Worse than bedbugs

This is gonna be gross!

I hate pests. Silverfish was my intro into the pest business and next was cockroaches. I friggin hate those things! I have found bedbugs in my place and have been dealing with them (waiting to toss my mattress out) but this was unexpected.

Mites are little spider-like things that normally fly around outside. Bird mites are ones that attack mammals like birds and humans (when have to, to stay alive). These things swarm around your face since it is a source of carbon dioxide.

Bird mites.

These things are bad!! After a while, they started to swarm, and ended up in my mouth!! It made me gag and spit out heavy phlegm and sputum. These things were crawling in my nose and digging into my blood vessels, turning into eggs, and dying there. I could clear my nose out but in less than an hour it was as bad or worse than before. They were on my face turning the whole surface into dead skin, even after showing, that even if you cleaned it off it would be back. This was gross. But the crawling in the ear at 3 am was too much.

I saw them on Thursday in a swarm around me. I grabbed my kitchen torch and fried them with a butane jet!! It was like a bug zapper. And after forty-five minutes, I was able to sleep for a half hour or too.

I went to work with clean clothes on Friday. When I got there, I saw a few flying around. (I had not been to work in 30 days so they came with me). I did my thing and they did theirs! It was gross. I didn't even have a blow torch this time! So after watching them float around me, I did some googling and found out they are bird mites.

Bird mites!

Little (0.5 mm white bugs) arachnids that cannot fly but scissor kick and may as well fly. They are attracted to CO2 and land on your face. Then they either feed and leave or burrow in and lay eggs. Then you have a swarm of dust motes that attack you! And I don't know about anybody else but they pissed me off! I used a blowtorch to kill them on Thursday night. On Friday, I bought some industrial bug killer.

This stuff rules! I sprayed the couch and the ceiling above the couch. Things were falling out of the air!! A few more squirts in my small apartment, I got most everything covered. I was not "bugged" in the night when I slept. They are still around but not like they used to be!

Bedbugs are gross (and slow, use masking tape to pick them up and vacuum like there is no tomorrow), but these are worse. Washing your clothes and drying them does not kill them. They drift down like dust motes but land on your arm hair follicles and drill down towards the root then bite you. Then they jump boat (when they are young they seem to be more active). They jump around you from them on. If you are stupid enough to not bother with socks, then that thing that is super fast running across your foot is them carpet bombing you with pheromones and they will attack you later (usually at night). They had a orgy on Thursday night for whatever reason.

These things have been with me for a while (years). My face has splotches of dry skin islands that attests to this. But on Friday, my whole entire face was covered (even under my chin... all three of them!! Joking. Maybe two!!). And I saw them "flying" around.

I normally hate chemicals but I now swear by [deleted]!!!

You can get it Kroger's. It was the only thing that even mentioned fleas so I figured that it might be effective against mites (they fell out of the air!!!).

Fight them if you need too. Don't let the "masters" tell you what they think it is (without even listening to you). Kill them ASAP!



ETA: This is kind of a rant, but has anybody else run across these things?

a reply to: SgtHamsandwich

Not even close!

It involved more jumping, slapping, and swearing then that!!!

And from a grown man who has seen all the stuff before...

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Burn your house down along with all of your possessions.

Bathe in a tub of industrial insecticide.

Start life over.

a reply to: Liquesence

Yup. That is what one needs to do with bedbugs!

I am going to toss my mattress and boxspring when the construction ends. And the bird mites seems like a curse from a vengeful god. Bastird!!

They are not bad once you can confront them. If you can't, then, yeah, cut your ties and run, run, run.

Happy you got some pesticide it’s pretty much the only thing that works on swarming critters. I gotta ask how open is your dwelling to the outside elements? Maybe close the windows? During this time of year.

I’d get new furniture rip out ur carpet or have it thoroughly cleaned if you have any.


a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

It is called "Natrapel" and is meant for fleas but works on mites as well.

Thank gawd!

I slept for more than 12 hours last night instead of the 3 hours the night before. Seriously, your ear?!!

Bedbugs are slow. At least when they are old. And stay in a central location. But bird mites follow you and are really bad! I am fortunate that it was only as it warmed up that there was a mass attack. It could have happened at any earlier time but it this last week for whatever reason.

I have not seen any thing from the ceiling drift down on my arm like the previous days. I hope I have dodged a bullet!!

Beware of these things! And remember to vacuum!

a reply to: Athetos

Depends on how long I am going to stay! I may just have the perfect reason to leave!!

And yes, there are certain things you cannot save. They are being tossed.

If it was my place then I would call somebody to professionally clean this place but I am wondering if I am going to last the summer, so, thinking it is not really my problem if I am leaving! (Another story for another day
!)

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
All those bugs you describe are nasty pests,I particually hate roaches after waking up with one trying to eat my face-still got the scar,but they all pale into insignificance when compared to the vile life form known as taenia solium-or brain worm.

www.tandurust.com...

Thank the gods I am a vegetarian and will never be at risk of getting a brain worm infestation from eating undercooked pork.

Nothing is worse than Bedbugs.

They are smart little monsters,they will run home if you chase them remember that when you are looking for their nests.

Vasaline stops them from leaving rooms once you get them cornered.

Diamtaceous earth cuts them up and they dry up and die.

You need to run a line of vasaline around your ceiling and floors.

Keep them on the ground then ground and pound them into submission.

They can be beaten but its a lot of hard work.

I suggest full retreat.

Let time and nature kill them.Save yourself a year or more of misery.

Phuck I hate Bedbugs.

