# What's Up With This Bug? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 24, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-this-bug/820198 "2018-08-24T16:38:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-this-bug/820198/1 "2018-08-24T16:38:32Z")
I had some dry cleaning sent out last week. It was delivered to my place of work last Monday. It’s been sitting in a closet (with nothing else hanging in it) until today, I went and got it. I noticed two bugs on the item. A coworker of mine said “That’s a bed bug.” I snapped a pic of one of those bugs after putting it on a cloth. It didn’t seem flat like a bed bug should be but what puzzled me is how could a bed bug or any bug survive a dry cleaning? Even the eggs should’ve been killed right? Which means it crawled in after? Which is even more puzzling since there were no other clothing items in the closet, it’s empty now. So a bug would’ve had to crawled up the wall onto the rail down the hanger, made it’s way down past the plastic and then up in the clothes. I’ve attached a pic. (Click on it for closer look.) Sorry I couldn’t get a better pic this is the best I could do. What kind of bug is this? A bed bug? I asked the dry cleaner and he said, to bring it in and he’d clean the items for free again. So I did. Link to pic[https://www.use.com/OhNC8](https://www.use.com/OhNC8) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-this-bug/820198/2 "2018-08-24T17:09:30Z")
It’s entirely possible the dry cleaner is the source of the bug(s), whatever they are. Someone else could have brought in infested clothes, knowingly or not, and their infested items spread the bugs to your stuff. The normal dry cleaning process doesn’t necessarily kill them, nor does the process get the clothes hot enough to kill them. I’d run them through the dryer on the highest heat setting (without washing), then take them to a different dry cleaner. . ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-this-bug/820198/3 "2018-08-24T17:52:31Z")
Good thing you spotted them before you took them home. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-this-bug/820198/4 "2018-08-24T18:25:07Z")
Google an image search on bed bugs and they look to me a lot like your photo. So yeah, maybe follow DCnDC’s advice, run them thru the dryer on high, inspect them very very thoroughly afterwards, and use another cleaner in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-this-bug/820198/5 "2018-08-24T19:50:53Z")
Yep, Bedbugs. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-this-bug/820198/6 "2018-08-24T19:59:40Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > It’s entirely possible the dry cleaner is the source of the bug(s), whatever they are. Someone else could have brought in infested clothes, knowingly or not, and their infested items spread the bugs to your stuff. The normal dry cleaning process doesn’t necessarily kill them, nor does the process get the clothes hot enough to kill them. > > I’d run them through the dryer on the highest heat setting (without washing), then take them to a different dry cleaner. > . Yep. Bedbug and they went from a pile of dirty clothes at the cleaner to clean clothes. Likely many items there are now infested. So, that cleaner needs to get pest control in there. And dont use them again. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-this-bug/820198/7 "2018-08-24T20:06:28Z")
What were the items and can you just throw them out? I would give serious thought to nuking them from orbit before I let those clothes in my house or car. Bed bug eradication can cost thousands and take months. Is it possible the the bugs came from your closet at work, not the dry cleaner? I agree that the dry cleaner seems the more likely source, but your building still needs to be notified so the bugs don’t spread from that closet. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-this-bug/820198/8 "2018-08-24T20:54:33Z")
That’s _Nasty!_ ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-this-bug/820198/9 "2018-08-24T22:42:37Z")
You need to notify the cleaners. If I am right they won’t want those things infesting the business. It’s amazing they can live through chemo-dry cleaning processes. Those things are just bad. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-this-bug/820198/10 "2018-08-24T22:59:32Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > You need to notify the cleaners. If I am right they won’t want those things infesting the business. It’s amazing they can live through chemo-dry cleaning processes. Those things are just bad. I am not sure they did, they could have crawled from dirty laundry to clean. But yeah, tell them again.