[AfterMyNap]

If it has somehow escaped your notice, the news is all over this national bedbug thing. I won't lie, until my niece's NYC apartment had them earlier this year, I thought they were fictional critters that mommies invented at bedtime.

My niece went through a regular living hell to get rid of them and it was not cheap. It seems that my home state of MI and now OH are dealing with quite a problem as well.

Now I find myself looking for molting everywhere and flailng my bedding to and fro before getting in it.

Me no likum blood suckers!

[SandyC]

I check the entire room before I even unpack. Been doing this for about three years now. I heard about New York and every since then I am obsessed with checking my hotel rooms, vacation cabins, etc. I even re-clean and check baseboards and drawers in addition to the mattress seams. I also check sheets and pillows for stains. I even pull the pillow cases off. If I had a black light I'd use that too. Is that OCD? LOL

[jprinz99]

I'm rigt there with you Sandy. I live in fear that I will meet some of those little suckers. Wish they wold come up with soemthing that will kill not only the adult bedbug but also the eggs...

either that or I will just have to pt Frontline Plus on my old noggin - think that would work LOL

[AfterMyNap]

That's a good point, Jane, would DEET or some bug dope repel them and send them packing? It would stink to have to put it on every night but hey, it's better than literally pitching all your furniture and stuff.

ETA: Hm, guess not:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12133597/

[Kitty]

My MIL once told me that cloves will get rid of bedbugs. It's all-natural, so even if it doesn't work all it'd do is make your mattress smell like a clove.

Soak a cotton ball in clove oil and put it between your mattress pad and mattress (at the foot of the bed). I'm not sure I could stand the constant smell but she swore it worked. Of course, this was years ago.......

[Alffe]

Well here we are in NY City and the news is full of them....in the basement of the Empire State Bldg too. Trust me....we really cked our beds before climbing in!

[Chemar]

armed with your trusty bottle of clove oil I hope Ms Alffe

cloves are remarkable for chasing bugs away. I use them here in Florida at regular intervals. Sprinkle them and leave for a day and then vacuum up. The room smells great as does the vacuum, and all bugs stay away, including the 2 inch long cockroaches that like to live here in Fla too
I also have a small squirty bottle of water with a few drops of clove and cinnamon oil in it that I mist carpets and bedding and closets, drawers etc with

learned about the bedbugs hating cloves from my grandma too!

[Kitty]

So I guess I have to admit that my MIL was right?

[Abbie]

WOW... thanks for the great idea of using cloves and/or clove oil! I've got to check the kitchen cabinet before going to bed.

[Kitty]

Cloves work for a number of insect pests. I know the "all-natural" and "green" pest control companies use it.