Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed Bug Treatment
Moving - Will BB die in Truck?
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Sat May 1 2010 13:02:56
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Hello all! Okay so I have no idea what to do because my problem isn't well defined. The problem started in October of last year. I found a bedbug on my wall and I trapped it and killed it. Showed it to exterminator he confirmed it was a bedbug. He said because it was just one that I should cover my bed and just be careful and keep my eyes open since I had no welts saying that I was being bit.
In February I was on the couch watching TV and I saw something move on the couch out of the corner of my eye. Just as I looked closer I saw a baby bedbug run into the seam of my couch. I caught that one and showed the exterminator. He said it was probably just another stray bedbug and that I didn't have a problem because I wasn't being bitten.
A few nights ago I was cleaning under my bed. I found 2 adult bedbugs. I called my exterminator - this time persistent that I wanted TREATMENT even if I wasn't getting bit! I am moving in 3 weeks and I refuse to move with these buggers. I already packed my stuff up and was freaking out over what to do. I took all my clothing towels sheets and all that to the laundromat and washed and dried on high head and sealed in garbage bags and big ziplock bags. I unpacked all my boxes and put heavy duty black garbage bags inside and put everything back in the box IN the garbage bag to prevent any bedbugs getting in or any that are inside to get out. I am moving in 3 weeks and am putting all my stuff in a Budget truck. I am going to be driving for 2-3 days but have the truck for up to 6 days. I am moving to FL so the sun will be HOT.
My question is. - Will the trip from NY to FL make the back of the truck hot enough to kill any bedbugs that may or may not have stowed themselves in my boxes? My exterminator is coming today (hopefully) to spray and he said that the heat in the summer drive down is hot enough to kill any bedbugs that are in my stuff in the moving truck.
What is your opinion? My clothing and stuff is all sealed and my bed is encased in a bedbug protective cover.
How do I treat my books?
I'm worried about my acoustic guitar. How do I make sure there are no bedbugs living inside of it?
I am still not getting bit but I am finding bedbugs randomly in my home. They never look like they have just fed. In fact they look kind of weak. I actually thought one was dead and picked it up and it was alive but it didn't bite me just kind of moved its legs very lightly.
Okay so thats all. I am not sure what to do. I refuse to bring these stupid pests to my new home (especially since I won't have a landlord to pay for the exterminator in my new place!).
Also - I have 2 dogs how do I take care of them while my place is being treated? One of my dogs is always licking the floor compulsively. I am so worried about him and the treatment!
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buggyinsocal
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Posted 3 years ago
Sat May 1 2010 13:49:02
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Will the trip from NY to FL make the back of the truck hot enough to kill any bedbugs that may or may not have stowed themselves in my boxes?
No. At least, not reliably. Heat is an effective method for killing bugs and their eggs. However, bed bugs aren't entirely stupid, and when it gets warm, they start running away from the heat to hide in well-insulated nooks and crannies. In a moving, truck, there will be plenty of cold spots inside insulation (like boxes or suitcases of clothes, deep in the insulation of your couch, etc.).
In other words, you might kill some off, but you can't count on the heat to kill them all off, and with bed bugs, one already inseminated adult female or two adults of the opposite sex are enough to continue an infestation that will eventually grow into a full blown infestation.
And I say this as someone who lives in sunny, hot, dry southern California. If it would have worked, I would have moved all my belongings into a truck and driven that truck out to the desert where air temps in the summer (when I had my infestation) routinely get way hotter than the temps in Florida. (The deserts here in the summer routinely reach 120 degrees.)
The best way to treat items that can't be washed in hot water and dried in a high heat dryer until they're totally dry (and then dried for 20 minutes more to be sure) is to buy a Packtite. It's a small chamber that's been engineered to keep bed bugs from crawling out even through the little gaps in most zippers while it heats everything inside it up to well past the temp at which bed bugs die. Books do well in Packtites.
Acoustic guitars are more of a problem to treat since high heat will damage them.
Your landlord/landlord's pest control person is wrong on any number of counts. Many people do not react to bed bug bites with any sort of allergic response, so it's possible that you're being bitten and simply not reacting.
