About

Hello.  I created this blog because 6 months after getting a roommate, I was confronted with a bedbug problem. Apparently, she was aware of having them for several months before ever letting me know.  Her announcement came a few days after she sprayed Raid all over her room, causing some of the bugs to spread to my room.

This is a long story, starting with her moving out and my struggling to remove the bed bugs myself for over 6 months. Yes, in the end, it was all about DE and Steam.

But even now I fear them and am fully aware that at any time while taking public transit or enjoying a movie with my daughter, I could pick up one of these horrible critters and find my home re-infested.

The general tone, from PCO to Public Health Representatives has leaned heavily toward everyone calling a licensed Pest Control Operator. I wasn’t able to afford one when I had the problem and I imagine that the majority of people are finding themselves also unable to afford the several thousand dollars that it usually takes to treat a home once!

But more and more the media and gov’t officials who are dealing with this problem on a statewide or citywide scale are acknowledging that the tremendous expense of removing bed bugs is unrealistic for many people and if we are talking about an increasing rate of re-infestation, it is not realistic for anyone, not landlords, not tenants, not homeowners, not anyone. Ok, the Pope, I’m sure, can afford it. And Since Clinton’s headquarters was infested over the summer of 2009, yes, I’m sure Clinton’s team can afford it. But how many times can they afford it? If the infestation was caused by a staff member living in an infested building, who is to say they won’t get re-infested by that person or someone else? And if that person is unable to afford treating their home or has a landlord who is unable to afford professional treatment what is that person to do?

So in fact, this blog, unlike bedbugger.com, a blog I highly admire, leans more toward DIY and coordinating efforts toward more accessible treatments for the general public of individuals who do not have thousands of dollars to throw at this problem periodically.

I will report what I see in news regarding bedbugs but I will primarily highlight kernels of information that is pro DIY and relevant to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sincerely,

BoAe Kim