FAQ: Should I do my own pest control for bed bugs?
By nobugsonme on Jan 8, 2007 in FAQs, bed bugs, bedbugs, doing your own pest control, multi-unit buildings, professional pest-control services: reviews, suggestion, treatment
In most cases, no. At least not as a sole treatment plan.
I feel pretty strongly about this. We just heard from Nero, an intelligent and enthusiastic Bedbugger in NYC, in the “Son of Share your tales of bed bug woe” thread, and it sounds like Nero’s planning to do the family’s pest control. I posted about this in the comments there, but I am writing a new FAQ about it because I think people need to see this.
I would not want people coming here to think that we’re encouraging anyone to do their own pest control as the primary treatment plan for bed bugs. A few people have talked about doing so here (including BuggedinBrooklyn– who is working with a company that cleans for bed bugs, but is basically the only one applying pesticides) but I don’t think I know of anyone doing so as their primary option who is not experienced with pesticides (usually from a work-related experience).
Others here have supplemented the work of a professional, and many feel this is a good idea (some PCOs like Pest Away in NYC apparently give you a bottle of something you need to spray as part of the treatment plan). One or two Bedbuggers have frankly had to supplement the work of professionals who did not know what they were doing. You might say “get another PCO.” Well, yeah! But tenants are often at the mercy of landlord’s PCO choices. One person here lives near Yellowstone Park and none of the PCOs there apparently have seen a bed bug, and did not know anything about them. But these are exceptions, not the rule.
Everyone here should start with a licensed PCO who can detail their extensive experience with bed bugs. If the bed bugs are not gone in two weeks, you insist the PCO comes back. (And usually they are not gone in two weeks: the eggs hatch within 10-14 days of spraying, and you are suddenly running a bed bug baby nursery!) You repeat this process every two weeks until they are gone. In most case, at least a few follow ups within a certain time frame should be included in the original price– if they’re not, try to choose someone else from the start. But don’t assume the PCO is bad f you’re itching 2 weeks after treatment; this is not unusual and is not a sign that you’ve got a bad PCO. I can’t emphasize that enough. But they should come back in 2 weeks (not longer). And things should be improving from day one.
You should also ask your experienced PCO what you should do as far as preparing for treatment and supporting it (with vacuuming or not, spraying something or not). If you are working with someone good, and until you have had 2-3 treatments and still have bed bugs, or don’t see a significant reduction in them, I’d still assume it was someone good, do what they say.
Don’t freestyle with supplmental treatment: if you hear someone else on Bedbugger is vacuuming every day, don’t jump in and do that. Why? Your PCO may be using something that needs to stay down on the ground, for example. You may be sabotaging your PCO’s work! Similarly, don’t start spraying stuff you hear others use; your PCO may be using something that counterindicates it. You may even be using something with repellent properties, for example, when your PCO is using something to kill bugs when they’re drawn towards you. It won’t work, right?
I know there are bad PCOs (as PCO Sean will remind us, more often there are bad employees at good PCOs) out there, and you will hear complaints from some Bedbuggers about same. But please do not assume you can or should do this yourself. Most of us will be much better served with a professional. And a good PCO will be thrilled you’re willing to go the extra mile of de-cluttering, washing and bagging all clothes, and other steps. They may want you to spray something between visits. But do not assume you know more than a professional– even someone who’s not a bed bug-killing star probably knows a lot and has seen a lot more than you.
If you have a really good reason to do your own pest control (see above), and do decide to take matters into your own hands, please do a ton of research, ask people a lot of questions, buy a respirator (not goggles or a face mask, but a respirator mask). Read and follow directions diligently.
But I feel quite strongly that nobody should start this way. Nero, our young friend, living in NYC, absolutely should not.
- You can harm yourself, others, and pets.
- You can spread bugs to others in your building — and then they will come back, rendering your work pointless. (Never, ever use a bug bomb to treat bed bugs!)
- You can spend a lot of money but the problem can get bigger and harder to get rid of. Meaning, in the end, you saved nothing, and are suffering much longer.
- If you’re a renter, in most places your landlord is required to pay for and obtain a PCO.
If hiring a licensed, experienced PCO is a barrier because of money, remember:
- If you’re a tenant, your landlord probably is liable to pay for a PCO. They may deny that. Find out your local laws (start with our FAQ on that, and remember to let us know if you discover your local laws on this!)
- If you own your home, or rent in some locality where you’re sure the landlord is not liable for this (and you should get this verified by a city official, not from the landlord’s mouth or a friend), then this will be expensive. Make no mistake. However, it will be more expensive if you do not get rid of it fast: you will lose more stuff. You can spread it around your home or to neighboring units (in a condo building). This will make it infinitely more expensive.
- If you’re liable to pay, you may balk at putting a $400 or more for a PCO visit (or even 3 or four of same) on a credit card you can’t afford, but trust me, if they get into all your furniture, your car, your workplace and so on, you will pay much more both financially (in PCOs and in lost objects) and emotionally. I realize I am assuming that if you have a home, you have a credit card, but in most cases this is true. If not, maybe you have a close friend or relative who can step in and help. This is akin to getting help with a health-related expense, because this can wreck your mental health, affect your job and relationships. You can even become physically ill from allergies to bites or from lack of sleep and stress.
- Cutting corners with PCOs is as dangerous as going it alone (maybe worse). If the PCO wants $60-100 a visit, especially in NYC, you should guess they are not licensed and are definitely not going to get rid of bed bugs. (We heard one case like this on the yahoo group.) Choose someone with a reputation for killing bed bugs. (If your landlord hires someone unlicensed to do pest control, in NYC at least, they’re breaking the law.)
As always, I welcome discussion, and dissent!
But I feel pretty strongly about this, and I definitely don’t want people to stumble in here and think we’re encouaging them to do their own pest control as a sole tactic against bed bugs. In most cases, it’s not a great idea. In some, it’s a terrible plan. Even as a supplement, know what you’re doing: make sure what you’re doing does not conflict with your PCO’s strategy.
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JimsGotBedBugs | Jan 8, 2007 | Reply
Unfortunately, I’m new to the Bedbug scene here.
Found this website, and it looks to be a great resource of vast bedbug knowledge.
We moved into our new single family dwelling out in the sticks about 7 months ago. The previous tenant was an old man who had a ridiculous amount of crap in his house. My wife refers to this as something people who lived through the great depression do– Collect everything because at one point they had nothing. Who knows..
Anyway- We moved in with our small amount of furniture and clothing and begin life. My 4 year old has his own room, but most every night he sleeps with the two of us in the master bedroom. (no pets btw)
About a month ago, I started getting mosquito-like bites on my ankles. At the same time, my son got them on the small of his back. Both of us got at least 10 in our respective affected areas. At the time, my wife said that they were spider bites and that she used to get them as a kid. We shrugged them off and they went away for 2 or 3 weeks but now they are back. I googled a little bit last wedsnday, and found the bites to look exactly like bedbug bites. Always in groupings and mosquito-like. This go-around all three of us have been getting bit, my wife and I get our ankles and calves bit, while my sons ankles and legs are bit.
I’m normally a mellow-easy going guy. This put me over the proverbial edge. I flipped into OCD mode.
I pulled the bed apart, looked all over it, the metal frame, and the nearby furniture. I couldn’t find any evidence of bedbugs, but admit I didn’t really examine the wood furniture too closely, and mostly concentrated on the bed and walls.
I know it’s not psychosomatic, because I can’t be imagining welts on my son. I’ve got bedbugs, I just haven’t seen them, their molts, their eggs, or their poop, yet
I started by washing everything we owned. Starting with the little guys clothes. Everything washed and dried on hot. As soon as it came out of the dryer, it went into newly bought zip-lock bags. I followed that with my wife and my clothes. The bags (all our clothing) is now kept at the other end of the house from the master bedroom, in a room that we only go into the dress.
I bought 7-mil plastic drop cloths from the hardware store and wrapped the box spring and mattress separately in it. Taping them shut tight.
I put all 4 legs of the bed in Tupperware filled with diluted tea-tree-oil. I then wrapped each leg with flypaper. (above the waterline).
All the bedding was run through the Hot/Hot cycle and dried 3 consecutive times.
