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Had the car sniffed by K9-now getting Vikane
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bugnut
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Joined: Feb '10
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Aug 17 2010 12:52:56
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Even tho I know that K9's can have false positives/negatives I had a dog sniff my car today. It may have been contaminated from work. The handler did not even want to do it because they do not train for cars and the results can be uncertain.
Well the dog lay down on the back seat like he was going for a ride, but sat in the front seat - this is the way he alerts. Handler did not know what to make of it. Inspection revealed nothing. He recommended having the car detailed. I know that is a way of handling it but since you can never be truly sure and Vikane is 100% "one and done" I am digging into the savings to pay for it.
The other car, which I did use for work also, is being treated with DDVP strip for 9 days now. On the day I use it to take in the other car it will be 12 days. I have heard one week to 10 days to three weeks. I know 3 weeks is best but I do not have any other choice. I can start again from day 1 after we get the other car back.
I will be getting a beacon delivered tomorrow, and can put it in the untreated car to see if anything develops, and I am ordering the passive monitors for both cars (have one in the house already).
Can anyone weigh in on the car issue? I know everyone says it is rare, but I have been right with my hunches so far (unlucky too)
Could use some good karma also - any ideas for that?
Any input on that? No evidence in that car.
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oldtimer
Joined: May '07
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Aug 17 2010 13:14:59
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Vikane gas is a sure-fire way to treat your car and have a near 100% assurance that any bugs or egss will be killed.
I had commented on the other thread about the use of a K9 the search the car... The team needs to practice or we can end up with behavior that is difficult to interpret.
The first time I tried to search a car... My dog jumped up onto the seat and sat down expecting to go for a ride... I was able to search the car, but it was not confidence inspiring... I understand how the handler felt.
That is why a vehicle search needs to be practiced... We need to know how to read the dog's behavior in the car..... We need to counter condition the dog's normal response to being presented with a chance to jump into a car.... It is strictly a matter of practice.
Given that the dog's response was ambiguous in the car... I think the use of active and passive monitors are a good choice to confirm your suspicions about the car.... I would be hesitant to invest in gas fumigation until you develop additional evidence that the car actually requires treatment.
I trust that the handler will add vehicles to his training routine and that he will soon be able to give you a more reliable indication about the status of your car.
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bugnut
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Joined: Feb '10
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Aug 17 2010 13:27:59
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Thank you Doug -
If I did not need my car and was not so fearful about re-infesting my house, I would cancel the Vikane. I am so stressed out about this $800 seems like a drop in the bucket compared to what I would have to go thru again with being re-infested.
I will monitor, but I am not able to be without the car for the 2 weeks it would take to reliably monitor the car.
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Tracy
newbite
Joined: Jul '10
Posts: 26offline
Posted 2 years ago
Tue Aug 17 2010 18:15:19
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Bugnut - I read your posting about the DDVP no-pest strip in your car and i want to warn you that you seriously can't just take the strip out of your and drive it the next day. There is an outgassing period of about 1-2 weeks, and to safely use this product, you MUST be careful with outgassing it otherwise you could risk Organophosphate poisoning.
I successfully used a strip in my car and I can tell you that outgassing it is not as easy as just taking out the strip and driving it away. You will poison yourself by doing that.
The same principles apply for outgassing a car as would apply to a room or a closet, which is lots of fresh air (windows wide open) and time. Let me tell you the gas builds up to a powerful concentration in your car.
Also be aware that the chemical will absorb into the fabrics of the carpet and the seats and you MUST allow sufficient time for the outgass to take place otherwise you will be breathing that stuff in when you drive.
The other thing I noticed is that the strip left a thick residue on the windows and the dashboard. Much of the solid no-pest strip is an inert ingredient designed to allow sublimation of the DDVP chemical. However, I had no way to be sure how much of the residue was inert ingredients versus containing any DDVP chemical. As a gas, none of the residue should contained the DDVP, but I was not taking any chances and I wore gloves.
DO NOT TOUCH the residue directly with bare skin.
When I took the strip out of my car I left the windows wide open for a week and then I wore latex gloves and placed a plastic painter's tarp over the drivers seat so that I did not come into contact with any residue. I drove my car with the windows wide open for detailing. The detailing cleaned the residue away but my car was still left with a terrible smell.
I placed boxes of charcoal briquettes in the car on the front seat and the back seat to absorb the residual chemical and smell for about a week - it was as good as new with no smell afterwards.
I wanted to give you this insight as I do not want to see anyone hurt from their exposure to DDVP.
I read some postings about being overly cautious and there is no such thing as being overly cautious when it comes to this chemical. Please treat DDVP with respect and outgas your car carefully.
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bugnut
senior member
Joined: Feb '10
Posts: 528offline
Posted 2 years ago
Tue Aug 17 2010 23:32:37
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Wow = Thank you Tracy.
I called the manufacturer and they told me 2 hours. I have been looking in the windows (for what I do not know) the battery operated fan is still running 8 days later. I did not notice any residue, but did not open the door.
How long did you leave the strip in? I called the manufacturer and they said one week for a light infestation 2 weeks for a bad one. I do not even know if I have them in that car, but I want to treat anyway. I only used one strip 16 gram(?) size. Sorry I know it is 16,but not the unit of measurement. The package is outside. Did you know your car was infested or did you just treat all of your stuff at once.
Also The directions seemed to indicate that it was sufficient for the square footage of the interior. Sorry for all the questions, but I know you were successful so I appreciate your input. In any case, I will be careful about outgassing.
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Tracy
newbite
Joined: Jul '10
Posts: 26offline
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Aug 18 2010 11:59:30
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Bugnut - I am not going to contradict the manufacturer but I am always overly cautious when working with chemicals - I have to be so.
personally, I think 2 hours to air out is not enough time considering the chemical will absorb into the fabric. But if that is the recomendation they gave you then you should consider that information above mine.
I used a standard No-Pest strip that is 65g so it was much larger and I left it in for about the same time - 12 days. I also created a makeshift tarp with plastic painters floor covering and covered my car with it so the gas was more contained .
Best of luck to you but if it were me - I would still consider taking more time to outgas it and taking it in for detailing in case any chemical or other residue results.
You can also use the charcoal idea if there is any lingering odor. It works. But more than anything else - just try to limit your exposure to the vapor as much as possible.
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bugnut
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Joined: Feb '10
Posts: 528offline
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Aug 18 2010 12:19:48
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Thanks Tracy -
I know this worked for you - did you actually have the bugs in your car or just as a precaution ?
I will err on the side of caution and air more throughly that the manufacturer says.
Did I use too little DDVP to be effective?
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Tracy
newbite
Joined: Jul '10
Posts: 26offline
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Aug 18 2010 12:34:45
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Bugnut - I think it depends. In my case I had a severe infestation and yes my car was infested. I was not aware of the Pro-strips being available to me at the time I did my own treatments. In general, the lighter the infestation, the less time and chemical it should take to clear it. But that statement is so general and there are a lot of dependencies, so it is hard to say.
You will have to see - but you also said that you did not know if your car was infested at all - fumigating with DDVP is not something you should be doing just as a precaution bcause of the risks associated with exposure.
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bugnut
senior member
Joined: Feb '10
Posts: 528offline
Posted 2 years ago
Wed Aug 18 2010 13:48:40
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Ok - thank you -
I will air it out and put the monitor in to be sure.
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