bedbugs, mother fvck!

I went to New York back in December with my girlfriend. We stayed at a friend's place - I didn't want to sleep in his bed and kick him out of his room, so I bought him an air mattress and brought it on the plane with me.

After the first night, my girlfriend said she was itchy, but I thought nothing of it. We came back, and she was still itchy. She threw out her skin lotions. Didn't help. Then she thought it was nerves over a job interview. Got the job, still itchy. Then I started getting itchy.

But we went away on vacation for a week and everything subsided. Then we came back and we were itchy again. We washed all the blankets, sheets, everything, and things seemed to get better for a while. Then everything came back.

Turns out - we brought bedbugs back from New York! There is a complete epidemic of bedbugs there, affecting not homeless shelters but co-ops and condos in the city's best neighborhoods:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/opinion/nyregionopinions/04CIfriedman.html">

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/realestate/15cov.html?ex=1170997200&en=4578af7fbbe7efa6&ei=5070">

Now I know New York has bugs - cockroaches everywhere - but bedbugs? Apparently as recently as 2000, there were no complaints of bedbugs there. But supposedly the DDT we sprayed on them for 30 years has finally worn off and they are making a comeback.

And they are absolutely miserable. They feed on exhaled carbon dioxide, so no matter how much you clean your house, unless you stop breathing, they'll stay there. And you can't get rid of them yourself - you need an exterminator, and he needs to spray your house two or three times. And hopefully that does it. I really am hoping.



I had to wash every garment and bag I own last night in super hot water and dry it all on the hottest settings. It cost $80 in quarters, I kid you not. I had to toss all kinds of things, from shoes to my vacuum to books to my curtains to paper to clothes that I wasn't too attached to, and that still might not do it. I had to buy bedbug-proof mattress bags, which set me back a further $200.

So far, I appear to be the only one affected. My friend has no bites. My roommate has no bites. So they're fairly unconcerned. My girlfriend gets bites when she stays at my house, but her house is bug-free. The only thing we can think of is that my room is really warm (it's a new building with good insulation) and humid (my bathroom is attached to it), while hers is freezing and dry. I really, really hope the whole thing is contained.

Advice? Basically, dump your luggage straight into the washing machine when you get back from a trip to New York. Vacuum your suitcase and your shoes, and throw the vacuum bag out immediately in a double plastic bag. And that still might not do it. I'll keep you posted on my progress.