We all now shower and put on fresh (out of the bags) clothes before getting into bed at night. Once in bed, we don’t leave bed unless we have to, and are quick about it. Prior to bed, we circle all our bites to keep track– We’ve noticed these past few days that the bites “show up” many hours after bed, and sometimes old ones will itch if you brush them. Circling them gives us great peace of mind because we know it’s just an old bite flaring up, instead of a new bite.
The wooden furniture that we brought with us included two dressers and two chests. Both have been emptied, and are going outside for a few months once it gets cold enough to kill any resident bugs. Once they are out of the room, I was going to seal the floor/wall edges with caulk, as there are big gaps that the previous owner never filled.
We have been doing this for three nights. I have notice a few bites I didn’t see before each day, but the number has dropped significantly. I plan on staying this course, and hoping to starve the bastards by removing the food source for a year or more. In the end, being anal-retentive about keeping clothes clean and going to bed clean can’t possibly be a bad habit to get into anyway… bedbugs or no bedbugs…
I’ve read they get ballsy when starved, and need to be prepared for them to counterattack during the day. Does anyone know if they still require you to be still during these attacks? We’re pretty active, and not home during most of the day.
I don’t know if they came with us (one of the chests was from my wife’s grandmother), were in the house before we got there (previous tenants pack-rat tendencies), arrived with some used goods (my wife is thrifty and gets lots of second hand clothing. I think we’re agreeing to be more careful about accepting used goods now), or hitchhiked home with me on one of my work travel adventures.
Anyway’s thanks for the supportive blog. Keep up the good work, and I’ll post with updates.
(To tie into the topic at hand… I’m going to try my own pest control). Only because I think:
-It is a small infestation (no visible bugs),
-We don’t have a lot of guests sleepover
-We don’t have a large home
-We don’t own a lot of stuff
-If they can’t bite us, they can’t live
-I’m fully ready to swollow my pride and be prepared to hire a proffesional if this thing goes south. Actually, I would probably want to try that ‘themapure’ method… I think our shop has a few portable proffesional heaters kicking around.
JimsGotBedBugs | Jan 8, 2007 | Reply
I forgot to add- I put 1X3 strapping around the bed (between box spring and mattress) sticking out about a foot at one foot intervals. This keeps sheets and bedding from accidently hitting the floor, but allows us to get into bed with minimal obstructions. We also moved the bed to the middle of the room.
Bugalina | Jan 8, 2007 | Reply
Jim…It sounds like you have potential to be a good bed bug warrior..but you have much to learn…You must isolate your beds, true, but if you fail in the isolation then they are living where they shouldn’t be…I think you would be best to get rid of all boxsprings…and purchase the special bed bug zippered mattress covers from Nat’l Allergy Cataloge..taped tarps allow for too many small areas for them to hide in….I think… you need to caulk all possible cracks and crevices and NEVER buy used stuff anymore….I used to love gargage sales…NO MORE…not until this epidemic passes…I don’t know where you live…there are very good Pest Control Companies…and very bad ones…you need to do your homework….Bugalina
parakeets | Jan 8, 2007 | Reply
I would love to have a professional treat my bedbugs but….
* I live in a multi-unit apartment building and the management company is “self-treating” for the most part. (Ineffectively, using bug bombs and such). They didn’t even tell us we have bedbugs! My doctor had to tell me what was causing my bites, and then I found evidence on my own. My management company doesn’t tell us when they come in to self-treat, either. I just come home and find evidence that someone was in to treat (items moved that were blocking a vent, smell of bug spray, sticky thin film of pink goo near the baseboard, etc.) The evidence is that the treatment clearly is not thorough, and the bedbugs are still here.
* I live in an apartment building in a suburb of Boston and none of the PCOs I have called to hire myself will come and treat my unit. They say that it is useless to treat one apartment in a building and that they won’t do it. I tend to agree with them–if I pay for a thorough treatment myself, but the building is infested, the bedbugs will just come back into my apartment.
* But in the meantime, the bedbugs reproduce. After my management company treats, there are less bedbugs for a while, but since they never fully eradicate them (if they are not even telling us to wash our linens, bagging things, etc., it is not surprising we can’t get rid of them), the bedbugs increase again.
* I hate waking up with blood on my pillow, my nightshirt, having itchy bites, being bitten when I sit at my desk … if my management company is ineffectively treating, I want to treat the bedbugs myself.
* But I’m scared of applying insecticides. I had a friend who miscarried when her husband self-treated their house for termites and I always thought there was a correlation. I have asthma and there is a lot of cancer in my family. So I won’t use diatamaceous earth or any of the strong stuff.
* I think of moving but I don’t know how to move with bedbugs.
I have never been in such a “between a rock and a hard place” situation in my life. It is affecting my mental health. I’m even posting less about bedbugs because I’m feeling so helpless. I have an ineffective and cheap management company (who know a heck of a lot less about bedbugs than I do), but I can’t change them and I don’t have the energy to fight them. All I want to do is move to a small single-family house but I can’t afford that right now. This problem is much bigger than all of us, and fighting landlords one by one is not going to solve it. Even if my landlord were able to get rid of the bedbugs, with so many tenants in my building, a fellow tenant is innocently bound to stay at a hotel or at a friend’s house where there are bedbugs or a new tenant could unknowingly move in from an infected building and re-infect the building all over again.
nobugsonme | Jan 8, 2007 | Reply
Jim, welcome.
You can’t do Thermapure style treatments on your own. People have tried. It doesn’t work–the heat needs to be 140+ F in every part of your home. The bugs will feel the heat in the bedroom and then flee into the walls. Then you’ll really have a hard time. Your portable heaters will not get the temps up to 140 in EVERY part of the home. But it will make your problem into a very serious one.
This is kind of my point about seeking professional help. I understand you believe you have a small problem. You should realize people can be bitten for months without seeing one single bug.
They will multiply exponentially. It may not take much to get rid of them now, but I still think professionals are the best idea. If you really do have a small problem it will not cost much to treat, but you will really treat it rather than make it worse.
Just my opinion, but I have now been talking to and reading about 300 or 400 people fighting this problem. So it’s based on lots of secondhand experience.
Parakeets– you’re the kind of person (the exception) who I would say does need to treat themselves. I understand the fear of the pesticides, I am very wary myself. My heart goes out to you. I hope you can find some way of getting free of this.
Bugalina | Jan 8, 2007 | Reply
Parakeets..Deb here…Happy New Year…I pray…You are between a rock and a hard place but I think that you shoud consider using some products…even if they are only contact killers…if you email me I will tell you about a nice man I purchased some products from…I know how hard it must be for you.but you have to fight these monsters….there are some products that are not real toxic…that might help…xo Deb
nobugsonme | Jan 8, 2007 | Reply
Parakeets,
I had another thought.
I know others like Caitlin have only had luck when the whole building was treated. Since your landlord has been treating the whole building BADLY for a long time, I feel like the only thing that can be done is to take legal action. I don’t necessarily mean suing, which can be expensive. But filing a complaint in housing court or the housing dept. or health dept. or however things work there is probably best. And will not cost you. (Even a lawsuit might be done pro bono since it sounds like you have a good case.) This is very similar to the case of Peter Young, from the NYC housing court. He got a rent abatement of 50% for a period from 2003-4 when the landlord knew about but did not fix the problem (fix, not TRY to fix). And by the end of that period, it WAS fixed.
I know that takes energy, but you can’t go on like this forever, and I know you can’t move until they’re gone. Yours is a case where the building needs to be treated more agressively (perhaps even tented and gassed with Vikane). That should not be harmful to you since you’ll not be home. The housing court or whomever might be able to help make that happen. And I think there would not be repercussions to you long term as far as getting references and such.
If you decide to do that, and there’s anything we can do to support you, let us know. Seriously.
JimsGotBedBugs | Jan 8, 2007 | Reply
Anyone know metro-Boston area exterminators with good recommendations?
nobugsonme | Jan 8, 2007 | Reply
Hi Jim,
Hopefully someone will post from Boston.
You should also be aware of the yahoo group, if you have not tried there yet. It’s where we all came from, and it’s a good source of support and info:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/bedbugger/
More Bostonians there.
