After 15 Infestations, How I Finally Got Rid of Bed Bugs for Good

Some people, when they have a bed bug problem, throw out furniture, books and more—amounting to a lot of money -- not to mention agonizing amounts of laundry. All this effort and expenditure is needless, though.

Here's my story how, after 15 infestations, I finally figured out how to outsmart this insect—and the method is safe, easy, cheap and foolproof.

With each infestation, over a 4-year period (in two difference residences!), initially I laundered everything, threw out stuff and cursed. A lot. Worse than all that, though, was the torture of sleep deprivation, which so greatly worsened everything, with having to deal with everything while being so tired and mentally worn down. Heat treatments are costly and don't always work. Bed bugs are increasingly resistant to chemical pesticides, which are toxic to children and pets. Also, fumigation and heat treatments work but cost a lot. After numerous infestations, I thought to myself, quite doubtfully, "I am smarter than this bug, right?" After numerous more infestations, including a deep-dive into bed buy entomology, I figured out an easy, cheap way to get rid of a bedbug infestation—no laundry required, no possessions, bills or tempers lost. You will, however, have to use yourself as bait (hint: use soporifics, see below). Otherwise, you can try all the other non-easy ways which involve a horrific amount of work, the loss of lots of money, possessions and sleep—and you may not resolve the problem (all it takes is for one pregnant female to survive for a new infestation). This lead me to physical pesticides, which kill because of they way the particles are shaped, not chemically, are cheap, safe for children and pets, and effective although the treatment process is a bit dusty and a bit fussy. It took me 14 infestations to learn of and devise a way to use natural "diatomaceous earth" to deal with these little horrors. It may not work for everyone, but considering the alternatives, it's fantastic if you can muster it (see advisory, below).

WHAT I LEARNED A bedbug can sense your body heat and the carbon dioxide that we mammals give off. Bed bugs can't fly but can drop down onto you from the ceiling above. A single female bed bug lays around 1–7 eggs every day. Bed bug eggs usually hatch in 7–10 days. At a room temperature of about 23 degrees Celsius, bed bugs can survive 2-3 months without a blood meal. Generally nocturnal, if they're hungry, they'll feed in daytime. On you. (They don't bother pets.) Chemical pesticides are toxic and not safe when there are children or pets around; and they don't kill bed bug eggs, so double application is necessary. Heat treatments can easily miss an area of infestation, and many objects can't withstand the high temperatures needed. However, if bed bugs are in more than one location, which is common, treating one location will be ineffective—I have found them nesting in the mattress folds on the underside of my mattress but also in books that have gaps, spaces between loose boards in piece of furniture, etc., etc. WHAT I DID Although bed bugs prefer to be near to their food source, i.e., you and your delicious blood, and typically are only a few feet away from you, as bed bugs like to be close to where people sit or lie down for long periods, they do range and may be found in more than one location, finding many hiding places, being so small.

By my 13th infestation, I realized that I would have to make them come to me, surrounded by a killing zone they'd have to cross, using their hunger and a physical pesticide against them:

From the edge of the bottom sheet, just in inch inside, dribble a continuous line of diatomaceous powder* all around the edge of the bottom sheet until you have created a white rectangle.

Rub the powder into the sheet fabric, ensuring the line is unbroken all around the topsheet.

Then, area by area, going along the whole perimeter, gently pound the bed in each area a few times to disperse the powder more generally in each area, avoiding breathing in dust.

Keep the powdered area to the outer four inches of the bottom sheet to the edge.

Let powder settle, and avoid further touching or disturbing the powdered areas.

Sleep within the rectangle you have created (the killing border).

Don't create any 'bridges' for them to avoid the killing zone: Don't let your legs or arms dangle over the line when sleeping. Keep your pillow within the white rectangle, too. Don't let your topsheet, even when sleeping, touch the killing zone.

Even if a bed bug got to you by dropping from the ceiling, after feasting, it still would have to cross the pesticide barrier, causing death within 24 hours.

Out of an abundance of caution, I did this for at least 12-14 nights (more when the room temperature is colder and it takes longer for eggs to hatch).

This gives enough time for all eggs produced since I started treatment to hatch, and the young'uns immediately having to seek out their food will be drawn to cross the pesticide barrier death zone. Not waiting waiting out the full period resulted in re-infestation for me until I learned to ensure the unhatched eggs was dealt with by simply waiting the full time period.

WHAT HAPPENED Each of my infestations was noticed when I started to feel I was getting bitten—by then, they were adults, meaning 5-6 weeks old. Yikes. The first night, with my chosen sleep aid**, I slept restfully enough and had the same number of bites per night; the second night, I noticed quite a drop in blood spots on my bo

ttom sheet (from when I rolled over onto an engorged one) and bites; the third night, almost none; thereafter, until Days 12-14, I noticed no activity at all, no blood spots, no bites. Easy-peasy, no financial and/or personal meltdowns required. PREVENTION OF RE-INFESTATION Wait the full treatment time of 12-14 days (longer if it's cold in area to be treated). Adults can squeeze through a crack the size of a credit card so: Seal all cracks and openings bed bugs can get through. If there is a ventilation system between apartment suites, tape it closed with duct tape (and ensure you in future don't let moisture build up and rot your bathroom using a fan to evaporate excess moisture when necessary. Cover gaps of entrance doorway in a shared building.

Caulk any gaps between you and another apartment, if adjacent. Cover shared air vents (mine were coming in from the bathroom vent in my large apartment building which I finally learned on infestation number 15). Cover or tape over unused electrical outlets. Cover sink and tub drains and water outlets as a last resort since they can travel along these routes. NOTES * Diatomaceous earth (D.E.) or diatomaceous powder. Bedbugs blithely walk over a surface lightly-dusted with D.E. which is made of diatoms (unicellular micro-algae), ground up. These particles are like sticky razors that penetrate their bodies, get stuck between their joints and physically cut into their organs, causing death to these blood-suckers.

Buy D.E. at a bulk store or on-line. It's a very light powder, so a pound goes a long way. AVOID diatomaceous products that contain added chemical pesticides. D.E. also gets rid of cockroaches, ants, etc., safely.

** Sleep Aids: When I realized I was sharing my bed with feasting bed bugs, every little motion of sheet brushed against skin made me think of the bugs, and kept me itching and awake, so I suggest a soporific of some kind (whatever works for you). Camomile tea before bed to calm? For something stronger, how about Valerian tea? I went all-out and saw my doctor for heavy-duty ones as I was desperate for a good-night's sleep. BAIT ALTERNATIVE? I thought of the idea of using a carbon-dioxide bait trap instead of me—Alka-Seltzer tabs on moist sponges in the center of my bed instead of me—but had nowhere to go, no money to so, and those who seek refuge from bed bug infestations are not exactly highly-sought-out house guests. A CO2 trap beside a heating pad might just work in place of human bait! In fact, there are some working on trying to create a machine trap with a CO2 bait inside. If such a machine ever works, you would still have to vacate your home for a couple of weeks so they would all be drawn to the trap, not some to you (keeping them alive).

CAUTION Inhalation of diatomaceous earth may cause temporary respiratory irritation such as sneezing, coughing, difficulty breathing, eye, nose and throat irritation or bloody nose. People with existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma patients or smokers, and children may be more sensitive to the effects of diatomaceous earth. Consult with a pest-control professional or medical doctor before choosing a treatment approach suitable for you.