FAQ: what is Vikane gas fumigation?
By nobugsonme on Apr 6, 2007 in FAQs, bed bugs, bedbugs, multi-unit buildings, professional pest-control services: reviews, suggestion, treatment, treatment in hotels, treatment in institutions, treatment: single-family, vikane
Given that bed bugs are so hard to eradicate, and how long it can take to treat using traditional methods, we’re always on the lookout for better options.
Those of us in multi-unit dwellings often daydream about having our whole buildings tented and fumigated with Vikane. It’s one way to get rid of bed bugs in a building (large or small) that’s out of control. You can do it to your house, or your whole building, but you can’t do it in a single apartment (hence the daydreams). It’s not legal everywhere, from what I gather, but is worth looking into. Everyone (humans and pets) must be evacuated before treatment, and the unit is covered in a tent so that the gas does not escape.
Only a trained and licensed professional can or should use Vikane gas. You should never try to replicate this kind of treatment using any kind of substance. It is extremely deadly.
Here’s Dow’s brief article on vikane gas fumigation for bed bugs, and Bowman Termite and Pest of Hawai’i on Vikane fumigation for bed bugs (this one tells us that the procedure takes one day and kills all bed bug adults, nymphs and eggs, if done properly).
Pest Control magazine clarifies that three times as much Vikane is used for bed bugs as for termites. And they outline Vikane’s benefits:
“We have recommended fumigation with Vikane on several extensive bed bug infestations where we felt that conventional treatment strategies could not bring a resolution to the problem quickly enough,” said Scott Crowley, technical director at Lloyd Termite Control in California. “When we use other treatment methods, re-treatments are frequently necessary. However, when we use Vikane and take some extra precautions, we can be sure that all of the bed bugs in the structure have been eliminated.”
The extra precautions that Crowley recommends include inspecting all personal belongings which may have been involved in the transference of bed bugs, as well as proper laundering of bedding and clothing which may have been exposed.
Frank of The War on Bed Bugs on Vikane:
(A) Vikane chamber can also be used to treat furniture and possibly vehicles. The technique sounds promising and does not cause significant damage to human health or environment. However, the cost of Vikane gas fumigation is significantly higher, and it is impossible to treat a multi-family dwelling without the co-operation of every unit. The long-term effects of using Vikane gas are also not clear.
Like Frank, I’d like to know more about the possible long-term effects. I have a hunch that gas is nor harmful to us or pets, because we don’t re-enter the home until it has been aired out for a time and the gas has fully dissipated (which is an advantage of a gas over other substances which might be applied). But I’d like more information on that.
I’d also love to have a ballpark figure on the costs of Vikane gassing a 3-bedroom house, say, or a 3-family house, or a 35-unit apartment building. If anyone has done it or knows how much it would cost, please tell us (and include the region or rough geographical location, if you will).
We also seriously need details on anyone who is licensed and able to provide Vikane gassing of a moving truck full of bed bug infested items. If you know of anyone who does this, anywhere, please let me know. Entrepreneurs, do you realize how many people from this site alone would frequent such a service? It would open up “moving” as a viable option for getting away from bed bugs, which it really isn’t now.
Dow’s FAQs on Vikane for termites note that many real estate transactions now require homes to be treated for termites before the sale goes through. For bed bugs, no other treatments but thermal and Vikane can potentially offer 100% success (and I stress that thermal and Vikane have to be done by people who know what they’re doing). Vikane seems like a good option if you’re selling a home or building and have bed bugs. What’s more, if the provider guarantees their work, buyer and seller can have peace of mind on this issue.
Further reading:
This is the Environmental Protection Agency (USA EPA) page on Vikane gas fumigation.
This is one example of a success using Vikane.
This is a site for people concerned about pesticides, which suggests Vikane may be dangerous even when used correctly. The issue is likely to be controversial, but I wanted to share this link so readers are aware of it and can do further research if they’re concerned.
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Bugalina | Apr 6, 2007 | Reply
Absolutely true…there is a lot of business to be had from people on this site. I did speak to a company about Vikane. I dont’ want to give their name unless they gave me permission as I will probably use them…for my POD…The only thing I didn’t like is that they told me I have to empty out all the contents from the POD into a steel floored UHaul Truck…and then drive it a few hours away…I would have already gassed my POD if I didn’t have to do this transfer…my husband and I have to hire someone to transfer the stuff so it complicates matters….we have decided that if we have to hire a few movers, we will give them tyvek suits…and we will wear tyvek suits as well… In the meantime it will be one year this month that my stuff has been stored…but I am so paranoid about reinfestation that I can’t ever look at that stuff in the POD unless its vikaned. I will phone these people next week and see if they want to get in touch with Nobugs..