Bugalina | Jan 8, 2007 | Reply
Jim..nobugsonme is correct..go onto that yahoo group as there are several pest control operators who can maybe recommend someone…you need to deal with someone who is experienced in bed bugs…then augment with your own treatments…you can purchase products at do it yourself pest control..1 800 476 3368..but you really should deal with an experienced pest control operator as well…I think you mentioned that you had an aversion to chemicals…however the bad news is that bed bugs only know death by chemicals…to try and treat them “naturally” is not going to work…you can lessen the population..but the idea is to bring them down to ZERO..no egg laying females…no inseminating males..each of these needs blood meals to get to adulthood…so since they lay eggs every 10 days or so…the general concensus is to treat at 10 to 12 day intervals…to kill them off before they reach mating capability… I think to be successful takes at least three months of pro active treating… go onto bedbugger and ask for good PCO recommendations…Bugalina…formerly known as Deb…
Nero | Jan 9, 2007 | Reply
Alright! I finally came across this and at late hours too! Anyways, thank you so much for the helpful information! I’ve been talking to my parents and they’ve even agreed and decided to help. I hope we do bring this up to our landlord, but I have yet to hear any of the other tenants complaining about Bed bugs. Even if they don’t have them, I already think everyone should agree to the entire building getting treated. It’s relatively small here…I think ( 9 floors…72 apartments. @.@ Oh dear, I was never good at math, but still!)
My mother and I also want to take a look into purchasing some diatomaceous earth after I explained to her just what it was exactly. We’re going to try and get our (gloved) hands on that, and call in some professional help. Because even I know what I can’t and can’t do, and exterminating Bedbugs with all sorts of chemicals outright is one thing I can’t. I guess that’s just my attitude toward this problem. I’m looking for relief, especially since college is closing in. So far, I think I’m gonna contact Pest Away and get some mattress covers too.
And to think, I thought those little fogger bombs would help too. I know for sure I’m going to get rid of the gauze-like covering on the bottom of my frame and get in there.
All that aside, it’s just fascinating and extremely unnerving to know that these guys do grow a set and venture out in the day just to feed when they’re starved, even drop down from the ceiling (Heh, now I check my ceiling. They haven’t been there yet thankfully. Ha, ‘yet.’ No way do I want it to get that far).
And now with all the reading I’ve been doing on the internet, I’m a little more than ticked off at the fact that NYC isn’t doing anything, and about the ban of DDT in general. The chemical had to have been doing something right if it eradicated these pains in the butts almost completely. My father also agreed to paint, if that’s going to do anything. I want to get one those caulking guns and seal up those cracks in the fake wall too.
Annnyway, thanks again for posting up this FAQ! It’s already a big help, and I haven’t even gotten started yet! But once I do, it’s just a few more steps to some measure of relief! A relief I can’t wait for.
Thanks again!
buggedinbrooklyn | Jan 9, 2007 | Reply
I would like to say a few things about my PCO and self treatment.
First, I wouldn’t call what my PCO is doing, “washing” or “cleaning” as you say in this article.
Again, what is used is an enzyme product with basically the same ingredients as “Kleen Free”.
While it is just a contact killer, and more or less the safest one around, it is a pesticide and not a cleaner like murphy’s oil soap.
How it kills is by forcing the outer skin to molt…It looks like they snap/bend, or explode if you spray them with it.
The only down fall to this enzyme product is that it has no residual effect.
While having no residual effect is nice to spray the tops of your beds, pillows, shoes, and hats, I would not say that this is the best pesticide.
Many use Kleen Free for just this reason, and this product is more or less Kleen Free.
I do feel it has a place in bedbug eradication for people who are elderly, small kids/babies, and people who have pets.
Again, it is very safe, and the smell is quite pleasant.
At first, such a safe, pesticide sounded good.
Yet after reading that you almost MUST have residual pesticides to work, I decided to look at self treatment as an added strategy.
In no way should anyone here think that doing anything that I or others might be doing as safe.
You must use a respirator, rubber gloves, eye protection is not a bad idea, and don’t forget to put your shoes or boots on…flip flops are a no no.
always safety first.
Open windows, move people out of the rooms or the house.
Wash your gloves, your hands, and mask after each use.
But above all, it’s always better to have someone more skilled then you do all the work that needs to be done.
Any money saved now can mean more money spent and added problems down the road.
Like nomorebugsonme said, this realy needs to be left in the hands of good PCOs.
You might ask why am I willing to do so much spraying and dusting on my own if I should leave it to the pros?
Simple, I have at least two items of furniture that I would hate to have to get rid of.
Also, I feel like I must do something.
The first is my L shaped desk, the kind you can get at staples.
It’s just too nice, with a hutch, and draws, to just toss out….if infested, it is so light, that I don’t think I’m getting bitten in this area.
(All my skin crawling and prickly feelings here might be from the D-Force spray used on or underneath the desk)
I could get rid of this desk, but it would be unpleasant.
The next thing I would hate to get rid of is the L shaped leather couch that is only 2 years old.
Tossing out $3000.00 is not what I would like to do.
This is the single most hardest item to get rid of all the bugs that must be living inside.
This is the site of my big bedbug attack on my arm…40 bites in 1 night.
To get rid of this would take a lot of fighting and arguing with my dad…just not worth it IMHO.
Today, it still has bugs, but so light is the infestation that it might be bug free in 2 more weeks.
Victims of bedbugs needs to get proactive in other ways to help eliminate the infestation.
Vacuuming, bagging up spare close, washing in hot water and drying on hot for over an hour…
Getting rid of clutter and so on.
Leave the pesticides to the pros unless you are willing to be more then safe about it.
with 2 visits from my PCO, and 2 treatments to my bedroom and the couch, I have not seen a visual sighting of a live bug since the day after X-Mas or so….the bug who gave me “the finger”.
I still have new bites, but they are less often then before the PCO came the first time.
A lot less.
I’m still getting rid of clutter, and my laundry will remain in bags and not in my dressers till all bites have stopped for some time.
Caulking is something that needs to be done, but for the most part is just a small amount of work to do….I’m lucky as the work needed was done before painting this APT.
again, only a small amount might need to be done in spots….yes it should have been done by now, but hey, one day at a time.
I can’t say this any better then to say, I’m suffering.
It’s getting better with all the work I’ve done, but still it’s hard.
If you have a bedbug problem, you’re suffering too, let the pros handle most of the work.
You have enough crap to do to help get rid of them, why do more like apply pesticides and caulk.
buggedinbrooklyn
nobugsonme | Jan 9, 2007 | Reply
Nero, don’t buy mattress covers at Pest Away. Try National Allergy which lots of us have used. It’s in one of the mattress FAQs. You need to read our FAQs!!! You need the basics. Click the “frequently asked questions” link under the photo at the top of the blog page.
Sorry Bugged, I did not mean to represent your experience with Mitebusters. I understand they’re billing themselves as a PCO, but that doesn’t seem quite accurate, since it isn’t possible to kill bed bugs you can’t spray directly with Kleen Free. And the bedbugs you don’t see are the legions waiting to get you. I called this process cleaning because Kleen Free is billed as an enzyme cleaner, not a pesticide, even if it can kill when sprayed directly on bed bugs. You are right that it has a role and a lot of people get good use of it. But I would not want anyone to kid themselves that this kind of treatment is what we’re sending them for when we say “get a professional PCO”. You are, in your case, the PCO. If mitebusters was the PCO you called and you did not do your own as well, you’d be up a creek. Does that make sense?
Bugalina | Jan 9, 2007 | Reply
nobugsonme is right…..Kleen Free is a good “tool’…but must be used in conjunction with pesticides with residuals…I like the idea of Kleen Free or Bed Bug Terminator because it might get some small hard to see nymphs …The reason I think that people must do their own treatments , along with a PCO, is because the PCO just doesn’t have the manpower to do as complete a job as necessary…forgive me for saying this but I think its true…they are very necessary but in the fight I think people need to also use products…with care….I think dustiing with DE or Drione is very effective…and I think if the PCO won’t come every 10 -12 days to treat then one must do it themselves…because of the egg laying cycle…even the experts are now saying 10 -12 days…or two weeks tops….we are all here to help…everyone has the same mindset….lets kill these monsters !! Bugalina, formerly known as Deb….
buggedinbrooklyn | Jan 9, 2007 | Reply
Quote “But I would not want anyone to kid themselves that this kind of treatment is what we’re sending them for when we say “get a professional PCO”. You are, in your case, the PCO. If mitebusters was the PCO you called and you did not do your own as well, you’d be up a creek. Does that make sense?“
no, it doesn’t.
