bed bugs!

[takeru]

currently in the process of ridding my place of bed bugs. i can't heat some of my stuff to kill them, but i do have a freezer chest that has an operating temp range of -5 to 5 degrees F. if i place an item in a plastic bag inside, how long before they will die?

 

[Ichinisan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH0cjmfV4V8

 

[FoBoT]

at least two weeks

 

[Krazy4Real]

Nuke it from orbit

 

[vi edit]

It's my understanding that cleaning single items isn't enough. They retreat to things like under light switch/outlet plates, wall trim, ect during the day. It takes a whole house mititgation where the house is brought up to temp high enough to kill them.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

call Mug-a-Bug

least you don't have Godzilla running around naked in your city, or as the french say, Gozilla

 

[SMOGZINN]

Yea, bed bugs are practically impossible to get rid of once you get them. You basicly have to treat the entire house with harsh chemicals, and keep retreating it every couple of months for 2 years. Then wait a year and see if they are gone, if not do it all again.
Really it is better to just burn the house down and collect the insurance.

 

[SMOGZINN]

currently in the process of ridding my place of bed bugs. i can't heat some of my stuff to kill them, but i do have a freezer chest that has an operating temp range of -5 to 5 degrees F. if i place an item in a plastic bag inside, how long before they will die?

For the freezer trick, assuming you want to kill bed bugs on a specific item, like a suitcase you had at a infested house or hotel, you need to keep it in constant sub-zero temps for at least 2 weeks. It seems that if there is any warming cycle that the bedbugs will survive.

It is known that bed bugs can survive in snow, so a freezing is not really considered a good method to kill them.

 

[infoiltrator]

120 degrees F for one hour will kill them. Car interiors, windows closed in the summer sun get that hot I think.
Bleach will kill them. Full strength where possible. use a pesticide/paint mask.
Hot Shot from home depot (gallon size, use Teflon tape on sprayer plug) around $10 a gallon, STERI-FAB seems to kill better but is $44 a gallon shipped without sprayer. (you can use the Hot shot Gallon sprayer on it).

They recommend diatomos (sp?) earth for cracks and crevices, food grade. It scratches bugs and they dry to death. maybe. harmless to people.

 

[SMOGZINN]

They recommend diatomos (sp?) earth for cracks and crevices, food grade. It scratches bugs and they dry to death. maybe. harmless to people.

you mean Diatomaceous earth, it is good stuff. Kills bugs and is harmless to humans. I've never tried it for bed bugs, but I guess it would work the same as any other insect.

 

[FoBoT]

use the right kind of DE

Inhalation Risks
All types of diatomaceous earth are, to varying degrees, unsafe for human inhalation. Natural and food-grade DE can cause irritation of the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth; therefore, a respiratory mask should be worn when administering DE. Pool-grade DE is a respiratory hazard due to its crystalline silica content. This high concentration of crystalline silica is due to the partial melting of the DE; this melting and processing result in a substance that is carcinogenic and should not be inhaled or ingested.



Read more: Is Diatomaceous Earth Safe to Inhale? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6682801_diatomaceous-earth-safe-inhale_.html#ixzz1xGV7i4mq

 

[Red Squirrel]

Paint the top of your roof bright pink, then nuke it from orbit. The paint is to make extra sure you hit the right house.

 

[infoiltrator]

A mask while using Diatomaceous earth is a good idea.

Heat is and remains the safest way to kill bed bugs, unfortunately it is expensive. I am trying tp determine how many BTUs and circulation needed to heat an area uniformly to acceptable temperature.

Bedbugs lay one to four eggs a day, take two weeks to "maturity" and eggs can survive over a year and a half waiting for proper conditions. Heat does kill eggs, and DE is effective on the young. If they encounter it.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I wonder how good Cyonara would work. It supposedly can kill bed bugs. It's available on ebay sometimes and is fairly cheap.

http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/cyonara_9.7_insecticide.htm

I use that stuff for controlling bug populations around the house, specifically spiders, but it kills pretty much everything else. It's supposedly fairly safe for pets and humans.

 

[meister]

The only answer is heat. Hire a pro.

