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Success after only one treatment?
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truavatar
newbite
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 4
Posted 1 year ago
Tue Aug 12 2008 13:04:33
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I live in an appartment in a house a few miles west of Denver, in Morrison, CO. A couple months ago my fiance started noticing red welts on her body in the mornings. It was pretty mild at first, only a few here and there, but after a month it had gotten pretty evil. She was getting six and eight bites a night. At first, because we couldn't see anything, we suspected rat or bird mites, as she has lived in mouse infested appartments before and had similar allergic reactions.
Around this time we started sleeping in a tent in our yard with freshly cleaned bedding. This put a stop to the bites for the time being, but the house, both our appartment and the upstairs one, was still infested.
Finally, I did a thorough inspection of mattress seams, box spring, etc, and managed to find a few bed bug nymphs and a couple adults along the carpeting/baseboard.
At this point I began my phone campaign to the landlord and finally convinced her to hire an exterminator. Her philosophy was to do it right the first time so she wouldn't have to deal with this again in a year when somebody else moved in. She hired Terminix who sent an inspector the next day to confirm the bedbug infestation, and a technician within a week.They gave us a long checklist of preparatory items to complete before the tech arrived, including stripping all beds and leaning against the walls, pulling all furniture two feet from the walls, taking down all curtains, hangings, pictures, posters, etc, and bagging/wasing all fabrics. Also included was a thorough cleaning of the carpets and floors, removing everything from cubords, shelves, and tables so they could be turned over and treated, and a whole bunch of other things. We got everything prepped, as did the other tenants of the house and the tech came right on time. I had a chance to talk with him for a little while and he seemed very knowledgable. He had done many, many bedbug treatments before, apparently. Anyway, he sprayed down the place and applied residual poisons in all three appartments in the house (even the other one downstairs that had not noticed any activity).
For the first day or two after he came I got a few bites on my leg, but since then even my fiance, who has a nasty allergic reaction, has been bite-free. The tech came again today (two weeks since treatment) to inspect and potentially re-treat and told me that he typically has an excellent success rate with one application of RESIDUAL poisons on all but the most serious infestations. He said that they've tried heat, freezing, steam, etc, but never had anywhere near the success that they have with their traditional residual chemicals.
So, it has been two bite-free weeks with another 16 days on our guarantee. Is it possible that the bedbugs in this house were successfully eradicated in only one treatment? My fiancee is extremely sensitive to them, so even one bite would be noticed. I will keep vigalant, and keep this thread updated as I can, but as of right now, I would highly reccomend Terminix as an exterminator in the Denver metro area!
--this is crossposted in Tales of Woe--
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bugsloveme
newbite
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 9
Posted 1 year ago
Tue Aug 12 2008 13:21:38
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That is quite an extensive prep list! That probably contributed to your success so far.
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spideyjg
oldtimer
Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 1,614
Posted 1 year ago
Tue Aug 12 2008 14:27:49
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One of our resident PCOs, Killer Queen, says he often can wipe them out in one very thorough treatment.
We used a company here called Lloyd's and they now have a guy who does nothing but BBs.
For you SoCal folks inquire because, at least here in San Diego, they have a chamber that they gas with Vikane treating stuff for powder post beetles and they shoot 10X the amount used for termites and BBs supposedly only need 3X. They will allow you to book the whole chamber or allow you to bring small amounts depending on space.
Jim
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truavatar
newbite
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 4
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Aug 13 2008 8:03:00
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Well, it seems that the technician that did our building is not exclusively in bed bug treatment, but it is certainly the majority of what he does. It was nice to know that we had a professional who knew what he was doing.
I don't know if it would help anyone else out when working with PCO's, but here is the Terminix prep list:
1. Remove all sheets, pillows, and bedding material. Seal them in a plastic bag until they can be cleaned to prevent the infestation from spreading.
2. Wash sheets and bedding in soap and hot water. Items that can't be washed, such as bedspreads, should be dried at high temperatures for one hour. This will also be necessary for clothing or bedding stored beneath beds or in dressers where bed bugs are discovered.
3. Bag drapes, remove bags, and dry drapes at high temperatures for at least one hour. (Only high heat eliminates egs in these items.
