Bed bugs in rental property

One More Toy

Been in a rental flat about a year a discovered a handful of these feckers this morning

What should I do?

shrapnel222

One More Toy wrote: »

Been in a rental flat about a year a discovered a handful of these feckers this morning

What should I do?

kill em. kill em all!!

whippet

One More Toy wrote: »

Been in a rental flat about a year a discovered a handful of these feckers this morning

What should I do?

If your there about a year .. It would seem that you introduced them to the property so it's up to you to remedy

fineso.mom

Hoover your mattress and change your bedding on a regular basis.
Are you in Ireland or are you talking American style bed bugs?

One More Toy

fineso.mom wrote: »

Hoover your mattress and change your bedding on a regular basis.
Are you in Ireland or are you talking American style bed bugs?

Ireland!

Gatling

Get on to rentokil bedbugs spread fast and can be a serious pain to get rid off .

They feed on you while you sleep

messy tessy

One More Toy wrote: »

Been in a rental flat about a year a discovered a handful of these feckers this morning

What should I do?

There goes sleeping for the rest of the week :eek::eek:

I heard sprinkling bread soda on the mattress and then hoovering it after a hour. Probably get a new mattress though?

stoplooklisten

Hoover, steam and wash all soft furnishings and bed clothes. Flip your mattress. Clean up more often in future. Rented or not, it's your dirt!

ed94

get a new bed

Gatling

messy tessy wrote: »

I heard sprinkling bread soda on the mattress and then hoovering it after a hour. Probably get a new mattress though?

Extreme heat or cold or chemicals is the only way to get rid of them.
Check the seem of your mattress you might have a nest some where

Boater123

They don't just live in the mattress, they can be in the base, carpet, electrical sockets, anywhere that is warm and dry in the vicinity of the bed.

Get in a pest controller sooner than later as they can become an infestation quickly.

If you can't afford pest control, dump the entire bed (preferably and if thats where you found them), use a recommended insecticide spray on everything else.

Sometimes a steamer will kill some bugs and larvae, but I don't know about bedbugs and don't use this on electrical sockets.

My skin is crawling just typing this. I'm typing one hand, scratching myself with the thoughts of them.

Happened once in a bedsit I owned 20 years ago, and yer man never bothered to do anything about them (thats if he even noticed them). I threw out everything .

kupus

Have you been travelling recently. Where were you. What bags did you have. WHere are you bitten. Are the bites in a line or are they all over the body.
what time do you see them.

If it is bugs then you are going to have a hard time getting rid of them. THey can be anywhere there is an opening or crack. even in your headboard. electric points, radiators etc.
Best thing is wash everything at 50 degrees plus. Steam clean floor walls roof. throw out entire bed and headboard. and seal up all holes.

zoobizoo

Are you sure they're bed bugs?

Did you get a line of bites?

The Randy Riverbeast

Some steam mops have attachments for mattresses. You'll need to wash and dry everything at once, pillows, bedsheets, whatever you wear to bed at a higher temperature.

stoplooklisten

zoobizoo wrote: »

Are you sure they're bed bugs?

Did you get a line of bites?

Scabies?

messy tessy

Gatling wrote: »

Extreme heat or cold or chemicals is the only way to get rid of them.
Check the seem of your mattress you might have a nest some where

I think this advice was for general cleaning of mattresses, I will do doing this tonight anyway as my skin is crawling at the thought of them...

Speedwell

Bedbugs aren't "dirt" and they don't respect a clean house. They certainly can and do migrate from other flats within the same building or even infested things stored in or near the building. Do not mess around with home remedies. Get an exterminator ASAP.

stoplooklisten

If your going to start throwing out everything, you need to discuss it with your landlord first. I presume it's their furniture

Polo_Mint

Hoover, Steam, Hoover, Steam , Hoover, Steam, Hoover, Steam, Hoover, Steam, Hoover, Steam

McG

We had a lot of hassle with them a few years ago when renting, turned out our Italian flatmate's bed was riddled with them but she didn't tell us and just left when problem got bad.
We taped down the carpet to the skirting board, got rid of our bed and mattress just in case, hoovered twice every day (putting hoover bag in sealed bin bag), put insect poison over the threshold to each room (discoloured the carpet a bit but worth it), washed everything and vac packed any clothes not in use, put the legs from our new bed into small containers with water effectively creating moats they couldn't get past. All this eventually either killed them from starvation or they buggered off to another apartment. Either way they were gone but it took months.