Naturally get rid of Bird mites

Grow a garden of peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, cedar wood, and lemongrass. You choice of plant. Highly recommend lavender for flower garden and peppermint for food source. Crush your own peppermint oil and spray it on your bed or buy some. Throw some Lavender leaves in your bathtub when bathing. I would not recommend Lemon grass. I tried lemongrass bath scent before it just makes your skin dry and doesn't seem to last as long as lavender plus it smells a lot more funny than lavender.

Look for Cedar wood furniture may also help with home invasion.

Oh my. Sorry you are subject to the predatory nature of nature! It sounds like a literal hell.

I'd suggest to be wary of pesticide, but sometimes a bad cure is a cure nonetheless.

Well, one good thing is I was motivated to vacuum for the first time in ... a while. I try to be paranoid about dropping food and leaving dirty dishes around, but while I live in a desert and such bugs aren't as common, they're not unknown.

I wish you pest free comfort.

On a side note, we have "normal" roaches here, but we also have two forms that are monsters... one to three inches. I was showering once and opened my eyes to an extra hefty one perched at the end of the shower head trying to bridge the small gap to my face ...and I screamed like a banshee and erupted out of the bathroom leaving the shower curtain and a gruesome yards long smear through my home.

I try to be patient and kind to all creatures ... but there are limits.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Ps:

This is not a good first date conversation.

Or even a 10th date.

Hell, it's not even "We were married for 5 years, been divorced 4, it's my weekend with the kids" kind of conversation.

Well that’s good you arnt staying there because at this point sleeping in a tent sounds like a attractive alternative.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Man, I must be fortunate, because even when I was at my lowest point sleeping in abandoned buildings and alleyways and eating food out of trashcans I never had to deal with anything other than the occassional rats, roaches, crickets, and spiders.

I didn't actually have any problems until I bought a house. Go figure. I had to deal with silverfish and centipedes. The damn things were everywhere. Did some searching and found out they like humid environments, so I had to start using the AC. After that they left. Ants were another issue. So I just went and bought some spray. Sprayed it around my foundation, and then sprayed around the trim along the bottom of all the walls, and inside the cabinets, and behind all of the kitchen appliances.

That did the trick.

I hope you find relief as soon as possible.

Also try some bug bombs.

Basically pack up all of your living beings throw a bug bomb in each room. Throw a few under your crawl soace or basement, and then a few in your vents and then stay the night somewhere else.

When you return home you'll see all manner of dead things. So vacuum and sweep, and change out your air filters.

Also, you might want to consider getting better window screens, and replacing any deteriorated window and door trims.

Sorry you'll, I was finally sleeping. It has been a sweet well since before I knew what these things were.

Seriously. These things were keeping me up all night and I had very little sleep. Christ, up my nose, and going in my ears! The stuff will drive you crazy! Thanks for all your well wishes!! You guys (and gals, and however we identify our sexuality now a days, are all awesome!!) are great!!

Anyway, a quick spray of this stuff above me and they are not crawling up my back. Or inn my mouth or nose or ears! Man, I slept for 9 hours straight today which is 6 hours less than yesterday! That is how bad they are. I didn't even know that I was missing that much sleep.

I guess the orgy is over. Add some chemical spray in there and I have been mite free since Friday. It has been glorious! Damn things, take my sleep time, my breathing, my snot,... you bastids!!

Anyway, more laundry, more vacuuming, more mopping, but I think everything is under control.

Never, ever, wish bird mites onto any person or home. This is the worst thing ever!

a reply to: Baddogma

I have been screaming like a 12 yer old girl with a ladybug on her since two weeks ago!!!

I am not proud about my manhood! Or my 12 year old girlhood for that matter!! Hehehe

No. Bedbugs are gross enough but add mites on top of that... welp, I don't feel so lucky (I know it was my bastid manager who flicked his hair on me last year around June to infect me on purpose. Bastid has been checking LinkedIn to see what is up with me... f## head).

I don't know why I am either loved or extremely hated but that seems the choice!

Thanks for not hating me!

... snug as a bug in the rug in the bed... TEOT!!

Gawd, I didn't even realize how tired I was!

On Friday into Saturday, slept at least 10 hours. On Saturday into Sunday, slept until about 4 am (good time to go critter hunting! No more small bed bugs on my person! YAY!!) then off and on until 1 pm. I then crashed until 8:30 pm, woke up and watched TV (missed the Simpsons, d'oh!) and went back to sleep just after 10 pm and slept until 7:30 am.

I didn't comprehend how messed up my amount was until this weekend.

Not certain what happened. Maybe it was one, large, all out attack which I survived, but after spraying just my couch and ceiling, haven't seen one floating around or bugging me! Weird week from h3ll. Glad I made it through!!

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Wow! To have been thru bed bugs and now this? No way I'd stillbe living in the same place. Kudos to you for sticking it out and fighting the fight. Worst I've ever dealt with is ants. That 1-2x/year perimeter spray does the trick.

I always figured if we ever got bed bugs, I'd make sure to keep my backup hard drives up to date and in the fire proof safe, then just start being careless with candles and oil lamps, maybe get some of those space heaters on the floor near the curtains, hoping to accidentally burn my house down. I wouldn't want to commit arson, but I figure purposefully being stupid with fire hazards can't be a crime if just actually being stupid isn't, right? So yeah, that's my exit plan for such a scenario.

To be clear, I am NOT advocating arson, just saying, maybe be a bit less careful with sterno cups.

ETA: WAIT A MINUTE!!! Did your ATS name always end in AIFF?!" I never noticed it before - I had to check history to see of it was "really you", because I thought maybe it was a doppelganger trying to pose as you. Maybe its me having always filled in the blank woth the acronym we all know and love and ignoring the rest LOL. Sorry to go tangent, but this just totally struck me...I might be turning into a Mandela-orian!!