I don’t have access to the other rooms that likely are infested.

I actually don’t. For better or worse, the bulk of my stuff is in boxes at my friend’s place for now. I’d have to buy a new vacuum. I’m not sure it would matter, however. They put in a new floor before I arrived (it’s actually beautiful flooring) and the place was mostly incredibly neat, aside from a small utensil for eating shoved against a closet crevice, which even a professional cleaner could have missed. I just don’t believe they are coming from this room, although I don’t know. It’s part of why I am so concerned.

I am sure there is at least 1, there is no ambiguity. I squished it, blood came out, the pesticide person saw it, I took pictures, and I kept it in a bag after as evidence in case I leave. It is not similar to a bed bug, it is the exact shape when looking at it closely, confirmed by the exterminator person.

The exterminator also did not spray anything, just putting out glue traps. I don’t know if this exterminator does bed bug treatments. The manager said they would speak with the owner and get back to me and they had to speak with them after seeing it. (The manager and exterminator both saw.) I didn’t receive an email or put anything in writing yet because I felt it was more likely than not I would just leave and the email was going to be notice that I was leaving due to habitability issues, along with a bedbug picture and hadn’t decided. Perhaps I should email them ASAP just to document it. I am just concerned once I email them they may respond with information about their attempts to resolve it and I may be better off just leaving immediately, claiming habitability problems from the outset.

I did get bitten last night, but slept with the window open again. It could be a mosquito bite, but it feels like a bed bug bite. I should probably leave.

The exterminator put out glue traps for the bed bugs and I don’t see anything in one. Another has tiny dots that look like lint and could be lint from my socks or pants, but may also not be.

Someone mentioned diatomous earth. Does that actually work? It seems like if it were just that easy, then bed bugs wouldn’t be such a big problem. It would be easy to spread all over the floor in this room since so little stuff is here.

There is a built in closet/cabinet in the apartment. Although it’s built into the unit, there is space behind the closet/cabinet and I can’t see at all what is there. There’s not an easy way to treat that area, it looks like.

This is really too bad. The rent is due today. I either pay it or leave and don’t pay it.

I already feel like I got ripped-off from the deposit. If I don’t pay the rent they will likely keep the deposit. This is a 1 year lease but since there’s a wait to get, they will fill the room immediately if I leave. I’ll just lose the deposit and the month’s rent if I pay that. It’s a lot to lose. I could also not pay today, violate the lease to see what tomorrow is like, and pay a late fee or penalty or leave prior to them initiating evictions. It seems unlikely they will persue legal action and I lose my deposit either way. It would buy me time if I am unsure. Possibly I am just in denial.

Yesterday I purchased new shoes, new socks, new pants, and new underwear. I put them in a plastic bag and tied it multiple times. I have two garbage bags also in a different plastic bag which I have food in. I briefly opened that bag when In tried to eat food, if it’s a bad idea to use those bags now I can get more at the local store.

I could also go to the bank and return the cashier’s check for this month’s rent that I havent given them yet to try to get that money back.

I am still unsure about the wisdom of giving up a tenancy like this. There are 60-70 units in here. It took me 6 months of waiting to get off of a wait list and about 2-3 months of paperwork to get this approved because it’s so affordable it’s considered partly subsidized. I can also just be in a cheaper area and work remotely there, but I don’t have a lot of job security, it could possibly be easier to work in this area if I lost my job. I have family who would probably help me slightly to prevent me from becoming homeless, so I am unlikely to become a long-term homeless person by leaving.

I could also do as the locals do, set up wood blocks in front of the door, sprinkle diamtomous clay all around, and get a bunk bed with bug traps underneath the legs and then put a desk underneath. The room is so small I was planning on doing that anyway.

But I also don’t want to be spreading bed bugs to other people and worrying about doing that. It seems like it would be an awful way to live, to have to worry about that. I know people in this area, but I will be worried about seeing them if I am having occasional bites.

I shouldn’t have slept with the window open. I did see a bug flying around when I first woke up, but also all the bugs I have seen flying since being around here were not mosquitos. It seems more likely than not a bed bug bite meaning there’s more than 1.

The bite I got last night is hurting now. I scratched it and ripped off some of the skin and now it hurts more.

Edit: looks like it’s two bites. I think I am going to just leave.

Yes

Yep, it’s later and I am tired and I am already feeling that psychological fear. It actually sucks. I know it’s non-toxic. I am also itchy in places I know weren’t bitten, just this weird somatic reaction. :-( This would be awful to endure for a long period of time.

