NTTGPR: Bed Bugs. WWYD

NarrativeBill · September 2014

What would you do if your BFF came over and there was an army of bedbugs on them? I mean on their coat, sweater and on their bag. They were every where. How do you politely ask someone not to come into your home?

The attached picture is my fear when it comes to bedbugs.

dmsmth · September 2014

Call an exterminator? If I saw a bug on my friend I would have said something! Like omg! There are bugs on you and brushed them off. I would have had no idea if they were bed bugs or not

Cythe · September 2014

Agreed, no bed bugs. Ever.

When I moved across country, we picked them up in a sketchy looking Motel 6. We had to stay oop for 7 days, so yeah cheap was better... I was wrong.

A few traveled on my bag and ended up in my brand new apartment. It cost us $1100 to have them professionally removed because they're pretty immune to carpet pesticides and such. They had to be steamed out in two separate treatments, my bed and box spring had to be wrapped. It was not fun.

Cythe · September 2014

Are you sure they were bedbugs? Those bastards are nocturnal and are attracted to the carbon dioxide we produce. The odds of them traveling on a human carrier in the open like that seems low.

Edit for overuse of the word odd.

NarrativeBill · September 2014

@dmsmth‌ I'm not brushing bedbugs off her. I love her to pieces but I have heard horror stories. I have also seen pictures of then on the subway. I don't even want to sit too close to people on the train got fear of getting bedbugs from someone.

NarrativeBill · September 2014

@Cythe‌ like trooping over her clothes. She didn't even come inside. She stood in the door way and I saw one on her collar. Then I just started noticing more of them. I asked her if she had move recently or something but those were bedbugs.

LittleMrsW · September 2014

I would not let her in. You should definitely tell her. If it was me, I would hope that my BFF would let me know.

Cythe · September 2014

NarrativeBill said:

@Cythe‌ like trooping over her clothes. She didn't even come inside. She stood in the door way and I saw one on her collar. Then I just started noticing more of them. I asked her if she had move recently or something but those were bedbugs.

I do suppose it doesn't really matter what they were if they were "trooping over her clothes". At that point, no one with that many bugs of any kind is coming in my house.

NarrativeBill · September 2014

https://m.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/bedbugs-spotted-21-times-subways-august-sources-mta-hiring-expert-tackle-issue-article-1.1923375#bmb=1

Maybe we have special bedbugs around NYC but it's not the first I've seen them but this is someone who has free reign in my home. I would basically have to burn everything.

NarrativeBill · September 2014

I ended up telling her. She's my best friend if want to know and she's interviewing for new jobs. I'd hate for her to be in an interview and that happens to her. I was honestly curious how she didn't see something out the corner if her eye and lm kinda worried as to what is really going on with her.

Elizabethcv · September 2014

NarrativeBill said:
What would you do if your BFF came over and there was an army of bedbugs on them? I mean on their coat, sweater and on their bag. They were every where. How do you politely ask someone not to come into your home?

The attached picture is my fear when it comes to bedbugs.

I hope this is just a. "What if" post!!!https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/1203972352/h5BFF0D08/&imgrefurl=https://cheezburger.com/1203972352&h=375&w=500&tbnid=_K30QJ99DaebNM:&zoom=1&docid=Ehtk0vAVhFUDiM&ei=ib0oVM2UJtOmyATX8YLYCg&tbm=isch&ved=0CDIQMygTMBM
The chances of this are very rare. Bed bugs don't "travel" on people but more so luggage, blankets, etc. Maybe I'm not the best at reading fertility friend charts (yet....) but I work at an apartment community and have a lot of knowledge on bed bugs. The treatment to get rid of them takes months. Imagine lice times 50 ! I would only hope my BFF wouldn't stay with me but if she'd is I would just make sure her belongings weren't in my home!

silverandgray · September 2014

Bedbugs freak me the fuck out. I would not be able to let her in my house either. Does she realize she has them? If she does and still wants to come over/in, maybe say that you can't afford/don't have the time to treat your home right now and just can't risk them spreading to your stuff.

Cythe · September 2014

Elizabethcv said:

What would you do if your BFF came over and there was an army of bedbugs on them? I mean on their coat, sweater and on their bag. They were every where. How do you politely ask someone not to come into your home? The attached picture is my fear when it comes to bedbugs.
The chances of this are very rare. Bed bugs don't "travel" on people but more so luggage, blankets, etc. Maybe I'm not the best at reading fertility friend charts (yet....) but I work at an apartment community and have a lot of knowledge on bed bugs. The treatment to get rid of them takes months. Imagine lice times 50 ! I would only hope my BFF wouldn't stay with me but if she'd is I would just make sure her belongings weren't in my home!