They were a nightmare to get rid of, didn't bother me too much but my now wife was waking up mornings covered in lumps from the little feckers.

McG

stoplooklisten wrote: »

zoobizoo wrote: »

Are you sure they're bed bugs?

Did you get a line of bites?

Scabies?

No, they tend to bite, then move along in a straight line and bite again. They can leave a line to bites on their victims

Cuddlesworth

They can migrate from other apartments or terraced houses, as they are attracted to carbon dioxide.

They can stay dormant for well over a year waiting for a good meal.

Very little at this point works on them in terms of insecticides.

Call a professional.

Cuddlesworth

McG wrote: »

No, they tend to bite, then move along in a straight line and bite again. They can leave a line to bites on their victims

Line of perfectly spaced bites or a perfect triangle.

2012paddy2012

Can you see these with the naked eye ? Didn't think you can...I get itchy time to time in bed but put it down to too much washing powder ! Never saw any " bugs" tho

athtrasna

Off topic posts have been deleted. Please remember what forum you're posting on, when in doubt, read the charter

Mod

Cuddlesworth

2012paddy2012 wrote: »

Can you see these with the naked eye ? Didn't think you can...I get itchy time to time in bed but put it down to too much washing powder ! Never saw any " bugs" tho

Some people react, some people don't. Like Mosquito.

newacc2015

OP turn your mattress upside down. If there is red spots on it, it is bedbugs.

You have noticed immediately if they were there when you moved in

Inquitus

They are a scourge, I encountered them when backpacking round SE Asia, fortunately whenever I encountered them I didn't bring them along with me, though I did get eaten alive a couple of times.

You can pick them up in hotels and bring them home, be brought in if you purchase 2nd hand furnishings, or they can migrate from neighbouring dwellings, they are incredibly hard to get rid of without professional help.

A lot of good advice in this thread.

Gatling

What to look for bed bugs

Inquitus

Gatling wrote: »

What to look for bed bugs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObVqT9daRuc

fixed

One More Toy

stoplooklisten wrote: »

Hoover, steam and wash all soft furnishings and bed clothes. Flip your mattress. Clean up more often in future. Rented or not, it's your dirt!

I'm ocd about cleaning so it's not due to bad hygiene!

Confucius say

Right unfortunately I know a lot about these things. Firstly OP, are you sure they are bed bugs? If so, they're about the size of a lentil and move quick enough for their size. They are see through but when feeding they're purpley red from (your) blood.
If you have these guys you need professionals to be 100% sure they're gone forever. It's a big job. Cost us $1800 in Australia 7 years ago so will probably be expensive here too. The exterminators came 3 times for the guts of a day each time. I'm not sure how common they are in Ireland but make sure you get an exterminator with proven history of getting rid of these things. I paid some muppet a couple of hundred in Ozzy to come cover and spray something around the place a bit, it did nothing.
The guys will also get you to wash and dry your clothes at a high temperature in tumble driers. And all your bedding.
You're in for a tonne of fun dude but living with them was hell and finally being free of them was the best feeling ever when I could lie in bed at night sweating from the heat and only worry about the usual things like poisonous spiders, cockroaches, and snakes. Good luck.

One More Toy

Confucius say wrote: »

Right unfortunately I know a lot about these things. Firstly OP, are you sure they are bed bugs? If so, they're about the size of a lentil and move quick enough for their size. They are see through but when feeding they're purpley red from (your) blood.
If you have these guys you need professionals to be 100% sure they're gone forever. It's a big job. Cost us $1800 in Australia 7 years ago so will probably be expensive here too. The exterminators came 3 times for the guts of a day each time. I'm not sure how common they are in Ireland but make sure you get an exterminator with proven history of getting rid of these things. I paid some muppet a couple of hundred in Ozzy to come cover and spray something around the place a bit, it did nothing.
The guys will also get you to wash and dry your clothes at a high temperature in tumble driers. And all your bedding.
You're in for a tonne of fun dude but living with them was hell and finally being free of them was the best feeling ever when I could lie in bed at night sweating from the heat and only worry about the usual things like poisonous spiders, cockroaches, and snakes. Good luck.

