Getting rid of bed bugs: trickier than ever

Post by hinkley » Sat, Feb 10, 2024, 5:58 PM UTC

readthenotes1 wrote: post #29

juujian wrote: post #20

I was talking a friend in China about bed bugs recently. They said there is a medicine people take which makes our blood poisonous to them. Ironically enough, it's ivermectine... Makes sense I suppose, it targets parasites and bed bugs are a parasite. I read some papers about it, too. Doesn't seem to be a panacea but potentially useful in combination with traditional pest control.

How is that ironic? It's primary use in humans is versus parasites. It's a godsend against scabies... (Which I had at the beginning of the pandemic, my doctor casually mentioning "it also has known anti-viral properties")

Post by roncesvalles » Sat, Feb 10, 2024, 6:00 PM UTC

bruce343434 wrote: post #2

Personally I've had great difficulty getting rid of Silverfishes. Despite plugging all crevices with diatomaceous sand, making sure indoor temperature does not exceed 18°C, removing any specimen on sight, I still encounter one every now and then just chilling on the wall or floor. They've eaten my underfloor isolation (the floor sags at those spots now), but other than that they're harmless - I can't imagine the horr…

Post by greggsy » Sat, Feb 10, 2024, 6:04 PM UTC

prewett wrote: post #22

hotpotamus wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I once awoke to see a large spider running away from me on my bed. I was a bit displeased with that until I learned that they hunt roaches. I figured if it was running away from me, then it figured (perhaps incorrectly) that I was not to be messed with and so the food chain in my house remained as it should be.

I think it is always correct to run away from something 100 times bigger than you!

Post by idlewords » Sat, Feb 10, 2024, 6:06 PM UTC

wcarss wrote: post #42

chasil wrote: post #6

Even the best hotels have dealt with bedbugs. For safety, leave your luggage in your car for a few days when you return from a trip. Ideally, you want the temperature to either drop below freezing or rise above 100°F, which will kill bedbugs. The same procedure should be employed with used furniture, perhaps more aggressively. There is also a trick with dry ice and talcum powder if you think an infestation is startin…

IIRC, below freezing also isn't generally good enough -- I forget what the specifics are from when I cared a lot about it 5+ years ago, but it's something like -20C consistently for a few whole days for all the stages of bedbug and their eggs to be destroyed by cold. They're surprisingly resistant to death from cold -- but a good hot dryer at 120F for ~30+ minutes will definitely get 'em.

Post by ProllyInfamous » Sat, Feb 10, 2024, 6:29 PM UTC

idlewords wrote: post #46

Gys wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read once they get into beds by crawling up the bedposts and by putting something smooth like aluminum cups around the posts, the bugs cannot crawl up. What do you think of that?

If the infestation is heavy enough they will climb the walls and drop from the ceiling.