Moved A Few Things into New Affordable Room. Woke up to Bedbug. Should I stay or leave?
Moved A Few Things into New Affordable Room. Woke up to Bedbug. Should I stay or leave?
Please help me, Lemmy.
I was staying at a friend's for a month waiting for an affordable room to be available, only to move in and after a week see a bedbug.
It's a single room, for poor people, with a shared kitchen.
I am poor, work remotely, and my financial situation is bad. I thought this could improve things.
I moved in a week ago, but didn't move all my stuff in because it's in boxes in my friend's garage right now.
I have moved in with 2 outfits, 2 jackets, a work computer, some computer accessories, and have purchased 1 matress and pillow and bed sheet set at target.
The manager of the property beforehand said there haven't been bed bugs for years, but one of the door has like a block over the bottom with powder in the doorway past the block to kill bugs as like a sort of trap. The manager said prior to my moving in this is just fear from 3 years ago. The units are very affordable and I had to be on a waitlist to get a unit.
I am not sure what to do. The place is mostly quiet and I could work here. I don't love the area because although it's low income rent, it's in a high cost area with many food places nearby charging very high tourist amounts, like any burrito or sandwich is $13 at least. Rent is very low, however.
I could leave now before moving other stuff in, put my stuff in bags except for my work computer when getting back to my friends, and look for a different slightly more expensive place. I can't stay with my friend long-term because her apartment is next to a distribution center with trucks pulling in and out all night and I wake up easily due to PTSD and always being on alert, even when sleeping. She sleeps through anything. I also don't like ear-plugs and can't sleep with them in. When I was staying there I was chronically tired.
Suggestions from Lemmy? How bad are bed bugs? It was only 1 but I squished it. Pest control coincidentally came that day and identified it is a bed bug.
Also, I have not paid rent for this month and it's due by tomorrow. I could actually leave immediately, today even, and just not pay the rent. My credit is bad already and the money would be useful if it's a mistake to stay. It's sleazy to leave wirhout paying for this month, but I am poor and may not have the luxury of paying for a place that could result in a chronic bed bug infestation. I would also lose my deposit.
I also don't know where it came from. I can't be totally sure it didn't come from my friend's place although I stayed there 5 weeks and saw nothing bad. I also had purchased a new outfit from a store with vintage recycled clothes, like an upscale GoodWill store, but that was 2 weeks ago and there were no bites. It may not be from the new place, but I don't think I was bitten before the move in. Strangely, I don't even know if the bedbug I squished bit me. The pest control person said the city has many infestations and could have come from public transportation.
My friend lives 6 hours away by bus and I don't know as many people there. It's also a cheaper area and I could move there. I could actually just get a ticket and leave today if everything else is irrational.
I am very tired and don't know what to think. The time at my friends impacted my mental health and I'm not sure I am seeing it rationally.
The problem is, if there's bed bugs and you go somewhere else, it's very likely they'll attach to your belonging and hitch a hike to your new place... Best would be have the landlord take care of the issue, it is their responsibility after all.
If the landlord doesn't cooperate, maybe you can tell them you'll call pest control yourself and deduct the amount from the rent you owe... no idea how well that would go legally speaking, but maybe it'll allow you some negotiating leverage. (obligatory IANAL)
If the landlord doesn't cooperate, maybe you can tell them you'll call pest control yourself and deduct the amount from the rent you owe... no idea how well that would go legally speaking, but maybe it'll allow you some negotiating leverage. (obligatory IANAL)
Not usually kosher. Withholding rent isn't typically. Many places have a Landlord/Tenant regulatory body. And in a situation like this, you would usually say to your landlord something along the lines of:
It's your responsibility as the landlord to deal with pests. Since you continue to refuse, I'm forced to go through XYZ Regulatory Board.
Start whatever system that regulator has to deal with landlords not keeping on top of their obligations. If paying for and withholding rent is what's allowed, it's better that you have contacted the organisation responsible for enforcement of rental laws. If just withholding rent is what's allowed, said organisation will often be a "neutral" 3rd party and hold the money due to the landlord in escrow until they do whatever they are supposed to.
Just withholding rent is grounds for eviction almost everywhere. Do not withhold rent as the first step.
If you withhold rent without going through the proper systems you will often get a "you were right, but you didn't do it right, so you still have to get out" from the regulator when they enforce what is actually a legal eviction.
If I stay, I won't withhold rent. I am only withholding rent if I am leaving, and then I can say I left because it's not habitable. These places are cheap and the legal costs of filing suit against me would not be worth recovery. They would keep my deposit and then I'd move on. It may be the rational thing to do, to just leave immediately.