Nobugsoneme,
please take what I’m about to say lightly, as what I write might appear to disagree with you…
In reality, I’m agreeing with you more and more.
Just look at my original reply here to see how much I agree that pest removal should be left to the pros….regardless of what I might be doing.
Also, I could care less what others think, but I want to state a few facts that might interest you on my story.
You make me out to be the PCO because I’m using drione dust and suspend like products (I also use a can of gentrol…still can’t see why you wana use birth control on bedbugs…??? LOL).
This could not be further from the truth.
At best I’m only supplementing the work done by Mitebusters, with the use of toxic chemicals.
I don’t know how much dusting or spraying you think I’m doing, but let me say it’s nothing like what a REAL PCO would do.
I’ve said repeatedly here that I only dusted in small amounts behind some furniture.
I’ve also said that I’ve sprayed the beds, and around the areas of them.
I also sprayed the inside of my dressers, and in and outside of my desk.
Try to picture only HALF my living room dusted and about 15% sprayed.
I removed far more clutter in this room then applied any chemicals.
But more importantly…the chemicals I’m using CAN NOT BE USED ON THE OUTSIDE OF MY LEATHER COUCH.
It’s one of the reasons I used such a PCO.
Suspend/D-Force stains and seems to dry out leather.
The amount of washing you have to do right away if any chemical gets on the leather is nothing less then a lot.
I fear cracking or rotting if left unchecked.
Again, everything I’m using is harsh, and TOXIC.
Just how many emails do you get about people who complain of reactions to the chemicals I used?
How many babies, pets, and elderly have to be exposed to toxic chemicals in order to solve this problem?
Even I’m wondering if,from time to time, that I’m having reactions from all the harsh chemicals used in small amounts (skin crawling, and prickly feelings, noticing my hairs on my legs are always standing on end, when by my desk).
The thought that the use of Kleen Free being sprayed in my house having little to no effect is nothing short of preposterous.
From the first day, my dad’s bed went from having a med sized infestation that had plenty of visual signs that included bugs of all sizes, eggs, and fecal matter/stains, to a mattress that is fully incased with mattress covers, white sheets, and no visual signs that they are trying to live in the bed again.
While we have new bites, they are greatly reduced from the start…and I did no self treatment until 2 or 3 days after the PCO came to our house.
My couch might have been sprayed with Cans of D-Force, but I’d hate to have a PCO recklessly spray Suspend on or in my couch…I would have to throw it out after the first application I’m sure.
The white stains that are hard to remove due to it’s a residual chemical is not what I would want to deal with all over my new couch.
I’m really sure it would be ruined in the first or second PCO treatment.
Even then, my self treatment is nothing like what a normal PCO would do, and has been just a light treatment at best.
IMHO, Mightbusters got rid of about 80% of my bugs in the 2 visits.
I helped get rid of about 10% -15% more…don’t kid yourself NBOM, I didn’t do much more then this.
I only dusted my home at first, and sprayed my couch. It wasn’t till just after my second visit that I went spray happy on the bedroom and desk.
Well, I did spray lightly with bedlam around my desk and carpet, but it too is more a contact killer if I’m not mistaken.
The thought that only harsh, toxic, residual chemicals, are the anser to this problem just boggles my mind.
I’m all for bringing back DDT, but to think that safer methods can’t do the job is wrong.
It will just take longer with safer methods.
Again, I agree that we need to use residue style pesticides as the BEST way to solve our infestation.
It’s just not the only way.
more importantly, even with harsh toxic chemicals, bedbugs can persist to make people suffer even after 6, 7, 8 or moretreatments from PCOs who use Pyrethrins and Deltamethrin.
It’s not that Suspend and other residue style pesticides don’t last long, it’s that they stink at killing the bugs.
Sadly, it’s all we have. But they still stink at the job.
my sister’s story is far more common in the NYC area.
She got them from a neighbor or from new furniture as she moved in.
Then, after a month or two of living in her new $3000 a month rent apt in the east village, she started to notice bedbugs…all over the place.
Her rug, sofa, bed, closets, everything.
Slowly, they were every place.
Her cats helped spread the problem I’m sure.
She was at her wits end in no time.
Trust me when I say she was traumatically insane by the time she had her first PCO visit.
And the bugs never died or showed signs of dying.
Even after her 2nd visit she had live bedbugs crawling in her rug…at least that’s what she said.
And I know that they were using Pyrethrins and Deltamethrin.
What if she had Kleen Free sprayed on her rug? I’m quite sure that ALL or MOST bugs would be dead on the spot in that rug. (And that’s my point…even the best stuff stinks against bedbugs, and we might need to think outside the box.)
3 PCOs later, and 6 months of hell, my sister MIGHT be bedbug free now.
All PCOs were using more or less the same stuff, but the last at least caulked up her walls and baseboards…this is something that all PCOs need to start doing.
I don’t think any PCO asked her to encase her bed, strange as that sounds…I could be wrong.
It takes time, and in a multi unit building it can be a nightmare.
But harsh chemicals are not the only anser to solving this problem.
I just cant stress this enough.
Remember that a bedbug ‘“gave me the finger” once when I lightly sprayed Bedlam (3-phenoxybenzyl, cyclopropanecarboxylate….4% , N-Octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide …1.6%) on the bug, till I sprayed him a second time and died.
This would never happen if sprayed with Kleen Free or related products on it.
Finally…
So, should we all start using Kleen Free and related products for all bedbug eradications? NO WAY.
In my humble opinion, it is just one tool that should be used. To think other wise is silly.
But I kinda wonder what should be used for people who just can’t use such harsh chemicals in their home for whatever reason???
Should we tell them that Mightbusters is not the anser like your saying NBOM? I’m not sure that’s a good idea as well.
Again, it might take longer to get rid of all the bugs with an enzyme product, it sure is safer on pets, humans, furniture, and the environment.
Again, please take everything I say lightly Nobugsonme (NBOM), this is just my thoughts on the mater.
If anything, I can’t say that a PCO who used Suspend in my home would do a better job for me.
It might have ruined my couch, and maybe even made my bedroom unsleepable. (The smell of Suspend is not what I would call easy on the nose.)
Buggedinbrooklyn
buggedinbrooklyn | Jan 9, 2007 | Reply
bugalina,
I’m not sure if I’m “right”, I’m in no way an expert on the matter like some of you ladys…
yet I too think that using all the tools we have is the only way to get this nightmare to end.
but again, what if someone just can’t use harsh cemicals like Suspend?
then what? burn everything? no
I think PCOs like mightbusters might be the anser, IMHO.
buggedinbrooklyn
Bugalina | Jan 9, 2007 | Reply
I know very little about mitebusters…I think its a franchise….so its like any franchise..( wrong spelling) If the person who bought into it is concientious then there is a good possibility that they will do a good job…Exactly what methods do mitebusters use ? As I said early on….everyones’ infestation story is different…many variables…I found even one bed bug intolerable..so I am pro chemical…and I am also a control freak…and I found that I knew more than the PCO I used…but I also found that using a PCO was invaluable to my psyche…I needed them…I will google mitebusters as I don’t know exactly what they do…but I don’t care how people kill these monsters…as long as they kill them..its the people who don’t do anything about them who scare me..because those people are the ones responsible for the spread…..People have to keep in mind that bed bugs were nearly completely eradicated from North America…and the reason for that was that people found them intolerable to live with…So why should that change now..
nobugsonme | Jan 9, 2007 | Reply
Hi BuggedinBrooklyn,
No worries–dissent and disagreement is welcomed here, from anyone anytime, as long as it’s polite. (Doesn’t mean I will agree, but you don’t have to either.)
Perhaps I was not expressing myself well enough.
Here’s the thing, you say what mitebusters use is just like Kleen Free. Kleen Free is not technically a pesticide.
