Bed bugs are in every hotel room and airport suitcase. Almost impossible to exterminate. It has nothing to do with personal hygiene.

there is a chemical spray, it works on fleas also. Hit ALL cloth areas in the car and leave the car in the sun for at least 2 hours. The bugs won't die, but they will leave the car.

 

I've had the pleasure of dealing with bedbugs a while back. I won't be exaggerating when I say it was the worst thing I've ever had to deal with. Like uncle Dave mentioned, anyone can get bedbugs since they're the best hitchhikers. Consider it an assumed risk when you share your ride with the general public.

 

I got them too, early 2018. Worst thing ever. Had them in 3 of the 4 bedrooms in my house and down in the living room. I assume it was from an air B&B, tried to get rid of them myself and it didn't work. Ripped up the carpet in the bedrooms. Finally coughed up money for a guy to come in to put an end to it.

They live for over 400 days without a meal. They like 74 degrees, but they can still live in cold weather. Heat kills them, so the hotter it is, they will move away from it.

Baggage is the number one carrier. Feel lucky it's only in your car.....

 

I bought my car 4 months ago. It came full of either bed bugs or an insect pretty similar to them.
I exterminated them myself.

I bought this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0073ZOOQ6/?tag=ubne0c-20

For it to work wonders, you need to leave those chemical strips in a closed car for 5 days (at least). The first time I did it for two days, and I saw less insects, but still some (I kept doing uber, I didn't care. I wanted $$$).

A couple weeks after, I had a trip to Colombia for a week, and I left those things in the car for the entire trip. When I came back: no more insects!!!

A professional exterminator was going to charge me close to $500 to do it, and it would also take 5 days ??

 

I did not have time to wait on the mail, because they were gonna start feeding off of me when I came back out.

 

I've never dealt with bedbugs but I've had 2 flea infestations that were a nightmare. Blood-sucking bugs can't get enough of me and it's absolute hell. A potential bedbug infestation terrifies me.

Are there any signs to look for besides seeing the actual bugs? How do you prevent them getting into your home? What's the best way to prevent this happening in the first place?

 

Are there any signs to look for besides seeing the actual bugs? How do you prevent them getting into your home? What's the best way to prevent this happening in the first place?

One of the telltale signs is tiny red spots in your sheets and pillows (That's their excrement). If you wake up with an itch or bite marks that's another indicator too.

You can prevent them by exercising caution when staying in hotel rooms, not buying used furniture, avoiding clutter in your house and vacuuming your floor regularly.

In the end though, Murphy's law might prevail and you'd still get them no matter what you do. I don't wish bedbugs on my worst enemy.

 

While anyone can get them there is a definite correlation with lower income places. Staying away from picking up at rock bottom weekly motels will go a long way towards not getting them in your car. You could also develop a habit of tossing your clothes in the washer and (more importantly) the dryer on higher heat as soon as you get home and in the door. The dryer will kill them.

Also if you don't have young kids or pets you might consider a preemptive strike by applying DE (Diatomaceous Earth ) in your home. It will help to kill any stragglers which make it inside to your home.

I read that article, and probably wouldn't consider the hastle.

 

I agree with the thought that the majority of BB infestations come from lower income situations, however even the Hilton Waikiki has had problems. Tourist locales attract lots of people from different walks of life, and we deal with tourists on a daily basis coming from those places or going to the AP from their house. You can get BB from anywhere. I have dealt with them on a couple of occasions and they can be very difficult to eradicate.

I like using Diatomaceous earth in a preemptive manner. I put some in my luggage compartment in my goober rig and on the passenger carpets once every four months on deep clean. I also use it in my 3 rentals in the headboards of the beds.

 

The Empire State Building had them as well.

 

Its kinda crazy. Bedbugs were virtually eradicated in the USA and they have made a comeback.

 

European travelers to the United States keep bringing these critters over.
Some problems can't be solved, they can only be managed.

 

Bed bugs are in every hotel room and airport suitcase. Almost impossible to exterminate. It has nothing to do with personal hygiene.

there is a chemical spray, it works on fleas also. Hit ALL cloth areas in the car and leave the car in the sun for at least 2 hours. The bugs won't die, but they will leave the car.

Every rider who has ANY luggage with them MUST put it in the trunk. No exceptions for this very reason. I have had rude business people say no thats ok i will just put in the back seat. Um, no you won't and since you are obvious ignoring my request and it is my car their ride is cancelled. MY car is not paxoles personal car and I do anything to make sure that luggage is nowhere in the main car cabin area. Of course this doesn't mean they don't have them on their clothes which brings me to ghetto rides.....You will know who to cancel on due to the high probability of some foreign bug being brought into your car by the paxole.

 

I bought my car 4 months ago. It came full of either bed bugs or an insect pretty similar to them.
I exterminated them myself.

I bought this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0073ZOOQ6/?tag=ubne0c-20

For it to work wonders, you need to leave those chemical strips in a closed car for 5 days (at least). The first time I did it for two days, and I saw less insects, but still some (I kept doing uber, I didn't care. I wanted $$$).

A couple weeks after, I had a trip to Colombia for a week, and I left those things in the car for the entire trip. When I came back: no more insects!!!

A professional exterminator was going to charge me close to $500 to do it, and it would also take 5 days ??

Do they have any sort of odor? Can you drive the car with them in the car?

 

They do have some smell, but its gone after a couple of days.

DO NOT DRIVE WITH THEM IN THE CAR. These are STRONG chemicals. You don't even want to touch them. I bought gloves to grab them.

Once you are done with them, toss them in a garbage and take them already out of your house. Leave the cars windows or doors opened for ten minutes before getting in so it airs a bit.

That's what I did and I'm still alive. A third eye grew on my left shoulder, but that's it.

 

One of the telltale signs is tiny red spots in your sheets and pillows (That's their excrement). If you wake up with an itch or bite marks that's another indicator too.

I would hope to stop them before they made it into my house ?

Also if you don't have young kids or pets you might consider a preemptive strike by applying DE (Diatomaceous Earth ) in your home. It will help to kill any stragglers which make it inside to your home.

I have cats... Is there a preventative measure that's pet-safe?

 

I would hope to stop them before they made it into my house ?

I have cats... Is there a preventative measure that's pet-safe?

Retrain the cats. "You're not mousers anymore, you're bug hunters. Aaand, GO!"

 

These are called "Flea-bag" Motels for a reason. If I see a pickup in a place like this, I'll be thinking twice.

 

Bed bugs do not transit any disease, grows relatively fast on limited subsidence so it's like growing vegetables in the backyard, free protein.

But if you really want to end this good trade deal, steam the bed and mattress then just sprinkle some Diatomaceous Earth(DE) on the edges of the bed and rooms. Your set until whenever you decide to remove the DE dust.

 

l, steam the bed and mattress then just sprinkle some Diatomaceous Earth(DE) on the edges of the bed and rooms

So, ummmmmm .... Duh! :confusion:

Drivers are supposed to go into active riders living situations and do pest control now????