So it's been hard enough lately finishing my MSc dissertation while working full-time.

And now it seems we have bedbugs! They don't seem to be in my room, but in my flatmate's room, but we're having both rooms treated tomorrow as a precaution. The exterminators have to come out several times to deal with it, but the whole thing is loads of upheaval. I just hope they are exterminated quickly, but sounds like there's an epidemic at the mo if you Google it.

I am trying to keep calm and get on with my work, but even tomorrow's fumigation means another day of dissertation work lost.

A) Ugh :-(
B) Grrrrr :-s

*itches*.....*scratches*

ewwww.

My dad says they're little B******s and live in the seams of your jeans etc. so its worth hot washing all your clothes. He said if we ever get them, then put the feet of your bed in trays of parrafin or petrol (can't remember) - obviously only works if you have a wooden bed I think because the stuff seeps in???

My cat had lice recently (even after frontline, but vet said 'oh it doesn't always work' so have advocated them (advocate is a product) - stupid expenisve useless frontline), the vet said they're species specific, but I went mental around the house - I've washed EVERYTHING that can be washed and hoovered about 20 times in a week.

ah, apparently they die on contact with parraffin, not petrol. (up)

I've never had bedbugs but I sympathise - it's my worst nightmare. I've had fleas before and that drove me mad, but bedbugs are incredibly difficult to get rid of. Washing absolutely everything (clothes, towels, teddies etc) whilst trying to finish work would just be awful, but I would find it absolutely necessary.

Thanks for your support, Sneaks!

The exterminators have said that as a start we need to hoover, wash all bedclothes at 50 degrees, and shake out anything e.g. books that have been on the floor near the bed and put it all in black binliners. Oh and I have to destroy all the cardboard storage boxes that were under my bed. So as a first pass it's just a matter of dealing with stuff that has touched the bed. But it's a frigging nightmare.

But it seems they are really prevalent right now (mainly due to warm winters and international travel), so I suppose we can't be the only ones... they can happily travel on public transport. Honestly, for all those of an OCD persuasion (I'm not one) it's vindication of all those slightly odd habits.

Must try to emotionally dissociate and continue with my work!

I hadn't hoovered in 18 months (no joke) before the lice thing.
Although I asked hubs to hoover and he just chucked out all the carpet, so we now have floor boards.

I would worry about bedbugs, but we didn't have a boiler this winter - during the coldest winter in 30 years or whatever, it was cold enough to wipe out anything in our house!

Not hoovering in 18 months! I quite admire that, speaking as a slight sloven myself. Wish we had floorboards, but it's rented and we've got carpets. I also wish it were much cooler. I can't bear too much heat, as it does encourage creepy-crawlies, but my flatmate loves a warm environment. I grew up in a less-than-immaculate house but never experienced vermin of any sort. In this flat I have developed good cleaning habits and despite that we have had bedbugs, moths, roaches and mice. Bloody climate change. Oh, and we do live above shops.

The only thing one can do in a crisis at dissertation time is to stay in the moment rather than ruminating or stressing, concentrate on the work as one is doing it, deal with the problem at hand and try to stay calm. Am a notorious insomniac though, so hope all this doesn't stop me sleeping. I must stay calm. Erk.

Anyway, that's my 5-min break gone. Onwards with the work.

wow, my dad would say use wire wool to block up holes to stop mice. Don't know how to stop anything else!

There is a big hole in the wall in the bathroom. A toddler could get through it, never mind a mouse. Think I will endeavour to move house in the next 6 months. There are various reasons to do so, and this can be the catalyst.

My advice on how to get rid of bedbugs.
1. Get drunk
2. Kill every bedbug that you can find with a pen
3. Move out.
3.1 When you move out leave your bedclothes and anything you suspect of harbouring the little bastards behind
3.2 Wash all of your clothes (making sure no dirty clothes come into contact with clean) and keep these in plastic bin liners for a couple of weeks
3.3 Leave behind two things for the exterminators: a crushed bedbug nest (to show them that, despite what they said on their last visit, they were wrong) and a sign saying "Actually fucking sort it out this time."
4. Buy new clothes, new bedclothes, insecticide and a bottle of whiskey.
4.1 Check assiduously for bedbugs and signs of bedbugs over the next few weeks, give it an insecticide spray if you're not sure and keep your room super tidy.
5. Open the bottle of whiskey after two months of being bedbug-free in your new place and show fake regret of the bedbug-genocide that you are responsible for

Worked for me!
You may not need to be as extreme as this, but it was a reoccuring problem with me.........little blood-sucking bastards.

======= Date Modified 04 Sep 2010 23:03:17 =======
Ogriv...I too have had bedbugs

http://www.postgraduateforum.com/threadViewer.aspx?TID=4413

In the end, after several fumigations, I had to move.

You MUST wash all your clothes and textiles on a high temp and then dry them. Then tie them up in bin bags secure from air for a few days. Also, I purchased bed bug spray and sprayed all the books and items in my room (they can hide in the spine of books). It is the frame of your bed and mattress that need close attention - REALLY MAKE SURE. A new mattress might be prudent. Put a dustproof cover on it to prevent re-colonisation. Spray them. Take the bedframe apart and spray every joint. Seriously, they are persistant. The bedbugs in our bedroom meant that I slep downstairs with the (then) boyfriend for about a month on a sofabed. We broke up shortly after. They were horrible. And only wanted my blood not his!

Full sympathy!

Bleebles, Slizor, Chrisrolinski and Sneaks - you are all so kind! Hopefully this is just a small infestation as it seems to be just one bed that's affected. My day job is working with people who live in hostels so it's conceivable I could have picked it up from them. There are apparently 'corridors' of bedbugs in London leading from Gatwick and Heathrow airports into the centre. Also a lot between Elephant & Castle and Lewisham, I understand.

Right, two hours of work ahoy! before the great Fumigation Preparation.