 

[Red Squirrel]

What kind of temps does it usually take anyway?

Could always try maxing out the furnace when it's +30 outside and add some space heaters too. Then again the energy bill to do that may cost as much as getting a pro to do it.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

It happened to me a few years back. Didnt know what they were so I kept trying to wash my clothes, blankets etc. Obviously that didnt work so I ended up having to go to Home Depot and getting those fumigation cans for every room that had it. That killed them good

 

[Puppies04]

What kind of temps does it usually take anyway?

Could always try maxing out the furnace when it's +30 outside and add some space heaters too. Then again the energy bill to do that may cost as much as getting a pro to do it.

Assuming the "pro" isn't going to use your electricity exactly which form of power is he going to use to run his heating equipment which is A: transportable and B: cheaper than mains electric?

 

[meister]

My understanding is 135 F. For an hour or two. Anything less can produce less than 100 percent kill.

 

[Kreon]

I wonder how good Cyonara would work. It supposedly can kill bed bugs. It's available on ebay sometimes and is fairly cheap.

http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/cyonara_9.7_insecticide.htm

I use that stuff for controlling bug populations around the house, specifically spiders, but it kills pretty much everything else. It's supposedly fairly safe for pets and humans.

Probably not. Most populations of bedbugs are resistant to pyrethoids, of which CYonara seems to be one (via quick google search).

That said, I feel your pain on the bed bugs and live in fear of them myself. I have a bit of a bug fear myself.

Also, for the person quoting the "living for a year and a half" that isn't always accurate. Most pyrethoid resistant populations (the most common now) tend to live significantly shorter (3 months without feeding to 9 months without feeding, depending on the sub-species).

Also, with bed bugs you will want to have a professional take care of it in most curcumstances. MAKE SURE THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING: IF THEY'RE USING PYRETHOIDS, THEY PROBABLY DON'T.

One of the more effective treatments used here in Boston is steam. They come through with basically a steam sprayer to spray steam into all of the nooks and crannies, electrical outlets, etc where they hide. In addition to other methods (mattress encasement, proper laundering of fabrics, non-pyrethoid chemicals, etc). So look into that is possible.

Now escuse me while I compulsively clean, vacuum and pour food grade doitomaceaous earth in all the nooks and crannies.

EDIT: EPA says 113F for 1 hour kills them. higher temps get faster kills.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...3&langId=-1&keyword=raid+fogger&storeId=10051

They make one for bed bugs. Look for it at the store. Works wonders.

 

[Kreon]

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...3&langId=-1&keyword=raid+fogger&storeId=10051

They make one for bed bugs. Look for it at the store. Works wonders.

No, this is permethrin, a pyrethoid. Unfortunately, bedbugs are technically able to be killed by pyrethoids, but only select populations and at high concentrations. Permethrin and other first generation pyrethoids are even less effective.

Foggers are also a touchy subject when it comes to bedbugs. Foggers tend to not get deep into crevices where bedbugs like to hide, and in many cases just drive them into deeper harborages, making them harder to get rid of. There are disagreeing opinions of course, but evidence is showing that they're ineffective in general, regardless of the pesticide used.

Check out this website for more information:

http://www.bedbugcentral.com/bedbugs101/topic.cfm/introduction

 

[shortylickens]

 

[AznAnarchy99]

No, this is permethrin, a pyrethoid. Unfortunately, bedbugs are technically able to be killed by pyrethoids, but only select populations and at high concentrations. Permethrin and other first generation pyrethoids are even less effective.

Foggers are also a touchy subject when it comes to bedbugs. Foggers tend to not get deep into crevices where bedbugs like to hide, and in many cases just drive them into deeper harborages, making them harder to get rid of. There are disagreeing opinions of course, but evidence is showing that they're ineffective in general, regardless of the pesticide used.

Check out this website for more information:

http://www.bedbugcentral.com/bedbugs101/topic.cfm/introduction

Not saying this exact one, but I used a fogger that had been labeled for bed bugs by RAID and it worked for me. Instead of the blue box it was purple. YMMV though.

 

[alm4rr]

"They're coming outta the walls! They're coming outta the goddamn walls!! Let's book!!!"
"I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. "