The New BB Starvation Diet! « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

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The New BB Starvation Diet!

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CimexintheCity

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Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 7

Posted 1 year ago
Fri Sep 12 2008 12:04:51
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Since my wife and I have very little reaction to BB bites, it’s almost impossible to detect any level of BB infestation in our place. To accurately gauge when to sound the all-clear, unpack the 3 dozen XXL Ziploc bags, and get on with our life, I am using the death by starvation gauge. Here’s my situation: My wife and I live in a townhouse with solid firewalls that prevent BBs from coming and going. We apparently brought BBs with us from our previous condo when we moved mid-May (the complex had a problem but an inspection did not find any in our unit). I think it was a relatively small problem, limited to our bedroom and discovered Aug. 3. My wife and I both work outside the home and are not there during the day. We had a PCO come in immediately and treat our townhouse. We bought a new bed/frame and isolated it with the legs sitting in bowls of mineral oil. The mattresses are encased and we sleep in lily-white sheets.

First off, I think the PCO must have done an excellent job. We have seen very few BBs (six tops), and the ones I found were lethargic and skinny, or dead. I have supplemented the PCO with some DE floorboard dusting and contact killer on bedroom furniture.

To my knowledge, we have not been bitten by BBs since we found them Aug. 3 (and we were gone the week prior on vacation in any event). My plan is to starve any remaining BBs. There is some fantastic information in a table provided by “S” in a previous post, showing the number of days it takes before an unfed BB dies. Turns out that higher temperatures dramatically decrease the lifespans of BBs. Adult females live the longest, 425 days at a 50-degree temperature, but only 87 days in 81-degree weather. Our bedroom is on the top floor of our Northern Virginia home and its windows face the sun, making it bake during the day (we leave the A/C off). At the lowest, the room reaches 70 degrees on some cool nights. Extrapolating from the table, at a 74-degree average, I’m guessing that our longest-living female BB probably has 150 days to live, at the most. Counting five months from August, we should be BB-free at the end of December—just in time for our families’ holiday visit. I know others have said these lifespan statistics were only applicable for storage units and other meal-free locations, but I honestly think they can be used in situations like mine.

I guess we’re lucky these puny post-apocalyptical pests showed up in the summer, since the heat has surely cut their lives short. Although I will probably be eternally vigilant (DE dusting, mattress checks, frequent vacuuming and then sealing the bag), I will breath a little bigger sigh of relief come December. By the by, I see a lot of news stories and posts from Canada—I wonder if the climate lends itself to longer-living BBs, and, thus, worse problems with permanent eradication?
kjdrga

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Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 93

Posted 1 year ago
Fri Sep 12 2008 13:24:23
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I too and in NOVA and from the way you describe your house I'd almost think you lived in my hood! I live in a townhouse with solid brick firewalls....and guess what they came over threw the wall into my bedroom from the neighbors bedroom (the rooms share that firewall). I didn't find this out at first but there was NO possible explanation as to how I got the BB's and then the neighbor told the PCO they have them (or had them) and it was the only explanation.

Even our county health dept said oh those townhomes are built solid nothing will get through...but as my PCO pointed out 1) older homes (1966) settle and cracks can occur in the walls and 2) If people prior to us in any of the home decided to drill and run cables across in the attics well that too provides an opening. I'd also even go so far and say maybe they came threw the window since there is maybe 10 feet between windows....who knows. But they came...and now I think they are gone as I've invested a lot of time/sweat/money to exterminate them...however I can not say the same for my neighbors so I'm prepared to continue the battle.
CimexintheCity

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Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 7

Posted 1 year ago
Fri Sep 12 2008 13:34:00
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Yikes! That's scary, but good to know. Good luck (I guess we all need it) and sorry to hear about your neighbors.
spideyjg

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Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 1,405

Posted 1 year ago
Fri Sep 12 2008 14:36:27
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I wouldn't bet the farm that your plan is going to work for the building. Sure putting sealed bags in a room that is going to get really warm can expedite their demise but if they have any avenue of escape, they will. Any tiny cracks, electrical/phone/cable outlets provide them an escape to find you.

Are you referring to let the 3 dozen bags bake or the room?

Jim
CimexintheCity

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Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 7

Posted 1 year ago
Fri Sep 12 2008 15:10:00
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No, I should be clear. The Ziploc bags refer to our process of storing our clean clothes (which is driving us crazy). The BBs I refer to are the ones still in our townhouse that have so far escaped the pesticides and DE dust. I am anticipating that these lucky few survivors, without a blood meal and living in our hot bedroom (which accelerates their mortality), will die of starvation come Dec/Jan. The we can go back to living a somewhat normal existence.