The problem is, if there’s bed bugs and you go somewhere else, it’s very likely they’ll attach to your belonging and hitch a hike to your new place…
Except barely anything is here. I have some cheap clothes I could throw out, and air mattress and sheets and a pillow I can throw out. The only things I need is the work computer and electronics (can be bagged and frozen) and would need to use the work computer quickly. Is it worth it? I've heard getting rid of bed bugs is hell. Should I just cut my losses?
I speak from experience with them. You will bring them everywhere. They hide in everything they can. I went through two months of dealing with them and they are hell.
If someone came over knowing they had a bed bug problem and brought them into to my apartment, I’d make sure it came out of their pocket to fix it.
They can take weeks and multiple exterminator visits to fully get rid of them. Make the landlord fix it or find another place (and take precautions not to bring them to your next place!)
Yeah, if I were you I'd cut my losses and try to find another place. If you're lucky enough to know this place has bugs while very little of your stuff has been exposed, I'd get out before the problem has taken hold in your life.
That said, there are ways to deal with infestations. Likely if it's been a problem dating back years, there's some place they retreat to that kick starts the population each time they're exterminated. But in typical homes, steam treatments from professionals can eradicate the pests. Mark Rober made a pretty good video pushing back on some of the stigma:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JAOTJxYqh8
Good luck to you. I hope you end up in a good place after all this. Sucks to get this close to a stable living space only to be thwarted by invertebrates.
Bed bugs are good at hiding. If there's one, either it hitched a ride with you or someone else, or there's more hiding nearby. Look all around the mattress, sofas, etc. maybe ask the pest control guy for a thorough inspection.
As far as leaving... well, depends on your rental contract whether you're (legally) allowed to leave at a moment's notice. Also, once again, you'd still have to take a lot of care inspecting and/or sanitizing your belonging, or getting rid of them.
On the positive side, bed bugs are annoying but they don't transmit diseases like e.g. mosquitos or ticks.
Source:
The good news is you haven't brought all your things in yet. Don't bring anything else in until you've had some time to investigate.
One bed bug, like you've said, could come from anywhere. If this apartment is infested you will find so many more. Give it some time to make sure this is an infestation. Do you have bites? Are there other signs? Of course the landlord is ALWAYS going to say there aren't any bedbugs, of course they would. But give it some time, pay another month, see what happens.
If no more bedbugs show up, and you don't get bites, go ahead and move your stuff in. If it's infested, get out because they are SO hard to get rid of!
Bed bugs are BAD. Where was the bug when you found it? Was it on you, the floor, your stuff? Was it alive or dead? Could you stay there a few more days without bringing the rest of your stuff from your friend's place and see if more bugs appear?
Bed bugs spread quickly and can travel on you or your clothes and infest other locations. That being said, it may have just been one. Then again, if it came from the apartment next door, more will likely infiltrate your place. If they are coming from next door, it won't be enough to spray just your apartment, the entire building will need it.
Sorry for the difficult situation you're in, this is a tough call.
the bed bug was on my air mattress, on top of a target fitted sheet, below a larger target sheet used as a blanket. I saw it and squished it and blood came out. I don't remember if it moved but seemed alive.
I could stay a few more days to see how it goes without bring more stuff in. But I would then need to pay this month's rent or incur late fees and violate lease terms.
My stuff is all in a closet on shelves. The air mattress is on the ground. It could have come from another apartment. It may be that other residents know, but don't want fumigation, hence the strange bug traps in front of a door and the white anti-bed-bug stuff sprinkled in front of another door. It could be the bugs come from the street, I slept with a windows open.
My room is almost empty so far.
Man, that's tough. I dunno, I found a single, live bedbug in my apartment once on my computer desk. I killed it immediately and blood came out, but then I never saw another one again and lived there for 2 more years.
Since your money is tight, you might want to get out before you incur fees and owe rent. Did you get the place through an assistance program? If so, I would notify them about the bug as well.
It may be that other residents know, but don't want fumigation
They likely know and would prefer the landlord do anything possible. When someone brought them to my old building they did heat treatments, no fumigation.
Fuck, I'm getting chills just thinking about it. The treatments worked and I haven't lived there in years.
That's a really tough situation. I assume you've told your friend that you were staying with? Because tbh if it were me I'd make you strip down outside and put your clothes in a plastic bag before entering.
