Thrifting/Garage Sales & Bed Bugs

[Sarahlacewing]

I thought that bed bugs were big? Or am I wrong?

They are quite large, large enough to see with the naked eye. You will definitely know if you have them. At first you might just have one or two and notice bites but once you get a few more you'll see them.  The problem is getting rid of them. They can really damage furniture before you even realize it. And not just the stuffing but wood also. They are terrible little insects. Extreme heat kills them. (so if you keep your stuff in a storage facility that isn't climate controlled you are still probably ok because the extreme heat should kill them. I think extreme cold only makes them go dormant I don't think it actually kills them. I often worry about fleas and lice more than bed bugs since they are much smaller and harder to see. I'm no expert or anything so I could be wrong. I worked at goodwill for 4 years round about and in that time we had no outbreaks. However, we don't accept mattresses so that could have a lot to do with it.

Itchy now as well. Lol.

[kaoskat]

Oh geez. Why did I come into this thread this morning? This is not something I wanted to start stressing over again. You be able to see the bed bugs on the pony. Clean the insides out as soon as you get home and I wouldn't think you'd have a problem. As someone else has said, walking around an infested place is more risky than buying a pony there.

[zabe77]

I think they stick to fabric... It's heat that kills them as mentioned, so it's the dryer that will do that... Sadly my tip comes from my sil who found out the hard way!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Ehhhhh...  they share the planet with us.  They happen to find our indoor structures very useful!  So we must make the enviroment unpleasant to things we don't want sharing our space.. like the buggies! 

The only thing that really kills them is extreme heat to the big nasties you see, and everything fabric must be exposed to high temperatures for at least 3 hours to kill all the  eggs they just laid. 

Oh now you are all making me remember that we pranked a co-worker once by printing off 75 million little bedbug pictures, cut them up like confetti and filled the office with them... like uh... confetti.  It was truly truly awesome because everyone kept picking little paper bugs off themselves and screaming. 

[Eluluu]

Lol Squirmy

[SunSnail]

    When they're adult-sized and engorged, they're easy to see. But, like most creatures, they start out tiny and can still travel home with you. So can the eggs. That's something I didn't really think about until seeing a terrifying TV show about them! Naturally, I suppose, since not many people Want to think about it enough to figure out the yucky details of this horror!!

     The adults are more of a risk since the females lay eggs very frequently. But, if multiple tiny ones follow you home, they can end up breeding. I've read that a lot of people have some around the house-- particularly since they can live for up to 2 years or so without feeding-- but not enough that they end up getting together to breed; keeping things clean, especially bedding and furniture, is the best way to avoid any who do make it into your house from starting a whole community. Icky!!

    I encourage-- although not before bed  -- anyone who hasn't to do a little research on them and then also tell nearby family and friends to further decrease your risk. Those of us who are actively collecting end up with stuff from all over that we certainly don't want to end up throwing out because of an infestation; I feel like we need to be extra-cautious. Can you imagine if anyone who does a lot of selling or trading had an infestation and a bunch of people ended up with them?? What a nightmare!!! 

    I've read that, on very warm days, the heat that builds up in a vehicle is enough to kill them; I don't think I'd want to leave ponies in there for too long, but I'd do that with most plush toys, for example. Just put them in a sealed plastic bag right after purchase and leave them in there for a while, then proceed with the official methods of prevention.

    I'm a little irrationally terrified of the nasty things, obviously. But it is a genuine risk that's worth being reasonably cautious about. An exterminator at a relative's workplace gave a presentation on the risk and prevention of them, and he said that he does not go to movie theaters. Ever. Sooo now I don't want to, either  I mean, if this guy isn't confident that he can check himself over and get rid of them before getting in his car... who can be?

     I've become super-disinterested in garage sales and thrift shops. I still go, occasionally, but I lift up fewer things and try not to hold them against my clothing.  I always remind my family and friends to check when they go to motels or hotels-- but most of them don't take it seriously. It's an easy thing to at least check the mattress and rest of the bed.

     It's one of those statistical things, in my thinking: it's not terribly likely to happen to you, but the more risk you put yourself at, the more likely you are to eventually end up with a problem. When a home has a  bad enough case of it, exterminators say they really have to get rid of anything that's difficult to clean, such as books and furniture, or the infestation can go on for Years as repeated extermination attempts can make the icky bugs resistant to the toxin and even harder to get rid of!!

[zabe77]

SunSnail, it's a good think to be a bit weary of, for sure! My SIL had to throw out two mattresses and their carpet in one room. Bedbugs are HARD to kill if then get in to those things. She was told she was lucky that's all she had to do, they are notorious for being hard to kill, last summer there was a big outbreak in my community and they ran it on the news for several nights... luckily we didn't get any at my place. Most of my house is carpet, while just her bedrooms have carpet.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Yeah.... every hotel I stay at, I immediately pull all the bed linens straight off and take a peek.  This way I also discover if the sheets are stained or not... ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww. 

[gemini_pony]

The bedbugs or nasties you would bring home from the garage sale would be from walking around the house/property and on your clothes and your hair, far far less likely would be from the items you are buying. 

OMG ;_; now I'm even more paranoid....*itches leg*