Pests in the bed

[skunkfunk]

The last couple of weeks I've noticed a disturbing amount of foreign material in my bed. Last night I came to the conclusion that it was most likely insects. I saw what looked like roach droppings and some sort of tiny beige pellets.

What's the best way to deal with this? I've never had such a problem, and I don't want to hire it out.


Edit: I think I put this in the wrong sub forum. Is there any way to move it to the DIY forum?

[BlueHouse]

1.  Wash sheets.
2.  Stop funking the skunk.

[skunkfunk]

1.  Wash sheets.
2.  Stop funking the skunk.

I wash them weekly. That crap comes back the very next day!

[Gen Y Finance Journey]

Sell the house and move.

[skunkfunk]

Sell the house and move.

I was hoping for actual constructive responses that might help me save some money whilst dealing with this issue, but it seems I'm not going to get that here. Has nobody had to deal with unwanted pests? I find that unlikely; it seems more likely that, simply, nobody cares.

[Spork]

So... not much detail there... but my first guess is bedbugs.  They can be a royal PITA to get rid of (or so I've heard... never actually had the displeasure of having them.)

Use the googles... they are good at hiding, but learn how to look for them and do some investigative work. 

You'll also likely get bites on your arms/legs if this is the culprit.

[jpo]

Diatomaceous earth.

[skunkfunk]

I haven't noticed but one possible bite on my arm, and the bottom of my mattress seems clean. But it could definitely be bed bugs.

Diatomaceous earth.

This looks promising.

[Gen Y Finance Journey]

Sell the house and move.

I was hoping for actual constructive responses that might help me save some money whilst dealing with this issue, but it seems I'm not going to get that here. Has nobody had to deal with unwanted pests? I find that unlikely; it seems more likely that, simply, nobody cares.

Uh yea, I was clearly kidding. Spray the shit out of your mattress, sheets and carpet with Raid. A bottle costs like $10. If that doesn't work, call an exterminator. Aren't these kind of obvious solutions?

[skunkfunk]

Sell the house and move.

I was hoping for actual constructive responses that might help me save some money whilst dealing with this issue, but it seems I'm not going to get that here. Has nobody had to deal with unwanted pests? I find that unlikely; it seems more likely that, simply, nobody cares.

Uh yea, I was clearly kidding. Spray the shit out of your mattress, sheets and carpet with Raid. A bottle costs like $10. If that doesn't work, call an exterminator. Aren't these kind of obvious solutions?

First time homeowner. Everywhere else I've ever lived had exterminators come in quarterly. Most of the advice I've found with all-knowing google (such as this ) has amounted to "It's too hard. Hire an exterminator." The diatomaceous earth thing certainly sounds more promising than soaking my mattress and sheets in poison, though, at least as something to try first as it looks like I can get a 10# bag for around $14.

[Cpa Cat]

Uh yea, I was clearly kidding. Spray the shit out of your mattress, sheets and carpet with Raid. A bottle costs like $10. If that doesn't work, call an exterminator. Aren't these kind of obvious solutions?

Pretty sure if you read the bottle, this suggestion falls under "Things you're not supposed to do with Raid."

[YK-Phil]

I think before you do anything, you should find out what the problem is, and what caused it. Trying different solutions without knowing what you are dealing with is not the answer. Get some samples of the "pests" and look at them under a magnifying glass, and try to identify what they are. Then look for the specific solution to the problem.

[rocksinmyhead]

I think before you do anything, you should find out what the problem is, and what caused it. Trying different solutions without knowing what you are dealing with is not the answer. Get some samples of the "pests" and look at them under a magnifying glass, and try to identify what they are. Then look for the specific solution to the problem.

agreed.

sorry I don't have any great advice, I've never dealt with a bug infestation (knock on wood), but we are dealing with a mouse problem right now so I feel your pain. finding animal/insect feces in your home is never fun... in my bed would really gross me out. I probably gave myself neurological damage by bleaching the shit out of my kitchen last week after I found mouse poop on a shelf for the first time.

[Gen Y Finance Journey]

Sell the house and move.

I was hoping for actual constructive responses that might help me save some money whilst dealing with this issue, but it seems I'm not going to get that here. Has nobody had to deal with unwanted pests? I find that unlikely; it seems more likely that, simply, nobody cares.

Uh yea, I was clearly kidding. Spray the shit out of your mattress, sheets and carpet with Raid. A bottle costs like $10. If that doesn't work, call an exterminator. Aren't these kind of obvious solutions?