But also, the bed bug was in my bed last night and I didn’t feel bites. It may not like my blood?

Do they smell blood? Are they like sharks?

It may be worth a try.

But I have so little stuff here. I can actually purge everything except the work computer, and I can keep that frozen for half a day without it breaking.

The stuff here isn’t that valuable.

For this post only, please upvote for stay in bed bug place for another month, down vote for leave in next 24 hours if you want.

The problem with the exterminator is there are many people living here with locked doors. Doing this in just my room is pointless if this is coming from another room.

The cheapest option is leave, stay with my friend, try to get my own place despite terrible credit, but I was sort of losing it and tired from lack of sleep there. How my friend sleeps through trucks backing up and unloading stuff next door is beyond my understanding.

If I stay, I won’t withhold rent. I am only withholding rent if I am leaving, and then I can say I left because it’s not habitable. These places are cheap and the legal costs of filing suit against me would not be worth recovery. They would keep my deposit and then I’d move on. It may be the rational thing to do, to just leave immediately.

I could throw out literally everything except the electronics and freeze those. None of my clothing is nice. I need new shoes. I can’t believe it’s actually impossible.

If this really is definitely this bad, I should leave prior to paying for another month, right?

My friend knows. I was thinking of getting a gym membership first to shower at before entering. Even traveling on the bus seems unethical, even with new fresh clothes before traveling. I’m just screwed no matter what.

My co-inhabitants of the building don’t all speak English, all are very poor, some could have mental issues, some may be drug users. There are also many tenants and I am new and don’t speak a second language. It may not be easy or possible to coordinate with everyone and if it were it would be extremely time consuming.

If I were you, before I made any decisions I’d look up how to look for their common hiding places, and for to treat affected clothing / bedding just so you know what you are risking.

There are many small rooms and they are locked. I can’t go in any of them except mine or common areas. Many of the people seem like they have lots of stuff in the very small rooms.

For what it’s worth, once in my life, I saw a single adult bed bug crawling around and squished it. No one knew where it came from; we’re pretty sure it was a bb, but it was the only one we ever saw. So it could have been a hitchhiker from the bus or something.

it’s possible, but also there are nearby rooms with bed bug traps by the doors. The manager said this was a precaution from problems three years ago but could be lying. I am dealing with asymetric information and don’t know what is the truth. I am gullible and they could be lying.

But I was only here a week so far. I could take the bus, buy new clothes at Walmart and change inside a restroom before going, just throwing out my current clothes. I have so little I would be taking with me and could put the electronics in garbage bags and freeze them. The only concern is the work computer, but I could use a sick day for work and freeze that for a day.

I’ve barely been here at all. There are also many people living in this building with some shared facilities.

Should I just leave today? I could do that, it’s not impossible, a bus leaves in a few hours.

Yes, I am sure and the exterminator person who stops by monthly confirmed it’s a real bed buf. I can elevate the bed if needed, but it may not be worth it, I could also just leave today.

It’s extremely loud noise, sometimes beeping, backing up noises, etc.

I’m not allowed to look into other rooms of other tenants. I get the sense that because the rooms are small, many may be cluttered.

I am not that concerned whether I am legally allowed to leave. I don’t have much, they won’t bother suing me and my credit is bad. The laws of physics allow me to walk out, go purchase a bus pass, and leave with 2 bags of stuff and be on my way.

What worries me is moving my stuff in, bed bugs get into everything, and then I become one of those people fighting bed bugs for years. It sounds awful. I am poor but work full time, I don’t want to be afflicted by constant bed bugs. I want to know the optimal choice to reduce my own suffering given asymmetric information. It’s possible just walking away is the best choice, but my finances are not good right now.

the bed bug was on my air mattress, on top of a target fitted sheet, below a larger target sheet used as a blanket. I saw it and squished it and blood came out. I don’t remember if it moved but seemed alive.

I could stay a few more days to see how it goes without bring more stuff in. But I would then need to pay this month’s rent or incur late fees and violate lease terms.

My stuff is all in a closet on shelves. The air mattress is on the ground. It could have come from another apartment. It may be that other residents know, but don’t want fumigation, hence the strange bug traps in front of a door and the white anti-bed-bug stuff sprinkled in front of another door. It could be the bugs come from the street, I slept with a windows open.

My room is almost empty so far.