I was putting the finishing touches on preparing for “the big day”, when the rod I had carefully been placing my clothing after it came out of the dryer bent under the weight of the clothing. I tried to spread it out evenly, but I guess the weight of this project had gotten to the rod, just like it was trying to get to me. Could I keep my peace till tomorrow,” I wondered, as my husband came to my rescue to help pick up my heap of clothing. They used to hang so nicely in my closet, matched, clean, and ready to wear. Now… well, at least I had followed instructions and should never have to do this again unless…..

It all started about 3 months ago. My husband and I began waking up with several new bites per night. Often, they were in clusters, but sometimes here and there. My husband claimed they were chiggers. He thought he was getting them from working out in the yard. But, chigger bites, I argued, are different. The bites continued and new ones only seemed to appear in the morning.

I mentioned to a friend about the rash I always seemed to have and she asked me a few questions. Bed bugs? Could it be? Where did we get them? The internet research began. Our startling findings showed these pesky, persistent critters were almost eradicated in the 1920’s because the chemical DDT was used to kill them. Then laws passed to no longer allow the use of pesticides containing DDT. Recently, within the past decade, these varmints have invaded bedrooms with a vengeance. People travel more, and so do the bed bugs. They could be your companions for the rest of your life if you don’t Aggressively treat them.

We read articles; read horror stories of other home invasions. We got bids from exterminators, and their treatment options varied. We heard more stories… They live in library books, too? Someone has them in their home and comes to work at a nursing home as a care giver.. He or she is around a patient in bed and… you guessed it. That house can also be a hiding place for those insidious little demons. They seem to come out between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. and they are drawn to the sleeping person because of the carbon dioxide they breathe. They attach themselves to the box spring and live in the mattress. They also crawl along the bed frame, and sometimes even up the bedroom wall. If you move to another room, because of the bites… they are your travelling companion. Wherever you sleep, they find you. They are no respecter of persons, and it matters not to them whether they reside in the poorest of poor dwellings, or in a million dollar mansion. We think ours might have come in a basket of Braille books given to me when someone moved. Or, my husband could have unknowingly taken one or more of them home with him from the homeless shelter where he works.

Wherever they came from… Tomorrow is our Big Day. Since we caught the infestation early, we are having one room treated, and the whole house treated around the base boards. We have to leave for 24 hours. During that time they will heat our bedroom to 140 degrees. They will do whatever other things they do and prayerfully the bugs will flee… for good.

We’ll keep you posted. We’ll also offer you some other tips, insights and great web sites to browse, about these invaders so you, too, can be on the look out.

**Feel free to share our story with friends, especially if you suspect they are sheltering bed bugs unaware.

You wouldn’t want them to share them with others—now would you?