First time homeowner. Everywhere else I've ever lived had exterminators come in quarterly. Most of the advice I've found with all-knowing google (such as this ) has amounted to "It's too hard. Hire an exterminator." The diatomaceous earth thing certainly sounds more promising than soaking my mattress and sheets in poison, though, at least as something to try first as it looks like I can get a 10# bag for around $14.

Ah ok, you had people make you believe getting rid of pests is an insurmountable challenge. I apologize for the snark. In my experience, it's actually pretty easy, though it can be frustrating while you're going through it since you have to treat the area multiple times. I've never tried the diatomaceous earth thing, but that could be a good solution too. Here's what I did when I had an issue with fleas that our pets tracked in (despite them getting flea meds every month, argh!!)

Step 1: Buy a large bottle of some sort of insect killer that's safe to use on fabrics. I used this one: http://www.amazon.com/Zodiac-Carpet-Upholstery-Aerosol-16-ounce/dp/B0002ARHF4, but I would assume this one should be fine too: http://www.amazon.com/Raid-Flea-Killer-Carpet-Spray-16/dp/B005Y2UZYA

Step 2: Vacuum every inch of your bedroom really thoroughly. Immediately throw out the bag.

Step 3: Spray everything in the room following the instructions on the bottle. Open up the windows and leave the room for several hours. If you have pets, make sure the door is closed so they stay out of the room too.

Step 4: The sprays kill adults and larva, but not the eggs I believe, so repeat the whole process a couple weeks later to kill off any new bugs that hatched.

They also make foggers that you can just leave in the room rather than manually spraying everything.

I understand you can also buy mattress covers that will keep any bedbugs or whatever you have trapped inside until they starve to death. That wasn't necessary in my case, but it can't hurt to try that too. Fleas and bedbugs can live dormant for a ridiculously long time though, so if you get a mattress cover, you should leave it on for at least a year.

[payitoff]

could be bed bugs, we had a horrible experience with it when we moved in to the condo we bought before, the previous owner had cats and god-knows-what.
i googled some bed bug killer and sprayed on the bed almost every weekend, it was an investment but very much worth it. 

[Jamesqf]

Have you considered a waterbed?

[skunkfunk]

Have you considered a waterbed?

No.

I guess I don't get it?

[NeverWasACornflakeGirl]

I read this title and thought it was a post asking how to keep your kids from crawling into bed with you every night.  Sorry, it's not that I don't care, it's just that the kid is the only kind of bed pest I have any experience with.  Good luck -- sounds awful.

Edited to add:  I don't know how to get the rug rats out of the bed, either, so don't ask me about that!

[zachd]

I had a friend in Chicago who had a terrible bed bug problem.  He went through a lot trying to get rid of them.
Something that occurred to me that I told him he could try and don't know if he did..
You could in theory put all four bed legs in a bowl, bucket, or plate of water. Imagine 4 frisbees with an inch of water in them under your bed legs. Assuming the legs aren't wood, if they are I guess you could get creative and make 'risers'.
Put a few drops of dishwashing soap in the water so small bugs can't float or walk on the water. Make sure bed is not touching any walls.

Maybe point a light at one of the bowls (the light attracts some bugs like fleas).

In theory you would wake up with bugs in the water and know what they were and they wouldn't be able to make it to the bed.

Unless you are dealing with some flying insects, which seems doubtful you would have seen them already.

Bed bugs come out at night and crawl up on the bed, bite you, then leave and go back in the walls or floor.

You might could try the same as above with sticky fly paper or rat/mice catching sticky traps under the legs also.

Good luck, if you have bed bugs you will probably have to call a professional.

[BlueHouse]

I was hoping for actual constructive responses

Sorry.  I truly thought this was a joke in part because of the date.  Can you provide more info?  Is the debris found near the foot of the bed or near your pillow?  Is it concentrated near where your body is or stay out on the edges of the bed?  How long has this been happening?  what type of bedding?  what type of furniture?  what size are the pellets? 

[skunkfunk]

I was hoping for actual constructive responses

Sorry.  I truly thought this was a joke in part because of the date.  Can you provide more info?  Is the debris found near the foot of the bed or near your pillow?  Is it concentrated near where your body is or stay out on the edges of the bed?  How long has this been happening?  what type of bedding?  what type of furniture?  what size are the pellets?

Ok - the pellets are tiny, slightly larger than the droppings. I find the debris is most concentrated under my pillow and spreads out from there, with less of it near the edges of the bed. I believe they are cotton sheets. I can supply some pictures tomorrow, assuming they leave some more of that stuff today. I haven't actually found any bugs yet, but I've only looked under the mattress and the surrounding area.

