Comments on: FAQ: What is diatomaceous earth (DE)? Should I use it?

By: spideyjg

spideyjg — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:10:39 +0000

The NIOSH site regarding DE…

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0552.html

They recommend a respirator of NIOSH rating N,P, or R95 or better. I’d go all out and get a N,P,or R100

Here is info on approved respirators.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:57:21 +0000

ADR,

It’s possible. We’re told bed bugs will die within 10 days of walking through DE IF it is used properly.

But they have to walk through it. I can’t tell you where your bed bugs are coming from, or where they’re going.

I would strongly advise you to get a professional in to do a more comprehensive treatment. I think DE has a place as a preventive (once bed bugs are cleared) or as part of a professional’s treatment plan, but you may have bed bugs for longer if you rely on this alone.

And that’s the best case scenario.

If you don’t have it where they’ll all walk through it, then you could have them for a long time.

If your attached neighbors (if any) have bed bugs and are not treated, they may keep coming from there as well.

Finally, I am not sure how you assessed how big the infestation is and where the bed bugs are living, but this can be very difficult to determine.

Good luck and if you have more questions, please come to the forums where you will get more responses from more people!

By: ADR

ADR — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:34:19 +0000

Dear All,

I have a small infestation in my bedroom of BBS. I only have two rooms in my flat with an ajoining doorway.

If I apply DE across the doorframe between the bedroom and second room, sleep in the second room to attrach the BBs, will most of them die as a result of crossing the DE application?

thanks

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:15:07 +0000

bedbugs?

Please copy and repost your message in the forums where you will get more response. It’s not really on topic in this FAQ.

Click the blue forums button at top right!

By: bedbugs?

bedbugs? — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:10:24 +0000

i always get bit by bed bugs when they are around.. (i think its the red hair/fair skin) anyway a month or so ago i was getting bit in my favorite chair and didtn know why (suspected bed bugs) and a week later i foun one biting my toe then one..so i grabbed one and put it in a container …called my land lord and he cprayyed my house before he did i bagged everything that could be washed and bagged it and he sprayed everything else (or so was said, luckily no carpet so not that bad)after he sprayed i still got bit once or twice in my chair ( not realizing it may take a lil time before they actually die) so i threw it out..weeks after no bites….well the bed bug i got put away i accidently dropped ( go figure ) and a couple days later i got bit (i guess it took a while for it to get to me since it was starving and swivvled up )well i ended up catching a bug after it bit me…i believe it was the same one…now its been weeks again and i have not been bit at all does that mean they are gone or do i still have them….i have very little amount of stuff so not really many places to hide .. my daughter has not shown signs of being bit either

By: Aris

Aris — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:43:23 +0000

Anyone familiar with Concern diatomaceous earth? It does not state that it is food-grade on the package. The ingredients list includes silicon dioxide 85%. I found a website that states it is freshwater DE, but not sure how reliable that info is.
(Can’t reach the product info line today because they are closed on the weekend.)

By: newbedbugs

newbedbugs — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:31:12 +0000

i used drione dust in my electrical outlets with a duster. i guess i was a bit too enthusiastic bc the third puff caused a spark of electricity & shorted the fuse. i wonder if it’ll happen with just DE too.

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:12:47 +0000

Tess,
If your neighbors have them, they will keep coming. It sounds like this is what is happening. Your landlord must have all units next to, above, and below your neighbor’s apt. and yours professionally inspected and treated if necessary. The landlord cannot rely on neighbors saying they don’t have them. Up to 50% of people do not react to bites and will have NO idea. Please come to the forums if you have further comments or questions:
http://bedbugger.com/forum

By: tess

tess — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 05:27:43 +0000

i am dealing with a bed bug prob for a while now though i get rid of them and then they come back i have very lil furniture and no carpet i do live in a apartment complex and i want to seal it up then treat and get rid of them i keep hearing my neighbor on one side had them what should i dop to keep her bed bugs away and get rid of the few i have..i check my beds and i never see any spots or huge amounts like you see in pictures in fact my beds look clean but once in a while i get bit and once in a while i will find one i just got treated by my landlord and now its a few weeks later and i got bit today then i found one…i want to get de but would it work if so should i apply to all cracks so incase bed bugs come from the apartmnets next door they will die immediatly..also could i just get like a cement mixture to seal up the walls or can bed bugs eat through it?

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:31:31 +0000

DE can take 10 days to kill bed bugs, so you certainly would not expect to see anything at this point. However, I would seriously encourage you to go the PCO route again. 3-4 visits in 3 months is not frequent enough to break the cycle of bed bugs. You need the PCO to come at apprx. 2 week intervals, to kill the hatching generations which will appear within a few weeks of treatment. Giving them a month to spring back is not wise. While DE can be useful, it sounds like you have a serious case and I would personally continue with PCO treatment, though I would urge you to find a PCO who returns at shorter intervals, for a more aggressive approach.