Need advice about my moving procedures to a new apartment without bringing BBs

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Need advice about my moving procedures to a new apartment without bringing BBs

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tiredinithaca

newbite
Joined: Dec '08
Posts: 28

Posted 3 months ago
Sat Jul 25 2009 9:28:32
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So, I am currently in the process of moving to a new apartment and have run into some glitches...

Today, I moved my books. Before moving them I did the following:

1) Put them into my packtite several batches at a time (maybe about 20 at a time). I did NOT fan them, since the first time that I did that, the bindings of the books were often damaged. I DID stack them at odd angles, to maximize air circulation. I did stick the temperature probe in the middle of a closed book, which was in the middle of one of the stacks of books (about 5 books high and 4 stacks total). I also let the packtite go for 4 hours and then another 2. In each and every case, the books registered 120 degrees in about 2-3 hours, and from the third-sixth hours, the temperatures rose to 140-150 degrees after 6 hours. I also took out two random books from each batch, set them in the kitchen sink and put the thermometer probe in the middle of them after the 6 hours, and the temps were between 130-145 degrees each time.

2) I then put the books into XL Ziploc bags, which were in my kitchen for the next four days, until I was done with all the books in the Packtite.

3) Today, I took the books to the new apartment. In the new apartment, I had rubbermaid bins waiting, duct tape, and more XL Ziploc bags.

4) I took the books out of the XL Ziplocs from my apartment and put them into fresh, new Ziploc bags. I then double bagged with a second XL Ziploc bag.

And here, unfortunately, is where the learning curve enters into the picture:
[b]

5) I had 8 XL Ziploc bags full of carefully stacked books. I could fit two XL Ziploc bags of books into each rubbermaid bin. I filled two bins and then tried to seal the bins with duct tape. That was a DISASTER! Air bubbles, lines big enough to serve as the Lincoln Tunnel for a bed bug -- true, they'd probably get stuck on some of the glue, BUT my plan had been to leave these things sealed for 18 months, just to be on the safe side! So, with the remaining 4 XL Ziploc bags, I tripple bagged and put into the bins, I put duct tape around the zipper, thus sealing the Ziploc bags even if the zipper opened, and then put them in the bins, but this time, I did not seal with duct tape.

The plastic bins are now in my new apartment, and I am trying to figure out how to deal with my CDs.

So here are some questions:

1) Even though 2 of the bins are not sealed, will the tripple bagging help prevent any stray nymphs or bugs from escaping (I know, I know -- the Packtite shoulda killed 'em all, but we are talking about books, and I just can't be 100% convinced that there wasn't a cold, insulated spot somewhere in those books. When I had a K9 inspection, the dog alerted to the book cases, which is why I am particularly worried.)

2) Should I be that worried about the duct taped bins? I mean, like I said, shouldn't the glue trap any strays?

3) I am about the purchase Protect-a-Bed encasements -- maybe two twin size, and I plan on taking the books out of the bins once the encasements arrive. I'll put the XL Ziploc bags of books in the encasements, along with 2 pieces of art that I can't really heat treat, a blanket my mother knit for me, and some miscellaneous files and papers that I can live without for 18 months, but that I may need sometime in the future. Will these encasements work, especially if I triple bag everything I zip up in them with Ziploc bags?

4) I was planning on using BugZip liners for this, and in fact I ordered 10 of them. But when I opened the first one, I discovered a design flaw: unlike encasements, the zippers do not close completely. Instead, the bag is designed to have the zipper tuck away into a tiny plastic slot at the end, but the very tip of the zipper remains unclosed. I contacted the manufacturers about this, because I thought maybe I just wasn't zipping them correctly. The person who contacted me told me the following: These items were designed for keeping bugs OUT of clothes and suitcases, not for keeping infested items isolated and preventing bugs from ESCAPING. Well, this came as a surprising disappointment. I had figured if they can't get in, they shouldn't be able to get out, but apparently that zipper hole is indeed big enough for things to get out. of the bag, assuming they can climb up the bag's walls. Another waste of my hard-earned money... Another planning disaster. It was, however, the person who wrote me back, who suggested using bed bug resistant mattress encasements to isolate items potentially contaminated with BBs.

Sorry for the enormously long post... but please, please, PLEASE can somebody give me advice about whether I'm going about this the right way?
tiredinithaca

newbite
Joined: Dec '08
Posts: 28

Posted 3 months ago
Sat Jul 25 2009 11:01:33
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By the way, Adam (from the BugZip company) and any one else interested in BugZip liners, I can make no claims about the effectiveness of the liners for keeping bugs OUT of clothes and luggage, if you choose to use them in, for instance, a hotel situation or if you are planning on putting decontaminated, de-bugged items into a BugZip liner for storage in your home while you are getting treated for BBs. All I know is that the design caused me to worry about bugs already INSIDE the liner being able to escape, and if there is a BB in some clothes or books or papers, then all they have to do is climb up the clothes, books, etc. to be close to the escape hatch... Yes, the sides of the liner are slippery, and if you were to put bugs in an empty liner, they probably would have a difficult time getting up the sides. And if you have a full BugZip in a hotel room, it would also probably be difficult for the bugs to scamper up the outside of the liner. BUT this is not a product that is in most likelihood safe for isolating infested or possibly infested items, and most importantly, nothing on the BugZip website suggests it would be useful for this "reverse" usage. I just assumed, and incorrectly, that if a bug can't get in, it also can't get out... but that's not a safe assumption.

So, back to my original post... Am I being excessively diligent? Not diligent enough? Careful? Careless? Crazy? Paranoid? (well... yes... of course paranoid!!!)

Any additional advise?

Thanks!
D.