Bed Bugs In Our Truck and Apartment

by Cher
(Alberta, Canada)

I can't tell you how horrific it was. For about 4 months after our next door neighbor infested our apartment building with bed bugs. Our home was right next to his with a shared living room wall and heating pipe along the balcony wall.

My husband and I are truck drivers and we leave for 2 weeks at a time.floor. We put all our things to take to the truck on the floor by the door (big mistake). We came home for 3 days and after getting back to work I found what I assumed were mosquito bites, very intensely itchy. Then about 4 days later a couple of more bites.

I thought it was mosquitoes because we have 2 small dogs that we walk, and so being outside alot it made sense. I really did not want to go out any more because of the bites.

After 2 weeks we headed back home from being out on the truck. Then the next day I found a few little bugs crawling on the couch towards me. I asked my husband what they were and he did not know so we went to bed. The next morning I was itchy again with more bites. I was so naive thinking it was mosquitoes.

As I got out of bed I saw 2 small bugs along the sheet seam. I put them in a baggie and took them to the manager of the building to see if she knew what they were. She said she did not know (liar) and said that a big guy from a larger city would be here later and I could ask him. I got on the Internet and looked up bugs and guess what. Bed bugs! I was so horrified and not knowing how we got them, and then getting bit in our truck. I was sure I would go crazy, really or a nervous breakdown.

It is so mentally horrified thinking of things crawling on you when you are asleep, luckily we found only 1 more and a very small one in our bedroom. They were mostly in the living room after we cleaned everywhere like a tornado and sealed the water pipe. We put tape along the baseboard as well.

The bug guy came and sprayed that day after our cleanup, suggesting we get box spring and mattress covers, which we got. Our great health inspector told us to use 2 sided tape for ll the legs of the furniture and also sticky mouse traps. He sprayed 3 more times and no more bed bugs. In the truck we turned the heater on and it got to 170F and it has been 3 months with no more bed bugs.

Editor Comment

Hi Cher,

Thank you for sharing your story. As you point out, in an apartment building it is important that all units, next to, under and directly over yours be inspected for bed bugs. Research shows that there is a 20% chance that bed bugs will move from one apartment to the next.

You also point out that bedbugs are great hitchhikers. It didn't take much for them to travel from your luggage carried out to the truck, to being in the truck. You also point out that bed bugs can be killed with heat at sustained levels of about 114F. Temperatures that are even higher are necessary to penetrate any cracks and crevices where they might be hiding.

I'm glad you got the professional bed bug treatment you need to rid yourself of this infestation. Others will read your post and learn from this experience.

Best,

Jeff