Also, hardly a consolation, but they seem to prefer some blood more than others. I was lucky to not be bitten much but my roommate was not. You may be lucky. But don't discount the mental toll. I think I may have a kind of PTSD from that experience.
Buy a bag of diatomaceous earth and a puffer and mask. Hit every seam in the baseboard and corners and every spot where your bed comes in contact with any other surface. They will die. Other treatments don't work
Check your lease and the laws of your area. Where I'm at, infestations are the landlord's responsibility unless that gets waived by the tenant as part of the lease. It might be different where you are. If you're in a building with multiple tenants, and you spray every room properly, it'll be real hard to get rid of them.
There are ways to test for it. If you have a bed frame, putting tape on the legs and bowls of water under the feet can catch them so you can make sure.
If you need to spray yourself, get the Ortho home defense max bedbug flea and tick killer. It's the one thing that I've find that really works, but you do have to follow the directions, including doing a second spray.
I am sure there is at least 1, there is no ambiguity. I squished it, blood came out, the pesticide person saw it, I took pictures, and I kept it in a bag after as evidence in case I leave. It is not similar to a bed bug, it is the exact shape when looking at it closely, confirmed by the exterminator person.
The exterminator also did not spray anything, just putting out glue traps. I don't know if this exterminator does bed bug treatments. The manager said they would speak with the owner and get back to me and they had to speak with them after seeing it. (The manager and exterminator both saw.) I didn't receive an email or put anything in writing yet because I felt it was more likely than not I would just leave and the email was going to be notice that I was leaving due to habitability issues, along with a bedbug picture and hadn't decided. Perhaps I should email them ASAP just to document it. I am just concerned once I email them they may respond with information about their attempts to resolve it and I may be better off just leaving immediately, claiming habitability problems from the outset.
Another option, if they are legally required to fix the bedbugs, is to start putting your rent in escrow. That might be a down the road option, but it's good to have in your back pocket.
I'm not an exterminator but traps don't do much imo
If you can, move. Wash all your belongings and directly put them in plastic bags.
I have had bedbugs (bought at second hand bed, yay) and while you probably won't wake up from being eaten on, my partner gets intense stress from just the thought of having bedbugs again. The knowledge that these little fuckers live in your bed and will come out to eat you at night is really unpleasant.
If you have to stay at the place, be prepared that you will be eaten on until they are gone depending on the treatment.
If the infestation isn't huge pest control will probably just sprinkle some silica powder around where they live (this is like glass making them cut themselves to bits when they walk out to feed) which means you will have to sleep in the bed and let them feed on you. If they don't detect a body they just stay put, and they can stay put for a year and a half. If you sleep on a couch they will just walk over there instead, spreading the infestation.Also they breed like hell so get pest control on that asap
Edit: oh and for god's sake do not bring more stuff there until it's gone.
Yep, it's later and I am tired and I am already feeling that psychological fear. It actually sucks. I know it's non-toxic. I am also itchy in places I know weren't bitten, just this weird somatic reaction. :-( This would be awful to endure for a long period of time.
But also, the bed bug was in my bed last night and I didn't feel bites. It may not like my blood?
Do they smell blood? Are they like sharks?
Not sure, but I think they might register heat and maybe CO² like mosquitoes do
Did the pest control person confirm it's a bedbug? I ask because I have a friend that was convinced he had them but he had carpet beetles. They were often misidentified on the old site with folks asking if they had bedbugs.
I'm not saying it's not a bedbug. Those things are horrendous and I'm no expert. I'm saying carpet beetle larvae can cause irritation and make you think you have bedbugs and their similar size gets them misidentified sometimes.
Whether they are or aren't, getting your landlord to get someone in to look is the right call.
Yes
I had these once. It was psychologically terrible. If you already struggle with sleep or mental health, you're going to have a very bad time living there while you treat the place.
I saw some good advice in the comments as far as diatomaceous earth and freezing. Make sure you look up the actual temps things will need to get to. I recall baking my clothing in my oven at 110 F, or something like that, before leaving the apartment every day so I wouldn't spread them. Ugh.
I ended up throwing out most of my stuff, bagging up anything I wanted to keep but didn't need to access for ~6 months (or whatever their lifespan is) into tightly tied garbage bags with diatomaceous earth inside, and for the remaining possessions, I heated them or sprayed the shit out of their cracks (like wood furniture) with bedbug spray.
Just assume your stuff is infested and treat anything that was in there with you. Don't fuck around. Go full nuclear on your shit after you move out. It's the only way you'll be able to sleep soundly for years.