[Gen Y Finance Journey]

I was hoping for actual constructive responses

Sorry.  I truly thought this was a joke in part because of the date.  Can you provide more info?  Is the debris found near the foot of the bed or near your pillow?  Is it concentrated near where your body is or stay out on the edges of the bed?  How long has this been happening?  what type of bedding?  what type of furniture?  what size are the pellets?

Honestly, I was just taken aback because this seemed like much more of a Google question than an MMM question. I can understand though if all of the advice you've gotten so far is "hire an exterminator", why you'd immediately turn to MMM for alternate options. But Google will not fail you on this one, there's a wealth of information out there about how to handle pest problems yourself.

[BlueHouse]

Is there any wood nearby? 
Does it look like the picture on thislink?  http://www.justanswer.com/pet/31ezp-found-beige-pellets-kitchen-sink-dra.html

[rescuedog]

I try to ID the pest first and then read all about it. 

I found carpet beetles and larvae in my house (gag) and now I know where they live and feed so I'm trying to combat it with tips online.  Eventually we'll rip up all the carpets and just put down hardwood I'm thinking. 

In a previous home I saw ants and ID'd them as carpenter ants which are totally different than an average ant.  Carpenter ants can be as destructive as termites!  Treatment was done accordingly.  So try to ID or use a local bug lab to ID!

[skunkfunk]

Honestly, I was just taken aback because this seemed like much more of a Google question than an MMM question. I can understand though if all of the advice you've gotten so far is "hire an exterminator", why you'd immediately turn to MMM for alternate options. But Google will not fail you on this one, there's a wealth of information out there about how to handle pest problems yourself.

There's also a wealth of advice out there on homebrewing, water heaters, lighting, food, tools, car maintenance, etc. that we have threads on here. I do believe I put it in the wrong forum, as it should be in the DIY forum rather than ask a mustachian.

Is there any wood nearby? 
Does it look like the picture on thislink?  http://www.justanswer.com/pet/31ezp-found-beige-pellets-kitchen-sink-dra.html

Good idea, but I don't think that's it. They are kinda translucent, and a kind of medium urine color. I'll get a picture up tomorrow. I've looked for cockroaches, bed bugs, and general bug droppings/residue and haven't found any similar pictures yet.

I try to ID the pest first and then read all about it. 

I found carpet beetles and larvae in my house (gag) and now I know where they live and feed so I'm trying to combat it with tips online.  Eventually we'll rip up all the carpets and just put down hardwood I'm thinking. 

Wow, I spoke too soon there! I think it's carpet beetles! I looked up some pictures and it seems that is what it is.

[BlueHouse]

I find the debris is most concentrated under my pillow and spreads out from there, with less of it near the edges of the bed.

I would definitely get rid of the pillow.  If you want, submerge the pillow and see if anything comes out of it.  But if that seems to be the source, get it out of there and hope it was contained. 

[YK-Phil]

[/quote]

Wow, I spoke too soon there! I think it's carpet beetles! I looked up some pictures and it seems that is what it is.
[/quote]

If you have carpet beetles (you should see little dark brown worms that are their larvaes), there isn't much you can do. We had some in our condo, had the exterminator come and spray. They came back. We tried a number of home remedies (borax, etc.), but that did not do it. Our last option is to remove all carpets and put hardwood or other kind of solid flooring, which are much easier to clean and maintain than carpet. We have not tried Diatomaceous earth but I heard it is also effective so we might try this solution.

[rescuedog]

Ah, well I'm glad I mentioned it!  Right now they are fuzzy little worm things.  I see them along the baseboards or just on the wall randomly.  When they turn into beetles they leave behind their larvae cases so there will probably be little exoskeletons.  I can't stand it!  I've washed every article of clothing I have in hot water, I vacuum daily with the Dyson.  I don't know if I can fix it on my own.  Sounds like the reader below went the hardwood floor route.  I don't know if I want to do all hardwood in the basement, that's a lot of floor.  I have yet to try steam cleaning the carpet/shampoo.

Wow, I spoke too soon there! I think it's carpet beetles! I looked up some pictures and it seems that is what it is.
[/quote]

If you have carpet beetles (you should see little dark brown worms that are their larvaes), there isn't much you can do. We had some in our condo, had the exterminator come and spray. They came back. We tried a number of home remedies (borax, etc.), but that did not do it. Our last option is to remove all carpets and put hardwood or other kind of solid flooring, which are much easier to clean and maintain than carpet. We have not tried Diatomaceous earth but I heard it is also effective so we might try this solution.
[/quote]