Bed bugs are a very difficult pest to treat and eliminate. The best way to do so is to hire a pest management professional. Self-treating bed bugs is very hard to do effectively, and all too often, self treatment attempts end up creating a more entrenched problem that is harder to eliminate when people break down and hire a pro.
If you catch any more samples, I would hold onto them as I'm not 100% convinced that the bug in question was a bed bug. If you'd been exposed off and on since October, there's a good chance that you would be having skin reactions now. Any PMP who says about bed bugs what this one has said doesn't sound like he or she knows enough about bugs to be terribly good at the job.
If you're in the New York area, and you can get a PMP with extensive bed bug experience to inspect your apartment to confirm bed bugs or another pest, I would start there.
If you do have bed bugs, the chances that conventional chemical treatment in your current place will 100% resolve your problem in the next three weeks are sadly not very likely. Chemical treatment generally takes longer than that, and if you are in a multi-unit building and these off-again, on-again sightings are really bed bugs and not a mis-identified pest, then chances are they're stragglers from a neighboring unit that are fleeing self-treatment or inept professional treatment, which makes getting rid of the problem esp. tough in a three week time line.
The one bright spot in all this is that if you really are infested with bed bugs, you can put all your belongings--including the acoustic guitar--into the truck and have the whole truck treated with Vikane. Vikane is a gaseous chemical fumigant. It's used on dry wood termites (something you'll become familiar with in FL even if you haven't seen a building tented before.) When used on bed bugs it must be used at a higher concentration, but when done properly, it will kill bed bugs and their eggs. Packing the truck in advance for Vikane treatment has to be done differently than a normal move (nothing can be packed in plastic, for example, since Vikane can't permeate plastic). and Vikane can fail if used improperly. It's also not cheap.
However, if you confirm that you do in fact currently have bed bugs and not one of their look alike pests, and you want to be sure that this problem doesn't follow you to the new place, packing all your belongings into a truck and having the truck treated with Vikane is probably the best option.
I also noticed you asked what DE was in another thread. I would also suggest spending some quality time with the FAQs on the main website, as many of the questions you've asked here are answered there, and you'll be able to make a much better informed decision about the best plan for your situation after reading those.
Good luck.
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Sat May 1 2010 15:58:44
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Thanks for your reply. They are def bedbugs and not look-a-likes this I know to be 100% true. I've had all of them identified by the exterminator, friends that have had bedbugs, and my own knowledge from googling pictures and such of what they look like.
I can't afford a packtite. I have $200 to my name right now and I am moving down the coast so I can't afford to pay for Vikane either. Unfortunately this is my current situation. I def know of termites I am from Florida originally and had to deal with having termites before. How expensive is it to treat with Vikane? I rented a 10 foot budget truck and will have it for 6 days. You sure 6 days in the heat won't kill them? Why did my exterminator say it would? He was so matter of fact about it. They can't escape my boxes to get to more insulated places within the truck because the boxes are sealed with garbage bags inside. That wouldn't be enough to keep them inside to cook? Thats if I even have any in there. I read elsewhere that it's completely possible to have some show up in your apartment and to not have an infestation and not move with them. Like you said it could be a neighbor. My sheets are comforter are white in my bed and I have insomnia (not bc of this I just have it) and I never see any on my bed. I basically fall asleep around 5:30 am most nights. Perhaps they prefer not to stay at my house because I am awake when they feed and not in my bed most nights LOL
I plan on putting my clean sealed clothing in the dryer for another 30-40 minutes when I get home. I am going to open all boxes outside of my house and inspect everything closely and spray everything with what is it 90 % rubbing alcohol that kills them? Whatever can't be sprayed (like pictures or stacks of paper that I need) I'll probably just seal up in a bag for 18 months.
I am not bringing a couch for them to hid in. I am leaving that up here in NYC. My bed has been protected since October and before I even sealed it I inspected it closely and found not one rip in the fabric, no black spots, no bedbugs in any seams (which it barely has seams its not a normal mattress). So I zipped it up after inspection and it hasn't been unzipped since. It will stay zipped for another 12 months to total 18 months.
I am throwing my pillows away up here (they are currently protected by the encasement too but I want new pillows anyway).
They can't hide to insulate themselves in my bags of clothing because my clothing has been washed dried and sealed.
