Winning the war against BedBugs: executive summary.

I've been battling bedbugs since 1999 where I live. I'll try to give you the executive summary of my knowledge and experience.

Read up on Bedbugs and treatment:

www.google.com
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedbug
www.bugclinic.com/bedbug.htm

The wikipedia contains links to several great blogs, including

http://bedbugblog.blogspot.com/

That's one of many great online references, and it inspired me to write this very page.
Thanks to Caitlin and many others for having the courage to share their experiences!


Buy a gallon of water-based Permethrin: $20 plus tax (plus UPS shipping if you get it by mail order, shipping weight 11 pounds.)

Buy a small bottle of Gentrol concentrate $11.95 .

Permethrin and Gentrol (in some form) can be bought from the Bugclinic in Spring Valley, NY, and you can also buy some of this stuff in NYC, but you'll have to do your own research on where to purchase these chemicals OTC (Over the counter).

Get an Insecticide-rated respirator: $25-$45. Here's a good one:

http://snipurl.com/hxs8

Get some disposable gloves, a pair of cheap plastic goggles, and wear long pants and long sleeves, and if you're not allergic or very chemically sensitive, you should be good to go, but be sure to

READ UP FIRST, AND READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FULLY and FOLLOW the instructions to the letter.

After your crash self-education in bedbug behavior and biology, treat your bed and bedding and bed-frame and any nearby cracks and crevices. You'll need to get on your knees and elbows and back as you "think like a bedbug" and look for their hiding places.
If the bites wake you up at night, take time-stamped digital photos of the bump, with your flash off, and using a flashlight to cast a shadow of the bump/bite. It'll be nice and clear in the photo that way.
If you keep your flashlight handy and are awakened, you should be able to find the bedbug by looking. It's important to find at least one, to rule out other vermin/insects.
If the problem persists after your treatment, you might have a bigger problem, maybe your neighbors, room-mates, family, or pets (mainly mammals in the Northern Americas) are also hosting them.

DO NOT let your superintendant treat, UNLESS your super is a licensed pest control specialist: it's illegal and they usually do NOT know how do do this properly.
It IS 100% legal for YOU to self-treat with over-the-counter products.
It's 100% ILLEGAL for anyone else to do a "commercial" treatment unless they're Professional exterminators, licensed by the NYS DEC:

http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/regs/part325.html

There is one exception: In New York State, Non-licensed personel can apply do commercial pesticide treatments UNDER THE DIRECT SUPERVISION of an on on-site, licensed exterminator. (See the above NYS DEC links.)

Professional bedbug exterminations cost $300 and up, depending on the size of the space.
DO NOT ALLOW "bombing" or "fogging"!
In general, that's a waste of money and is simply poisoning your environment un-necessarily.

If any one has had good luck solving a known bedbug problem with "natural enzyme products", please post your experience here.
As much as I love to avoid toxic products and chemicals, I'm beginning to think there's really no "Eco-Friendly" way to kill bedbugs and successfully treat an infestation.

If the problem persists, you need to do this:
Catch a bedbug, immediately after being bitten, go to Bellvue or another hospital and see a dermatolagist, bring the sample, and get medical documentation of your problem.
I'm not suggesting you go to the emergency room, which could set you back up to $1000, but do be prepared to ask for an immediate, out-patient examination and explain your situation. This won't be useful unless you have caught the bedbug, or bring a recently captured living or dead bedbug sample, AND you have a bite, welt, swelling for the physician to examine.
Some bedbug bites disappear within a few hours, and at the other extreme, some folks don't get a reaction until a week or more has passed; my reading and observations suggest that most folks have a visible symptom pretty soon after being bitten. And all the medical and entomology sites and articles state that around 20% of the population has NO reaction or symptom whatsoever!
That's scary: one out of five doesn't can't even tell they have a problem. No wonder the problem is exploding!

ALSO, send a certified, return-receipt requested complaint to your landlord.
ALSO, call 311 (if you live in NYC) and file a formal complaint with the HPD and ask an inspector to come, and show them your evidence. It could take weeks or even months before they show up if you complain in the winter, during the heating season: be forewarned.

Finally, you might want to talk to an ethichal, pro-tenant attorney who is experienced in this problem.
Here is a recent Housing Court judge's decision granting a 45% rent abatement for a tenant who was suffering a bedbug infestation:

http://manhattanfirm.com/landlord_tenant/bedbug%20case.htm

I do NOT have ANY vested interest in these products, companies or law firms.

I am NOT a pest-control profesional or lawyer, so please seek professional advice if necessary.

I have succeeded at preventing any infestation or harborage in my immediate living quarters, but my landlord is allowing the problem to fester through negligence.
In the meantime I have to be constantly vigilant, and somewhat paranoid, about picking up a stray bedbug in the common areas of the building. There's also a small risk that a hungry bedbug could wander into my room from one of the nearby tenants who are infested. The property owners are well aware that it makes the low-rent tenants miserable and paranoid, and allows this condition to fester in hopes that we will accept a "buy-out" so that the building can be sold.

I hope that you do not have bedbugs, but if you do, welcome to the club, and start arming yourself with knowledge and the proper chemicals.