I'm gonna try a steam cleaner and Hoover then bed bug spray over the weekend. It's an apparetment so no point paying for an exterminator if they're just gonna reappear from next door again

Confucius say

One More Toy wrote: »

I'm gonna try a steam cleaner and Hoover then bed bug spray over the weekend. It's an apparetment so no point paying for an exterminator if they're just gonna reappear from next door again

The best it would do is hold them off for a night or two, trust me. Again, are you sure they are BBs?

brandnewaward

i just had a guy in last week to spray the place .....i know im in Aus , but its an expensive but well worth it cure......tossed the mattress and frame , hoovered , steamed and sprayed the **** outta the place......one thing to remember, do not sleep in the living room because of the bastards....they WILL follow the increased CO2 you exhale when you sleep and set up shop in your couch...get some industrial double sided tape and cover up the legs of the bed....they mightn't have come from next door , they can lie dormant for months.....i picked them up in Fiji i think, hitchhiked in the luggage

Dinny Byrne has Angina

Have you or your housemates been traveling recently? Outside of hostels, bedbugs are uncommon in Ireland.

You may want to research some other domestic parasites that are commonly found amongst the native population, such as scabies

Keane2baMused

Don't be so sure it's bed bugs.

We thought we had them and turns out it was wooly bear larvae (also called varied carpet beetle)

They can get in through air vents through the wind.They don't bite as such but can cause a histamine response from the hairs the larvae shed

You'll really need a professional to kill them off as your sockets need treating also.

And they're nothing to do with dirt or old furniture, im a clean freak and we got them!

Gatling

One More Toy wrote: »

. It's an apparetment so no point paying for an exterminator if they're just gonna reappear from next door again

What makes you think there in next door

SB_Part2

I didn't think bedbugs could travel very far (like from another apartment).

OP Have you slept anywhere else recently?

Jen44

Dinny Byrne has Angina wrote: »

Have you or your housemates been traveling recently? Outside of hostels, bedbugs are uncommon in Ireland.

You may want to research some other domestic parasites that are commonly found amongst the native population, such as scabies

Funny my mother only said to me yesterday when I was collecting the little one, did you hear bed bugs are on the rise in ireland!

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

stoplooklisten wrote:

Hoover, steam and wash all soft furnishings and bed clothes. Flip your mattress. Clean up more often in future. Rented or not, it's your dirt!

Fairly ignorant post there stoplooklisten. Shows you know noting on the topic. Flipping the mattress, you would have a better result if you blessed the mattress with holy water.

You can see adult bedbugs, they are quite small though. Check out online about how to get rid of them. Getting a new mattress would be easier but check with the landlord first

kevkelly90

One More Toy wrote: »

Been in a rental flat about a year a discovered a handful of these feckers this morning

What should I do?

Exact same thing happened to me.

I contacted the Landlord, who sent out an exterminator. He sprayed the whole apartment not just my bed. It solved the problem.

The exterminator told me that the bugs had been there years because of the volume.

Other replies on this are so uninformative. Just make sure to get in touch with your landlord.

kevkelly90

Also you can tell its bed bugs by little dark specks all over your sheets. The little dark specks are your blood. Basically the bugs eat at you and then excrete it out. Pull up your sheets and you will probably notice them in the corners of your mattress too and also bed bugs themselves. Also left up the mattress and look at the corners, you should be able to see the bugs.

What freaked me out was that I would have been sleeping with the bugs for months an not know about it. It was only when a friend stayed over and the next day she was covered in small red lumps (bites). Her skin is obviously different then mine, which had no reaction to the bites.

stoplooklisten

Taylor Blue Verb wrote: »

Fairly ignorant post there stoplooklisten. Shows you know noting on the topic. Flipping the mattress, you would have a better result if you blessed the mattress with holy water.

You can see adult bedbugs, they are quite small though. Check out online about how to get rid of them. Getting a new mattress would be easier but check with the landlord first

Hoovering, steaming and then flipping. You missed half my post.