They would hide in my electronics but after the exterminator sprays I am sealing those in plastic to be packed up. Is that a good idea?
I really can't afford an exterminator so I have to use whatever my landlord will pay for..Like I said I have $200 to feed myself for the next few weeks.
Thanks once again for your suggestions.
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Sat May 1 2010 17:01:25
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Ok I called other specialists and they said that it's hard to make sure the entire contents of the truck are 120 degrees which makes me nervous about my exterminator. Like I said I can't afford to pay for one so I am using the one the landlord pays for this building (which is infested with everything you can imagine so OBVIOUSLY he isn't doing a good job!). I am so pissed off! I don't know what to do!
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cilecto
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Posted 3 years ago
Sat May 1 2010 17:06:37
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Is the PCO you spoke with someone you hired or was it the guy whom the landlord pays?
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Sat May 1 2010 17:09:37
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The person I spoke to first was the buildings exterminator (landlord pays for) he was the one that told me the heat in the truck over 6 days would kill the bedbugs. He is also the one that failed to show up to spray yesterday AND today.
The specialist I spoke to was one I called today as a person who may want to hire them. I am seriously trying to figure out if I could sell my kidney on the black market for a fumigation treatment (so just kidding about selling body parts)....but seriously I need to find out a way to pay for this. I am so scared of moving with these guys! Mind you I have only ever seem 4 of them since October but that is enough to freak me the hell out!
I just called another company that was suggested to be...Bedbugs and beyond or something like that? Left them a detailed message I hoping to hear back from them very soon!
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Sat May 1 2010 17:47:46
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Okay so my exterminator is coming tomorrow...he said he is spraying Steri fab in my apartment tomorrow. I read that that doesn't kill eggs though...
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MyWorstFear
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Posted 3 years ago
Sat May 1 2010 23:05:36
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Which exterminator is coming to spray steri fab? Your own guy, or the landlord's clueless guy? Steri fab will kill on contact but has no residual effect on bed bugs. I think that steri fab is primarily alcohol (at least it smells strongly of alcohol) so you could actually spray 91% alcohol around for the same effect. Problem is, unless you hit all the bugs directly, it won't kill them. You need stuff that will kill the bugs and then kill any eggs that will hatch. Sterifab won't kill the eggs or those that will hatch down the road.
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Sat May 1 2010 23:13:47
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it's the clueless exterminator. I don't have my own guy I just simply don't have the money for that. I am using what the landlord will pay for. I don't know what to do because that is what he uses. ugh so annoyed! I could buy a bottle of that stuff! I wouldn't need him to come and spray. This is so annoying!
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your host
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Posted 3 years ago
Sun May 2 2010 10:54:42
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Steri-fab seems to have some residual, but it is not a treatment plan. It's generally a bad sign when pest pros have ONE product they're spraying, and if that one product is Steri-Fab, it's quite a bad sign, in my opinion.
He is clueless about heat killing bed bugs naturally in a moving truck, as the other PCOs you spoke with confirmed.
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Sun May 2 2010 11:54:41
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So putting bags in the sun on a hot day won't kill them either?
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cilecto
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Posted 3 years ago
Sun May 2 2010 12:42:38
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LavenderLove05 - 39 minutes ago »
So putting bags in the sun on a hot day won't kill them either?we really don't know.
If you run your things thru dryer or packtite pre bagging, AND DO IT RIGHT youre ok
if you follow the protocols and cautions for using pest strips or mothballs AND DO IT RIGHT you're ok
if you keep your items securely bagged WITH NO CHANCE OF TEARING until some time in the future when you can treat (or past the lifespan of any bugs) you're okalso bear in mind that we have no way of knowing if there are bugs in any particular item you own.
We also have no way of knowing if your next place already has bugs, so all your prep is for nought. So, you could take the risk, do your best, then deal with BB should they show up in FL.if you're tight on money, consider if it's even worth paying for a truck and moving your stuff.
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buggyinsocal
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Posted 3 years ago
Sun May 2 2010 12:43:10
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Here's the thing about any do it yourself heat treatment.
Using heat to kill bed bugs is efficient, but harder than most people think.
