I have.... bed bugs :(

[LadySkinsFan]

DDT killed birds and weakened egg shells when used indiscriminately in the wild. That's why it was banned. Rachel Carson is your friend.

[renaissance]

Ok, sounds like you got them then. I had tried that and had won the battle for about 14 months, with only seeing a couple every few months.

Yea I'm guessing that bed bugs are like mice or ants...if you see 1 or 2, there are a bunch more waiting in hiding.

[yank]

DDT killed birds and weakened egg shells when used indiscriminately in the wild. That's why it was banned. Rachel Carson is your friend.

Not to hijack this thread but ... Rachel Carlson was a well-meaning idiot of the first order. The banning of DDT has resulted in over 60 million - that's right 60 MILLION - deaths due to mosquito-borne malaria in Africa alone. Even the EPA ruled against banning it in the 60's before it was banned for political not scientific reasons.

Drink the KoolAid if you will but I will take mine with a dash of DDT any day. Fighting bed bugs is serious and weakening egg shells just doesnt justify not being able to use it in the fight.

[China]

You don't live in Arizona do you?

Bed bugs invade Mesa apartments

MESA, Ariz. -- The uproar over bed bugs may have settled, but the creepy-crawlers are still a problem.

The Sendero Ridge Apartments in Mesa are dealing with an infestation, according to residents.

"I've got bites on my stomach. My dad has bites all over his back. It's not healthy," Shannon Amy told 3TV.

She says managers have sent exterminators to her part of the complex several times, but the bugs have survived.

Swiping a spoon across the Amy family's couch scoops up living and dead bed bugs, their shells, and egg sacks.

Click on the link for the full article and video

[spjunkies]

They have the exterminator scheduled to come on Monday, but I'm really not comfortable staying in my apartment anymore. I've requested to be moved to a higher floor because I've heard there are no issues above the 4th floor and I still haven't heard back about that request. If I don't hear back from the community manager by 12 I'm going to shoot an e-mail to the regional manager. The left side of my body looks disgusting and I am not a good healer at all.

[LadySkinsFan]

So sorry you are enduring this. For the bites, try something with Aloe in it or go to a health food store and buy Aloe juice. I burnt my hand grabbing a stainless steel pan handle right out of the oven and I immediately iced it and then slathered aloe on it and I don't even have a scar. Aloe is a wonder plant!

[renaissance]

They have the exterminator scheduled to come on Monday, but I'm really not comfortable staying in my apartment anymore. I've requested to be moved to a higher floor because I've heard there are no issues above the 4th floor and I still haven't heard back about that request. If I don't hear back from the community manager by 12 I'm going to shoot an e-mail to the regional manager. The left side of my body looks disgusting and I am not a good healer at all.

Stop shooting emails and call if possible. It's much easier for them to brush off an email than an angry phone call. Or just go to leasing office and start unleashing hell. preferably when there are prospective new tenants looking around

[spjunkies]

So sorry you are enduring this. For the bites, try something with Aloe in it or go to a health food store and buy Aloe juice. I burnt my hand grabbing a stainless steel pan handle right out of the oven and I immediately iced it and then slathered aloe on it and I don't even have a scar. Aloe is a wonder plant!

I'm definitely going to pick up some on my way home.

Stop shooting emails and call if possible. It's much easier for them to brush off an email than an angry phone call. Or just go to leasing office and start unleashing hell. preferably when there are prospective new tenants looking around

I think you're right and it's time to turn up the heat on these people. The last thing I want to do is get anyone in trouble so I've been trying to give her a chance to make it right, but it's looking like that's not going to happen so it's time for me to make things happen myself.

[twa]

I'm definitely going to pick up some on my way home.

Pick up some tea tree oil, it helps with the bites and repels the critters as well

[Yusuf06]

Not to hijack this thread but ... Rachel Carlson was a well-meaning idiot of the first order. The banning of DDT has resulted in over 60 million - that's right 60 MILLION - deaths due to mosquito-borne malaria in Africa alone. Even the EPA ruled against banning it in the 60's before it was banned for political not scientific reasons.

Drink the KoolAid if you will but I will take mine with a dash of DDT any day. Fighting bed bugs is serious and weakening egg shells just doesnt justify not being able to use it in the fight.

Hello pot, meet kettle. I guess maybe we could take Ben Franklin's advice and change our national symbol to the turkey instead of the bald eagle...and still have bedbugs anyway since they're now resistant to DDT as well.

[JMS]

Aren't those bitches really hard to kill off? I don't think a regular fumigation will kill them. I thought there was some special bed bug fumigation that was expensive as hell and you may have to get rid of your furniture, etc..

I'm probably wrong but I thought I remember seeing this on the news a few years ago

It's not that they are hard to kill off. It's that they are nearly impossible to. they are highly resistant to insecticides..

A bed bug infestation has nothing to do with cleanliness – you can pick them up in even the finest hotels, and they can hitchhike into the cleanest homes at any time.

[spjunkies]

This is partly my fault too because last year I saw a few roaches and laid down some boric acid and that problem was solved within a month. Something tells me that if I would've treated my place with BA every 3 months or so I wouldn't be having this issue now

[renaissance]

sp at this point you also should consider whether cheaper rent is really worth the hassle of multiple bug infestations.

[spjunkies]

sp at this point you also should consider whether cheaper rent is really worth the hassle of multiple bug infestations.

That's the most disappointing thing about this. It is NOT cheap to stay where I'm at my rent is about to increase to $1220 for a tiny studio and I got lucky by getting it at the price I did because the lady who leased it to me made sure I got in there. You would think that these kind of things would not be an issue.

It's just disappointing that it's looking like I'm going to have to move AGAIN!!! ugggh this is like 3 times in 5 years, but those other times it was because Virginia tries to rip people off and raise rent like 18% in a year.

[JMS]

That's the most disappointing thing about this. It is NOT cheap to stay where I'm at my rent is about to increase to $1220 for a tiny studio and I got lucky by getting it at the price I did because the lady who leased it to me made sure I got in there. You would think that these kind of things would not be an issue.

It's just disappointing that it's looking like I'm going to have to move AGAIN!!! ugggh this is like 3 times in 5 years, but those other times it was because Virginia tries to rip people off and raise rent like 18% in a year.

Think I would talk to your leasing company and see if they would pay for a professional service. Either way I would read up on the internet, and then book a professional service.. see if they'll give you a guarantee... If you have to get rid of furniture and I think you will, I would also see if the leasing company carrys any insurance fur such... like home owners for renters that covers you.

I have heard that these things are nearly impossible to kill, but I'm not a professional so I would call some dude with a giant bug on the top of his van and ask his opinion after I had tried to educate myself on it...