Best of luck to you. I really hope your living situation gets better. I think I saw your fallback option was loud. I sleep with an earbud in whichever ear isn't smooshed into my pillow. I also recommend those white noise machines that have an actual fan inside (or just a loud-ass fan lol). Even if it doesn't drown out all the noise, it'll cut out a lot and it'll be easier for your brain to tune out stuff. Maybe that's something you can try.
No chance he'll ever get rid of them if he stays, the other people may not treat their portion and they'll be back.
There are also free apps and YouTube videos of sleep noise if you've got a speaker or earbuds to help drown it out. Can download the audio with youtubetomp3 searching and not use bandwidth repeatedly each time.
That's a great idea about the sleep noise and just getting a video thing to see if it helps.
If you went in the building they are on your stuff. Speaking from experience. I had to get heat fans and have my apartment covered in sprays and powders with the heat to get rid of them. It was so terrible it took months. If you go anywhere at this point they will just follow you.
I could throw out literally everything except the electronics and freeze those. None of my clothing is nice. I need new shoes. I can't believe it's actually impossible.
If this really is definitely this bad, I should leave prior to paying for another month, right?
Its not impossible. But let me tell you it is a load of stress and not fun at all. I covered everything, and eventually they just crawled to the walls where I hadn't sprayed or put powder. Absolutely horryfing and sometimes I still feel crawling on my skin.
It depends on your situation. I didnt abandon my apartment, and we actually got them all out after a month or so. But I couldn't go anywhere else. If you need this place, I'd get an exterminator. If you can kick it somewhere else and torch your stuff, I'd do that over staying. Since you said your finances are bad, both options are equally terrible for you. I'd math out whatever is cheapest for you and do that.
When pest control was there, presumably they also checked for other bed bugs? The gold standard is for them to come with a bug-sniffing dog. But they can also look for signs. When I worked at University as a facilities maintenance person, pest control sometimes had to check for bbs this way.
Good news is bbs don't transmit any disease. They don't live on you, and the bites aren't that bad. The gross part is if they lay eggs in your stuff or your home and they keep showing up.
So one option is to stay there and keep an eye out for any more for a week or however long, before you move your other stuff in. That way if there really are bed bugs, you have a smaller amount of stuff to wash in hot water.
If I were you, before I made any decisions I'd look up how to look for their common hiding places, and for to treat affected clothing / bedding just so you know what you are risking.
For what it's worth, once in my life, I saw a single adult bed bug crawling around and squished it. No one knew where it came from; we're pretty sure it was a bb, but it was the only one we ever saw. So it could have been a hitchhiker from the bus or something.
We looked all over for other bbs or other evidence and didn't find any. So that could have happened if you didn't see any other signs.
If I were you, before I made any decisions I’d look up how to look for their common hiding places, and for to treat affected clothing / bedding just so you know what you are risking.
There are many small rooms and they are locked. I can't go in any of them except mine or common areas. Many of the people seem like they have lots of stuff in the very small rooms.
For what it’s worth, once in my life, I saw a single adult bed bug crawling around and squished it. No one knew where it came from; we’re pretty sure it was a bb, but it was the only one we ever saw. So it could have been a hitchhiker from the bus or something.
it's possible, but also there are nearby rooms with bed bug traps by the doors. The manager said this was a precaution from problems three years ago but could be lying. I am dealing with asymetric information and don't know what is the truth. I am gullible and they could be lying.
It's true that you don't have all the information. It's also true that bedbugs tend to reside really close to where they feed. So you could check the hiding places within your own room. (Between carpet and wall, any cracks or crevices, etc.)
The manager could be lying or telling the truth. If they did have bbs three years ago, I'm glad that they still have the traps to keep them from coming back and spreading.
For sake of argument, let's say someone in another room does have bedbugs, but they're not in your room yet. I would be wary of spending time in the shared spaces.
Bedbugs are a pest -- Even high class hotels get them, and have to work to find and prevent them. Anywhere people come and go is at some risk of bedbugs. If you find some it's not the end of the world, but also not great. This new apt with the risk of bedbugs might be worth it, or it might not be, depending on your situation.
I did get bitten last night, but slept with the window open again. It could be a mosquito bite, but it feels like a bed bug bite. I should probably leave.
The exterminator put out glue traps for the bed bugs and I don't see anything in one. Another has tiny dots that look like lint and could be lint from my socks or pants, but may also not be.
Someone mentioned diatomous earth. Does that actually work? It seems like if it were just that easy, then bed bugs wouldn't be such a big problem. It would be easy to spread all over the floor in this room since so little stuff is here.
