So, the cover image. Was some graphic designer presented with a commission like this:
“I want a picture of bed bug to go with a lawyer story”
…
“give it one of those English style periwigs. Gotta keep it classy.”
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There has got to be a way to make them infertile or disrupt their life cycle somehow. Any pesticide used against them eventually becomes useless and they will evolve greater heat resistance over time. There are whole movie theatres now where people are afraid to go for fear of them. Taxis, buses, airplanes are getting them more and more. Once they get in your car or truck, they will keep reinfecting you and everywhere you live or work, transferring to all of your coworkers and family members for them to infect their schools and workplaces. They need to be eradicated on a global scale now. Manhattan project–where are you?
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I got bed bugs at a hotel just this weekend. I look like I have the pox.
I’m no chemist. All I know is the stuff that says it kills bedbugs works. There are several brands. The stuff made for killing roaches, ants, wasps etc does not kill them. That was the problem. Especially in cities where your landlord hires that guy who comes ones a month and sprays the same stuff that doesn’t kill bedbugs.
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It’s kinda like the vaccination thing. You can get rid of them personally but if your neighbor in your apartment building gets them and does nothing about it, they might come back. The idea of killing them off completely is sorta scary to me… I mean that’s basically what they were doing with DDT years ago and suddenly all the bald eagles were dying off too.
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The right chemical is permethrin. But it’s not actually very good at just killing bed bugs. It’s better used as a preventative measure. Great to use by spraying luggage and sleeping bags, clothing etc. before travel. It should be totally dry before you use whatever you’ve sprayed it on (it’s toxic when wet). Unfortunately, more and more bedbugs are becoming resistant to it.
The best way to get rid of bedbugs is heat followed closely by diatomaceous earth (which I can never pronounce properly). You can use a high-heat steam cleaner on your carpets, mattress, some clothing and some furniture. Then spread diatomaceous earth around the edges of your room, bed frame, closets etc - sparingly - you don’t really want to be breathing that stuff in large amounts. You can also clean out everything you own, take it apart and very carefully wipe it down with bleach.
Bed bugs are much more difficult to get rid of once they’ve infested your house, so if you think you might have picked them up while travelling, or sitting in a movie theatre, it’s best to get rid of them as soon as you can. Wash clothes and soft luggage in high heat washing machine and then dry on high heat for more than an hour. When in a hotel room keep luggage off the bed, preferably on a hard surface.
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Don’t worry! It’ll go away soon! Take anti-histamines - they should help with the itching.
Luckily, bedbugs aren’t known to carry any diseases, so the only real problem is getting rid of them. Make sure to clean out everything as soon as you get home (don’t even put your bags down on the floor - put them in a big black garbage bag if you can’t get to them right away).
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Hm. The overdue fines would be a bummer.
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I just wanted to repeat those lovely words. Diatomaceous earth. Isn’t that nice?
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Diatomaceous earth is totally fuckin metal in its operation, also. Basically tiny razor sharp crystals slice the bugs to pieces. Also good for: sugar ants, fleas
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My sister told me of a friend who owned a motel that had to be completely abandoned because they simply couldnt afford to eradicate the bedbug problem. They believed it was deliberately started by one guest who brought in bedbugs, then complained about them so he/she could get the night free. I think ultimately the property was sold and the new owner burned the place to the ground.
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Borax dissolved in sugar syrup basically does the same thing to ants in general. The Terro ant traps are prepackaged with such syrup. The ants bring the not-really-food back to the nest, they gorge on it, the borax crystallizes inside them, and they get ripped up from the inside.
It’s a bit slow-acting, but it works wonders when the ants invade in the spring.
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I find terro works pretty darn well. You just have to resist the urge to smash when literally 100 of them are around the pool on your window sill.
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When I had them and hired an exterminator he pointed out that they specifically like to hide in cracks and creases in wood and fabric, but of course they need to feed off of you… so you get that diatomaceous earth or whatever in between you and those cracks. I had a wood bed frame and hardwood floors. You could tell where they were living by the spots of droppings and guess where they would walk by noting the space between there and your sleeeping body. Ha.
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We brew up our own! Sugar ants are outta control where we live, so we’ve tried p much everything (That’s my cocoa crisp, you bastards!!!)
We got nowhere with them until we set the borax traps near entry points, and lined the base of our foundation with DE (since it doesn’t rain p much all summer we only have to do it once or twice.) Over the last few years the invasions petered out into raids and really now we just get a few hungry stragglers. I like to think the little shits have learned their lesson (hands off my cereal!) but I know they’re just waiting for me to slip up…
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power of a turnip
For years, I’ve traveled with everything in my luggage sealed inside zip bags. After reading this thread, I’m tempted to pack an extra Tyvek suit and sleep in it. All that’s left is to figure out something to keep them away from my face. 
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I created an account just to say: I grew up in RC, OK.
I sent this article to my dad (they still live in the area) and he says “Yes, and it’s not the first time”.
“In RC, or with this lawyer?”
“With this lawyer. Happened in Tulsa Co, too”
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