Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed Bug Treatment
Please help!!! Want to kill zombie bugs!!!!
(4 posts)-
flower1566
newbite
Joined: Mar '09
Posts: 6offline
Posted 4 years ago
Thu Mar 26 2009 1:29:33
#
Login to Send PM
My friend stayed with me back in Dec 08 to Jan 09 and she had bed bugs at her apartment. I did not know they could carry over to my apartment which is now infested and I don't know if I can take it any more. I am going to tell my landlord and have him exterminate. Can I just dry my clothes for 1 hr instead of washing them too? I am a college student with little to no money. I have been spraying something called Cimex-ex on my steets every night and have not been bite since. I know this is not good enough I just want to sleep in by my bed and not smell like cinn. in the morning. I have also been vacuuming daily. I have no problem throwing my bed frame and box spring away, but would like to keep my mattress, which has a plastic casing on it.
I am moving in with a friend in June and do not want to bring these zombie with me? Any suggestions on what I should do? I am willing tothrow everything, for the most part, in my apt away to move into the new one.
I also travel to my boy friend's house every weekend and I want to know how to take the proper precausions to not get his house infested as well. What should I do? At the moment what ever I am going to wear to his house, I wash and dry in hot water, but into plastic bags and then leave them in my car and not bring them into my house.
Any advice or words of encouragment would be great thanks a bunch!!!
-
buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 2,440offline
Posted 4 years ago
Fri Mar 27 2009 12:44:28
#
Login to Send PM
In what city do you live? You don't need to be specific, but if you can give us a general idea (i.e. New York City, not a specific street address), you might have better luck with answers.
That's because in many cities, local laws require landlords to pay for treatment.
If you live someplace where the landlord must pay for treatment, then I'd get in touch with your LL as soon as possible.
Self-treating for bed bugs usually does not work.
I have no idea what this Cimex-ex you talk about is, but spraying pesticides on the surface that you're sleeping on is a really bad idea. All right, I googled it, and I see it's one of those "natural" pesticides, but I can't tell what the active ingredient is. I doubt that's going to do a lot of good. There are no naturally occurring compounds that work on bed bugs.
Your best bet is not to self-treat but to get a pro in to treat your apartment. Esp. because you live in an apartment, letting the landlord know is necessary. It's possible that adjacent apartments have infestations, and unless they are also treated successfully, treating just your place won't get rid of the bugs. They'll just move elsehwhere and return later.
I would start by reading the FAQs. A lot of them answer the questions you've asked. There's one on not spreading bugs once you know you have them. There's another on what people here have discovered about trying to move without taking bugs with them.
After you've read those, my suggestion would be, to post again with any questions that the FAQS didn't answer.
I would also not talk to the landlord until after you've read the FAQs. (Why do I feel like I'm assigning homework? Sheesh. Not my intent at all.) My point is that you want to be well informed as you go into talking to the landlord, and reading the FAQs will help with that.
Hang in there.
(oh, and as for people not responding to your post, using tags might help. See that section up at the top of the screen where it says "no tags yet". People here often use tags to look for posts with similar topics. I've added a few to the post to help. If you can think of other key words that apply to your problem, you can add those too.)
-
flower1566
newbite
Joined: Mar '09
Posts: 6offline
Posted 4 years ago
Mon Mar 30 2009 17:31:41
#
Login to Send PM
Thanks so much for the help!!! I have told my LL and are making arrangements for this week to have a PCO come out. I live in Kent, Ohio. I spray the Cimex-ex on my bedding so I don't get bite. I am also getting the zip-lock bags and drying my clothes in the dry before I go anywhere (and putting my shoes I am wearing in the oven for 30 mins) just incase. I just don't want anyone else I know to get theses. I have decided to pitch everything except clothing. Do you know if I can just put them out in the dryer on high for 2 hours and not wash them, could that kill them? I am not the wealthy and I have a lot of clothing and it would take a fortune of a small 3ed world country to wash AND dry them?
Thnks again!!!!
-
buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 2,440offline
Posted 4 years ago
Mon Mar 30 2009 18:37:02
#
Login to Send PM
Two hours for clean clothes in a hot dryer should be more than enough to kill all bugs and eggs *in most items*. For some items, esp. those that are lightweight and already clean and dry, two hours is way more than you'll need. The wrinkle, of course, is that some items with a lot of insulation may not get to the kill temp all the way through. So two hours for, say, pillows and comforters may not be long enough.
If you want more details, take a look at this FAQ:
http://bedbugger.com/2007/05/18/dryer/
It's got nitty, gritty details as well as citing several bits of actual research on the issue.
I sympathize with your need to spend the money you have for the battle wisely, and so if I were you, I'd sort the items you're going to need to heat carefully. Regular clothes (t-shirts, shorts, jeans, button-down shirts) could each go in for 20 minutes on HOT. That would leave you more money for really cooking the heavy items.
Reply
You must log in to post.
