comments:
I absolutely understand the anxiety. Dealing with an infestation is extremely, extremely stressful. The thing to remember is that, other than the itchy bites and paranoia, bed bugs are generally harmless if you are not allergic. Personally, I would much rather have a bed bug visit me than a tick. That being said, if you can afford it, immediately purchase bed bug encasements for your pillow, mattress, and box spring. Make sure to duct tape over the zippers and avoid any rips or tears so the encasements are sealed airtight. You will not be sorry. The encasements are usually around $25 to $50 each, and they can save you from spending hundreds, or even thousands, on a new mattress. Even if you do not have bed bugs, using encasements is still a solid idea. At minimum, it can give you some peace of mind while you figure out what is going on. And like I said, you might get lucky and trap them all inside the encasements. Problem solved. This is absolutely worth doing now instead of waiting. If you do see one, it is both kind of a relief and somehow worse at the same time. You are relieved because you finally know what has been biting you, but then you also freak out because, congratulations, now you know what has been biting you. So there is not much you can do there except mentally prepare for that possibility as best you can. If you encase your bedding and treat your room with the diatomaceous earth I mentioned, you may never have to see one. More importantly, you may never have to pay a professional to treat them, which can easily run well over $1,000. My quote was twice that. The cost is the real horror. If you are wealthy enough, just pay someone to come out and handle it. A proper heat treatment can wipe them out in one shot. They basically run industrial heaters in your house until it hits around 150 degrees, like a tiny diesel-powered heat tornado, and that temperature kills the bugs. They go through the whole house that way. It takes several hours, but it is usually a one-and-done treatment when done properly. But again: encase your mattress, box spring, and pillow. Then apply diatomaceous earth appropriately around your bedroom. Do not just throw piles of it everywhere. Use it carefully and lightly - as directed. Here are the encasements:https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/DC1AB86C-D5B0-46C2-95F5-DD5AAC7CB309?ingress=2&lp_context_asin=B006C6D55S&visitId=1641f5e0-e039-4cd1-b790-71df9d866418&store_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandlogo_sto&ref_=ast_bln Here is the diatomaceous earth:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GXKEUM If they walk through the DE, it sticks to them and causes them to dehydrate and die. It is not a traditional pesticide, and it works on other insects too. Just make sure you use it correctly, because more dust does not mean more better. You got this. We'll get you through it.