My apartment is going to be heat treated « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

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My apartment is going to be heat treated

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KILL_ALL_BEDBUGS

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Posted 3 years ago
Fri Jul 31 2009 15:31:25
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After 2 unsuccessful attempts to treat my apartment with sprays only, my landlord is bringing in a new PCO who are going to do a heat treatment, in addition to some spraying and DE application. I live in a 1 bedroom apartment on the top floor of a 12 unit / 3 story building.

Does this sound like a good idea? They tell me all the other apartments have been inspected, and do not have BBs. They are treating only my apartment. My big concern is that the BBs will simply flee into the floor. They are probably living there already. My floor is made up of wooden tiles. It's an old building, and there are big gaps between many of these tiles. There are holes that simply dissapear into the floor.

After the 2 spray treatments, I went from being bit around 3 times a night to about 3 times a week, so there can't be many left. Could this work?
buggyinsocal

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Posted 3 years ago
Fri Jul 31 2009 18:02:17
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I can't speak to the particulars of your apartment and its construction, but I can tell you that if the company doing the heat treatment knows its stuff, they should be able to raise the temp in your place at the proper speed to avoid bed bugs fleeing to another apartment. I live in a four plex and had thermal remediation; my neighbors had no problems with bed bugs before or after my place was treated that way.
KILL_ALL_BEDBUGS

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Posted 3 years ago
Mon Aug 17 2009 12:41:29
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In case anyone was wondering, the heat treatment failed. I am again being bitten. sigh
ghostbitten

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Posted 3 years ago
Sun Sep 6 2009 14:15:19
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How long ago was the treatment and when you've been 'bitten'? They could be delayed reactions to old bites.
Nobugsonme

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Posted 3 years ago
Sun Sep 6 2009 14:36:22
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And, is there any chance you are being re-exposed to bed bugs? If you have a heat treatment, but neighbors have bed bugs (or they're at work, school, etc.), then you could have new bugs.
cilecto

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Posted 3 years ago
Sun Sep 6 2009 16:57:11
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I think that on this board heat treatment is assumed to mean heating the whole dwelling. That doesn't stop one from labeling other treatments, like steam, as heat treatment. Sorry that yours didn't work out. What did they actually do?
EcoPest Guy

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Posted 3 years ago
Sun Sep 6 2009 19:45:32
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Heat treating is an effective way to kill bedbugs. The heat has to hit about 130 degrees and remain there for a few hours. Bedbugs have shown in trials to actually go into the heat, and the heat will also kill the eggs. Heat treatment does not leave any residual killing power behind, so you can be reinfesting yourself unknowingly, or it may be that they did not get the heat high enough for a long enough time. Can you give more details?

Jeff
KILL_ALL_BEDBUGS

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Sep 8 2009 13:48:37
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Hey everyone,

Here is the situation: Had the heat treatment august 7th. This was a serious heat treatment - they filled my apt with something like 8 huge machines and heated the hell out of it. Landlord told me they applied DE "in the walls" though no drill holes so I have no idea how that is possible. I have aggressively applied DE to countless cracks/crevices in floor. After the treatment - No bites for about a week, then I got one on each leg. They put a nightwatch in my apt for about a week with no results. I have not actually seen a bedbug since the treatment. Last time I was bitten was about 2 weeks ago.

Reinfestation is possible, but I have no idea how i'd ever know if they were in my car or office. In the two months i've had BBs, I've seen a total of 5 of them, only one while it was alive.