Putting items into black garbage bags and then sticking them out in the sun is a common suggestion that people hear when they first discover bed bugs.
However, while doing that *may* kill bed bugs, it's not guaranteed to kill bed bugs. Here's why.
Most of the professional recommended thermal methods used to kill bed bugs (putting items in a hot dryer, using a Packtite, hiring a company to come out and hook up heaters to bake the bugs in the residence) have one thing in common that items in black garbage bags or your vehicle in the sun on a hot day don't: the professional methods involve the use of an outside heat source that we can control in order to raise the temperature evenly throughout the area being treated and make sure it stays there.
Most of the do it yourself heat treatment methods do not make any provision for evenly heating the area being treated.
Yes, if you stick a thermometer on the seat of your car on a hot day, you'll see that in the afternoon, the temp can reach over 120 degrees F.
However, the temp in the trunk or under the seat where the thermometer isn't exposed to the direct sunlight isn't that high.
If you've got items in bags sitting in the sun on the sidewalk, in most places, every so often, clouds will drift in front of the sun. When they do so, the temperature inside the bag drops.
Also, neither New York nor Florida routinely reaches an air temp of 120 degrees. Ideally, to use heat to kill bed bugs, you want to get the temp up to 140 degrees and keep it there for an hour. Bed bugs die at lower temps than that, BUT (and it's an important but) it takes them longer at lower temps.
There have been a number of PCOs who patiently debunked for us why DIY heat treatment (items in plastic bags on a sunny sidewalk, parking your car in the sun, putting items in black garbage bags in your car on a hot day which is a very very bad idea) don't work. I'm an English major, so explaining the science behind it isn't my forte.
What it basically boils down to, however, is this. Think about that black garbage bag filled with a stack of clothes that you put out on the sidewalk.
Even assuming you were out in Palm Desert or Palm Springs or Blythe here where air temps routinely reach 120 in the summer, if you put a lot of items inside that bag, the items themselves may function as insulation. Part of that 120 comes from sunlight, and inside the bag, part of the bag will be sitting in the shade on the sidewalk side.
If any tiny pocket of space inside that bag is cool enough that the bed bugs can survive, they will all move there and survive the treatment.
This is the same problem with putting cars or trucks in the heat and hoping for the best.
It only takes one small area inside the vehicle (like underneath a seat or inside a too-densely packed box of books) to give the bed bugs somewhere cool to wait out the heat.
In addition, putting bug infested items in improperly sealed bags or bags that can tear places like in your car or outside risks having the bugs scurry out through those unsealed spots and spreading the infestation.
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Sun May 2 2010 13:24:38
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I actually do know that my next place has no bedbugs in it because it's owned by my parents and my sister and grandfather lived in it for 25 years without any problems. The only problem they had was termites and it was tented for that and has been termite free for years...
The exterminator just left. He came in with his flashlight and flipped my futon and couch over and inspected seams and such and found no sign of an infestation. Which I already knew he wouldn't find. I showed him the bedbugs I found and when I found them (1 in october, 1 in february, 2 last week) and he confirmed they are bedbugs but that I do not have an infestation.
He told me the problem has to be a neighbor that has an infestation and not me.
He sprayed the sterifab and said to keep a close eye on things and if I see anything else give him a call right away and he will be right back out.
He also suggested when I get to Florida just simply open each box outside and carefully inspect and spray with sterifab and vacuum everything outside before bringing it into my house. He doesn't believe that I have an infestation and neither do I but he thinks I should still take precautions to make sure I don't move even one bug.
Now I'm not sure that paying the money to get the truck tented would make sense when I have no sign of an infestation....just a few random travelers. I don't know what to think right now.
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Sun May 2 2010 13:30:06
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What you said about the bags in the heat makes perfect sense. I don't think it could hurt to leave my stuff in the truck in the heat for a day or two longer than the 3 day drive but I won't just assume that killed any traveling bedbugs. I will thoroughly inspect spray and vacuum everything and pray for the best.
I can't just get rid of everything all my memories are here. My pictures, school books for my career, home videos etc etc....It would cost so much money to replace everything....So it seems kind or rash to do that when I have no visible signs of an infestation living within my stuff.....do you know what I mean? or no?
