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Woman versus bed bug: A battle to the death

Elliot Hale Sep 14, 2024
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What lengths would you go to when a bed bug decides to drop by?

At the beginning of August, our Japanese-language reporter Mariko Ohanabatake noticed two random red spots on the inside of her arm. No pain, no itching, just…there. Like most people would do, she assumed it was perhaps a rash and lathered on some Muhi cream, an anti-itch ointment. To no effect. Now she was officially mildly concerned.

Could it have been a bug bite? A mite, perhaps? Naturally, she turned to the Internet, the source of all answers, and soon discovered something alarming—bed bugs! Apparently, the first bite is like an introduction, a simple handshake; no pain, no itching. But the second? A fist right to the face in the form of intense itchiness, much like an allergic reaction.

Bed bugs love to hitch rides into your home from a train seat, a hotel bed, or even that suitcase you took on your dream vacation. Getting them inside is easy but getting rid of them is another story altogether.

Mariko was already planning on giving her house a good clean, but after her discovery, she went full detective mode, checking behind the bed, scouring the curtains, and examining the corners of the floors. No signs of the dreaded bed bug poop, and thankfully, no new bites. Relieved, she prayed that the bites she had were a one-time thing from somewhere outside. She continued to live with that hope until one evening brought all of that dread rushing back. There it was, sauntering across the floor in front of her—The Thing. A bed bug, slowly walking across the smooth surface of the floor.

According to Mariko’s search, bed bugs aren’t exactly great climbers, especially when it comes to smooth surfaces, and, unlike mites, they are big enough to see with the naked eye—around five to eight millimeters (0.2-0.3 inches) long—making them pretty easy to spot.

Just where on Earth had it come in from? Was it the cardboard boxes left by the door? Or maybe her husband’s luggage from one of his many business trips?

One particular line from her Internet search was haunting her: if you see one bed bug, it’s over. Why? Bed bugs are breeding machines. That one bed bug could mean that a whole army is on its way. Thinking back on that phrase, a wave of indescribable despair washed over her.

She had to gear up and take action—Mariko was determined to wipe out every last one of these invaders before they laid claim to her beloved home! First on the list: clear out those boxes and the luggage. If the bed bug had infiltrated the house from one of those, they had to go.

Despite trying to keep her home clutter-free since moving in a year and a half ago, the number of things she’d accumulated had slowly been creeping up. Even though it was a weeknight, Mariko was not doing things in half-measures. She went into a full deep-clean mode, tossing things away, moving furniture, and checking every corner—behind the bed, bookcases, anywhere a bed bug could potentially be lurking.

▼ Checking the gaps in the bed, the stitching of the curtains and spaces in the bedding

The Internet had warned her to look for rust-colored stains that bed bugs leave behind, but thankfully, her home was blissfully free of such marks. There are also rumors that bed bugs are getting tougher and resistant to modern insecticides, but that wasn’t about to stop Mariko. Armed with what she had on hand, she sprayed away before calling it a night.

But of course, things never go as planned, right? Just when she thought she had the upper hand, the Things launched their despicable counterattack! She awoke to discover what dastardly deeds they had been doing the night prior—delving deep into the abyss and delivering an attack directly above her dark hole.

Now, Mariko was battling an unbearable itch, one she couldn’t possibly scratch without risking her dignity. When she tried to soothe it with some Muhi, the reaction was so intense she literally leapt up in pain. Sure, it was possible that it could have been a mite bite, but with the timing and the fact that this was her second bite, it really felt like it was sweet revenge from those bed bugs. Feeling furious at the unforgivable attack, she was left with no choice. It was time to go all out. This. Was. War.

The next day, she ordered her ultimate weapon: a spray to take down bed bugs that are even resistant to traditional insecticides, Earth’s “Zero No Knight”, or “Zerononite” as it’s sometimes referred to in online stores.

One push of the spray and it was sure to be game over for those bugs. Bonus: it even works on cockroaches. Although the price tag of 3,000 yen (US$21.23) stung a little, the itchiness of her derrière warranted all guns blazing, no matter the cost. Plus, compared to the 100,000 yen it would cost to hire exterminators, 3,000 yen felt like a steal.

▼ Japan’s “one and only” spray for insecticide-resistant bed bugs

She went on a spraying spree, hitting all the freshly cleaned spots and every little gap around the furniture.

▼ Die! Die! Die!

The next day, though, she noticed some innocent bystanders had fallen in the line of fire—a few flies and a mosquito that had made a futile attempt to escape through the window.

But Mariko knew that the fight wasn’t over. She still had to deal with the bed bug eggs, which the spray likely didn’t affect. Eggs don’t go down easily, but they hate heat. So, it was off to the laundromat to nuke them with some high temperatures!

It turns out that Japan’s Coin-operated Laundry Association confirmed that just 10 minutes in a dryer is enough to completely exterminate bed bugs, since laundromat dryers run hotter than the ones at home. So Mariko hauled all of her bedding to the laundromat, spending about 2,000 yen to nuke the eggs. A small price to pay for peace of mind.

However, she couldn’t possibly take her mattress there too…

Perhaps feeling a little paranoid, she rented a futon dryer with an anti-mite mode, cranking the heat to over 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit). That set her back another 5,000 yen for a two-week rental but if that’s what it took for a bug-free life—so be it.

At this point, anything made of cloth was a perceived threat. She’d also read that steam irons are great for carpets and sofas, so she attacked every fold and seam like a woman possessed. Bed bugs love to hide in those sneaky places, and Mariko was determined to not miss a spot.

After all that time, effort, and over 10,000 yen down the drain, she still felt it was all worth it. It may have just been one tiny bed bug, but that one bed bug can quickly turn into a full-blown infestation. That’s a nightmare that only professional exterminators can handle. Even so, despite everything she did, if another bed bug dares show its wicked little face in her house, she will be left with no choice but to call in the pros.

Let’s hope that Mariko’s hard work pays off and this is the last we’ll hear of her bed bug saga. And let this be a reminder to us all—prevention is way easier than extermination. Always check hotel rooms before you unpack, toss second-hand clothes in the dryer as soon as you get home, and ask used furniture stores how they handle bed bugs. Stay vigilant and you won’t find yourself with unexpected, uninvited houseguests.

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[ Read in Japanese ]