[radio_flyer]

AJ's dad rented the basement of his townhouse. New renters have been there almost a week...... and well there are bed bugs in the bedroom....

Nobody has slept in the bedroom for almost two years.... SOOOOOO how did they get there? The mattress was brand new, " two years ago" a $2,000 mattress at that...

OK could the bugs have come with the mattress when it was delivered? Or is it possible the new renters brought the bugs....... Like I said, according to AJ's dad, nobody has slept in that room for close to two years...

I'd done my homework with searches on line.. Just not sure if bedbugs can survive two years with out feasting on humans... or be dormant for two years... or did the new renters bring them???

Not sure if this can be easily answered... just searching for answers.....i guess.........

As far as I understand, bed bugs hitch rides on people, luggage, whatever, and once inside, especially a female, lays eggs and that is how the infestation begins.... but they need blood to live.......

And would the bugs stay in just one room... If they had been there for two years, would they have jumped upstairs too??? Upstairs is where their dinner would be because that is where AJ's dad stays.. AJ's dad rarely goes to the basement??????????

Oh I forgot, the laundry room is in the basement so AJ's dad does go to the basement to do laundry..... you would have thought the bugs would have hitched a ride upstairs?????

ugghhhhh poor Aj's dad..........:*(

[madisgram]

EWWWW...i think they brought them with them. so difficult to get rid of. warn aj's dad. need an exterminator. i don't think it was the mattress-they feed off blood. sounds like the new tenants should have to pay to get rid of them. i have no doubt they brought them.

[radio_flyer]

I tried to explain to AJ's dad they can infest the whole house...He doesn't want to believe me........He has contacted exterminaters and he said they are very expensive.. So he is going to try to set off a few of those bug bombs in the bedroom... And I reminded him to make sure the renters aren't in the house when he sets them off...He said yes, yes, that he has read the directions.. I just mentioned I didn't want anyone get sick to be careful.........

AJ's dad is pretty stressed.. He said he's worked hard for 30 years and this is the first time he had to rent any part of his house out because of financial reasons.... The basement is fully furnished.. Actually he has a very beautiful, large townhouse. This is just soooooooo sad................................

I would have thought if the bugs had been there for 2 years they surely would have hithed a ride upstairs to feast.. Nothing downstairs for them to survive on........

I feel so bad for AJ's dad......... He really doesn't need more problems....... Weird thing is I close my eyes and all I see are tiny bugs... ughhhhhhhhh

I too am thinking the new renters brought the bugs.. But if they did would they have brought lots and lots of bugs too.. Cuz AJ's dad said there are lots and lots of the under the mattress............They have only been there for a week......maybe a few more days than a week...

What a mess........I told AJ to call his dad and explain how serious these bugs are...Maybe he will listen to AJ.... If we can prove the new renters brought the bugs, then he can ask them to leave or pay for the extermination.. But we need proof....as to how long the bugs been there or if they arrived with the new renters/?????

They don't "feed" off the mattress, they only feed off of "blood".... but I was thinking they might have hitched a ride on the mattress when it was delivered two years ago... guess they key is, can bed bugs survive one year and a half or two years without food and do they stay confined in one room??????????????

Thanks madisgram...

[pachyderm]

Wikipedia says "Although bedbugs can live for a year without feeding, they normally try to feed every five to ten days. In cold weather, bedbugs can live for about a year; at temperatures more conducive to activity and feeding, about 5 months."

[FooZe]

The bugs wouldn't have arrived in a brand new mattress but even if they had, I doubt that they could have survived two years without feeding. It's far more likely that the new tenants brought them and that they traveled through cracks in the walls and from room to room through the (hollow) walls themselves.

I wouldn't bother with the bug bomb, especially not in just one room. Even the bugs in that room are going to be hiding in cracks, folds and seams most of the time and the insecticide fumes may not get to them. The bugs in other rooms -- or inside the walls -- won't be affected at all. Everyone I know has had the best results by patching (or eliminating) the cracks where the bugs hide, then going after the remaining bugs with something like pyrethrins. Once a mattress or other stuffed item becomes infested it may be necessary to get it professionally fumigated or hauled away. Bag such items tightly in plastic before moving them, and be careful not to let someone "salvage" them and spread the problem farther.

Here's the Wikipedia article on the little beasts. For a little more on bedbugs (my experiences and others'), see this thread.

Good luck, r_f!

[lynn P.]

I hope the bombs your ex will be using is specific for bedbugs - it might be for cock roaches. Ask him to make sure it's for bed bugs so he doesn't waste him money and expose his house for nothing. They're stubborn bugs and not easy to get rid of.

[daytimedreamer]

Good luck with the bedbugs. I hope that they don't transfer to you and that they are dealt with quickly.

[salukigirl]

Bed bugs do not live in the mattress. They come out at night from crevices or cracks in the wall or baseboard and bite. Since it is a townhouse, both sides would need to be done at once. If you "bomb" one side it will just move them to the other and then back to yours. Same with cockroaches.

In some cases, a good, hard cleaning can do the trick. When we moved into my old house we had bed bugs. We went through and basically bleached everything and never had a problem since. It's hard to tell how bad the infestation is since you don't see them during the day. And wrapping plastic around the bed will not do anything either.

I would talk to the neighbors about having an exterminator come to both sides and definitely tell the landlord because this should be taken care of NOW. But on the bright side, these do not carry any diseases and are just annoying. But they can indicate other unhealthy circumstances.