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nervousaboutbedbugs
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Posted 3 years ago
Sun May 2 2010 21:21:41
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You've seen multiple bed bugs in recent months. Even if your PCO is correct and you don't have an infestation in your apartment, there seems to be a good chance that you would bring at least one bug with you. Infesting your parents' home would cost much more in the long run than fumigating your rental truck. If I were you I wouldn't move anything into a new home without doing so. Not only could you infest your new home, but the truck could also become infested and pass them along to subsequent renters. Just my opinion.
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cilecto
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Posted 3 years ago
Sun May 2 2010 22:32:22
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LavenderLove05 - 8 hours ago »
I can't just get rid of everything all my memories are here. My pictures, school books for my career, home videos etc etc....It would cost so much money to replace everything....So it seems kind or rash to do that when I have no visible signs of an infestation living within my stuff.....do you know what I mean? or no?Could you "triage"?
- what you need (and will treat) now?
- what you can bag securely for a few months, the appropriate time based on your climate?
- stuff that, when facing a crisis and your last dollars, you could stand to part with?People have tried to explain how to use a dryer and a pack tite, use of bags for medium term storage. Are you picking this up, or are you grasping at straws?
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Sun May 2 2010 22:44:35
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I can't afford a packtite....but I can triage my stuff. I have cards that my grandparents that passed away recently have written to me and pictures and home videos and that is the stuff that the bedbugs would easily hid in more than a candle holder and I refuse to get rid of that stuff. I'm not going to let these little pesty things make me lose my memories of my family and friends.
4 bedbugs in like a 9 month period. That doesn't seem like a lot especially since I have no rashes,hives, bite marks. I mean I have also seen a few random roaches in my place but I do not have a roach infestation. Does that make sense? At least that is how I feel about it.
My friend had bedbugs and got rid of them by one treatment of steri fab with DE and putting her books and stuff out in the hot sun for a few days. It's just odd how 2 people I know have been able to get rid of them with 1 or 2 treatments (one lives in NYC and the other in FL) and others can't ever get rid of them....I wonder why this is.
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cilecto
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Posted 3 years ago
Sun May 2 2010 23:01:53
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You can ziplock your memories and come back to them in a few months with the confidence that they are no danger.
What your friends did may have worked for them. What you're attempting may work for you. What we are sharing with you are what we believe to be good practices backed up by knowledable sources.
As an adult, you are free to choose your own path to Florida.
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Sun May 2 2010 23:46:51
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I just don't know what to listen to because everyone has their own way of doing it and what worked for them and I am terrified to either not do enough or do too much and take myself further into debt than I already am. I've had a very hard year financially and owe a lot of money to various people..I just can't risk making a wrong decision or over reacting and spending money when a problem may not be present.
My stuff is already sealed in bags. I sealed everything in garbage bags sucked the air out and sealed up the boxes so they are sealed up so nothing can get in...or out. I plan on unpacking like I said very slowly and yes I will put stuff I don't need right away in sealed bags.
The thing is I've had 2 friends stay with me (neither of them have bedbugs nor have had a history of bedbugs) One stayed for 2 weeks the other for a week. Neither of them went home with bedbugs or any bite marks. Another friend that had bedbugs years ago sleeps over once a week and she knows that she has bad allergies to the bites cause she used to swell up when she had a problem. She doesn't get bit here either because she never swells up. I am so conflicted on if I have a "problem" or an "occurrence" it's been a REALLY HARD year for me and this just isn't making things better. I've had a lot of deaths and sicknesses (my own sicknesses and others I love as well) and financial problems and I just feel like I can't deal with this on top of things. I am falling apart over here. I already had insomnia before this crap and now it's even worse. I barely sleep without taking sleep aides and thats just not healthy.
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Mon May 3 2010 0:10:57
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How many months do you have to ziplock your stuff for? Is it 18 months or is that over doing it?
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Mon May 3 2010 0:30:30
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Okay so I found the packtite on sale online for $289 with free shipping!!!!!!!!! That doesn't sound TOO BAD...Cheaper than the fumigation.
Okay so if I unpack outside and use the packtite thats a sure way of making sure I don't move the bedbugs?
Can I put electronics such as a small TV or speakers in it or will that ruin the stuff?
