Dang, that is rough! Good luck with that difficult situation.
At least the stigma around it has lessened, since it’s so widespread, though that may be little comfort.
You’ve probably heard of putting Diatomaceous Earth under the bed to dissolve their shell.
Otherwise, I don’t have much experience with it.
Though lately I feel that CBD hemp oil cures practically everything, it might soothe the bites?

Unlikely there are any bed bug experts on the forum but I heard you can buy a mattress bag and tape the opening shut. They should make one that comes with some kind of pesticide, or a bug bomb. If the suckers can't get out to eat you they'll eventually die, but that may take 20-400 days apparently and they are not only in your bed. People also use those hand held steamers for clothes/cleaning if you can make contact with the bugs. Run the steam knozzle along seams, corners, wherever they congregate to send them back to their maker. Establish a cleaning habit in your room: vacuum, vacuum, vacuum, wash, wash, wash.

Or, if you can afford it, call in an expert. They have those giant heaters that raise a room to killing temperature for an allotted time.

We had pest control twice and that kind of earth was put all over the floor. I think it may have done more than the gas which was used. Tomorrow there is going to be an inspection. I may try CBD hemp oil but I hope the bugs don't like it and get high. The bugs were biting me all over so I don't want high and elated bed bugs.

Fortunately, the landlord did replace the mattress because there were about a thousand bugs or eggs. He has told me to keep the plastic on and I had to buy a mattress protector. With that and white powder everywhere my room looked like the first pictures of Covid China.

I partly wrote the thread because bed bugs does seem to be a rising concern, especially in England and in Paris previously. It could be linked to climate change. Also, it is thought to be connected to people buying second hand furniture, especially as poverty is becoming more prominent in the UK after the pandemic and Brexit.

The bugs are horrible and at times I felt like Harry Potter fighting demons. My room was the worst affected and that was probably because there is a leak in the bathroom next to it. Either that, or the bugs thought that my blood was the tastiest.

They've been more an more resistant to chemical poisons - hence the rise in infestations, presumably, so the experts you need are not pest control experts but cleaning experts. The most effective methods of combatting bedbugs relate to hygiene: deep vacuum, frequent laundry, etc. The most effective, apparently, is steam cleaning, but you can't do that with home appliances. A plastic-coated mattress is a good idea, so that it can be swabbed down every time the bedding is changed.

My ex-girlfriend’s apartment in South Carolina had bed bugs. We googled it and a Orkin was gonna charge a ridiculous amount per room, so we got a bunch of sprays instead. It seemed to be contained to the bedroom. We successfully got rid of them.

First we vacuumed and cleaned everything. We very carefully washed all the clothing and bedding (the heat from the dryer killers any eggs). Then I sprayed every part of the room and covered the mattress. I think we waited a day or so before using it again. But we never had any issues.

I think the biggest thing is being very thorough, because the eggs can be anywhere.

It’s a really sucky problem to have and I’m sorry to hear it. I’m dealing with my own issues with bats, and that sucks too— but I’d take bats over bed bugs.

For anyone else who is experiencing bed bugs, I am also wondering about the actual risk of harm of bed bugs versus treatments for it. At the present time, I have been expected to clear my room for treatments four times. My room has been sprayed with chemicals that white earth. I cannot refuse this or I may be evicted. However, I am left wondering about the actual harm.of bedbugs or the chemical pesticides to treat them.

In recent weeks, I have felt physically unwell, which could be due to many factors. However, I do wonder about the chemical pesticides used to treat bed bugs and how such treatments are imposed. Does anyone else have experience of such measures being imposed, especially the benefits and harms? I actually regret telling my landlord of bed bugs. They are unpleasant but I am not sure whether they are lesser 'evils' than the chemicals used, especially as the bugs are becoming able to resist the chemicals. Any thoughts?.Metaphorically, I see bed bugs as the newest form of 'demons' to be combatted.

I found two solutions: heat and alcohol. The bugs and eggs die at temperatures over 50 degrees Celcius, 122 Fahrenheit. A steam cleaner would kill them instantly, but you'd need to be very thorough. I also read that diluted alcohol works too. Between spraying and steaming daily, you'd probably eventually win the battle.

I also saw that the American cockroach eats bedbugs, so you may want to introduce them into your home if not already there.

I would like to try all of these approaches and I have even found that tea tree oil helps..I try to approach the problem from different angles.

What I am finding is that the landlord and other flatmates are taking such a one dimensional angle. I haven't seen any bed bugs since the last spray but as one upstairs says he has seen a couple he is asking for another spraying of pesticide gasses. I fear that if I don't comply I will be kicked out of the place.

I think that creativity is needed and it is almost like working with inner demons.

I also saw that the American cockroach eats bedbugs, so you may want to introduce them into your home if not already there. — Hanover

:lol: True. Though I think that the British roaches do equally well, and are not as gauche as the American ones.
Plus, they have that charming accent.

I found two solutions: heat and alcohol — Hanover

Great ideas! :up:

For anyone else who is experiencing bed bugs, I am also wondering about the actual risk of harm of bed bugs versus treatments for it. — Jack Cummins

Yep… sometimes the treatment seems worse than the cure, unfortunately.

If in that situation, I personally would take detoxifing herbs and vitamins.
Like turmeric, garlic and milk thistle.
Detox therapies include sweating out poisons and breathing essential oils.
CBD is good for stopping inflammation caused by environmental issues.