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URGENT: preparing for PCO tomrw - no straight answer about unsealing bags

1. 

   DC_roommate
   

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   Posted 4 years ago
   Thu Sep 4 2008 14:38:42
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   Hi all,

   I've been reading through the forums and the FAQs, and they have been tremendously helpful. However, I'm getting confusing answers from the PCO I've scheduled to spray *tomorrow* and was wondering if someone could help.

   I didn't bag up my stuff (non-clothes) until the past few days, and I'm wondering if i should leave the bags open during spraying, or open them after spraying. I asked my PCO, and they just said "whatever would make me more comfortable," but it doesn't make sense - if they're spraying, shouldn't I want to let the bugs out (either before or after) so they can encounter the poison? Any advice would be very much appreciated.

   As a point of reference, I'm going with American Pest Control, who does an initial house-wide spray (about 2 hours) and then a followup in three weeks.

   The fuller story:

   I just moved down from NYC to DC on labor day, and I'm freaking out because I think I may have brought bedbugs with me. I threw out all my upholstered furniture and my mattress before I left NY, but i wasn't very smart about packing. I spent my first two days in DC laundering all my clothes, but didn't have enough sealable bags, so now they are in large, tightly tied trash bags away from the rest of my stuff. The rest of my stuff, however, is still in boxes in my room and in the living room.

   I scheduled the PCO visit right away, so haven't had much time to prep. Today i'm vacuuming and moving everything to the middle of the rooms so that the PCO has access to the baseboards.

   Thanks!

2. 

   BD1
   

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   Posted 4 years ago
   Thu Sep 4 2008 17:15:10
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   I put all my stuff back or opened the bags after the first treatment. My PCO syas if they're in there, let 'em out to cross the poison.

   Then again, I'm still getting bitten, so who the heck knows.

3. 

   djames1921
   

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   Posted 4 years ago
   Thu Sep 4 2008 17:55:25
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   The stuff that you have bagged should be heat treated. I am always going to recommend buying a Packtite to do this heat treatment, because I produce and sell them. However, you can do it yourself if you bag everthing into clear plastic bags and put it outside on a hot sunny day. I would recommend taking temperature readings inside the bags to insure they reach at least 120 F for an hour. This will kill all bed bugs in those bags. I would not trust pesticide residuals to kill the bed bugs after they have come out of those bags. I treat for bed bugs as well and I have little faith in residual activity for many commonly used pesticide sprays.

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