Submitted by "Jon" on 03/12/2007

One of my neighbours complained she had bedbugs and was getting eaten alive. I thought she was nuts. I saw a brown beetle on my bed, but didn't know what it was.
I started getting a rash on my arms from elbow to wrist, but thought it must be my detergent or something. The bites appeared on my feet, ankles and legs and then in March I began waking up with more itchy bites and more beetles in my bed. Literally, inside it!
I flipped it over and was appalled to find many bedbugs (for now I had identified them on the internet) in the cloth of my box spring. I ripped off all the material, stuffing it into a garbage bag and taking it out to the dumpster. Using a small clothes steamer, I killed all the bugs I could see and vacuumed them up.
I then laundered all the bedding in hot water, drying in a dryer and encased my mattress and pillows in plastic covers. I'm still getting bitten and manage only 2-4 hours of sleep a night.
I discovered from another neighbour that apartments have been treated for this problem and saw a notice by the office door to register for the monthly pest control. I missed the March one. Any other pest spraying, like for ants, was manditory and all apartments were given a piece of paper.
So, until the first Wednesday in April, I guess I keep on vacuuming and steaming and laundering.