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Do we have to be bait if choosing Thermal/Vikane?
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nervousaboutbedbugs
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Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 69
Posted 3 months ago
Sat Aug 8 2009 14:35:35
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While we're still on the fence between thermal and Vikane, we've all but ruled out any other treatment option. Treatment should occur in the next 1 to 2 weeks.
So.. do we need to remain in our beds, or even in our home, as bait? Since either treatment will treat the entire house, does it matter if they've moved? At the very least, I'd like to start sleeping downstairs with my daughters.
Thanks for any advice!
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No, that is a major advantage of either approach.... You are not required to act as bait... The gas or the heat will kill them where they hide...
You will need to clear out for about 24 hours or so....then if everything worked as advertised..... You can sleep in your own beds & not worry about being bitten.
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nervousaboutbedbugs
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Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 69
Posted 3 months ago
Sat Aug 8 2009 16:20:34
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Thanks Doug,
Does that apply to pre-treatment as well? My parents have invited us to stay with them, and I'd like to take them up on it...
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Read the FAQs on traveling.... be very careful about items that you take with you.
That is another advantage of treating the whole structure... If the bugs migrate...it won't matter... The gas or the heat will kill them anywhere in the structure.
If everyone leaves the house, then the bugs will likely stay in place waiting for you to return...
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The downside of Vikane or thermal is that you must be 100% sure you do not bring bed bugs back with you into the home.
This means taking the utmost care with belongings or clothing worn out and brought back in. Ideally, everything is left, down to the smallest detail -- assuming everything is safe to treat -- and you leave with clothing that gets laundered and worn back. No suitcases, no toys or books, even purses and wallets can be an issue. And obviously, you want to change to clean clothing before leaving, to avoid infesting cars or where you will stay. You can't be too careful!
It also means you should be relatively certain you are not being repeatedly exposed to bed bugs. It helps if you have a pretty clear idea how you got them, though it is never possible to be 100% sure.
If you are worried about reinfestation via other sources or the odd straggler (in a car, etc.), it might be worth having someone carefully apply a thin layer of food grade DE to crevices after the treatment. A pro will often do a better job of this as we know many people over or misapply, and do not take necessary respiratory precautions when applying dusts.
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nervousaboutbedbugs
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Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 69
Posted 3 months ago
Sun Aug 9 2009 6:57:11
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You hit a point we're nervous about - reintroduction. My parents are having their house checked on Wednesday, and I just pray we didn't send any their way. We're also very worried about our cars. We have little kids that bring things to and from the car on a daily basis. BB & B has said they'll treat the cars with Vikane while they're here. Question - is Vikane directly into a car effective? We don't have a garage, so they'll be doing the cars directly in the driveway.
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paulaw0919
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Joined: Jul '07
Posts: 997
Posted 3 months ago
Sun Aug 9 2009 7:13:24
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We have an attached one car garage in our home. When we had viakane fumigation one of the vehicles was in the garage and the other was parked right next to the house. Windows of both vehicles were left open. The tarp when put over the house was also put over the additional vehicle.
Every since our vikane fumigation I have a few small toys from McDonalds that I keep in the car for the kids. Very seldom do I allow house toys to travel now. My twins were just babies when we went through this so it has never been an issue. My oldest fussed like twice and now never asks. Granted last year we had "show and share" weekly at her pre school and there are just some things you can't avoid, but point is, is that I feel comfortable that I lowered the risk of reintroduction in that situation. ( no more stuffed animals and baby dolls at restaraunts falling on the floors, being dragged around, etc..)
Everyone deals with it differently I'm sure and some may go on with life as usual. This is just what works for us. -
In many states the car can be tented & treated on-site.... Should be very effective, if done properly
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parakeets
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Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 866
Posted 3 months ago
Sun Aug 9 2009 19:52:40
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You mentioned toys. I recently went to a library in another state. This library was loaning almost 100 different colorful stuffed animals out in the children's section of the library. Though it was an adorable display (each toy with its own library card), being a bed bug sufferer, I sure wasn't happy to see it. Kids take stuffed animals to bed with them. Who would take a stuffed animal out of the library?
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nervousaboutbedbugs
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Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 69
Posted 3 months ago
Mon Aug 10 2009 7:08:42
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I talked to Paula about Vikane last night, and she raised the good point that we need a safe way to get out of the house the day of treatment.
For the past 2 nights, we've all been crashing in the living room together. We knew this might spread the bugs, but hoped we'd be treated before they found us. Now I'm wondering 'how will we manage to get dressed and out of this house without any hitchhikers if we don't know where they are'.
I'm thinking:
1. We'll get the dogs in again a day or so before the treatment to see if they're downstairs. If so, that makes things a lot harder.
2. My husband and I will start sleeping upstairs again. He can sleep in our bed and I'll sleep on the floor right next to my older daughter's crib.This leaves noone sleeping in my other daughter's bedroom, which is across the hall.
Do you think this will work? Could it be too late, or will they likely still be in the upstairs vicinity?
My daughters react badly to the bites, and end up scratching until they infect. I just can't stand leaving them in those cribs if I don't have to.
Another question - is there anything I should do pre-Vikane to help the situation? Should I try to take apart and spray the cribs? Or does this just risk more spread.
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paulaw0919
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Joined: Jul '07
Posts: 997
Posted 3 months ago
Mon Aug 10 2009 15:05:10
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"Do you think this will work? Could it be too late, or will they likely still be in the upstairs vicinity?"
Personally, I feel it's more about helping contain them where they are and not to disturb them too much. There isn't much more you can do about that. They are going to go where ever they can find food. Besides having you and your husband sleep in the areas you stated above, there isn't much more I think you can do with out driving yourself nuts trying to predict what the bugs may or may not do. Sleeping in the areas where you know the bugs are is the best you can do at this point. If it were a few days I don't think it would matter, but a few weeks may be a different story? I think they would get hungry and start looking for food. (?)
"Should I try to take apart and spray the cribs? Or does this just risk more spread. "
I would think it would be best to not disturb any of the bugs by taking furniture apart and spraying anything. If not done properly, it can possibly spread them.
What I would do though is call your fumigation provider and ask them if bed frames, crib frames should be taken apart the day of (or day before if it's to much to do the day of) fumigation. When we had our home fumigated we dismanted all bed frames and cribs, had them leaning against the wall. Our mattress was new so we took the BB cover off and leaned that up against the wall. We had new encasements in their packages in the house waiting to put back on after the fumigation. But we also had 6 treatments before our fumigation so we were dealing with dispersed left over bugs and nymphs that were not acting the way they would in their "natural environment" persay.
Call the provider and see if they want you to do this type of prep or if they do this for you? I would think the main goal would be to have everything exposed as possible. There may be a concern over disrupting the bugs at that point as well, so I say ask the provider and see what they say.
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