Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed Bug Treatment
Second treatment update
(3 posts)-
lagirl31
junior member
Joined: Nov '10
Posts: 101offline
Posted 2 years ago
Mon May 16 2011 16:33:12
#
Login to Send PM
A couple weeks ago I found bedbugs harboring in the wooden slats under my mattress (http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/finally-found-them-looking-for-7-months-pics-of-harborage-site).
That Friday I had my first treatment (http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/first-treatment-completed-and-my-supplemental).
We had a hopeful week, because the PCO didn't find ANYTHING while he was steaming our furniture. He said if we hadn't given him the live samples and the mattress slat, he wouldn't have thought we had them. I did find one dead bug a few days after the first treatment, but it looked like it hadn't eaten in a while. We are hopeful that we found it early, because we both react to bites immediately.
Two bites on Thursday night, 6 days after the first treatment, but we didn't panic because we had read (here) that it was normal and we were due for another treatment on Friday anyways.
For the second treatment, our PCO said he wouldn't steam, but he agreed to do a baseboard re-application of Phantom since we'd had that bite and found one dead bug. I told him we'd expected it, because at least a few eggs must have been missed (they're so tiny!) no matter how good the treatment. He said that the spray kills eggs as well, which doesn't agree with anything I've read here. Our PCO is well meaning and has the right stuff, from what I've researched, but they are still pretty new to bedbugs and have mostly treated termites.
Woke up with one bite on Saturday, the day following the second treatment. We took our bed apart, as planned, and proceeded to caulk all the exposed particle board surfaces. We had purchased new mattress slats and we filled the knots, varnished them and sanded them smooth before putting them on the bed (figuring they would be less hospitable to bedbugs that way).
I put up a passive monitor under our headboard, hoping that any nymphs still present will decide to take up residence there. It sounds like our PCO won't be willing to treat a third time unless we have some more hard evidence. I'm worried that only treating along the baseboards means the bugs that are hatching won't come in contact with the residual poison. Why would they crawl along the baseboards when they can live in our bed and eat us there?
I'm wondering if I should have asked the PCO to spray the bedframe with residual. We're also considering buying a steamer or a packtite (I know they serve different purposes, but we can't afford both and even the thought of the cost of one or the other makes me nervous right now) for ongoing preventative purposes in the future.
Sorry for the long post! I find it helpful to be able to read back over the whole story as it unfolds. We have to go stay in a hotel next week for a wedding, and I'm already really nervous about it. We're going to use duffel bags that can be tossed in the dryer as soon as we get home, along with our clothes and we're going to investigate the hotel room before we settle in.
-
buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 2,440offline
Posted 2 years ago
Mon May 16 2011 16:51:44
#
Login to Send PM
Drive by post from me, so I'm short on detail, but I did want to respond to this:
He said that the spray kills eggs as well, which doesn't agree with anything I've read here.
There are some chemical pesticides that kill some eggs.
There are no chemical pesticides that kill all eggs.
In most infestations, once the bugs begin to spread and reproduce, those eggs get dispersed enough that several treatments are necessary.
However, if you happened to have a fairly contained infestation--which I never tell people to bank on but does happen sometimes--and the PCOs used steam to kill a lot of eggs the last time, it's possible that you'll do well with fewer treatments.
At any rate, some pesticides can kill eggs; you just can't count on them to kill all the eggs. When applied smartly, in a small, early infestation--esp. when combined with steam--you might get luckier than you expect.
-
lagirl31
junior member
Joined: Nov '10
Posts: 101offline
Posted 2 years ago
Mon May 16 2011 17:41:27
#
Login to Send PM
Thanks, buggyinsocal! I wasn't clear on the egg issue - thought that pesticides didn't affect the eggs, period. I'm glad this isn't necessarily the case. I was really happy that they steamed the first time, and I'm considering buying a steamer myself for the future (but I wouldn't use it until after talking to my PCO, in case they did treat the furniture with pesticides).
I'm hopeful that we have a small infestation, but not counting on it at all. The PCO is handled by my landlord so I don't have as much control over the situation as I'd like, but I'm trying to stay on top of it (which means taking more time off work than I'd like!).
Reply
You must log in to post.
