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Getting rid of bed bugs: trickier than ever

knowablemagazine.org

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Re: Getting rid of bed bugs: trickier than ever

#71

Post by BugsJustFindMe »

caesil wrote: post #58
tiltowait wrote: post #3

I worked pest control for a few years until 2021. We all knew that pesticides basically don’t work on bed bugs—it was old news. The article glosses over heat treatments, which is odd, because it really does work, and usually in a single session. It’s a very labor-intensive and invasive procedure, though. The residents must leave the house for 8 hours while the techs bake each room and throw everything around. By the…

Here's how we got rid of them ourselves for cheap: 1. Bought a bedbug-proof encasement for every mattress and pillow. Seals them in and they starve. 2. Bought a handheld steam cleaner and steamed every seam on every piece of furniture.

> Seals them in and they starve.

The problem here is that their lifecycle is unimaginably long and punctuated. They happily hibernate for 6 months at a time between feedings, so waiting them out means waiting a very very very long time.

Re: Getting rid of bed bugs: trickier than ever

#72

Post by mholt »

tiltowait wrote: post #3

I worked pest control for a few years until 2021. We all knew that pesticides basically don’t work on bed bugs—it was old news. The article glosses over heat treatments, which is odd, because it really does work, and usually in a single session. It’s a very labor-intensive and invasive procedure, though. The residents must leave the house for 8 hours while the techs bake each room and throw everything around. By the…

When I lived in Las Vegas we unfortunately moved into an apartment for a short time that had them. We just took out all the cushions, couches, mattresses, and bedding, and set them out in the summer heat for a few days. (It was actually very inconvenient, but you know. Worth it.) It worked!

Re: Getting rid of bed bugs: trickier than ever

#74

Post by FirmwareBurner »

BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #71
caesil wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's how we got rid of them ourselves for cheap: 1. Bought a bedbug-proof encasement for every mattress and pillow. Seals them in and they starve. 2. Bought a handheld steam cleaner and steamed every seam on every piece of furniture.

> Seals them in and they starve. The problem here is that their lifecycle is unimaginably long and punctuated. They happily hibernate for 6 months at a time between feedings, so waiting them out means waiting a very very very long time.

I say we nuke the site from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

Re: Getting rid of bed bugs: trickier than ever

#75

Post by srott »

jamesjuicy55 wrote: post #19
lm28469 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Might as well use this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

I fought bed bugs once with DE, heat, and dry ice traps or you can use a co2 fish tank pump to attract them into a trap. We also placed containers filled with oil at the bottom of each bed post. It took a year but we were successful

Double sided tape trapped whole families :)

Re: Getting rid of bed bugs: trickier than ever

#77

Post by MOARDONGZPLZ »

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")

I don’t think ironic is _quite_ right, but it does mean paradoxical, and it’s somewhat paradoxical that ivermectin is being effectively used in humans here for bedbug treatment when you consider the juxtaposition against the far right wing conspiracy theories that it would cure covid in humans but instead only harmed people.

Re: Getting rid of bed bugs: trickier than ever

#78

Post by whitepoplar »

idlewords wrote: post #47
wcarss wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

This exactly. Freezing is useless unless you have something like a lab freezer that gets to -50C. Hot dryer for clothes, and you can put empty luggage in a dark trash bag and leave it in the sun to heat treat.

Having run the bedbug site, what's your advice on long-term travel? I've never gotten bedbugs, but I feel it's only a matter of time. How do you balance prevention with simply living your life?

Re: Getting rid of bed bugs: trickier than ever

#79

Post by dom96 »

Citizen_Lame wrote: post #62
caesil wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's how we got rid of them ourselves for cheap: 1. Bought a bedbug-proof encasement for every mattress and pillow. Seals them in and they starve. 2. Bought a handheld steam cleaner and steamed every seam on every piece of furniture.

3. Spread the diatomaceous earth all over the floor. Don't be shy and over do it. It wont work immediately but in 7 days or more they are dead.

Is it safe to use this to avoid any possible bed bug outbreaks? or are there any risks that outweigh the benefit of it defending against possible bed bugs?

I've been thinking about spreading it around every so often under my bed (plus around my bedroom) just in case.

Re: Getting rid of bed bugs: trickier than ever

#80

Post by dom96 »

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…

> leave your luggage in your car for a few days when you return from a trip.

how would that help? are you assuming the temperature in the car goes below freezing or above 120F?

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