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Mon May 3 2010 0:40:13
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just read another post regarding that question I just asked...seems as if there are mixed reviews on if you could or should put electronics in...grr....I wonder what other way to ensure that no BBs are in your electronics....
Maybe leave them in a room with poison such as DE or something like that in a circle around it..but then for how long would I have to keep it there...hm...So many questions and so many different answers on here...Its a great forum Im just trying to figure out all the kinks because my parents don't want to pay for the fumigation (they think im over reacting) and I can't afford it. The fumigation seems like the best bet but it's just so expensive. I do have some messages that I left at a few companies hopefully the call me back tomorrow.
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cilecto
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Posted 3 years ago
Mon May 3 2010 5:49:44
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None of us can say definitively if you have a BB infestation. I believe people are giving you precautions in case you do. A chart of lifespan by stage and temperature has popped up several times on the forum. 18 months is the longest an under 4th stage nymph has lived at 50f. Lifespans of other stages and at other temperatures vary.
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buggyinsocal
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Posted 3 years ago
Mon May 3 2010 12:34:48
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You won't hurt anything by putting items in the truck and hoping that the heat helps.
However, the reason that I'm so emphatic in cautioning people against using it as a foolproof method is that: 1)it's not guaranteed to work, so if it fails and people were counting on it, they can be frustrated and disappointed and may end up with bugs at the new place. As long as that's a risk you're willing to take, then no, it won't hurt anything.
and
2) Putting bugged items in a car or vehicle to debug them can make things worse if the bugs escape the bagged items and then infest the vehicle. Vehicles are much hard to debug than residences.
The Packtite is NOT recommended for electronic items. Some people have put electronic items in there, but I wouldn't do it myself. I had thermal treatment of my home done to treat my infestation, and the thermal process ruined three items in my home; all of them were electronic (two Tivos and one Microwave).
Keep in mind that the Packtite runs for several hours per load, and it's a little bit bigger than a roll aboard style suitcase. It would take a long time to treat items.
Isolating your keepsakes that can't be heat treated for 18 months in sealed plastic is an option.
Keep in mind that electronics are not a preferred harborage for bed bugs. In infestations, esp. advanced ones with a lot of bugs, people sometimes find bed bugs inside electronics, but it's not a place they normally harbor. (As a point of comparison, I had a bed bug infestation for at least a month and a half minimum; I did not find any bed bugs in any of my electronics.)
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LavenderLove05
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Posted 3 years ago
Mon May 3 2010 14:22:36
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Wow thanks so much info there. I got a callback from an exterminator today. He said that the min. of tenting a truck is $200 but that it is done by size. I rented a 10 footer for the move but he said he would have to see the truck. He didn't want to give me a price per say. grr...I want to do that. I just hope it's not a lot of money!!
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gordie691
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Posted 3 years ago
Wed Jun 9 2010 22:54:20
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You guys really need to go to my blog. Bed Bugs are just not that hard to get rid of. Please check out my blog. I'm not selling anything. Just getting the facts out there to the public.
http://bedbugtruth.blogspot.com/
17 year PMP vet with 3000 bed bug treatments under my belt and a 100% success rate to boot.
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buggyinsocal
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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Jun 10 2010 14:23:51
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I gave your blog a quick read--or, at least, the first three posts.
I respectfully disagree with several of your points.
While I know there are a handful of pest management professionals out there who are willing to do labor intensive enough treatments to eradicate bed bug infestations in the first treatment, there aren't a lot of them. And I'm hesitant to tell people that bed bugs can be eliminated with a single chemical pesticide treatment when I can think of maybe one or two pest control folks who offer that kind of service--only because such claims set up unrealistic expectations for the vast majority of people who come to these boards.
In addition, there are situations in which thermal or Vikane might be the best option for some folks. I opted for thermal for a lot of complex reasons including, but not limited to, the PCO my landlord was going with basically said that my small apartment didn't have enough room in it given the furniture/stuff to floor plan ratio for me to remove all the items from dressers and such and still given them room to treat with chemicals, the fact that I have insomnia already and the idea of having to serve as bait for the bugs since there is no one chemical treatment provider in my area meant that my sleep would be disrupted for too long, and that I live in a part of the country with pest management folks with a long history of using thermal for other pests.
