tes, so I just figured it was an overreaction to the bites. However, the bites were lasting three times as long as mosquito/spider bites and they were three times itchier as well.

I also noticed there were no mosquitoes visible where ever I went during that time. After living in the Midwest and down south in Louisiana, Colorado has little to no problems in comparison.

I was at work joking about "Colorado's ninja mosquitoes" and how they were out to get me in my epic battle of fighting phantom bloodsuckers. My friend was like, "I bet you have bed bugs."

Freaking out, I went home after work and lifted up my mattress and saw a single bastard scurrying on the box spring, trying to get away from me and the light that suddenly protruded his lovely dark hiding space.

The property manager told me upon moving in: if you ever find one, catch it and show us as proof and we'll set up for Terminex to come spray.

So I ran and grabbed a tissue and went to pick it up and accidentally squashed the poor soul. I figured a squashed one wasn't proof enough. I ran downstairs and turned the sucker in. They told me they couldn't identify a demolished bug. I couldn't blame them; they weren't entomologists equipped to do so. She did tell me to try to catch a live one and in the meantime to bag up all my cloth-like materials, vacuum and dump it immediately.

In utter despair, I opted out of dealing with anything right at that moment and hit the nearest bar. It was the first time something made me that depressed causing me to actually want to get drunk in order to avoid having to deal with it. So drunk I did get. I came home at 2am and instantly got on the internet, as most drunk people do. I started YouTubing videos and researching Wikipedia. I read countless articles and testimonies all verifying the information given to me by my property manager.

Too much to deal with that night, being drunk and all - I decided (in a very melodramatic fashion) to strip down to my panties and lie naked on my bed in efforts to coax as many of those bastards out and then wreak my own personal vendetta all over their nasty little blood sucking army. I read that they are 80% more likely to come out during twilight (the hour or two before dawn) ... the irony kills me to this day. By the time I had chosen to sacrifice my naked flesh to bloodsuckers it was 3am. I set my alarm for 3:45am - just in case my drunk ass fell asleep...which it did.

To my surprise, I shot up out of a deep drunken sleep for no apparent reason, 15 minutes before the alarm was to go off. I turned my head to the right - lo and behold - there was another single bug, coming for me!!! I couldn't believe it. I bagged that bastard up, sealed it tight and threw its ass in the freezer. I couldn't fall back asleep in that bed after confirming they were in deed, some where in my room. So I ran to the living room and slept on the floor.

The next morning I had to go to work but when I got home, I turned in the bug and they scheduled the Terminex crew to come that following Monday. I bagged all dirty clothing items and wash them in hot water and blast them with the highest heat possible in the dryer. If the clothing was clean, drying it on high would suffice. Smaller items could be bagged and placed in the freezer. I had to pull all the sheets and covers off and do the same to them as well as the pillows ... which I said fuck it and threw them away. I threw away the bed skirt because it was covered in poo spots and I didn't even want to deal with it.

Thank god my kids were out of town visiting their father's family in Louisiana. It was easier to bag up all their items and clear out their rooms.

I then had to check sockets, mirrors, frames, baseboards and the bed frames for signs of them. One trick I used was to place duct tape sticky side up along the mattress seams and the baseboards - in hopes of catching them. I even borrowed my sister's heating pad she used for her dog when it was a pup. I wouldn't tell her what it was for at first so she refused to let me use it, she thought I wanted to use it for something sexual and weird. I then admitted it was for bed bugs and she was like, "Oh, okay." Like that's not weird and gross!?

I taped the pad to the middle of my bed and set it at human temp and then outlined it with duct tape (sticky side up).

After I did all that, there were no other bugs to be found come Monday. The Terminex dude sprayed all my mattresses and my couches. I even ripped open the box spring from beneath and the he didn't see any signs of the bugs. he scheduled a follow up two weeks after that date. Meanwhile, I was sleeping on the living room floor with one blanket and no pillows. My bites had all gone away and I wasn't getting bit any more.

I also read that the bites may not show up until 5-9 days after the actual bite. So doing the math, I figured if only two bugs made it into my apt. and I only had a total of 20 bites and they bite in threes (each), I was probably in the clear. After the second wave of chemicals and intensive searching, nothing was still found. It was hard to believe there were only two bugs in my apartment.

The kids came home mid-July and my son was getting bit (even though his room was treated). He had two bites within a few inches of each other. My girls (who share a room) were fine. I was fine. I thought maybe I was just freaking out and he did just get back from the South.

One night I was reading to him in his bed and out of the corner of my eye, there it was. A little bed bug crawling across his head board. He reached over and smashed it. I checked his bed and couldn't find anything. I let a couple weeks go by to see if he'd get bit again and he didn't. I let a few more weeks go by and nothing came up.

After I hit my one year mark in that apartment, I moved out. I threw away my couches and got rid of a bunch of clothes we don't even wear that much. I've been in my new place for about four months now and my youngest daughter just recently had bites on her arms, but they didn't last that long. My son gets a few bites every now and then, but I haven't found anything. I may call just to be safe. The longer I wait, the more likely it will get worse if it is bed bugs. I checked the registry and the problem isn't as bad as it was in my old neighborhood.

I do see spiders every now and then.

I will keep the public updated and definitely notify the registry if we get them again.

I just recently found out about this site. It's brilliant.

Well, good luck friends!