Treat Bed Bugs

I have been fighting bed bugs for 9 months now and I can’t seem to totally get rid of them How can I kill them?

Bambi,

I guess it depends on what you have tried already for what you can do now.

If the exterminator failed then the bedbugs you have may be chemical resistent which means you need to try something else.

There are a number of chemical free approaches the people use with the one I hear most often being bedbug terminator by Kleen-Free.

This is a contact spray that you use for a few weeks to slowly get rid of the infestation. it takes time and effort but it might be your final solution.

Good luck.

I live in a 3 story place in Dorchester, I rent one of the 12 rooms. Recently, we’ve noticed the presence of bedbugs. We spoke to the landlord and he sprayed several rooms with some sort of spray that he bought from the Home Depot.

It’s not working.

I looked up stuff on google and the Boston Inspectional Services flyer I found says that proper extermination should include inspection by a qualified inspector.

Can I make my landlord hire a qualified inspector? Who would pay?

Massachusetts is an extremely tenant friendly state.

Your landlord is legally responsible for paying for the extermination of bedbugs.

You need to call in the local housing inspector and they will force the landlord to take action.

The landlord cannot legally retaliate against you for calling in the housing inspector.

Apparently there’s a division of the Boston Housing Dept. Inspectional Services (ISD) that works as Bed Bug Inspectors. Landlords are responsible for eradicating the problem.

Here’s what they do:

To effectively address bed bug infestations in Boston, ISD endeavors to educate inspectors, property managers, exterminators and the general public on the nature of bed bugs, bed bug prevention and the proper extermination of bed bugs. We endeavor to assist owners, tenants, and pest control operators in exterminating for bed bugs by attending extermination visits, assisting with education & preparation and by sharing our knowledge and experience on best practices.

Bed Bug Inspection Orders:

We require written extermination reports, within 14 days of a notice of violation, and prior to closing a case. Although Bed bug infestations do not get resolved quickly, we endeavor to work with owner’s who have contracted licensed Pest Control Operators, who have treatments programs in place, and who provide written documentation on the treatment programs.
Our Standard bed bug notice of violation also requires that owners inspect all units in the dwelling, and they must treat all horizontally and vertically adjacent units to the infested unit(s).

I have been waking up with bites on my body for the past three days. I even noticed that i was getting bit at work. Today, I found two bed bugs (or so I think they are) on my body. When I went to strip my bedsheets to check my mattress….I did not find any bed bugs on my sheet or mattress (I checked in all the crevices, on the floor and along the edges….still nothing.) Does this mean I am safe from them? What should I do now?

I don't think this is a problem that will magically disappear.

First, are you sure that you're dealing with bed bugs? Bed bugs are visible to the eye, nocturnal, and will hide from you.

Do you have red or brown spots on your mattress? That is a big indication of bed bugs.

Your next plan of action depends on how much money you're willing to spend on this.

The best option is probably to combine all these:

1- get a new mattress. Bed bugs are really hard to get rid of. Most people spend hundreds of dollars trying to do such.
2- hire a professional to come out and exterminate them. Let a professional take care of this for you. He may need to bug bomb your house anyway.
3- try a product like this: http://www.diatect.com/bed-bug-killer-ppc.php?gclid=CMyHrtycn5MCFQmRgwodbDPSoQ

I went to a doctor after bed bug bites that continued to bother me days, almost a week or more after i'd come into contact with them, basically to find out why it seemed like new bites were still appearing. (The bed bugs are confirmed). The doctor prescribed steroids and lidane lotion. This to me seems like he was treating me for scabies, but I do NOT have scabies. I know what that looks like and that's just not what I have. Or does it not matter? Is this a proper treatment for any type of allergic reaction to bug bites?

Lindane is a pesticide. Its purpose is to kill insects. You use it if you have scabies, because scabies is live insects under your skin. If you have anything other than scabies, you should not use lindane.

Check the link.