Anonymous | Apr 6, 2007 | Reply
Hey Bugalina,
I am curious, if your stuff has been in storage for a year, why not just wait another six months (or another year, to be totally sure)? It seems to me that if you’ve stored stuff for that long, it’d be better to just let it live out its tenure in the POD than to pay for Vikane.
Of course, I totally understand if you want to be extra EXTRA safe, but I’d hate for you to wait all that time AND spend all that money. To me, it seems like one or the other would be sufficient.
Just a thought.
Anonymous | Apr 6, 2007 | Reply
Oh, sorry, that was me, S. Again with the not being logged in! Nobugs, can you think of a reason why I don’t just stay logged in?
Bugalina | Apr 6, 2007 | Reply
S..I know you have a valid point….most of my furniture is in that POD….my sofa and chairs are feather stuffed..there were practically brand new, I had them about a year…..I am paranoid that maybe my POD is being stored next to a heavily infested POD and that bugs will crawl into my feather stuffed sofa and chairs…If I Vikane it all then there will be no unknowns….its the unknowns with bed bugs that are the most stressful…that’s why I am afraid to go into any of the storage units I have…for fear that a hungry bed bug, from another storage locker..will crawl on me…..I know they do this..because it happened to me…they crawl very quickly..esp. if they are hungry….there are so many complications ..my husband says that when we to into the storage unit we should suit up in white Tyvek suits…and thats’ what I am thinking of doing…they are pretty cheap..they have hoods and you can get booties..
nobugsonme | Apr 7, 2007 | Reply
S, you should stay logged on. I am not sure but maybe cookies are disabled? Anyone else having this problem?
nobugsonme | Apr 7, 2007 | Reply
S
This may also be related somehow to the fact that you have two accounts. Both are called S, but there are definitely two. You might have started one on the blog and one on the forums, but since you can use one at both, there’s no need for that. It might help if we delete one and you tell the webpage to “save your password” or “remember me next time” (usually there’s a prompt like that when you enter a password). Anyway, email me–I put this here in case anyone else has a similar issue.
nobugsonme | Apr 9, 2007 | Reply
A friendly, local, and knowledgeable PCO who is known to me and who often shares wisdom with us, but is shy about getting credited for it, said this:
nobugsonme | Apr 10, 2007 | Reply
Moved from a thread about other news:
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Alex said:
April 10th, 2007 at 12:05 pm edit
You asked for info on the long-term impacts of Vikane.
You’ll find some info here.
As you’ll see, because Vikane is a gas, sulfuryl fluoride dissipates VERY quickly and, thus, poses no long term impacts for dwellers/residents. Even professionals exposed to traces are likely safe, as no long-term impacts were seen in animals exposed to sub-immediately-lethal concentrations for 6 months (between 5-150 ppm).
Mainly, this stuff is a VERY toxic (i.e. “acutely” toxic) gas that should be handled VERY carefully and with VERY professional equipment. It is dispensed as a super-chilled liquid that near-instantly is vaporized at room temp to the gas, that then seeps and diffuses into every nook and cranny of the home – thereby killing all respirating organisms inside the tented structure.
Also, after it disperses upon removal of the tent, it pretty quickly reacts with stuff in the environment and is rendered non-toxic. The chemistry is pretty straight forward and well understood –so there won’t be any DDT stories about Vikane in 20-30 years (and we’ve been using sulfuryl fluoride for 60 years, so they’d have shown themselves by now anyway.)
Hope this helps.
Alex
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Bugalina said:
April 10th, 2007 at 12:44 pm edit
Alex–Do you work in the NY area ?..Is it possible to tent a POD ? I have contacted someone, who was very nice and helpful, but they said I have to transfer the contents of the POD into a steel floored UHaul Truck, so as the gas wouldn’t escape. I am not doubting what they said, but I would obviously prefer to just have the POD delivered to a spot and then have it tented. They said the POD floor isn’t sealed enough. I so appreciate any advice you may be willing to give me. I would love to have my POD treated asap. but if I have to transfer the goods, I must wait until Sept.
thanking you in advance..Bugalina
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Alex said:
April 10th, 2007 at 1:07 pm edit
No, I’m in VA and am not a professional exterminator (though I did live in a basement apartment of a world-class entomologist and termite expert!).
As an ag policy analyst, I am familiar with fumigating grains and other crops for export (to kill any pests that might be introduced into new lands via crop shipments, i.e. biosecurity).
Perhaps you can place a suitable barrier under your POD? Heck, you could use a simple hydraulic bottle jack to jack up one end, place a VERY heavy mil plastic sheeting under that end of the POD, set it back down and repeat on the other end — pulling the sheet from the middle to the second side. When you’re done, you’ll have a full plastic sheet barrier under the whole shebang and the exterminators can fold the edges of the tenting to that.
Seems simple. Call the guy back and ask him if that will pass muster.