[radio_flyer]

Thanks Fool Zero for the info and the links about bed bugs.... Bagging stuff is a good idea.. Wondering what I can do to help him, if anything... But just thinking about going to his house creeps me out as I don't want any hitch hikers on me...Will check t out the links after I finish writing this....

Aj's dad said the exterminator is coming tomorrow... Thank goodness!

The difference between me and AJ's dad is I am dancing in my shoes, visualizing should I need to go to his house, that that little bugs are waiting at the front door, ready to pounce me for a quick meal...... shutters just thinking about it.... AJ's dad is dealing with the situation in a "calm" manner and taking care of things by calling the exterminator... I am freaking and he is dealing... That is just like him, he takes care/deals with things in most cases without going to extremes... Heck the bugs aren't even my problem and I am worried and freaking out...

Poor guy sure has a mess to deal with.......

I am thinking as you, that the new tenants brought the bugs.. Because it is highly unlikely that these bugs were feasting on AJ's dad for two years and he would not have been noticed....If they can be dormant for two years, then that is another story...

[radio_flyer]

Lynn.... Guess the folks at Home Depot told AJ's dad what "bug bombs" to use. Would hope they gave him the right stuff... I don't even know if there are special "bug bombs" for bed bugs... By what I've read, they are extremely hard to get rid of.

Was just thinking, AJ's dad does not live as a "hermit".. His sister and kids and mother spend one or two weekends every month at his house. He also had a girlfriend spend two weeks there.. and has had other girlfriends spend the night too... And also once or twice a month on weekends he has guests over for dinner and to socialize... His sister's kids "early teens" would watch TV in the basement.. They didn't sleep in the basement because they preferred the bedrooms upstairs............. SURELY with activity and friends and family, spending days and nights at at time, someone would have been bitten within the past two years....... right???

[radio_flyer]

daytimerdreamer...........oooo I didn't think of the bugs having "nests"...Makes sense they would tho.... cringes thinking of nests of these bugs....

As I mentioned in my response to Lynn's post, AJ's dad has family and friends visiting weekly/monthy. Family stays Friday night to Sunday afternoon.. A few girlfrinds have stayed a few weeks at a time....And his twice a month dinner get-together with friends. Surely, someone would have been bitten within the past two years... Although nobody slept in the basement bedroom, the kids watched TV in the basement...

I dunno........Guess how they got there is maybe "history" and the issue is now to get rid of them.......Although I am still thinking the new renters brought them.. Because the bugs aren't upstairs.. AJ's dad nestles on the sofa upstairs every night after work and dinner to watch tv... And if the bugs traveled upstairs, someone would have been bitten within two years..... i'd think

[salukigirl]

They wouldn't be somewhere they didn't have a food source. If you weren't getting bitten then they weren't there.

The family name is Cimicidae. Maybe if you do a search on the scientific name you might find more detailed information?

[radio_flyer]

Thanks salukigirl... exterminators are coming tomorrow.....And AJ's dad is the "owner"...As far as unhealthy circumstances, other than the bugs being I guess unhealthy. AJ's dad is a very picky/fussy person with his house... Never is there even a dirty cup left in the sink over night...... Everything has its place and his house is clean and "always" in order... He is one of the most cleanest men I've ever known......

I just know the poor guy has a mess to deal with......And he is dealing I might add and I am doing the freaking...

Oo gee, the family name "cimicidae" even gives me the creeps.... nasty bugs.. Thanks for the "family name" i will do a search right now...

You said if there isn't a food source then they wouldn't be there... That is why I am thinking the new renters brought them.. They moved in 11 days ago..

[salukigirl]

I would go with that r_f. Even with the exterminators, you might want to talk to them about washing EVERYTHING they own that could house them in bleach or something like that. Hope it goes well tomorrow!

[FooZe]

Originally Posted by salukigirl

Bed bugs do not live in the mattress. They come out at night from crevices or cracks in the wall or baseboard and bite.

I agree with the second part, saluki. Not so sure about the first. In the infestation I was personally most involved with, I spotted a bug on the wall next to my bed, spackled up all the cracks, and had no more trouble myself. It's possible that if my housemates had taken similar precautions, they wouldn't have attracted the bugs away from me and I would've had to do more.

On the other hand, the bugs made their first appearance soon after a housemate brought home a used mattress. I didn't actually examine the mattress afterwards but I had very strong suspicions.

Long ago, in a different infestation, I remember my parents using a needle to poke bugs out of cracks in the wooden bed frame -- so it's not just wall cracks they hide in.

... on the bright side, these do not carry any diseases and are just annoying.

Very annoying! Except for the disease risk, I'd rather get a mosquito bite than a bedbug bite myself.

-------------------------------
Goodnight, sleep tight... etc.

[seeker1950]

RF, What a nightmare! I saw one news program where an exterminator explained and showed how they treat for bedbugs. He showed treating every crevice in and around the bedding with powerful spray that is the only insecticide which will kill them. He also stated that the EPA (or some such agency) is removing this chemical from the market because of health concerns, so he was buying up all that was available before it was removed from shelves.
I hope your relative is successful in ridding himself of these pests. I have become paranoid about buying fabric, such as clothing, items on Ebay, and when I do, I keep them outside in sealed bags till laundered or dry cleaned. A friend and I like to shop at thrift and second-hand stores, but, there again, you don't really know what you're bringing into your home! Even high-end retail stores have been infested recently, and had to shut down business.
I would be reluctant to go to AJ's dad's residence till he is sure he is rid of the bedbugs. They hitch rides.