I have had a gas stove my entire married life, 6 weeks shy of 48 years.
Never had a bedbug.
Until about 3 weeks ago. We’ve done all we were supposed to do, have continually washed & dry bedding (heating in dryer daily) spray infected area with alcohol, steam cleaned affected chair, vacuumed, etc, etc. Our problem is we cannot find a nest or source of their family. In three weeks we’ve found 10 bugs. 4 were dead when we found them. The chair they are occupying is in a room by itself no other chairs/bed. I only go out of the house to go to the dr. Or the Pharmacy as a rule, especially in winter. This is the chair I sleep in. I’m unable to lay flat in bed. I did get bitten but only four different times. And just left tiny little pinhole marks. Did itch though.
So how did we get bedbugs in a chair we’ve owned for 6 yrs. The only connection I can make is that a month ago I bought a purse at a mission thrift store and changed from my old to new purse while sitting in my chair. And purse was kept in my room.
But the stress of knowing they are there & you could carry to another piece of furniture is immense! Tried sleeping other places, too painful. Bought another chair, put it in another room, sleeping better. Now we are purging the room & the chair before we remove it. Cleaning everything, clothes, dresser, carpet...... then we’ll see. There is a lot of info online to read, some silly, but most helpful. I know more about bedbugs than I thought possible.
We’ve ordered a spray & we keep cleaning, haven’t seen any for 2 days. I thank the Lord that He opened my eyes to that first one so I could get ahead of what could be a devastating problem.
My sympathies to you and prayers for a victory over the pestilence. And let us know what worked best.
Another theory of mine is if they can simply be starved long enough they will die, and I am seeing survival figures like 3 months at normal room temperature. But during that period, it obviously would be quite a trial on the people, unless the place can be vacated that long.
I haven’t had such a bug either but my friend is a good reminder that catching them might be closer than I think.
I think that you’re right about the purse. Anything used should be suspect. We always check the mattress and box spring of any hotel where we stay when we go away. So far, so good. Knock wood.
Best of luck to you, grame.