Bed Bug Discussion

[Rangers42]

hi, all.

 but I'd also like to know how many of our neighbors currently have bed bugs.

This was how I got bed bugs. My downstairs neighbor had an infestation that he let go for 7 months. Eventually they found their way into my apartment. I was lucky, didn't have to throw any furniture away, but it was an awful thing to go through. I can't recommend getting mattress covers enough, both for the mattress and box spring.

[Soccerbuff66]

Hi,

I was looking at an apartment 27-10 30th Ave and really liked it but I found 1 bed bug report- the building has 66 units- I'm wondering whether or not to be concerned since there is only 1 report (other buildings have so many more!)- but I know not everyone reports them....

"Anonymous on 08/26/2011
The building management is good about scheduling and paying for repeat extermination. However, the exterminator recommended caulking of holes which the super never did and bedbugs returned. Originally bedbugs were found in August 2010. Then the winter was fine. Around April 2011 noticed fecal matter around windowsills. By May 2011 the bugs were back and multiplying quickly."


What do you think? Should I be really concerned?

[johnny4evah!]

I would be. I read that bed bugs will be especially abundant this summer because of the mild winter we experienced. 1 report out of 66? You know what they say: where there's one there's more. Or something like that. I've never had an experience with bed bugs, so maybe I'm just really, really paranoid, but then I'm sure there are those who have had bed bugs who are just as paranoid about it as I am.

[midnighter]

funny i registered just to post something strange i just saw and saw this thread.
its obvious astoria has a bed bug problem. seems to have been not as sever this summer but last year (when i had them) it was not uncommon to see dozens of mattresses littering the street on garbage day.
dont know what to say...they turned my life upside down when i discovered them...but i also managed to get rid of them by myself and cheaply.
unless you have a really serious infestation please dont by into the hype. exterminators are making a fortune off of scaring people. i see products for sale at the trade fair that cost 5 dollars that "bed bug specialists" have sold for 15 to 25...these guys are out to get your money...and keep getting it.
all the advice in this thread is sound.
i did such a good job putting mother earth compound into my walls and then sealing it i not only got rid of my bed bugs i havent seen any creepy crawly things in my apartment in a year now.
one thing i find effective if youre trying to get a good nights sleep while fighting them is getting a heavy plastic painters tarp and laying it down on your floor with a light dusting of de underneath it...then put your elevated mattress on top of it. if they come up from below this will throw them off enough to keep you safe until the problem is under control.


of course i still sleep with the lights on...


scarier even is i work nights. i tend to do a 2 am run to the 24 hour deli to get something to eat and as i exited my apartment i saw...a giant rat! it was like twice the size of a chiahuaha and scurried off as soon as it noticed me...


too bad they dont eat bed bugs...

[Oodus]

I had a bed BUG, singular, in late August.  I was waking up with the classic 3 bites in a row.  Had 'em on my hand, knees, and back.  They itched so much and were so big that I eventually realized I was not dealing with a mosquito.  I immediately took everything in my room (sheets, blanket, clothes, my entire closet as well) and threw 'em in the dryer for 30 minutes, while wrapping my bed in a plastic sheet to contain the bugs somehow.  While inspecting my bed after, I found a bug, killed it, and wrapped in scotch tape for proof.  I kept checking my bed but never spotted another bug, which was weird.
 
I called my management company, and wow, they were awful.  They gave me the run around for weeks, forcing me to stay on my couch.  Luckily, I received no more bites and my old ones went away.  Eventually I learned my upstairs neighbor had a bed bug infestation before I even got bitten.  She also called the mangement company and they also ignored her, resulting in things getting so bad in her place that it spread to my apartment!
 
Finally, the management company arranged for the exterminator to come 2 1/2 weeks after I originally called.  I had to take everything and put it through the dryer again and keep it in bags.  After a thorough inspection and spraying, I was informed the bug I killed was the only bug!  The woman upstairs had it bad: she had to toss her couch and mattress.  She was sleeping on her bathroom floor.  It's a common thing for one or two to wander from an infested apartment.
 
The paranoia and stress during this experience was insane.  I was a shell of a man for 2 1/2 weeks.  Now with my mattress cover, box spring cover, and pillow covers, I'm $200 poorer but sleeping soundly.

[AlexNYC]

By the way I recall that Witch Hazel works good on various bug bites including bed bugs, mosquitos and gnats. Soak a cotton ball and apply liberally every hour and not only will the itch go away, but in 24-48 hours, you won't even be able to find where the bite was.

[astoristani]

I'm finally reclaiming my bedroom after spending August through November on the sofa bed in my living room. I haven't seen a bug in four months.
The room is amazingly clean, the walls and the floors have been scrubbed, and not a bug has been seen.
So, I'm buying a new bed, wiring the room for Cable/HDMI, and moving back in. Life in the nabe is good.
The bugs were such an intrusion on my life that my bedroom became the Gaza Strip of my existence--a place I was afraid to go.

[bigblue32]

First time poster, I'm considering a move to Astoria in February. I am really paranoid about the whole bed bug situation. I have a friend who lived in Astoria and she had bed bugs shortly after moving in, and her grandmother did as well a few blocks away. I am just extremely worried that I'll move in and have to deal with the same issues. Is my fear rational or what?

[AlexNYC]

Bed bugs can come from adjoining apartments or you can unwittingly bring them into your home yourself. They usually attach themselves to clothes, new or worn, be in new clothes you purchas,e or even can be inside your luggage after you come back from vacation. I always wash new clothes as a precaution and dry clean new dress clothes. I recommend you spray your new apartment before you settle in. They have some new bed bug sprays available, such as Sprayway's Good Night (found it at Key Food) which is basically odorless. Spray around the corners, cracks, closets, dressers, and your bedframe perhaps every 6 months as a precaution.

[essen]

bigblue32, the fear is rational, but I'm not convinced the bed bug problem in Astoria is really any worse than other places in the city. We do have a particularly active online community where people are likely to discuss them, but I know two people in Brooklyn who've had them in the last few years. I saw one on a subway bench a few days ago. They've been found at movie theaters and hotels. They are prevalent in major cities across America and likely many other places in the world.


Check out bedbugregistry.com as it might help you feel better - worse about bed bugs in general as you see how widespread the problem is, but not so bad about Astoria specifically.

[Chris]

Got the word from my landlord today that I have 'em in my apartment. They informed me a few weeks ago that the apartment above me had them and wanted permission to inspect my apartment.  They finally did today and they say I have them. 

Pain in the neck.