There is a built in closet/cabinet in the apartment. Although it's built into the unit, there is space behind the closet/cabinet and I can't see at all what is there. There's not an easy way to treat that area, it looks like.
This is really too bad. The rent is due today. I either pay it or leave and don't pay it.
I already feel like I got ripped-off from the deposit. If I don't pay the rent they will likely keep the deposit. This is a 1 year lease but since there's a wait to get, they will fill the room immediately if I leave. I'll just lose the deposit and the month's rent if I pay that. It's a lot to lose. I could also not pay today, violate the lease to see what tomorrow is like, and pay a late fee or penalty or leave prior to them initiating evictions. It seems unlikely they will persue legal action and I lose my deposit either way. It would buy me time if I am unsure. Possibly I am just in denial.
Yesterday I purchased new shoes, new socks, new pants, and new underwear. I put them in a plastic bag and tied it multiple times. I have two garbage bags also in a different plastic bag which I have food in. I briefly opened that bag when In tried to eat food, if it's a bad idea to use those bags now I can get more at the local store.
I could also go to the bank and return the cashier's check for this month's rent that I havent given them yet to try to get that money back.
I am still unsure about the wisdom of giving up a tenancy like this. There are 60-70 units in here. It took me 6 months of waiting to get off of a wait list and about 2-3 months of paperwork to get this approved because it's so affordable it's considered partly subsidized. I can also just be in a cheaper area and work remotely there, but I don't have a lot of job security, it could possibly be easier to work in this area if I lost my job. I have family who would probably help me slightly to prevent me from becoming homeless, so I am unlikely to become a long-term homeless person by leaving.
I could also do as the locals do, set up wood blocks in front of the door, sprinkle diamtomous clay all around, and get a bunk bed with bug traps underneath the legs and then put a desk underneath. The room is so small I was planning on doing that anyway.
But I also don't want to be spreading bed bugs to other people and worrying about doing that. It seems like it would be an awful way to live, to have to worry about that. I know people in this area, but I will be worried about seeing them if I am having occasional bites.
I shouldn't have slept with the window open. I did see a bug flying around when I first woke up, but also all the bugs I have seen flying since being around here were not mosquitos. It seems more likely than not a bed bug bite meaning there's more than 1.
The bite I got last night is hurting now. I scratched it and ripped off some of the skin and now it hurts more.
Edit: looks like it's two bites. I think I am going to just leave.
If you have access to a vacuum cleaner with a handheld attachment, use that to vacuum in every crevice, no matter how small. Vacuum the bed, the mattress, the walls, everything.
I actually don't. For better or worse, the bulk of my stuff is in boxes at my friend's place for now. I'd have to buy a new vacuum. I'm not sure it would matter, however. They put in a new floor before I arrived (it's actually beautiful flooring) and the place was mostly incredibly neat, aside from a small utensil for eating shoved against a closet crevice, which even a professional cleaner could have missed. I just don't believe they are coming from this room, although I don't know. It's part of why I am so concerned.
This is a very tough situation. I would leaveand freeze everythigng thtat was in this room for long. I guess if they put out traps they have bed bugs. A place with bed bugs will not give you any sleep. A friend of mine said it made her mad that they come at night when she sleeps and bite her. She couldnt Fall asleep anymore...
Have you tried a white noise generator for your sleeping issues? There are several early available, I happen to use TMSoft's White Noise. It has a lot of options for sound. I use a mix of pink noise for overall masking, heavy rain to make the pink noise more palatable than a plain hum, and an extreme thunderstorm - adding the extra thunder helps me sleep through bass sounds like vacuum cleaners and garbage trucks.
It's extremely loud noise, sometimes beeping, backing up noises, etc.
They have options to add in like birdsong and wind chimes to your personalized mix. The idea isn't necessarily to drown out the noise you're hearing, it's too make the noise more acceptable.
Like loud diesel trucks drive me nuts. But I toss on a thunderstorm, maybe a bit of purring cat, and I can ignore them.
Between getting less sleep, or getting less sleep with a side of PTSD, you're better off picking the former.
If they're infesting the place and can't be dealt with in a single attempt, you're not just going to be dealing with the bloodsucking pests. It would be dealing with the constant anxiety and stress of whether and when they're going to come back, and all the disruptions and extra work caused in the course of trying to kill them. And that's in addition to whatever annoyance and discomfort they cause while feeding on you.
For this post only, please upvote for stay in bed bug place for another month, down vote for leave in next 24 hours if you want.