Bed bugs that exterminators won't attack - Ask Extension
I have just come home from several month's stay in an apartment in southern Spain. I had an infestation of bed bugs in that apartment that was not co...
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Bed bugs that exterminators won't attack #832751
Asked May 30, 2023, 2:53 PM EDT
I have just come home from several month's stay in an apartment in southern Spain. I had an infestation of bed bugs in that apartment that was not controlled. I carefully enclosed all my clothing in zip loc bags and brought them home. Before I even unpacked my things (I left the suitcases in the basement), I was clearly bitten by bedbugs on the first night in my own home in Astoria. I discovered that my phone case and computer contained evidence of the bugs. I have been home for 5 weeks and have had little luck eradicating this infestation. The one exterminator who applied a single treatment refused to come back to apply another because he and his colleagues do not believe there really are bed bugs in the house. No other exterminator will attempt it either. They say that my discription of the bugs' activity is not in keeping with what they know about them. In spite of two medical examinations that confirm that I am being attacked by bed bugs, I am refused assistance by the exterminators in my area. The tiny specimens I have been able to collect are too small to photograph and I fear that they will not survive mailing them.. Can you please offer me some suggestions for ways to end this madness?
From what I can see in your photos, those don't really look like bedbugs to me either. If those are eggs or early instar nymphs, it seems like you would also find the larger life stages too. Here is a link to a video showing the life stages of bed bugs and their sizes so you can get an idea of what to look for... If you want to try to see if you can catch some of the larger bedbug life stages to confirm an infestation, you could use crawl-up interception traps. Here is a link with information about these and how to use them. https://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/biting-stinging/bed-bugs/ent-3012/
If you catch bedbugs in these traps, you can show them to the pest control company and they should be able to work with you to solve the infestation problem.
I included a pen to show the scale. The ridges look very much like those of an adult. This one had gone through the wash and fell from my towel.
Because I have been battling these creatures since their eggs were introduced to my house 5 weeks ago, I only find their eggs, nymphs and the remains of poisoned ones and they look like balls of lint. They don't cooperate by going into traps.
Hi again, Rosemary, It does look like that object has some segmentation, but I don't see a head or legs, which even a nymph would have. If the specimens you are finding are long dead and in bad shape, maybe your infestation is over.
Have you tried any of the crawl up traps? I think you need some better specimens to convince anyone that you have an active infestation. Yours,