Check out online about how to get rid of them

I'm guessing I just don't have has much experience with bed bugs as you do.

Paulw

Mod Note: Keep it civil folks. No problem having different opinions and views, but just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't give you the right to attack.

One and only warning.

One More Toy

Ill ring the landlord this evening and tell him the bad news, he might pay for the whole block to be exterminated (doubtful); either case im going to do the following on Saturday:

• Steam Clean thoroughly
• Tumble dry all clothes for 30 mins on high heat
• Lay down a spray (highly recommended one)
• Lay down a fine layer of dia earth powder

As you can see this is my weekend ruined but its better than sleeping on the couch!

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

stoplooklisten wrote: »

Hoovering, steaming and then flipping. You missed half my post.

Why would I point out hoovering and steaming? Steaming is definitely recommended. Flipping a mattress is not. It only hides the problem.

I'm guessing I just don't have has much experience with bed bugs as you do.

Not directly, but there's tons of stuff online about them.

Let us know the outcome OP, see what the LL says.

Gen.Zhukov

Keane2baMused wrote: »

Don't be so sure it's bed bugs.

We thought we had them and turns out it was wooly bear larvae (also called varied carpet beetle)

They can get in through air vents through the wind.They don't bite as such but can cause a histamine response from the hairs the larvae shed

You'll really need a professional to kill them off as your sockets need treating also.

And they're nothing to do with dirt or old furniture, im a clean freak and we got them!

I'm in the middle of a war of attrition with these carpet beetles atm. Harmless little gits, as above they don't bite but it seems they like to munch through natural fibre cloths etc.

Finally tracked them down to hanging out behind skirting boards and sprayed insecticide there after a deep vacuum of floor boards and the gaps in-between them. Seems to have worked. Wahay !
This is the time of year for them. The op was asked many times if he was sure they were BB's but hasn't confirmed this.

The CB's are the shape of a ladybird but about 25% of the size and a dark brown speckled colour. I was gonna put up a pic but they're a bit gross !

tuisginideach

A tenant accused me of renting a house in which there were bed bugs - despite the fact that she had lived in the house for 15 months previous to that without a single bedbug. She threatened me with all sorts of things (including her parents!) unless I bought new bed, mattress etc etc etc. Luckily she had sent me a photo of the 'bed bug'. Rentokil identified it as a spider beetle which she had probably brought in herself.


Did I ever get an apology from the tenant or her parents for their false accusations ? Never.

What comes around goes around.

Keane2baMused

1.618 wrote: »

I'm in the middle of a war of attrition with these carpet beetles atm. Harmless little gits, as above they don't bite but it seems they like to munch through natural fibre cloths etc.

Finally tracked them down to hanging out behind skirting boards and sprayed insecticide there after a deep vacuum of floor boards and the gaps in-between them. Seems to have worked. Wahay !
This is the time of year for them. The op was asked many times if he was sure they were BB's but hasn't confirmed this.

The CB's are the shape of a ladybird but about 25% of the size and a dark brown speckled colour. I was gonna put up a pic but they're a bit gross !

Wooden floors are a killer for them! We have natural wood and there are pretty large gaps between the boards. I'm totally paranoid now and considering putting laminate down over it all!

I actually got badly 'bitten' from them. I kept waking up with what looked like bites so of course assumed it was bed bugs! Until rentokil found a larvae in our room *shudders*

OP you cannot presume it's bed bugs. Leave it to the experts to decide.

Gen.Zhukov

Keane2baMused wrote: »

Wooden floors are a killer for them! We have natural wood and there are pretty large gaps between the boards. I'm totally paranoid now and considering putting laminate down over it all!

I actually got badly 'bitten' from them. I kept waking up with what looked like bites so of course assumed it was bed bugs! Until rentokil found a larvae in our room *shudders*

OP you cannot presume it's bed bugs. Leave it to the experts to decide.

There's plenty of stuff on line about them (as I'm sure you know) but never saw anything about them biting people. Jaysus I don't need that ! Having said that I haven't found a larvae yet.

Yeah, big gaps between the floor boards here too. From what I saw it's a vacuum>spray> repeat again and again for as long as it takes.