4. Clear all floors of loose items (e.g. toys, change, trash, etc.), including floors in closets and interior storage areas.
5. Vacuum entire carpet, especially the edges (with crevice attachment). Debris will interfere with the inspection.
6. Seal the vacuum bag in a plastic bag and immediately discard in an outside trash bin. For bagless uprights, dump contents into a plastic bag and discard in an outside trash bin.
7. Ensure all items are removed from on top and within dressers, nightstands, bookshelves, coffee tables, etc. All wood furniature must be turned over and inspected for bed bugs and their eggs, including CD and tape stands.
8. Move all furniature and bed frames at least 18" from the wall so we can inspect and treat the carpet edge and baseboards where bed bugs prefer to hide.
9. Lean mattresses and box springs against the wall for inspection and treatment of small crevices and tufts.
10. Upholstered furniature (couches and chairs) will need to be inspected and treated. Remove and bag throws, pillows and slip covers, and dry at high temperatures. Vacuum deep into crevices with a crevice attachment.
11. Remove a picture frames, posters, and hangings from the wall and place in center of room for treatment and inspection.
12. Place all food items in cabinets and keep closed.They told us, in no uncertain terms, that they wouldn't treat if we didn't complete this checklist perfectly. They also told us that if the technician arrived and things weren't enough in order and he couldn't treat, we would be charged a $75 fee and they would come back again at a later date. Needless to say, we got our asses in gear, and thus far it has been worth it.
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mrsmaglite
newbite
Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 22
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Aug 13 2008 13:13:17
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Hi Truavatar - thanks for posting that info. I had very similar guidance from my PCO and we also followed it to the letter and seem to be on the right track. What guidance did they give you for post treatment though, such as vacuuming or the life of the residual pesticides? And are you booked to have a follow up check, if not another spraying?
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That seems like a good prep list for treatment, but I'd warn people NOT to do it before an inspection. Many PCOs will have trouble finding bed bugs and their signs if you clean extensively beforehand or move things around. You should not do this until your PCO has inspected and is going to treat.
Many PCOS tell customers not to move anything, clean anything or do anything before the inspection, though they do require extensive prep before treatment.
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formerly free
newbite
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 19
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Aug 13 2008 16:50:11
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I had essentially the same checklist and followed it accordingly too. Its been 3 months and I've been bb free...until a few days ago. I got bitten and then found the bug, killed and haven't been bitten since. PCO came by, put out monitors and thinks it could have been a fluke...no evidence (including no bites) that there are anymore. Still waiting...hoping...praying...
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truavatar
newbite
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 4
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Aug 13 2008 23:36:12
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The tech came to do a follow up a few days ago and sprayed only the couch upstairs that seemed to be the epicenter of the infestation. He found lots of dead bugs, but no live ones.
As far as post-treatment, he said that vacuuming was ok, and that the residuals should remain in effect and kill anything new that hatches. I have another 16 days on the guarantee offered by Terminix, so we'll keep a close eye. I get the impression that the residuals (other than the dust used on the mattress) will last for 60 days. Perhaps this is why so many people experience a resurgance of bugs after the two month mark... defenses fall, and any bugs in adjoining units are once again able to move in without being harmed. I plan to wait another few weeks and then paint the baseboard and some other surfaces with DE. My lease is up in November, so if I can stay unbitten until then I should be in the clear. I'm pretty hopeful since the whole house was treated.
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sodepressed
junior member
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 56
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Aug 20 2008 19:44:20
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was the whole house treated even though the infestation was confined only in ur bedroom or is it living room? im lost :)
is it better to have the whole house treated? my kitchen is next to my bedroom then comes guestroom and then living room. they are all wall to wall...wierd design i know.
so anyway, the infestation seems to be in my bedroom only for the time being...should i ask the pco to treat whole house? -
parakeets
oldtimer
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 913
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Aug 21 2008 10:49:52
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It is not necessary to treat the whole house if the whole house is not infested. You can only treat bedbugs where they are (their harborages) and treating where they are not does no good. That being said, it is hard to detect where they are since they hide so well. In general, the advice is to treat adjoining rooms to where the person is being bitten (including above and below) and I've also heard to treat all rooms within 20 feet of the bed, even if it is not an adjoining room. In some houses, that's the whole house.
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