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cryonite doesn't always work the first time
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tisIsaidthefly
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Sep 6 2010 22:55:52
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I am deathly sensitive to insecticides so no matter how good they work, I can't use it in my apartment. But what we do have - we have a cryonite machine available to us plus unlimited refills or I should say replacements. So, even if it doesn't work the very first time (and insecticides don't always work the first time either), we can do it repeatedly because there's no toxic chemicals to worry about. Am I correct in my thoughts? Thanks.
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Richard56
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Sep 6 2010 23:21:59
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My understanding is that Cryonite can only kill bed bugs on the surface of things and not kill bed bugs within things -- such as behind walls, deep cracks and crevices, etc.
For this reason, Cryonite is generally not used a standalone treatment, but used as a surface treatment in conjunction with something else.
That "something else" must be a pescticide with a residual effect so any bugs not killed by the Cryonite would in theory be killed when the remaining bed bugs crossed the residual. Or, it might be a treatment with something like Diatomaceous earth (DE) which would also kill bugs crossing the DE, albeit more slowly.
This is not to say that a surface treatment like DE (or steam for that matter) could not in theory wipe out a bed bug infestation when combined with a strategy of bagging, vacuuming, etc.. However, the problem is that it only takes a missed single bug to start the whole problem all over again.
Richard
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Sep 7 2010 0:47:09
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tisi--
Cryonite is a contact killer.
On the one hand, it may need to be used repeatedly, but unlike some contact killers, they can hit electronics with it, so there are some pluses. If you are very sensitive to pesticides, the pest pro may be able to carefully apply DE to cracks after treatment, to provide some continual mechanical killing action.
Are you saying that you have available to you a pest management professional who will use Cryonite repeatedly? (Not just the machine and refills...)
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tisIsaidthefly
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Sep 7 2010 14:57:08
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Hi nobugsonme - yes, I am saying that I have a cryonite machine and replacements available to me. I don't have a professional exterminator I can afford and the LL's PCO won't do it because we're unable to prepare properly. Besides which - I am deathly sensitive to insecticides.
Whaddya think? Is it a bad idea? We don't really have many other options open to us. So far, vacuuming every other day and me staying up half the night to catch them on sticky tape has been our main course of action and a bit of DE but we are a lot more cautious about that stuff now.
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tisIsaidthefly
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Sep 7 2010 14:59:58
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Oh - another thing - I spoke to someone who told me that you can actually mix DE with water and then spray it on to whatever. You have to mix it in one container first and then pour it into the sprayer and you can't get as fine a mist as I would prefer but you can wait till it dries and then respray until you're pretty sure you've covered everything. Have you ever heard of this method?
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Sep 7 2010 15:42:54
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tisIsaidthefly - 39 minutes ago »
Hi nobugsonme - yes, I am saying that I have a cryonite machine and replacements available to me. I don't have a professional exterminator I can afford and the LL's PCO won't do it because we're unable to prepare properly. Besides which - I am deathly sensitive to insecticides.
Whaddya think? Is it a bad idea? We don't really have many other options open to us. So far, vacuuming every other day and me staying up half the night to catch them on sticky tape has been our main course of action and a bit of DE but we are a lot more cautious about that stuff now.Hi Tisi-
I am sorry, I really don't know anything about how difficult this machine is to operate, whether there are any safety concerns for an inexperienced user, or whether you might damage property if you don't know what you're doing. I have never heard of anyone operating it themselves.
You might want to talk to someone who has used one (and there don't seem to be any PCOs active on the forum who do).
That said, vacuuming and sticky tape are not much help. You really need treatment.
(Since this has been going on a while, your landlord/building management probably has a situation with multiple infested units, and it would be in his/her best interests to get a PCO in who will use heat, or steam or Cryonite (with perhaps a dust chaser), to make sure your unit is treated properly. If s/he allows the bed bugs to continue spreading, the building will eventually cost a lot of money to treat, and will probably be completely infested. Some people have legitimate medical reasons for avoiding pesticides and the unit needs to be treated somehow.)
Dry vapor steam may be an option for you (though if you don't have a steamer, it involves some initial costs). It can be done by a user with some knowledge (the FAQ on steaming leads you to some additional sources of information). It can't be done to electronics, but other than that, is a contact killer and with some consistent work finding harborages and eliminating them will pay dividends.
Note to others: steam alone is not a good option for most people. However, tisi is telling us she has serious reactions to pesticides, and money is an issue (if there were funds, we might recommend heat treatment and some good caulking and sealing to help protect from reinfestation in what I think we've been told is a multi-unit building).
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cilecto
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Sep 7 2010 15:54:42
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tisIsaidthefly - 54 minutes ago »
Oh - another thing - I spoke to someone who told me that you can actually mix DE with water and then spray it on to whatever. You have to mix it in one container first and then pour it into the sprayer and you can't get as fine a mist as I would prefer but you can wait till it dries and then respray until you're pretty sure you've covered everything. Have you ever heard of this method?Google "Richard Fagerlund". He does soemthing like this.
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tisIsaidthefly
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Sep 7 2010 16:05:15
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He NoBugsOnMe - I agree with you that we need to learn as much as possible before using this machine. I have been arguing with my room mate about that very thing. However, in the meantime, our friend
has used it several times in his apartment with decent results and he was taught by his friend who is a licensed pco (where the machine came from in the first place). Hey - these are desperate times
calling for desperate measures. I am deathly allergic to these bed bug bites and also get sick as a dog from the pesticides so I don't have a lot of options open to me. Perhaps I will accidentally freeze myself to death and my troubles will be over
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tisIsaidthefly
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Sep 7 2010 16:11:12
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Oh and I believe the possible and constant source of re infestation might be coming from the very popular bar downstairs which is packed every single day and night and the also very busy deli. Right now in NYC, they say one in every ten people has or has had bed bugs. I think it's more than that.
Also, there are people moving in and out of this building constantly and some of the younger ones in particular have TONS of company. What are the odds that out of all the folks coming in and out of this building, at least a few of them have bed bugs? No question about it - if somebody can come up with a magic pill (like Combat is with roaches), they are going to be rich and beloved. I don't know HOW people were able to live with these things. If you're allergic to the bites, they will literally leave you disfigured and all scarred up. -
your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Sep 7 2010 16:50:16
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Is your friend going to do this, or going to teach you, Tisi?
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tisIsaidthefly
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Sep 8 2010 18:49:04
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My room mate is going to do it but not until we BOTH find out exactly what's correct.
We're still going to have to us DE and lots of vacuuming. My main concern is that they
will disperse and if so, we're going to just have to follow them all over the house till we
get them. I don't have any illusions about ever really getting rid of them once and for all.
Not in NYC. Not in an apartment building like this one.
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