My cousin's child has bedbugs and she just slept over Sunday! What do I do?

[Twins2000]

Hi! I'm FREAKING out now! Should I get rid of my children's bed linens, pillows, etc? Should I call an exterminator? Does washing on hot and drying on high heat kill them and their eggs? HELP!!!

UPDATE: The exterminator just left and used about a gallon of the chemical spray on my twins' bedroom, plus the aerobed mattress (blown up outside of the house). Hopefully this was all overkill, as he didn't see any of the bugs themselves or any of their signs (blood stains, excrement, etc.). My father thought I was wasting money and should just wait, but I would have felt like I was waiting for a time bomb to go off (plus, why wait for my kids to possibly get bitten and possibly allow an infestation?)! My mom concurs with me. Now I need to continue with all the blasted laundry. NO MORE SLEEPOVERS!!!! You just never know!

[jayali]

i am not an expert, but my cousin just had them in her house. They had to wash and bag everything for 2 weeks and have the room/house treated twice. I would call an exterminator for advice, before you actually see them.

[happymom]

Yup call an exterminator. He should be able to check if you have them. If you do, you have quite a job ahead of you! So lets hope you dont. :praying: Good luck!

[Twins2000]

Thanks for the advice! I called an exterminator, and he's coming tomorrow morning to spray preventatively (the $375 sleepover). As it turns out, it is the same one who treated my cousin's house. I don't want to hear the word "sleepover" again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kbud]

Ok, don't bedbugs live in the mattresses not on people? People get bitten while sleeping in a bed with them but I didn't think they live on people like lice. If that's true then you should be fine. I might be wrong though. I found this:

"There are several means by which dwellings can become infested with bedbugs. People can often acquire bedbugs at hotels, motels, or bed-and-breakfasts, and bring them back to their homes in their luggage. They also can pick them up by inadvertently bringing infested furniture or used clothing to their household. If someone is in a place that is severely infested, bedbugs may actually crawl onto and be carried by people's clothing, although this is atypical behaviour — except in the case of severe infestations, bedbugs are not usually carried from place to place by people on clothing they are currently wearing. Bedbugs may travel between units in multi-unit dwellings, such as condominiums, dormitories and apartment buildings, after being originally brought into the building by one of the above routes. Bedbugs can also be transmitted via animal vectors including wild birds and household pets."

If it were me I wouldn't really worry about it.

[DrSally]

I would be worried too, but some consolation is the fact that I don't *think* they would travel on a person, maybe on their suitcase/duffle bag, but I don't think the actual person.

[TwinFoxes]

Ok, don't bedbugs live in the mattresses not on people? People get bitten while sleeping in a bed with them but I didn't think they live on people like lice. If that's true then you should be fine. I might be wrong though. I found this:

"There are several means by which dwellings can become infested with bedbugs. People can often acquire bedbugs at hotels, motels, or bed-and-breakfasts, and bring them back to their homes in their luggage.

But why couldn't the bedbugs have crawled into cousin's knapsack/backpack and traveled to OP's house? Like they would climb into luggage at a hotel and travel home? They are such a pain to get rid of, I think taking precautions is a good idea. Sucks though. :(

[Snow mom]

Bedbugs freak me out. I don't think they would come on your guest but they could have come in her stuff. That's how people bring home bed bugs after staying somewhere infested. The problem is that not everyone wakes up with the bites obvious so you can bring them home in your luggage without realizing the risk. It makes me think twice about traveling....