I looked at my leg and saw welts, and I knew.
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| http://www.newhealthguide.org/images/10408409/bed-bug-bites.jpg |
There was a bed bug in our bed.
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| http://cchealth.org/bedbugs/img/bedbug_cycle_240_250.jpg |
But how the heck did it get there?!?
I had a dozen bits on my legs, a couple in groupings and one line of three. But I had to be sure, so I looked for the other signs of bed bugs online (I used orkin.com--it's very informative and doesn't just try to sell their product).
Three main things:
Look for their poop: it looks like an ink stain on the sheet--it bleeds a little bit after it is dropped.
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| http://www.bedbuginfo.com/wp-content/uploads/images/bed-bug-with-bed-bug-feces-01.jpg |
Look for skin casings or body parts of the bed bug (if you rolled and killed it in the night)
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| http://www.underpricedfurniture.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Cast-skin.jpg |
Look for blood spots on the bed (from when they bit you.)
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| http://bedbugs.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/bed-bug-blood-stains.jpg |
I found all three.
And then I was mad, because I could NOT figure out where we could have gotten one. Certainly not at my in-law's house, which looks like a model home at all times, and they are immaculate about cleaning (and even keep pillow and sheets in bags between uses).
However, you can get a transfer of a bed bug from someone getting getting into your car and then the bug getting transferred to you in the process. I have a theory though... we killed all the brown recluse spiders (which are hunting spiders), and now there's a bed bug in my bed! ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh
Of course my husband never gets bit. (and I had ice cream before bed, so I'm sure it was very sweet blood), and he was sleeping late, so I got antsy about getting the bed worked on.
I stripped the blankets and sheets from the bed and put them in the washer on hot. As hot as you can get. Then you are supposed to put it in the dryer for a long hot time. We don't own a dryer, so I took everything out on the line until it was dry. I also washed all the clothes that we were wearing while we were sleeping.
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| http://www.kfir-madbir.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/tick2.jpg |
While things were washing, I went and used the vacuum attachment around the bed frame. I didn't really feel like that did anything, so then I liberally applied essential oils (we use plant therapy organic lavender and organic tea tree oil) on our mattress pad. This was around noon. Our room smelled wonderful the entire day. These oils are supposed to repel them (my source is just a comment on someone else's bedbug blog, so really I'm not sure. But it smelled great!!).... I suppose it helps with the brown recluses too....
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| http://brownthumbmama.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/oilsOPT.jpg |
We had a storm coming, so I watched the clock and the radar and ran out to get everything off the line when I had "three minutes until heavy rain and a thunderstorm", which actually danced around our area. so we got a quarter of the rain that accuweather said we were going to have. But the clouds were dark-dark! so I was hustling. But everything was dry, so I was impressed with how quick everything dried. And thankful. We did NOT need to figure out how to dry a twin and a queen size comforter inside our apartment.
So last night I did not get bit at all, and I think I might put lavender and tea tree oil (diluted in coconut oil) on my ankle points and behind my knees tonight and tomorrow night to avoid them.
I also read that the find their 'host' via the CO2 they exhale, so some people have had success with using "yeast traps" to catch bed bugs. I have not researched it yet, but it seemed a but more viable than purchasing dry ice to put under our bed.
I may have to try this method.
My kids are driving me crazy. So I will be going now.
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