Cheers,
Mti | Jun 10, 2007 | Reply
Hey Bugalina,
I’m in NY and we’re moving in a few weeks, and the idea of putting stuff into a u-haul truck and fumigating it is intriguing. Can you share with me the name of the PCO? Reach me at bedbug2005 at gmail.com
nobugsonme | Jun 10, 2007 | Reply
try this post from thebedbugresource.com, where someone posted two NY/NJ area PCOs who do commodity fumigation. (disclaimer: I can’t recommend them personally and I don’t think this other poster has used them yet either, but it is good info to have).
andymi | Jun 29, 2007 | Reply
I have a three storey row house. How can this be tented?
nobugsonme | Jun 29, 2007 | Reply
You’d have to call the practitioners and see if it can be done.
nobugsonme | Jul 18, 2007 | Reply
FAQ updated”
Two links added to end: one to post about successful Vikane fumigation of multi-unit bldg. in New Jersey, a second to an article from Pesticide Watch which suggests Vikane may be harmful if used properly.
just vikaned my house | Jul 19, 2007 | Reply
I just had my house and garage tented in Florida and it was $875 for both structures to be tented and Vikane gas used for termites. My house is small, only 700 square feet. Tenting is very common in Florida for drywood termites. You could probably find someone to tent a Uhaul down here for not too much. To just have my garage done is would be $150. It is my understanding that more poison is used for bedbugs than for termites so I don’t know if that will affect the cost of the procedure. My house is off the ground a little bit and they drape the tents and gas under the house as well as everything under the tent. I had to stay at a hotel for 2 days. Make sure you get a licensed professional. Vikane gas is odorless and colorless and does not cause any skin or eye irritation so if it is still in your house you won’t know it until it kills you! It also only kills what is in your house at the time of the tenting. There is no residual poison (so they say) so you can get immediately re-infested.
nobugsonme | Jul 19, 2007 | Reply
Hi Just!
It sounds like Vikane for termites (at least) is not too, too pricey in Florida. But perhaps I am just comparing it with conventional bed bug treatments in NYC!
I understand from Bowman in Hawai’i that 3 times as much Vikane is needed for bed bugs as for termites, so no doubt it is pricier.
Thanks for your report! I hope you did not have bed bugs…
vacationer | Jul 23, 2007 | Reply
There is a company near Indianapolis, Indiana that has a big concrete building they Vicane things in. You have to bring the stuff there. But at least they do it.
vacationer
hopelessnomo | Jul 24, 2007 | Reply
Thanks, vacationer, this has to be a good option, especially for people who are moving.
vacationer | Jul 25, 2007 | Reply
They just finished doing my car. Told me, “there is nothing alive left in that car”.
I put all my luggage and clothing in there and spread it out on the seats (the bedbugs were in a cottage I was vacationing in). I’m hoping this will de-infest them without having to try to heat-treat things that were never meant to be fried in a dryer, like cell phones and camera cases and rain slickers. It cost $525 for a smallish car.
Dow Agrosciences can probably supply names of people who fumigate in your area.
This place primarily does grain trucks, silos, etc., but has also done small jobs like furniture that had wood boring beetles, etc. They are not a PCO, they’re a fumigator.
I hope this works, will report back.
v.
vacationer | Jul 28, 2007 | Reply
I take it back, don’t call Dow to locate people using Vikane. I didn’t find their help line staff too helpful. Instead, try to find an entomologist at your state dept of health, state chemist div of pesticides, or your land grant college extension office. Possible they may know who in your area is doing this work.
v.
Thaw'tBugs | Oct 28, 2007 | Reply
The best way to kill bed bugs without chemicals is to rent a freezer truck and put all your stuff in it. Let is sit until everything is rock solid frozen after 3 days and voila. Dead bugs.
For some peace of mind, you can hire a bed bug dog to sniff out any surviving eggs or bugs, but you won’t need to if you freeze them!
A lot of college campuses do this!!
nobugsonme | Oct 29, 2007 | Reply
Hi Thaw’tBbugs,
Freezing stuff in a truck, or vikane gassing stuff in a truck, only kills bed bugs on the stuff in the truck.
Bed bugs are generally also found in the room itself–in baseboard cracks, in the walls, under floorboards, etc. So if items are treated in a truck, this can help a great deal, but it does not ensure there are no bed bugs in the room itself. You’re right that a bed bug dog might be an aid in determining if bed bugs and eggs remain in the room (assuming your bed bug dog can detect eggs, and only detects live bugs), but treatment will likely be needed.
nobugsonme | Nov 13, 2007 | Reply
Updated FAQ to add the Environmental Protection Agency (USA EPA) page on Vikane gas fumigation.
vacationer | Mar 1, 2008 | Reply
The commodity fumigator north of Indianapolis is called Insects Ltd. and/or Fumigation Services Supply.