Job Discussion Forums

[Dominique]

Hey,

I was wondering if someone could give me advice on how to get rid of whatever it is in my bed that seems to bite me when I go to sleep.
I am getting little bumps on my arms and legs. Of course when I rub them they turn red and get itchy. ooh I dont see the culprits!

Someone suggested I get an insecticide bomb, but I have no idea which brand to get and how I should use it exactly.

Thanks in advance..

I wanted to add.. yes I do have tatami floor that probably hasn't been changed in years, in fact someone put a rug on top to cover the fact that the tatami floor is uneven.

[Speed]

You have "dani" - mites that live and breed in your old tatami.

If you get a bug bomb that says "dani" written on it in katakana , it'll get rid of 'em for awhile.

But you should get some new tatami mats, if you don't want them coming back to visit you.

Good luck and may you not have little red bumps on your body.

PS. On how to use the bomb:
- close all of your windows and doors
- put the bomb (can) on a newspaper in the middle of each room
- press the button on top and it'll start shooting the pesticide into the air
- get out!
- come back in about 3 hours and air out your dwelling
- wash all of your dishes and utensils
- take a shower and brush your teeth

[Dominique]

Any suggestions on where I can get this bomb?

I went to Don Quiote, Am/Pm and Lawsons. All I found were sprays and homes to get rid of roaches.

[bearcat]

Big Chain drugstores and home centers should carry them. Also there are spray canisters with large needles attached that you can insert into the tatami itself and spray.

Regular vacuuming, cleaning of linens, sealing stored clean linens (that you don't use frequently in plastic air tight or vaccum sealing style bags, dusting regularly, etc are also helpful. I'd say you have to do 2 to 3 times more here due to the weather conditions and the materials(like tatami) of apartments. A pain, but if you don't want the bed begs to bite, then you've got no choice.

[Sherri]

I agree with bearcat that you need to vacuum a lot to keep dani at bay. Also on sunny days, hang out your futons and bedding, the hot direct sunlight (and dryers) will kill the dani. I have heard that some people put their bedding in their cars during the day because it gets so hot inside it kills the dani--but I have never tried it. Try to avoid using the dani bombs and sprays--though you may have no choice at first-- as they are poisonous! Keeping everything very clean, aired and dust-free is the trick. Now you know why you see everyone's bedding airing on sunny days and why those housewives beat their futons so hard!
Sherri

[Dominique]

thanks for the tips. I dont really like using chemicals, especially in the room I am going to be sleeping in.

So far, I have been vacuuming once a week. Thanks for the useful hint on storing away linens in sealable plastics. I have been preparing for bugs in advance by buying containers with lids for my cutlery, undergarments and dishes.

[JimDunlop2]

There is also "dani" killer that you actually "inject" into the tatami mats.... I hear that stuff's pretty decent too...

[PAULH]

You might even want to think about replacing your tatami as well, if they are old.

[bearcat]

[bearcat]

There is another type of bug as well that aren't dust mites "dani" that are called kikuimushi that are essentially a tatami version of a termite. My first place in Japan the mats had a bad infestation of that. You'd get those though if it is the first spring/early summer after those mats were installed(when they hatch). Nasty buggers as my little 6 mat room had hundreds of thousands of these things everywhere. They migrated to my closet, dresser, crawled all over and in my computer etc.. it was a nightmare and took close to two weeks of every day vacuuming, spraying, and washing to get rid of em. Unlike dustmites, you could see these lil fellers.. smaller than fleas, yellowish and translucent.
yuck.

[JimDunlop2]

[madeira]

IF you go with the bomb, don't use more than recommended for the size of your place. (Check snopes.com, some people have accidentally destroyed their houses.)

Tape off your A/C unit, too. Completely turn off your gas. Tell your neighbors, in case some smoke gets through a crack you didn't notice and they call the fire department.

Or move. That might be easier!

[Dominique]

i dont know if I can replace the tatami mats myself. According to my landlord, they wont do it.

he also suggested that i dont get some kind of covering for the tatami mats because it needs to breathe.