If someone in a particular home has chemical sensitivity issues, a process like thermal or Vikane might be a much better option for that individual than would be chemical treatment.
Moreover, while there are some unscrupulous PMPs out there, I don't see why someone who wants to get rid of the bugs in one go and use fewer chemical pesticides in his or her home who can afford Vikane or thermal shouldn't be allowed the option of using a treatment that's more expensive up front in some cases. (In my case, the amount of dry cleaning I would have to do in addition to the amount of laundry I would have had to do as prep would absolutely have cost as much as thermal did.)
Nobody intervenes at a car dealership when someone's about to buy a gas guzzling V8 and says to the person "Hey, I know you like all that horsepower, but really, you don't drive anywhere you don't need it, so you really shouldn't buy this car." Why would pest control options be any different?
I appreciate that you're so dedicated to educating other people about bed bugs and how to treat them, but it's also the case that as fascinating as I find the workings of cars, I'm not confident enough of my own skills in fixing them to believe that I could possibly get good enough at that to be self-sufficient at fixing my own. I know when I'm out of my depth in terms of expertise, and I'm happy to hire someone else to do what I'm not good at. I presume that the same is going to be true of a lot of other people, and what I don't see in your blog is any acknowledgement of that. The enthusiasm for educating others about effective bed bug eradication might come off to some readers as saying that anyone who makes a choice different from the method that you prefer couldn't possibly be making an informed decision, which is something I find hard to believe. If I've learned anything from watching the discussions among the professionals here it's that, as with any field, there isn't unanimous agreement among pest control professionals about the best ways to treat bed bugs. Different providers have different approaches, and that's really very typical of most professions.
I appreciate your enthusiasm and your desire to educate others, and I think the blog provides some really useful information. I guess I'm just reacting negatively to what I hear in its entries as a one size fits all approach.
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deathtobugs
newbite
Joined: May '10
Posts: 15offline
Posted 3 years ago
Sun Jun 13 2010 14:10:23
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Dude.. you must not have a lot of stuff if you're using a 10' truck. $200 is cheaper than infesting someone down the road or buying new things. I'm paying $500 to fumigate my life's belongings so i don't spread them to anyone else. Don't take a chance and spread these things. Either toss all your stuff out or get it treated professionally and get it done right. Putting stuff in storage for a year and a half and crossing your fingers... putting stuff in the heat is silly too. They can crawl into something nice and insulated and survive. Pick a good company and use thermal or Profume/Vikane. In Florida Vikane is cheaper than anywhere else and they have more people. Maybe move down there and get the truck treated there.. just have some clean clothes and a shower waiting so you don't bring them in. You are in the Perfect Situation (if there is one); you're moving and have a truck, the new place is clear and free, you don't own a lot of things... Get er done and done right... and money is hard to find I know but in the long run if you do it wrong; you'll be spending much more and those around you will suffer..
I talked to the CEO of Bed Bugs and Beyond. I'm not using them but he spent an hour on the phone with me. Their site is still the best for getting information on fumigation.. so I'm using their information:
How to Pack for fumigation:
http://bedbugsandbeyond.com/docs/preparation-for-containment-fumigation.pdf
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 14,081offline
Posted 3 years ago
Mon Jun 14 2010 2:00:35
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deathtobugs,
The other five posts about the Bed Bugs and Beyond prep list for fumigation were deleted.
Please do not repeatedly post the same thing. It's considered spam. You might wonder why, since it's helpful, but everyone who takes time to open the five threads just to see the same post over and over will understand it to be spam.
On the other hand, you might learn how to tag threads (see this post), and then people will have an easier time finding the place where you posted something, for example: Vikane, Vikane prep sheet, Vikane prep
Thank you!
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crazynow
newbite
Joined: Aug '11
Posts: 10offline
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Sep 1 2011 23:04:40
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when we first discovered our bugs, we had driven home from texas with our bugs in the trunk, in june- for three days. this didn't kill them. i then bagged or washed all of my laundry. the bagged laundry went out on my deck in full sun, in black bags for three days. I also wrapped a living room chair in black plastic and placed in the yard. none of this was successful.. bagging just doesn't work.
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