Could it be bedbugs? & they're coming to Christmas - UH OH

[calicokat]

DH ran into his sister shopping today. She had an ugly scabbed up arm and said that they had bedbugs. They were planning on "bombing" the house and if that didn't work, they thought they could get the temp up in the house during warm weather months to take care of it.

Their house is trashy - clothes, papers, stuff everywhere on every surface and piled on the floor. I've not eaten food she prepared there in well over a dozen years because it's just unsanitary condditions. They have indoor dogs, cats and other assorted feathered and furred things who poop and pee where they want - usually doesn't get cleaned up.

I see no way they will be able to eradicate this. What I'm reading online says that professional treatment is usually needed, and to use high temp - it requires over 450 Celcius - not possible with your furnace or on your own.

However my real, and yes, quite selfish questions is: They are coming to grandma's for Christmas next Sunday. We'll all be sitting side by side on couch, teenagers on carpet -- opening presents that came from their house!!! OMG

What are our chances of bringing this home? What are the chances that Gr'ma's gets infested? And what can we do to try to keep this from getting on us?

And can I just say - Christmas is usually at our house . . . . . . . . . . I'm so glad that Gr'ma inisisted on having it at her house this year

 

[BuffyGRL]

I work in healthcare and they will spread. People who come in are put in isolation rooms. BedBugs can live for 12-18 months after their first blood meal without feeding again. The eggs and small bugs can and will live anywhere. They are normally not carried on the body but in clothes, furniture especially and any dark crevice thay can find. Very very hard to eraticate. Do some research online. I think National Geographic or one of those shows did a special on them and it was very informative! Good luck

 

[easttxchick]

UGH! I'm itching just reading about this...
I wouldn't want this inflicted on Grandma, either. With my big 'ol mouth, I would bring it up BEFORE they came to Grandma's house so that people would have the option of possibly hauling those disgusting things into their own homes.
ICK!

 

[HeatherLynn]

Are they sure its bed bugs and not some equally ucky buggy? I would put everyone in disposable clothing and I would toss them any anything else that was there in trashbags. You can spray, put DE, whatever. Maybe in a year or so you can pull the stuff back out. It would not be coming into the house with me though. That kind of headache is actually pretty expensive to fix.

http://www.whatdobedbugslooklike.net/bed-bug-bite-symptoms.html

http://www.medicinenet.com/bad_bugs_pictures_slideshow/article.htm

I would have found more information on bite indentification so you can weigh your options but frankly I am now itching so bad I have to shower again. Good luck

 

[Okie Amazon]

I would absolutely warn your Grandma. Bed bugs are not easily dispatched. They can get into the walls; one of the more common places to find them in hotel rooms is in the wall sockets. Bed bug detection is getting to be BIG business. We have thought about training one or two of our GSDs for bedbug detection, but you have to have LIVE bedbugs for them to train on, and I'm hesitant about where to "store" the little buggers! They have to able to differentiate between dead bugs and/or droppings and live bugs. That way, they send a dog in to locate the bugs, then after treatment, the dog checks for any survivors.


Another possibility, especially if they have a bunch of dogs/cats is scabies (sarcoptic mange). This would actually be my first thought if they have sores.

 

[Mattemma]

I saw a show where dogs could detect the bed bugs.They treated with freezing.Like that stuff you can use to freeze off warts. The exterminator had a huge canister and srayed the beds,walls,and floors.

 

[calicokat]

Okie - what might that look like? She did tell DH that the original "bites" or whatever were like little blisters with a red spot (I think he said red) in the center. He did said that BIL didn't look to have anything on him - not sure if that means they sleep seperately or if the critters didn't like the taste of him (

)

 

[calicokat]

If someone told Gr'ma, she probably wouldn't care. She'd just laugh it off and say "Oh it will be fine."

None of them realize the scope of what we're dealing with and if DH or I try to explain it we'll be seen as over-excited "mountain out of mole hill" people.

I'm suprised that SIL or BIL haven't googled it or something. That's the first thing I do when someone here has symptoms or we have an issue

 

[HeatherLynn]

If you check those links I posted above there are examples of scabies in there. Very ucky. We have relatives that did foster care and we saw it a few times. Its pretty nasty looking.

 

[MeatKing]

If they think it's bed bugs, are are still coming! I would freak out. Unless, they are doing some crazy preventative measures.

Who does that, sorry. I would tell Grandma, and if sis goes I would stay home. I heard a radio program out them. Scary, one lady had her house bombed 3 times. Finally, they throught out all furniture, got house bombed. Then brought the dogs in, then moved back in. Cost them a fortune. And the woman, was dreaming about it and stuff.

Your sis should stay home.

Not that this is anything close, but with young kids, and worring about headlice. Heads will be checked here, Friday night, then first thing Saterday am. Before we go meet up with my family. Would never dream of, going there will something like this was on them.. And headlice is way easier to get rid of

If sis doesn't want to tell the whole family what's going on, she should just say, so and so has the flu.
Order gifts on line, shipped straight to grandmas.