This - but I'm adding: I knew NYC had a big bug problem, but I didn't know it was that bad. 21 reportings of it on the Subway in August. Yuck Yuck Yuck.

NarrativeBill · September 2014

Yes. I don't know if she recently moved. Unfortunately the lunch was supposed to catch up with each other. Since I got married we lost touch. She's still the person I consider my bestest friend but I can admit that I dropped the ball on our relationship. I only knew she was job hunting because of a email asking for a linkedin recommendation.

To clarify- I did not immediately tell her. I didn't want to embarrass her. And I would've blurted it out. I told her about fifteen minutes after she left to go back home.
So maybe I shouldn't use BFF?

MrsC0617 · September 2014

This post is freaking me out. Like seriously.

Bee1112 · September 2014

My body is itchy now after reading this. Yuck. I would have definitely told her.

URMySunshine77 · September 2014

Are you sure that you weren't seeing other types of bugs on her? Frankly, I am dubious about anyone's ability to spot bedbugs on clothing.

WestIsleFlower · September 2014

Yeah I would freak out if this happened. My mom is so afraid of bedbugs that when she comes back from vacation, she leaves her luggage in the garage for a week so the "bedbugs" won't get in the house. Oh! And she sleeps with the light on when she stays at a hotel so the bugs won't come out...yep I get my own room.

Cythe · September 2014

littleliverpill said:

WestIsleFlower said:

Yeah I would freak out if this happened. My mom is so afraid of bedbugs that when she comes back from vacation, she leaves her luggage in the garage for a week so the "bedbugs" won't get in the house. Oh! And she sleeps with the light on when she stays at a hotel so the bugs won't come out...yep I get my own room.

Not to burst your mom's bubble, but bedbugs can live without feeding for up to a year. So the luggage in the garage for the week probably isn't doing anything but making her feel better. Sorry.

The woman who did our initial bug consult told us to put our (already confirmed carrier of the bugs) luggage in a black plastic bag and seal it up tight. Put it in the sunlight for 3-5 days so it roasts the bugs. Clearly, this only works in the summer when it's hot out.

Elizabethcv · September 2014

WestIsleFlower said:
Yeah I would freak out if this happened. My mom is so afraid of bedbugs that when she comes back from vacation, she leaves her luggage in the garage for a week so the "bedbugs" won't get in the house. Oh! And she sleeps with the light on when she stays at a hotel so the bugs won't come out...yep I get my own room.

They hide in the crevices of a mattress...just have her check the mattress when she stays in hotels.

Elizabethcv · September 2014

URMySunshine77 said:
Are you sure that you weren't seeing other types of bugs on her? Frankly, I am dubious about anyone's ability to spot bedbugs on clothing.

Yes, you wouldn't see them crawling all over her. I would have just asked ....gross nonetheless!

WestIsleFlower · September 2014

littleliverpill said:

Cythe said:

WestIsleFlower said:

Yeah I would freak out if this happened. My mom is so afraid of bedbugs that when she comes back from vacation, she leaves her luggage in the garage for a week so the "bedbugs" won't get in the house. Oh! And she sleeps with the light on when she stays at a hotel so the bugs won't come out...yep I get my own room.

Not to burst your mom's bubble, but bedbugs can live without feeding for up to a year. So the luggage in the garage for the week probably isn't doing anything but making her feel better. Sorry.
The woman who did our initial bug consult told us to put our (already confirmed carrier of the bugs) luggage in a black plastic bag and seal it up tight. Put it in the sunlight for 3-5 days so it roasts the bugs. Clearly, this only works in the summer when it's hot out.

Yes and I've heard mixed reviews about that technique. Many people think it's unlikely that the temperature will be hot enough to kill the bugs. Depends on where you live, I suppose. But I know the only 100% surefire way to get rid of them is professional extermination.
fwiw, I had to toss my entire bed and bedframe.

Believe me, I do not condone her behavior. When it comes to bugs in general she gets a little crazy... that's why she loves living in a cooler climate. But thank you all for the tips, I'll let her know she can only vacation in the summertime so her luggage can sweat it out when she gets home.

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