Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Detection / Identification of bed bugs
Suggestions for monitoring to prevent an infestation?
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katydidnt
newbite
Joined: Oct '10
Posts: 7offline
Posted 2 years ago
Thu Oct 14 2010 10:44:25
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Even though I don't yet have bedbugs in my apartment and the super told me that he doesn't know of any infestations in our building (?), I have a medical condition that could theoretically make an infected bite of any kind--bedbugs, mosquitos, spiders, etc.-- extremely dangerous or even life-threatening. (While bedbugs aren't known to carry disease, scratching can cause infections.)
I'd like to know whether people with experience with passively monitoring an apartment on a permanent basis have been able to prevent infestations from within the building, or possibly nip an infestation in the bud?
I'm currently awaiting delivery of a new platform bed, and decided this would be the right moment to start a monitoring system. Since I realized that even importing brand-new furniture carries risks, I've ordered a CO2 monitor, which I plan to install in the bedroom for 14 days. Assuming that no bugs show up in the monitor, my plan is to then buy refill solution and keep the monitor active, maybe in different places in the room or apartment. It's expensive, and if I keep it up, maybe I'll consider investing in a professional monitor. But it would be a lot more expensive, and a lot more trouble and aggravation, to eliminate a major infestation.
I've also invested in one of the better mattress encasements recommended on this site, and will soon be encasing my pillows and a sleeping sofa in another room. If it turns out that there are bedbugs inside, I have no problem with keeping the encasements on for 18 months and going to sleep every night thinking, "Die! Die! Die!"
If anyone has experience with this method of preventing an infestation, I'd like to hear from you. And thanks, Nobugsonme, for this wonderful site, which I'm recommending to all my friends and the few neighbors I know!
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DeedleBeetle
oldtimer
Joined: May '10
Posts: 1,232offline
Posted 2 years ago
Thu Oct 14 2010 11:33:31
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Howdy...
Now, i'm not sure because i haven't used one of these CO2 monitors...but i thought that you would want to use this type of monitor when you are not using the room. I am not sure why but maybe you want the monitor to be the only CO2 source in the room so that the bbs will go there and not over to you if you're in the same room. Our experts and other more experienced members will correct me if i'm wrong.
i have a platform bed and i understand that these types of beds seem to have a higher risk of bb infestation....again, i'm not completely sure why but i think it's because there is so much area of contact between the bottom edge of the beds on all sides and the floor. Of course beds that are on four legs, for instance only have four smaller points of contact with the floor and therefore less chance of bbs crawling up the legs.
What i have been thinking of doing (because i looked on line for the kind of bed i'd love to have, which is a korean style platform bed made of stone sleeping surface....just isn't in my budget right now) Something like this:
http://kr.img.blog.yahoo.com/ybi/1/a7/9c/sndgreat/folder/2091140/img_2091140_1292_4?1191240232.jpg
With this type of bed you get the really hard sturdy platform surgace along with legs you could easily put traps around.
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katydidnt
newbite
Joined: Oct '10
Posts: 7offline
Posted 2 years ago
Thu Oct 14 2010 12:37:29
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DeedleBeetle: Thanks--don't know about the unused-room idea. I don't think the amount of CO2 released makes any difference, since the CO2 is under water, but does anyone else know about this?
Unfortunately, when I ordered the platform bed weeks ago, I wasn't thinking about a bedbug problem, so I'm sort of stuck. However, I was just advised by USBedbugs--very quick response to my question, by the way--that probably the best solution for monitoring a platform bed that can't use the well traps because it has no legs is the BB Alert Monitor, which is easy to inspect on a regular basis, not as expensive, and also attracts bedbugs: it doesn't have an active attractant like CO2, but has a lot of little cubbyholes that bbgs can hide in during the day; if you have bbgs, you'll know because their droppings will show up on the white border around the cubbyholes.
The good thing about this gizmo, if it works as advertised, is that it can detect even a small or beginning infestation (nymph droppings show up, too). The less-good thing (as opposed to the CO2) is that it doesn't trap or exterminate them, so if you have them, they'll just keep coming out of their "motel" at night to feed. Anyway, I've ordered a couple--one for behind the headboard, one for near the base of the platform--and will report back.
That is, I hope I won't have to report back!
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DeedleBeetle
oldtimer
Joined: May '10
Posts: 1,232offline
Posted 2 years ago
Thu Oct 14 2010 13:45:50
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also...another thing we can use with our platform beds is double sided tape all along the bottom edge of the bed so that if a bug tries to crawl up, it'll get stuck.
(sigh)
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katydidnt
newbite
Joined: Oct '10
Posts: 7offline
Posted 2 years ago
Thu Oct 14 2010 14:25:39
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Yes, I've used double-sided tape on my headboard. I plan to go to Home Depot tomorrow and load up on lots more. Though I'm sure that after 6 months it'll have gathered so much dust that the bugs will just be able to climb up on the backs of the dust mites.
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