Kleen Free, according to the manufacturers, is an enzymatic cleaner. It “cleans” bed bugs away., Their words, not mine. The site above goes to great lengths to talk about how it is not a pesticide. It kills bed bugs, true. (But as entomologists have told us, so does 90% Alcohol: IF YOU SPRAY IT RIGHT ON THE BUGS.) So when I said mitebusters was a thorough cleaning service, and that they clean for bed bugs, I was stating a truth. They undoubtedly are helping rid your home of bed bugs. And I am sure they’d provide benefits to lots of others too.
On the other hand, I don’t think they’re sufficient for ridding homes of bed bugs. I’d be happy to see evidence to the contrary. If people have compromised immune systems or allergies and cannot handle pesticides (which I agree is a genuine concern), then they need some other treatment method. But what they do not need is a treatment method that will lesson, but not eliminate entirely, their bed bug problem. In my opinion, someone with an illness or an allergy can suffer a lot from bed bugs themselves, leaving aside the pesticides.
Thermal treatment (done by professionals, folks!) IS a great solution for people with reasons for avoiding pesticides. Unfortunately for you and me, BuggedinBrooklyn, it’s illegal in NYC. I hope we can change this. It’s expensive, but so is living with bed bugs.
I think we more or less agree that mitebusters alone will not eradicate all your bedbugs, and mitebusters will probably help reduce your bed bugs a great deal.
I think we also agree that everyone needs pesticides to have a chance of eliminating bedbugs– or something as strong (like heat). I think we also agree that people who can’t handle pesticides for medical reasons need more options (like heat).
Our only disagreement, then, is in the classification of kleen free as a pesticide and mitebusters as a PCO. I could not find anywhere on the mitebusters site where they were designated as such. And the description of their service (sanitizing mattresses = cleaning, crack and crevice treatment with kleen free-type solution, and so on) is not the application of pesticides.
You are applying pesticides, and in that sense, I think you are your own PCO. (I was also trying to clarify for readers that you had experience of a kind–you mentioned training in the army with gas masks; you aren’t an amateur with all of this, even if you’re new to pesticides.) Yes, a PCO might do much more, but it sounds like you’re doing quite a bit.
The bottom line is if mitebusters did a really thorough cleaning job (and I mean their sanitizing and steaming process) it is bound to help. So is Kleen free. But my sources tell me murphy’s oil and 90% alcohol are also contact killers (meaning wiped or sprayed directly on, they kill bed bugs.) Kleen Free “cleans” them away as the Natural Ginesis site claims. The problem of bugs you cannot directly hit remains. And those pesticides you used are what keeps it all from coming back.
Like I said, feel free to disagree. But I think it’s important people don’t kid themselves. If all you use is mitebusters, they will be reduced. And they will probably come back. I’d bet on it. We need safe solutions. Make thermal pest control legal in NYC. And once some competition heats up, maybe those prices will come down.
jessinchicago | Jan 9, 2007 | Reply
Hey Buggedinbrooklyn- This may sound ridiclous if you’ve already done it, but I though I’d try, anyway. Have you flipped your couch over and removed the mesh underneath (if there is any)? If you do that, and you spray with Suspend, but only UNDERNEATH, where no one touches it and no stains will be noticed, I think you’ll see a huge difference. I did that with the suede couch here, and it worked wonders. I also applied the Drione on the underside of the couch. Just a thought.
That said, and this is to everyone, I wholeheartedly agree with our editor that hiring a competent PCO is the absolute best option for everyone oustide the “exceptions” box. If you are at all able, whether that means credit card debt or family loans or anything else, you should by all means hire a competent PCO. DIY exterminating is NOT a good choice for those who are able to hire professionals. Nobugs is right (as confirmed by our resident experts) when she says the potential for making a manageable situation into a complete nightmare is profound. Misapplication of pesticides can cause bedbugs to scatter to other areas of a home, or, worse yet, cause them to scatter to a neighbor. Which would be very bad, all morals aside, because it’s likely the bugs will come back to you through the walls once the (pesticide) coast is clear. It can also cause bedbugs to go into dormancy as a survival mechanism, and they could return later, with a vengeance.
And that’s not taking into account the unknown dangers of the pesticides available to us. The fact is, we just don’t know what accidental inhalation of Drione dust will do to our lungs in ten years, or what contact with partially-dry Suspend will do to our kidneys, through skin absorption.
The professionals are the only way to go here, unless all else fails.
Of course, when all else fails, you do what you have to do, right, Parakeets? Me too.
Many warm thoughts to all of you,
Jess
jessinchicago | Jan 9, 2007 | Reply
Jim- Welcome! I’m glad you found us and I hope you continue to tap our resources. They are vast, now, thanks to the efforts of several veteran bedbuggers- and, of course, our sleep-deprived and cause-driven editor.
Listen, I get the feeling you have come across some of the misinformation that’s unfortunately readily available on the net, in terms of eliminating bedbugs by eliminating their food source. It would be fantastic if that worked. We all would have saved thousands of dollars just by protecting our beds, but we have all done that already and still have experienced many bites. Yes, the bedbugs will follow you throughout the house, especially if you have protected your bed with no residual pesticide backup. Bedbugs do not care where you are or what you are doing, so long as they can feed on you. Food, reproduction and survival are their main goals in life. So, rest assured, if you protect your bed and have no chemical to kill the bugs that attempt to feed on you in that bed, you will have significant problems in the other rooms you spend any amount of time in, and quickly. See, the residual chemical applied by PCOs will not discourage the bugs from trying to get to you in your bed. So they will. But in doing so, they will pass through the chemical, and they will die.
If there is no chemical, the bugs will attempt to feed on you, realize they can’t, and move to other, more convenient locations. And there’s no chemical to make them die in the process.
I say all of this out of experience. I started out with an infested bedroom and ended up with an infested couch and living room. I hope you research, gain knowledge, and do not follow in my footsteps! By the way, no, you don’t have to be still for them to feed. Bloody hell, I’ve had them crawl up my leg while I was standing in the kitchen talking on the phone and bite me!
Good luck, and please keep asking questions (also see FAQ) and giving feedback.
Jess
nobugsonme | Jan 10, 2007 | Reply
Jim said: “I forgot to add- I put 1X3 strapping around the bed (between box spring and mattress) sticking out about a foot at one foot intervals. This keeps sheets and bedding from accidently hitting the floor, but allows us to get into bed with minimal obstructions. We also moved the bed to the middle of the room.”
Jim, I forgot to ask, what’s strapping? (I am just learning my way around Home Depot). Whatever it is, I think using something to keep sheets on the bed is genius and we should all rig it up. Could you spell it out for me a bit more? Sorry if it seems like a silly question. Thanks
JimsGotBedBugs | Jan 10, 2007 | Reply
NoBugsOnMe-
No problem: Stapping is a 1″X3″ length of finished lumber. At home Depot and Lowes it sells for ~$1.20 for an 8′ piece, and ~$3 for a 16′ piece. Mind you it is called 1″X3″ rough sawn. When you buy it, it is more like 0.5″ X 2.5″ finished.
Not sure of the origin of the term ’strapping’, but it’s common enough use.
Our bed is a simple metal frame that holds two side-by-side box springs (Split queen) and a queen mattress. There is no headboard, sideboards, or footboard. We often lose are pillows to the ground in the middle of the night being away from the wall now, and the little guy likes to kick off the covers. We needed something to ‘catch’ these items before hitting the floor and defeating our barrier.
Anyway- All I did was cut a few 8′ pieces into 2-foot lengths. Then I stuck them between the mattress and the box spring in key locations, each sticking out a little less than a foot. I have 6 at the head of the bed, to keep the pillows from falling to the floor. 6 at the foot of the bed, and 2 on each side towards the feet. This gives us plenty of exit/enter space where you would want it, and prevents pushed covers from accidentally touching the floor.
Looks a bit funny to the non-paranoid ‘normal’ person, but it works well for us…
Just be carefull that when you insert the wood between your mattress and box spring that you don’t tear any of the barrier covering you use (be it a cloth or plastic).
