
Can you pick a bedbug out of a lineup? - bookofjoe
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/16/science/bedbugs-hotels.html
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ratsimihah
When you've lived and single-handedly fought an infestation, you never forget
what a bedbug looks like. It's mentally exhausting, because they're
EVERYWHERE.

I remember sticking one on my wall as a battle trophy.

~~~
wickawic
I found bedbugs to be more mentally exhausting than anything. I have never
felt more sure that I might have a mental breakdown than when I had bedbugs.
They are almost impossible to find, they invade your personal space only when
you are asleep, and they are very difficult to get rid of. It made me feel
unsafe in my own apartment.

~~~
HiroshiSan
True psychological warfare. Having to go to sleep knowing you will wake up
with bites that came from insects crawling on you is very unsettling.

~~~
ratsimihah
Exactly, and getting woken up from tickling every hour, so sleep deprivation
probably doesn't help with the mental breakdown. And freaking out every time
you see or think that you see a tiny thing moving towards you.

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acidburnNSA
Does anyone know of there's truth to the Rachel Carson/DDT-ban side of the
bedbug story? It goes like this: DDT is extremely effective against bedbugs.
Just smear a little around your bed and the bed is protected for decades.
People did this and that's why we all grew up hearing but not understanding
"don't let the bedbugs bite". But we were going nuts with DDT, spraying it
into trees up and down every road, killing birds and causing other problems.
Rather than a measured response like stopping widespread spraying, we banned
DDT outright. Now we have bedbugs.

It just sounds like bedbugs are so horrible that some dabs of DDT might be
appropriate. Is that way off base?

~~~
supernumerary
Permethrin is actually a more appropriate pesticide for bedbugs but
unfortunately they are mostly resistant in the US at least. I have found
literally 'baking' a room to 120F + for 30+ mins is the most effective way to
eradicate bedbugs. Amazon search (360 propane heater), and don't die of CO
poisoning or burn your place down. For a more tempered approach, you can try
setting up 'safe zones' with boundaries of double-sided sticky tape, smeared
vaseline, or diatomaceous earth. (you can kinda tell they've co-evolved with
us ey!).

~~~
mythrwy
I haven't had a problem with bedbugs but bought a powerful ozone generator a
few years ago. It seems to help with dust mites, oder and generally sanitize.
It's run a couple of times a month while at work. My understanding is these
can kill bedbugs if you get the concentration up high enough. Be careful,
especially in an apartment. Ozone can be hazardous. It degraded back into
breathable oxygen pretty quickly but you don't want to stay in the room with
it or have it bleed over to the neighbors and damage their lungs or anything.

[https://www.amazon.com/Mammoth-Commerical-Industrial-Air-
Deo...](https://www.amazon.com/Mammoth-Commerical-Industrial-Air-
Deodorizer/dp/B06WLNVN4V/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_201_tr_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AB6H5F3XDMDT56M0PRGR)

~~~
supernumerary
Interesting:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22566141](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22566141)

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unicornporn
> Congratulations! Few people have as much acumen at spotting bedbugs as you.
> Have you been hanging around with entomologists or a bedbug-sniffing dog?

No, I've just traveled SE Asia for months. You learn to inspect your mattress
when arriving. If they've not yet reached the crevices in the mattress, you
can at least pray that they're not everywhere else in the room.

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ohiovr
It was early in the morning and I thought the title said to pick out the
ladybug and i still got it right.

~~~
ratsimihah
There's a fine line between positive and false positive.

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coconut_crab
Bedbug is nothing compared to this one:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triatominae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triatominae)
They can be few cm long, will suck blood from your lips and excrete nasty
odour when squashed. Oh and they spread Chagas disease too.

~~~
ratsimihah
How am I going to sleep ever again?

~~~
jameskraus
They don't effect people who live in modern houses and they don't (typically)
carry Chagas in the US.

~~~
ratsimihah
It's not the Chagas that's scaring me, it's the idea of a spider-like insect
sucking off blood from my lips. Can you imagine the feeling?

Although I guess Chagas would have more damaging consequences.

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TheAceOfHearts
This is a bit of a PSA but...

If you're worried you have bed bugs but you're unable to catch them, I
strongly suggest going to see a doctor in order to confirm the bug bites are
actually caused by bugs. It's possible you could be suffering from a variation
of delusional parasitosis [0], causing you to heavily scratch your skin and
making you think you're under assault by bugs or parasites. Mental health
issues are an incredibly serious matter. Despite considering myself a rational
person, I had some issues relating to this and was unable to find my way out
of it until I saw a doctor. I'd never wish that kind of experience on even my
worst of enemies.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusional_parasitosis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusional_parasitosis)

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technofiend
Bedbugs are an argument for extending nuclear options to exterminators... just
surround the building with some lead-backed trays filled with cobalt-60 or
something and irradiate the entire building.

~~~
JBReefer
Honestly, why don't we do that? Seems easier on everything than huge amounts
of airborne poison, and radiation will _certainly_ kill anything in high
enough doses.

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Scarblac
I've never seen a bedbug, but the first is an ant, the second probably some
type of wasp, the third a louse, don't know the fourth, and the fifth is a
tick. So that left only one choice.

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hguhghuff
Surely if you AirBNB your home you've got a good chance of getting bed bugs?

~~~
goldenkey
That's why you rent an apartment out and rub your hands like a good schemer.
/s

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fouc
Back in 2013, I was broke and job hunting in Vancouver, BC. I discovered a
hostel that apparently hadn't updated its prices in 10+ years. There was a
really good deal for weekly dormitory. So I committed to 2 weeks. Whoops!

I quickly discovered that bed bug bites are harder to ignore than mosquito
bites. They're significantly itchier and can last a week or so.

I was spending most of my days in a cafe nearby with my laptop. I got to
talking to one guy that was also a regular, he went through a few different
used laptops and was setting up linux and playing with it. He turned out to be
staying at homeless shelters. I momentarily felt envious, because he told me
there no bed bugs at his shelter.

------
latortuga
Fun story, my wife and I had bat bugs at an apartment several years ago - they
look identical the naked eye and the panic that sets in when you see them is
real! An entomologist or even just someone who knows what they're looking for
with a microscope can accurately identify them separately from bed bugs by the
tiny hairs on their thorax. Luckily bat bugs aren't NEARLY the pest that bed
bugs are - they really only like to eat bat blood and typically only show up
when there are bats around, finding their way haphazardly toward anything else
when bats are unavailable for food.

This also means that I'm acutely aware that number 4 was the right answer.

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bfuller
When I had beg bugs I started having night terrors and anxiety during the day.
It was horrible. I can always recognized their heart shaped bodies.

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lsh
here is a comforting article I read about bedbugs when I had my own case:
[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/09/bed-
bug...](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/09/bed-bug-
extermination)

    
    
        "Don't sit down on public transport."

------
hguhghuff
I feel like I'm getting the occasional bedbug bite at home but haven't been
able to spot any yet to prove it.

The bites are itchy but not like mosquito bites.

~~~
koolba
Bed bugs tend to bite multiple times, usually in a straight line. If they’re
one off bites then it’s likely not bed bugs.

~~~
gk1
They only bite in straight lines ones they’ve grown large enough. If they’re
still small, then one-off bites are possible. A better tell is the bite
location; they like warm, moist areas like around the waist and armpit area.

~~~
ashelmire
This is incorrect information. Bed bugs tend to bite center mass, neck, arms,
and hands. You can confirm this with a google search.

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dbomhof
Just reading these comments I'm starting to notice multiple linear marks on my
legs, arms, neck. I'm itching all over. This is horrible!

