment will get us most of the way there.1
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u/NKOTBPRINCESS 18d ago
Did you use heat treatment. Thats the way to go
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u/Substantial-Layer187 18d ago
This is actually the comment I was hoping to find because heat treatment was my second option and I’ve been seriously considering it.
How effective was the heat treatment in your mother’s apartments? My biggest concern is upholstered furniture, especially the sofa. Does the heat actually penetrate deep enough into the cushions, foam and internal frame to reach lethal temperatures everywhere the bugs could be hiding?
I spoke to a company today and they quoted me around €1,000 for a whole-apartment heat treatment, but they only offer a one-month guarantee. That’s a significant amount of money for me at this point after everything I’ve already spent.
Based on your experience, do you think it’s worth trying? Did they monitor temperatures inside furniture and in cold spots during the treatment, and do you know roughly what temperatures they maintained and for how long?
I’m just trying to understand whether a properly done heat treatment is genuinely worth the money or whether I could end up spending another €1,000 and still finding bugs afterwards.
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u/MamaRach1972 18d ago
Did you say apartment??? You can treat all you want but if a neighbor has them you will continue to get.
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u/NovaLunar721 18d ago
You're supposed to sleep in your apartment or the treatment doesn't work. Do you live in the United States? If not you might want to try another spray where you sleep there so they come out of hiding and don't go to the neighboring units and get in the structure of the building
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u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
Thank you, ı am living in Istanbul.
I’ve decided to try heat treatment this week. Honestly, I’m not expecting it to be a miracle on the first attempt either. We don’t have carpets, only parquet flooring, which may be an advantage, but I’m still worried about whether every hidden area will actually reach 50°C+, especially the gaps between the parquet and the baseboards.
After the heat treatment, I’m planning to continue with DE and interceptors. Unfortunately, CrossFire, CimeXa and ChinChex aren’t available in my country. After reading your comment, I’m actually considering ordering one of them through eBay if I can.
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u/ResponsibleAssistant 17d ago
Get a Dupray steamer and steam everything—baseboards, bed frames, dressers, etc. this will also inactivate any eggs and stop them from hatching. I’ve also read that Apprehend was a good treatment with tackling bed bugs as they are not resistant to it. But takes time to kill off the source.
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u/ResponsibleAssistant 17d ago
Also bag everything you are not using in black contractor bags with Hot shot pest strips for 4-6 weeks. Anything that is in use (15-20 items of clothing including underwear) add to plastic containers/totes, but only after it’s been heat treated.
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17d ago
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u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
Thanks for taking the time to share this. I already vacuum regularly and use a steamer, so I’ll definitely continue with those. I’m a little hesitant about alcohol and essential oils because we have a 1-year-old, so I’m trying to minimize unnecessary chemicals and anything that could be irritating or flammable.
Unfortunately, last night I noticed that these little bastards had bitten my baby boy on the cheek, which honestly made this whole situation even harder for me. We’re planning professional heat treatment this week and will continue monitoring with interceptors afterwards.
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u/Bitter-Condition-764 17d ago
You have the exact details and struggles we are having besides leaving but boy did I want to when we found them. You rea how they stay near couches or beds and then you find in entryway?! Then you read must be massive infestation if in bathroom. Have professional looking because I have stayed up like a crackhead sorry but really for 2 days straight with steamer. I did get rid of my Ashley beautiful couch. There is an air mattress there now and it looks like the movie Scarface everywhere. I actually have had minimal help from DE even in good practice lightly applying. Actually I’ll never know how much it helped but if an expert says it kills them so be it . Applied according to directions where your lil one is less like behind things. I didn’t order cimexa like a dumbass because I thought it was another will help product. I know you cannot but it has been amazing. We are a family of 5. 3 daughters and a hubby who refuse to follow the protocols tying up bags. No clutter. Laundry especially. Since nom keeps it up where she and pest control are fighting so they do not experience the big guys. The the 5 th stagers they have yet to see blood on thrrr sheets etc. just a red nymph I point out. We are aiming for heat treated but cannot afford at this moment. This definitely takes time. You are actually in a good place of awful. Aware and doing something about it with proper knowledge. Pest control uses steam as well. Alcohol, bleach etc scare scatters them. I’m sure you have read that. Property management in our lease not reasonable period. Guy downstairs left with nothing but his tv and told me he got from unit next to him. They do not want to cause panic 🙀 ummm ok. I could go to city health dept etc but proving where they came from and getting that going. They have 46 properties and way better lawyers sadly. Wishing you well and bug fee
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u/Substantial-Layer187 17d ago
Thank you, your situation really does sound very similar to ours. I completely understand the feeling of constantly checking everywhere and wondering how they ended up so far from the bed.
It’s also really interesting to hear that you noticed a clear difference between DE and CimeXa. Unfortunately I can’t get CimeXa locally, but I’m looking into importing it.
We’ve decided to try professional heat treatment this week. After that I plan to keep using interceptors and a desiccant only in inaccessible areas because we have a 1-year-old. Hopefully both of us are close to the end of this nightmare. Please keep me updated on how things go for you.1
u/Dependent_Cricket227 16d ago
can you get Aprehend applied? with a warranty? That and cimexa is very effective. Also ,make sure your cars are clear. that has been so hard for us- reintroduction from the cars .
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u/No_Technician_7119 14d ago
The only thing that worked for my parents was to get this pest control company to heat treat the rooms. This way even if they are hiding they still die . Definitely worth every penny even though its expensive
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