-Jim
P.S. - Day 2 of bite free-ness!…. I’m gearing up for a pre-emptive counter attack by using the ‘Safer Ant and Crawling Insect Killer’ - 4lb bag (at Lowes for $8). That’s going in all the walls, baseboards, outlets, and attic spaces… Then sealing it all up in there with caulk this weekend. Also- it’s getting cold enough to move most of the furniture outside for a few nights to ‘clean’ em out. We’ll see how it works…
JimsGotBedBugs | Jan 10, 2007 | Reply
Jess-
Thanks for your thoughts… I am gearing up for what I am calling ‘phase 2′ of operation ’sleep tight’…
Mind you, I haven’t found the nest or grouping yet. I think they are in one of the dressers in my bedroom. Clothing has been removed, but I haven’t touched the dressers yet (lots of wood and hiding spots). I am leaving them ‘feeling safe’ for the time being.
Phase 1 was to stop the current offensive. (Isolation of bed and clothes, wrapping of mattress)
Phase 2 is trapping and sealing ‘escape routes’ from bedroom to rest of house (baseboards, walls, outlets, etc).
Phase 3 is removal of existing agents from furniture (death via cold weather)
Phase 4 is preventative decontamination of furniture from the rest of the house. (moving furniture outside for a few days)
Not, by any means, fool proof, but it should be sufficient.
I’m using DE (from Lowes) to dust that (carefully) into walls, sockets and baseboards. Then sealing it all up. Also a fresh layer of paint on the walls and ceiling is needed anyway (a good way to sanitize them IMHO… historically, nothing kills like paint).
This is followed by continual OCD-ness towards clothing, travel, and bedding.
Then it’s just nightmares and phobic-reactions
-Jim
nobugsonme | Jan 10, 2007 | Reply
Thanks, Jim.
Nero | Jan 11, 2007 | Reply
@.@ Now I can officially say that I stay awake because I’m afraid of being bait right now, even after spraying my room recently. What scares me is the fact that they may be in my boxspring, and not my mattress. (and there’s the dresser too…totally made of wood, and filled with old clothes I don’t wear any longer) So I’m hoping to get some covers; one for my boxspring and mattress..along with some pillow covers.
If I can do more talking with my parents, I’m sure they’ll let me get the covers from the National Allergy site, if not, I’ll have to go shopping for some duct tape, bags, and string among other items.
I’m just really sick of being bitten time and time again. As for talking to my landlord, my mother explained that the rent we pay is just for matenance fees, and that we actually own the own apartment (@.@ Confused me, but okay). So I guess that means we’ll have to pay out of our pockets.
My parents and I will find something to work.
Again, it’s just a matter of me having to be the bait.
Bugalina | Jan 11, 2007 | Reply
NERO You should cover your boxspring and mattress ASAP…the more you feed them the more they breed ! Go through your drawers and clean out everything you don’t wear…double plastic bag your old clothes and throw them away…clean out your drawers and thoroughly inspect them..turn them upside down and inside out…clean them with Murphys Oil Soap…you can buy Murphys Oil Soap at any Large drugstore chain or Home Depot…or a hardware store….get a stiff wire brush and scrape the drawers inside and out with the wire brush…to brush out any eggs…and then clean with Murphys Oil Soap…and then vacuum…You can get some DE rather cheaply ..you can buy it online or at a exterminators store in NYC if that’s where you live…but you should be doing these things that don’t cost a lot of money yet they will help immensely to kill off their populations..also you should be vacuuming everyday…with bed bugs its important to keep your room clean…also put the Murphy’s Oil soap..diluted with some water..into a spray bottle and spray all around your window moldings and on the lower parts of your walls…Keep trying to kill them…that’s what you have to do…keep killing them off….Bugalina
nobugsonme | Jan 11, 2007 | Reply
I can’t emphasize enough that the kind of information Bugalina offers above is in our OTHER FAQs, so newcomers should read these! If you ever get lost, click “Frequently Asked Questions” in the links under the photo at the top of the blog, or in the links to the top left.
nobugsonme | Jan 11, 2007 | Reply
Hi Nero,
It might help for you to print out a few messages from our site like the FAQ about “What are bed bugs?” and some of the “success stories” and “ongoing battles” stories (see links at top of page). Your family needs to understand that this is a problem which will grow by leaps and bounds, and though dealing with it well can be expensive, it will be MUCH more expensive if they let it spread. Because you are not renters, if your aunt’s couch is truly the source of infestation, there’s some possibility you could be held liable for others getting the bugs.
buggedinbrooklyn | Jan 11, 2007 | Reply
NBOM,
the more I reread both our replys, the more I see us in total agreement.
if anything, I’m the one not being fully clear on some subjects, not you, so instead of going off on an other tangent, I’ll just make a list of points I was trying to make.
1) in my eyes, I’m not the PCO in my house.
regardless of the fact that any product that mightbusters is using may be far infearior to what I’m using.
they gave me advice, a plan to workout before they first arived, a plan to follow once they did come before there folow up, and of coarse they did treat my house with an enzyme product.
in your eyes NMBOM, I might look like I’m self treating, and in many ways I am.
but I just don’t want people thinking that I’m the only one treating my house.
I’m not.
2) I also agree that “heat” sould be a legal option for bedbugs, but at this time, it is not.
there still needs to be a choice for people who suffer, yet cant use Suspend like products.
all I’m saying is that while Mightbusters and Kleen Free might not be the best way to kill bedbugs long term…it is the only other choice we have at this time.
at least in the NYC area.
no offence but, your not giving anyone else here another choice, your just telling them what you wish would be aloud in this area to use for bedbugs.
I have no dought that the use of non residual products will take far longer to solve any bedbug problem.
we agree on this.
yet to say that it could never ever solve a bug problem, even with long term use might sound a little closed minded.
even the use of residual products has it’s limitations, and has proven to be weak at best in dealing with bedbugs.
again, my sister, had an ongoing problem for 6 months with the harshest chemicals found to man.
I’m quite sure with all the storys I’ve read, and heared through the grapevine, that she is not alone in the time spent to get rid of such blood drinkers.
3) in the end, who cares?
I’m still taking your advice and will keep treating my house with cans of D-Force, as well as Drione dust.
they are both working at least a little bit.
I can see myself being bug free in a month…maybe less…thanks to you and the many members of ths site.
quote from Jess “”Hey Buggedinbrooklyn- This may sound ridiclous if you’ve already done it, but I though I’d try, anyway. Have you flipped your couch over and removed the mesh underneath (if there is any)? If you do that, and you spray with Suspend, but only UNDERNEATH, where no one touches it and no stains will be noticed, I think you’ll see a huge difference. I did that with the suede couch here, and it worked wonders. I also applied the Drione on the underside of the couch. Just a thought.”"
yes Jess, I have fliped my couch over and sprayed from underneath.
it has helped alot, but they are still there.
if you read my story, and I know you did. you might remember that I had my arm ATTACKED with about 40 bites in one night.
today, I have still not seen even one sighting of a bedbug since the day after X-Mas or so.
I have since had new bites, but they have lessened alot.
they are still in the bedroom, and the couch/living room, but I think that all I have at this time are the hatchlings…nymphs.
I’m going to spray tonight again, and do some more vacuuming in the living room and bedroom.
I hope that soon the bites will stop, and I can just go on to treating my house as a more preventive way then for eradication of bug infestation.
in the end, I’m sure I’ll be fine and bug free.
until then I’ll still be treating my APT as I at least feel like I’m doing something to solve this problem.
buggedinbrooklyn
buggedinbrooklyn | Jan 11, 2007 | Reply
Nero,
quote from nero “I’m just really sick of being bitten time and time again. As for talking to my landlord, my mother explained that the rent we pay is just for matenance fees, and that we actually own the own apartment (@.@ Confused me, but okay). So I guess that means we’ll have to pay out of our pockets.”
the chances are you live in a CO-OP or CONDO, and yes, if that’s the case, you don’t pay rent.
your matenance fees pays for gas and electric that you use, and the costs of any porters, security, and the super that your building(s) have working for you.
think of it as, everyone chips in a few dollars to help pay the fees that you all have in order to suport the costs of mantainig the building in a livable way.
so, yes, you need to look for a PCO, and pay for it yourself.
as you are in fact the owner of the APT you live in.
