Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Uncategorized
House Plants... safe to move w/o bed bugs?
(15 posts)-
miseryinthed
junior member
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 44
Posted 1 year ago
Mon Jun 16 2008 23:40:33
#
Login to Send PM
I have 6 awesome potted houseplants that are all located in the only place in the house where bugs weren't found (living room). Any advice or info about bed bugs & house plants? I'd hate to leave them behind, but since having them fumigated w/ my other stuff isn't an option, i don't want to take any chances. If I don't see them in the dirt or on the plant itself, what are the odds they'd be living under the dirt where i can't see them? Eggs on plant/in dirt? Doesn't seem likely, but who knows...
-
Grab some bed bugs prior to the extermination and toss them into a jar with a deep soil sample and see what they do? Then report back!
-
miseryinthed
junior member
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 44
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Jun 18 2008 23:10:23
#
Login to Send PM
Hmmm... sounds like someone's a natural born scientist! thanks for the suggestion, but i haven't had much luck finding any live specimens these days...
I was thinking about this again earlier today when i stopped back in at BB Central (aka my house), looking at my plants... then my neighbor & i were chatting outside, & when i brought up DE he said he used it on his hostas outside to keep the grubs off them... duh! i forgot that stuff is safe to use on/around plants. I guess that'll be my plan for those--check that one off my list! Now onto my alarm clock... :)
-
lil_bit_obsessed
senior member
Joined: Dec '07
Posts: 495
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Jun 18 2008 23:24:03
#
Login to Send PM
my grandmother always used DE around the plants to keep the slugs out when i was a little kid, so yeah, that might not be a bad idea!
i also spritzed my plants with rubbing alcohol (in a spray bottle) when i moved, just for the added sense of comfort it gave me.
and as for the alarm clock, i threw it out. for the sake of ten bucks, not worth infesting a new place over!!!
-
miseryinthed
junior member
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 44
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Jun 18 2008 23:34:57
#
Login to Send PM
So true. Ever since I read the post from the family who had all but rid themselves of BBs only to find a smoke detector w/ a surprise in it, i've been looking at EVERYTHING as a potential hiding spot.
-
miseryinthed
junior member
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 44
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Jun 18 2008 23:40:31
#
Login to Send PM
Alcohol comfort-spritzing-- i like it. I'll try it... along with alcohol comfort-submerging for the inanimate objects!!!
-
miseryinthed
junior member
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 44
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Jun 18 2008 23:42:00
#
Login to Send PM
...non-living objects i mean.
-
lil_bit_obsessed
senior member
Joined: Dec '07
Posts: 495
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Jun 18 2008 23:48:21
#
Login to Send PM
lol.
rubbing alcohol comfort-spritzing became like my personal therapy after awhile! every time i changed the sheets on my lovely luxury air mattress (living in style, i'm tellin' ya...) i would spritz down the air mattress with a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol. never did find a bug anywhere on it, but it made me feel better anyway. ;)
no bb could escape my wrath. muah-hah-hah...
-
heartattackhelpme
junior member
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 41
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Jun 19 2008 2:37:33
#
Login to Send PM
I use alcohol on my shoes going in and out of earywhere these days and the bottom of my pant legs. I just put it in a nice spray bottle but it does make seam a bit dizzy as I enhale fumes...maybe a particle mask will make the look complete. Please could you give me any more ideas about plants and flowers and dusing do you spread it in the dirt or with water or alcohol and then spray?.
Great topic with much for thought thanks.... -
miseryinthed
junior member
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 44
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Jun 19 2008 8:50:31
#
Login to Send PM
Heartattack, with DE (diatomaceous earth), the idea is to dust in such a way that if the bugs are located on/around the object, they will have to cross through/over it to reach you/a host for a blood-meal. My plan is to place the dust on the surface of the soil & around the rim of the pot, as well as around the perimeter of the surface of whatever the plants are resting on. This way, any bugs on the plant/in the dirt will die trying to get out, and vice-versa. If that sounds wrong to anyone w/ more experience/knowledge, pls feel free to correct!
ps- lil-bit, i think your diabolical laugh should be considered as another weapon in your bed bug-arsenal... chilling! =:O
-
lil_bit_obsessed
senior member
Joined: Dec '07
Posts: 495
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Jun 19 2008 13:55:47
#
Login to Send PM
heart, if you wanted to use both alcohol spray and DE on the plants, i would spray the plants first, and then DE around the base of the soil after everything is dry. my understanding is that DE may not be as effective once it is wet, and i don't imagine rubbing alcohol would be good for it.
also regarding rubbing alcohol fumes, my partner (who has training in hazardous materials/chemicals etc.) has mentioned to me that long term exposure to rubbing alcohol is not healthy, and breathing it in certainly isn't healthy either. i think rubbing alcohol is marketed as safe for moderate use (to clean the occasional cut, for example), but is not necessarily as safe for daily spraying on your own body/skin etc. so just something to keep in mind, if you are using a lot of it. i spritzed my shoes with it as well for the first little while, until it occured to me that if i just heat treated the shoes (dryer, oven, whatever), and kept them sealed in ziplocs from then on, then i wouldn't have to be spritzing them every freakin' time i walked in and out of the house. soooooo much easier that way. and probably safer in terms of constant exposure to the rubbing alcohol.
misery, i like to think of my diabolical laugh as a solid bb preventative measure!!! if i act just crazy enough, the bugs might think twice about messing with me next time... lol.
-
heartattackhelpme
junior member
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 41
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Jun 19 2008 15:19:24
#
Login to Send PM
Hi lbo....great idea about the shoes. I was getting very worried about breathing in the alcohol. I will stopping off at the store to get more ziplocks.
Misery - I have plants in several of my rooms and I hadn't even thought about them beign in contact.
Thanks both of you for sharing.
-
lil_bit_obsessed
senior member
Joined: Dec '07
Posts: 495
Posted 1 year ago
Fri Jun 20 2008 20:57:12
#
Login to Send PM
i think i would only worry about treating plants if a) they are very close to a bed/couch that i suspect to be infested; or b) i was moving and planning to take them with me. otherwise it might be unecessary extra work (especially given the amount of laundry-related-work that is part of dealing with bedbugs).
heart, i stored pretty much everything that i took out of the house in giant ziplocs during my infestation. that included clothing, jackets, shoes, purse and book bag, all of which had been previously treated to be sure they were free of bugs before sealing up in the bags. my front hall looked ridiculous, with all those ziplocs everywhere, but at least i knew i was considerably lowering the risk of passing the bugs to co-workers/friends/etc!
-
miseryinthed
junior member
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 44
Posted 1 year ago
Sat Jun 21 2008 14:49:00
#
Login to Send PM
I just had another idea. I think what i'll do is just put the plants- pots & all- in large ziplocs just to be really sure that i don't disperse/transport any bugs on the way to the new place; then, when i open them back up i'll treat & protect them w/ the DE.
I wonder if we should all become investors in Ziploc- their sales must be REALLY good these days!!
-
I have 3 beautiful houseplants that I did not want to part with either. I just moved them and didn't even think about bb's being on them. So far so good as I still don't have bugs. I feel that the plants do not offer enough comfort for the bugs to hide out in or on and if you see one, its probably just a coincidence. Unlucky but still! I would not worry so much but that is just me.
Reply
You must log in to post.
