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new concept for treating things like shoes

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mangycur

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Jul 8 2008 18:26:11
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Hi Y'all,

this is actually a follow up to a preexisting thread entitled "eggs surviving in storage?" I contacted David (BBcoukHome) to clarify what had been coming out of that conversation. Here is a distillation of the brew:

--let's say you have a pair of shoes you can't put in the dryer
--We know that eggs don't necessarily become dislodged during a normal vacuuming process.
--We know that eggs hatch in 9-14 days
--so you vacuum the shoes, which definitely removes adults and nymphs. you do it carefully and thoroughly under a bright light so you can see what you're doing
--you seal the shoes in a 2-gallon ziploc (or some such)
--you wait 14 plus days: the eggs will HAVE to have hatched, which means there should be some unfed nymphs on those shoes, if there were any eggs there at all.
--so you vacuum them AGAIN, sucking up the nymphs. You vacuum them thoroughly
--you seal them in a NEW ziploc

The end result is you have your shoes back into your wearable wardrobe in about 15 days without damaging them. YAY

Thoughts?
PaveIt

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Posted 4 years ago
Wed Jul 9 2008 4:04:22
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>Thoughts?
throw out the shoes or leave them sealed for 18mo.

>you do it carefully and thoroughly under a bright light so you can see what you're doing
you are brave.
I would be too worried about them getting away.

There are some posts about using heat from a dryer in a plastic tote. I'd rather try something like that.

good luck
mangycur

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Jul 10 2008 14:13:16
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As a reminder, I bounced this process off a PCO and he thought it was good.

I just want to encourage us all to keep innovating. I also think that at a certain point, we're all going to have to learn inspection skills and learn to have more faith in our own minds and eyes. My PCO showed me how to look at things with a magnifying glass and showed me what eggs looked like. We can do more that we think.
Bugologist

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Jul 10 2008 14:57:27
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Mangycur, it's definitely a good thought process but my concern is with the bugs sticking to the shoes and not vacuuming off. I actually just got back to the office from an account where I had the vacuum directly on top of many bugs and when I removed the vacuum, the bugs were still attached to the surface they were on. They hold on pretty well.

Now when you're dealing with a smooth, flat surface where you can see most if not all of the bugs, you can make sure you get them all. With shoes, there are so so so many little cracks, crevices and folds that it may be impossible to find them all and they may not suck out of those holes as easy as you think. There are areas on shoes that you just can't see and get to. The dryer, on high, should kill both mobile bed bugs and eggs. They also now make little nets that attach to the back of the dryer door so you can put shoes in the net so that they don't bounce around in the dryer driving you crazy. Next option are a ziploc bag with "no-pest" strips (fumigant strips) or throwing them away.

Again, good thinking but I see clear room for disaster with that approach.
mangycur

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Jul 10 2008 16:52:02
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thanks for the input.
mangycur

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Jul 10 2008 17:16:32
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I can't find any "nets for the back of the dryer door." I don't own a dryer anyway and the people at the laundrymat won't let us put shoes in the dryers for some reason, but if I could find a way to keep the noise down maybe I could do it without them noticing

does anyone know what bugologist is talking about
Nobugsonme

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Jul 10 2008 19:02:12
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@Mangy,

There's a shoe holder for the dryer linked under "miscellaneous" in the useful stuff page. I am not sure if it's what Bugologist is describing, but it says it easily mounts on the inside of the dryer in either a commercial or household dryer.

@Bugologist,

re: "no pest" DDVP strips, is this a gas that leaves no traces on shoes or another clothing item? Or would people with sensitivities need to be careful? I am assuming you mean sealing stuff in a bag with the strips. Thanks.
Bugologist

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Jul 10 2008 21:53:22
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Yes, no pest ddvp strips are strips that are imbedded with a pesticide that slowly disappates into the environment. They are intended to be used in closed environments, i.e. ziploc bag, garbage bag, air tight cooler, etc... They do have an odor to them but nothing overly offensive, at least not to me. As for the sensitivities issue, all I can say is to follow label directions when using the strips. I don't know how people with sensitivities will react to them.
bedbugvictimperthaustralia

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Jul 10 2008 23:09:01
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You can buy over-the-counter spray like special formulations of Mortein here that kill bed bugs. So you can drench your shoes in it, like I did, just to be safe. (although I also put them through the dryer, there's no reason you can't spray, lock up for a month, spray again, and start wearing them shortly after).

It even has a nice citrus smell. Uhhh, don't inhale it though.
Nobugsonme

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Posted 4 years ago
Sat Jul 12 2008 13:28:59
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Thanks, Bugologist!
hoo2677

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Posted 4 years ago
Sat Jan 17 2009 10:50:46
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I spray my shoes completely with alcohol before leaving (actually, I do that when I'm not leaving too. Then put them on with my socks so they get saturated.)
twitchyscratchy

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Nov 3 2009 0:20:54
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i leave my shoes in the mud room with the door closed and don't wear them inside. our bug problem is as of yet unverified. i only wear the shoes outside. (actually i did all this before we had the bb scare as well, for dirt and germs).

should i be doing more than this? could they really be on my shoes?
cilecto

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Nov 3 2009 9:08:04
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hoo2677 - 9 months ago »
I spray my shoes completely with alcohol before leaving (actually, I do that when I'm not leaving too. Then put them on with my socks so they get saturated.)

alcohol is murder on shoes. Murphy is a lot gentler.
Bugbitten Meg

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Nov 3 2009 9:11:33
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If you
don't have a big infestation (and most reactors will know if they do!) and
don't leave your shoes on until bedtime, then put them in the closet by the bed (for example),
then you probably don't have a problem.
bed-bugscouk

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Nov 3 2009 11:15:57
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Hi,

I think the solution to this type of problem rests with PackTite and since the first thread started some 12 months ago I think it now a more logical solution that what I would have recommended then.

I prefer it as a solution because it will not only help you in dealing with an infestation but gives you the ability to follow the getting home decontamination ritual from trips or staying away from home.

Its also safer that spraying alcohol around the place.

David