I would look at all the FAQs that are posted here.
then when looking for a PCO, ask lots of questions on just what they will be doing for you.
they should spray and maybe dust your whole house and beds.
spray your dressers and closets.
they should be using proucts that have Pyrethrins and/or Deltamethrin in them.
and IMHO, they should also caulk up every place you need to rid yourself of cracks and holes that they hide in.
a good PCO will do all that and maybe even more.
you should also get 2 follow ups for no added costs…this is normal, and included in the price they are quoting you.
follow what others are telling you here, there advice is the best on bedbugs.
above all, I wish you luck.
buggedinbrooklyn
Nero | Jan 11, 2007 | Reply
I do live in NYC so finding the DE shouldn’t be so hard. Well, that is, if I can find it at a hardware store. As for the oil soap, I can find that, as well as the wire brushes. So would I simply clean out the dressers without the soap first? I mean you know just using the wire brush only. Another question, is there a specific kind of Murphy’s Oil Soap that I should get, or is there just like one…kind?
And! I just ordered the coverings for my boxspring and mattress from National Allergy so I’m pretty happy about that and getting my acceptance letter for college. Once the coverings come, I can get all the other odds and ends, which are relatively easy to find where I live.
Easy to find, and hopefully not too expensive. I get the feeling with upcoming money issues (my college tuition per semester is a real doozy from what I’ve read), my father and I will have to do the majority of it ourselves. If we can, we’ll get a PCO to come in.
And so far I’ve read some of the FAQ’s, but I’m definitely gonna re read them (especially the mattress one) and this pest control one, and whichever FAQs are left. My mother may look at me funny, but she’s well aware of how the bugs are driving me crazy (the couch has been gone and we even put a note that said bed bugs were in it).
Bugalina | Jan 11, 2007 | Reply
Very good that you put the note on the couch…you really should have slashed it with a knife or spray painted it…there is only one Murphy’s Oil Soap…dilute it with some water…maybe like 3 - 4ozs of Murphys oil in one gallon of warm water…first empty your drawers and put everything into plastic bags..spray the drawers inside and out with the murphys oil soap solution …and the backs and undersides of all your bedroom furniture….really inspect…then take a wire brush and brush hard into all the seams of the drawers..keep looking for eggs that look like kernels of rice…and of course bugs…clean your room from top to bottom…after washing and wire brushing your furniture drawers inside and underside and backs…and the same with the backs and undersides of your dressers and nitestands then check all of your lamps..you should remove any posters or pictures from your walls..put them into the large or extra large ziplock bags..and store them…vacuum everything very very thoroughly…if you have carpet you must carefully pull up the edges around the walls and clean and vacuum…this is when the DE would be good because you can lightly dust it around the carpet edges…if you have wooden floors buy a good caulk gun ask the advice of a hardware store person…buy the caulk gun and good caulk and start to caulk ALL of the cracks and crevices in your wall moldings, all around the windows molding and of course whatever you can in your floors….go on and read all of the FAQs…..You must do this….and you cannot put your clothes back into the drawers…wash everything and then put them into plastic bags and then into plastic rubbermaid containers …you can buy these at WalMart or Target or a store like that……I have a son in college…what college did you get accepted to ? Congratulations….maybe you can major in pest control management !! They need all the help they can get !!! Keep in mind that they hide in dark small spaces…so give them as few places as possible to hide in….its a process but if you clear out the clutter and clean and use some good products you should have success….Bugalina
Nero | Jan 12, 2007 | Reply
Well I don’t have carpet (and now I really don’t plan on getting any at all), so the vaccuming would be a problem obviously since I have hardwood floors. Meaning I can’t truly mop, it’ll ruin the tiling, I’ll have to run a damp mop to keep the dust off the floors and what not, but that still doesn’t stop me from planning to dust necessary places with DE.
There aren’t many cracks in my floor since it’s fairly new (it’s not a year old yet) but there are places I’d need to caulk up. I have a single lamp that provides light for my room and the living room and it has no shade. It’s made entirely out of metal, but I won’t hesitate to check that either.
I think I’m going to get rid of all the clothes inside the dresser (that’s the only 100% wood item I have in my room), and buy more plastic containers. Then there’s painting my room too. Thankfully I don’t keep things up on my walls at all, so that cancels out them hiding in picture frames, posters or wall clocks. No curtains either, just black shades but I’ll get those too.
At least the cleaning part is a dream come true for my mother. She still thinks my room is dirty and she’ll enjoy the cleaning from top to bottom…as well as easing my sanity.
As for College, it’s nothing too big, just Bronx Community College, a bus ride from where I live. Amidst my bedbug craziness, I’m fairly excited about going.
nobugsonme | Jan 12, 2007 | Reply
BuggedinBrooklyn,
I’m glad your bed bug war is going well! I hope you’ll be home free soon.
You said, “all I’m saying is that while Mightbusters and Kleen Free might not be the best way to kill bedbugs long term–it is the only other choice we have at this time. at least in the NYC area. no offence but, your not giving anyone else here another choice, your just telling them what you wish would be allowed in this area to use for bedbugs.”
No offense is taken (and again, I hope you won’t be offended that I disagree), but this does not fairly represent my views. Yes, I do think we need to work to get thermal treatment legalized here. But I am not simply saying people have no choice. I am being honest: people who cannot use pesticides may not be able to eliminate their bed bugs. They may reduce them, but I have not seen evidence that you can eliminate them.
And for every person who reads this who is genuinely unable to handle pesticides, there are doing to be 20 others reading this, saying “I don’t like pesticides. I think I will follow this other route.” When you say “Who cares?” Well, the point is, when people come to this site, they’re often looking for suggestions. There’s a lot of murky and bad advice about how to get rid of bed bugs out there on the web. I want to make sure we are really giving good advice here.
I would be very open to hearing from people who beat bed bugs permanently without any DE, drione, or other pesticides. I would love if this worked. But saying it’s an option isn’t really doing anyone any favors unless we KNOW it’s an option.
I do really appreciate your perspective and what you’re sharing here.
nobugsonme | Jan 12, 2007 | Reply
Nero,
Also, glad your family is behind you and helping with this. It can be hard being “the one who gets bitten” in a home where others aren’t. Lots of us understand how that is. (Myself included!)
Sounds like things are looking up– congratulations on your college acceptance. You can go amazing places in life with education.
Remember to wash things on hot and dry on hot for a long time (1.5 to 2 hours: long past when it becomes dry) and then seal things into airtight bags while you’re still in the laundry room (or maybe you have a machine). Don’t bring them home the way you used to. Then you can put the bags in the room (plastic tubs are handy, but not usually airtight in themselves). Remember the smallest bed bug nymphs are 1mm and the largest are 1/4″: the smallest are hard to see. They can get through tight spaces. (More in the FAQs!)
Bugalina | Jan 12, 2007 | Reply
Nero..You can get a fine education at Bronx Community.( find out who the best professors are )….the secret in life is to really want something…if you really want it ..you can get it…I know that might sound corny but I think its true…you have to have a plan, a goal, and then you have to work hard to achieve that goal..Don’t be influenced by others…keep your own counsel…and map out your future…because g-d willing, you will have a future..and its up to you what you do with it !!! For now…keep your room clean, clutter free, and fight to kill these bugs…you will WIN !! Deb
jessinchicago | Jan 12, 2007 | Reply
I’ve been following your story, Nero. I’m so excited that you got your college acceptance letter. Now you have something positive to look forward to. Remember that your future is in the palm of your hands, and you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to. It’s true.
Congratulations! I hope you’re feeling proud and happy about this. You’ve earned it.
And listen to the others who have been doing a fantasitc job of guiding you throughout your bedbug ordeal. I’ve been watching, and they KNOW what they’re talking about.
Smiles from Chicago.
Jess
Stephen | Jul 14, 2007 | Reply
I have just purchased a house that has not been lived in for approximately a year. I found in one of the bedrooms a bed mattress and boxspring that appears to be new. Can bedbugs survive this long if the house has been through seasonal changes with no one living in the house for a year? I plan to place double sided carpet tape around the bed to see if anything is alive in there! I will also vaccum the carpet in the room and vaccum the bed/boxspring thoroughly. No other furniture is in the room. Anyone have anything to add? Thank you!
nobugsonme | Jul 14, 2007 | Reply
Hi Stephen,
Is there any reason to think the bed or the home had bed bugs, besides the bed being new?
