I should warn you: this is a creepy renter story from my early days living in New York City. I’m sharing it in case it helps anyone going through something similar.
After graduating in June 2004 I moved to Astoria, Queens and rented a two-bedroom apartment with a college friend. It wasn’t glamorous, but the rent was low and the bedrooms were big enough for our tired IKEA furniture and cheap posters. We were excited to start adult life, unaware of the nightmare waiting for us.
One August night I woke up, went to the kitchen for water and turned on the light. A small brown bug was on my shoulder. As I tried to brush it away, more crawled down my back. I tore my shirt off so quickly it felt like an emergency.
I ran back to my room expecting an open window and some stray flies, but both windows were closed. My bed and the surrounding walls were swarming with dozens of tiny insects. It was instantly obvious: we had a bed bug infestation.
Bed bugs are small, flat insects about the size of a pencil eraser. They are nocturnal and feed on warm-blooded animals, which explains why they go after sleeping humans. Most people detect them by bite marks rather than catching the bugs in the act. My roommate and I had many bites—she even had one on her eyelid—but we’d dismissed them at first as mosquito bites. Other signs include tiny black droppings at mattress edges and small blood spots from crushed bugs.
How did we get them? Bed bugs have resurged in recent decades, especially in large cities with a lot of travel. An infestation doesn’t mean a place is dirty; bed bugs often hitch rides on luggage, clothing or used furniture. In our case, the wall-to-wall carpet probably made it easier for them to spread.
Getting rid of bed bugs proved difficult. They are notoriously persistent and often require multiple treatments. Our landlord, reluctant to hire professionals, had a friend spray the apartment with an unknown pesticide and took furniture apart to treat hidden crevices—bed bugs will hide in dowel holes and small gaps in worn furniture.
Along with the pesticide, we followed several recommended quarantine steps. We washed all fabrics in hot water and then stored them sealed in plastic bags for weeks. Bed bugs struggle to traverse slick surfaces like plastic or metal, so keeping laundered items sealed helped prevent reintroduction. For about eight weeks my closet looked like a stack of sealed bags and boxes.
We were also advised to use zippered plastic mattress covers to trap any bugs that might be living inside the mattresses. Checking for bites each morning became our main way of monitoring progress, which meant several dreadful nights of hoping for no new welts. I even slept in as many clothes as possible on a plastic-covered mattress during the hottest summer nights to limit bites. That annoyed look in the photo? Totally intentional.
After several weeks without new bites and repeated cleaning and monitoring, we declared the infestation over. The whole ordeal took about twelve weeks. It was stressful: dealing with a stingy landlord, paying for repeated treatments and ultimately replacing furniture once I moved out. Bed bugs caused an amount of emotional and physical discomfort I hadn’t expected.
If you ever face an infestation, do your research and rely on professionals when possible. Be prepared for uncomfortable weeks of quarantine and cleaning, and follow best practices like washing fabrics in hot water, sealing items in plastic, and using mattress encasements. Prevention is the best strategy: when traveling, inspect hotel mattresses and keep luggage off the floor; when at home, vacuum regularly and be cautious about bringing in used furniture.
Bed bugs aren’t pleasant, but they are manageable with persistence and the right approach. I don’t wish them on anyone, and I hope sharing my experience helps someone act quickly and confidently if they find themselves dealing with the same problem.
PS: We also wrote about how we handled another common pest problem in our post titled How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies.
For more information, consult reputable pest-control resources and consumer guides on bed bugs and treatment options.