If it did, we’re told they can possibly go dormant, and that they can possibly live as long as 18 months without feeding.
I personally would not take a chance on the bed, if you thought it might have bed bugs. Unfortunately, carpet tape may not catch them.
It’s worth considering also that if there were bed bugs, they could survive just as easily in the walls, floors, and in other cracks, as they can in a bed. If you think there are bed bugs, I’d have the entire home inspected and treated ASAP.
You might want to paste this–your question, my answer–into a forum topic here:
http://bedbugger.com/forum
… and continue the conversation there. You’re bound to get more advice. And your login will work there too.
Thanks!
buggedin NYC | Sep 3, 2007 | Reply
I hate these nasty things — prefer good ole’ Texas cockroaches you can step on and be rid of. Anyway, as of 2 months it looks like I’ve been successful in my attempts to rid myself of the pests, but I am lucky. I had a pretty vicious but very contained infestation — I have a pillowtop mattress (pillowtop and quilted on both sides, so there are loads of lovely crevices for the critters to live in) and hardwood floors with no carpet in the bedroom. The bagging-and-gagging worked well for me, but again, my apartment is a one-bedroom (only one place for them to find food) with all hardwood or tile flooring, no one sleeps on the couch, and it was recently renovated, with no cracks in baseboards or walls (although those were treated anyway.) One tip I wanted to share with everyone here is Spacebags - I’ve used them for a while due to limited closet space, but they REALLY came in handy when it was time to bag up all bedding and stuff in the nightstands. I bagged everything right there, THEN took it down to the laundry room to boil and bake, so to speak - no transporting the evil little monsters to another place. For things that I didn’t have the time/energy to wash right away, it served as a nice, space-saving trap for the buggers. I Spacebagged my comforter and took it right to the cleaners (of course, I told them I had a bedbug problem — they nodded - it’s not too uncommon, I guess.) The bags certainly aren’t free, but are re-usable and can really help out when you have to bag a ton of stuff and have little room for storage. I tossed my pillows - not worth it.
FYI, I keep vigilant, as this was a horrific experience, but no sightings/bitings as of yet. My mother in Houston had the same problem (and you could eat off her floors) — she even put a couple of the guys in a ziplock bag - they lived for over 4 months with no food and NO AIR - amazing.
buggedin NYC | Sep 3, 2007 | Reply
I forgot to mention that plastic bags (especially Spacebags) are great for under-the-bed storage - they keep everying clean, and don’t give these guys a place to hide and lay eggs, unlike boxes. I had a couple of boxes under the bed, and I found some eggs in them - yelch!
I should also mention that I did use DE and pesticides - I used everything I could find. BUT, I used a mask, gloves, and have no children nor pets - my options would have been quite different had I possesed either. I did not have them near my kitchen — again, an isolated infestation. Also (and I know it’s been said but it bears repeating) DO NOT use a bug bomb (my mother tried this - big mistake) all is does is run them around - it will not kill them. You have to use special products designed to kill these resilient little devils. Finally, don’t just chase them away with a ton of contact poison - they need to stay put, either trapped within your mattress by a cover, or near the bed to crawl through the poison to get to you, the food (yelch!!!) FYI, any mattress cover that will keep in/out dust mites will work for bedbugs (or so I’ve read, and it seems to have worked for me.) I bought a really good one (doesn’t make you sweat at night) at Bed Bath and Beyond for around $60 - well worth it for me, and I won’t take it off for 2 years. I used a cheaper but heavy duty vinyl one for the box spring (@20.)
nobugsonme | Sep 4, 2007 | Reply
Hi buggedinNYC,
Thanks for your comments. Glad your bed bugs appear to be gone.
A few points: first, I recommend XL and XXL ziplocs. They have double zips and are very well sealed. I have not tried the new resealable SpaceBags, but I note that the vacuum seal ones did not work well for me. Also, NEVER use a bag that has had dirty stuff (dirty=could have been exposed to bed bugs) for clean stuff (clean=known bed bug-free). This is VERY important.
Also, while it is possible to get rid of your own bed bugs if you do your research, are very cautious, do not make any mistakes with the substances you use, are lucky AND do not live in a space attached to anyone else’s home (that is infested), people in multi-unit buildings can and should never assume their neighbors don’t have bed bugs. For this reason, I’d caution anyone in a multi-unit or attached home against trying to self-treat, since neighbors above, below, and on all sides must be professionally inspected and will likely need treatment.
All the best!
nobugsonme | Sep 4, 2007 | Reply
Oh, and I also would not personally store anything under the bed during treatment. (For my own sanity, frankly, not after treatment either.) I know that’s hard in a NYC home, where space is at a premium, but personally, I want nothing to obstruct my vision. A sealed bag is probably safe, so others may feel differently. But during treatment, you want things as sparse as possible.
buggedin NYC | Sep 4, 2007 | Reply
Totally agree on the underbed-storage issue during treatment — I should’ve been more clear. I kept everything out of the room during treatment, but they are great for after-treatment storage, as they don’t give the critters a good place to hid - they don’t like slippery plastic - prefer fabric. I would caution against keeping too much under the bed, though, so you can see everything, but in my particular situation it works (I have plently of room left over.) A good vacuuming under the bed once a week keeps me sane. FYI, I did have professional help (no way would I try this all by my lonesome) but did quite a bit on my own. Thanks!
buggin out | Sep 7, 2007 | Reply
HELP! I just found bedbugs in the pleats of my bedskirt and a few in the seams of my mattress. I live in an apartment building and reading all the comments on this website it seems like I have to get the landlord involved. My husband and I threw out the bedskirts and killed the bugs we found in the seams but unfortunately we did not know what we were dealing with and used bug foggers in the bedrooms before discovering the bedbugs. We have been sleeping in the living room every since while I wait for my order of DE to arrive. We have a 3 bedroom apt and found them in 2 of the bedrooms, the bedroom in the middle of the 2 have not shown any signs of bed bugs but will still treat. Any advice from anyone who has dealt with their landlord? At first I was too embarrased but obviously it is not my problem, I moved here 7 months ago and my furniture is either new or what I previously owned so the bugs had to have come from the neighbors.
hopelessnomo | Sep 7, 2007 | Reply
Hey buggin out, sorry you found bedbugs. Please save a few in a ziploc bag and read the rest of the FAQs as they will help you a lot. There is a landlord/tenant faq that will give you an idea of what to expect in your city, if it’s listed, or how to search for that information elsewhere. There are also many treatment faqs. Finally, you can also ask a question or participate in the forums, the blue bug above.
You just… call your landlord. ASAP. It’s as simple as that. Well, no, but you need not overthink it, just make the first call. You should remain calm when you speak to them. This will help a great deal. Depending on where you live, chances are they’ve come across this before and will have someone good already under contract. If not, you need to make your case for expert treatment since a knowledgeable and experienced PCO is usually the key to solving this problem and not everyone knows bedbugs. Treatment is recommended roughly every 2 weeks until there are no more bites and no more signs of bugs (fecal specks, blood, cast skins). Most people need at least two treatments and many need several more. However, this can be over relatively quickly if you and your landlord are smart about it. Adjacent units should be inspected to make sure the infestation is not coming from the neighbors. There are many ways to get bedbugs and it’s not easy to identify the source. You will need to deal with your clothing and linen, and will probably need to return to your bedroom. Sleeping in the living room will just spread the bedbugs to that location.
Good luck!
nobugsonme | Sep 8, 2007 | Reply
This is good advice from Nomo. Do read the FAQs before you do too much, since it can help you avoid mistakes. Don’t worry too much about speaking with the landlord. There is no way to prove where your bed bugs came from (work, new furniture delivered in trucks, a building handyman and neighbors are all possible). So don’t allow the landlord to blame you, but you also should not be certain who to blame. Neighbors should have their homes inspected by a qualified PCO but remember, they may have them and have no idea (if they are unallaergic). Most important thing is prompt treatment by a professional who knows their stuff. Oh, and don’t start with DE before consulting this PCO. Some of them won’t treat you if you first self-treat. Ask them and you can probably supplement with it later (food grade DE is good stuff).