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Vikane (sulfuryl flouride) - close to Vancouver BC

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pum67

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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Dec 30 2010 0:47:24
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Hi folks,

For all British Columbians residing in the Lower Mainland and near Victoria, this story may be of interest to you, given that Vikane, a.k.a sulfuryl flouride is not available in Canada.

For weeks, I tried in vain through various sites to find a nearby Vikane fumigation centre in Washington & Oregon states. Through work and various other means, I eventually tracked down a company in Seattle by the name of Paratex Pest Control (formerly Paramount). They have been around for more than 100 years, but certainly don't advertise much!

Anyhow, the preparation was intense - the border folks will ask for a letter from your employer (stating that you are gainfully employed and won't disappear into the US!), a materials list (I numbered mine, it doesn't have to list everything, but a general description of every item will get you across faster) and third, the contact information & address at the fumigation centre. This should be everything you need besides the trailers or moving van or other things to be fumigated.

Prior to the big week, I visited both the US & Canadian border officials to inform them of my plan. So, upon arrival, stopped in the Canadian side (to get the materials lists stamped) and then proceeded with a two truck/two van convoy across into Washington. We sailed through at Aldergrove in just 5 minutes (yes, faster than we do in the car!). As soon as it was mentioned that the reason for travelling to the US was "fumigation against bed bugs", they waved us through almost immediately. For Canadians going to the US, I can hear you howling at that one, but it's true!!!

Okay, so we drove down Sunday night, left one of the trailers at their facilities near the baseball/football stadiums (locked) and then drove the other to a hotel out at the airport. The airport was chosen because the prices were good, and there is easy access via shuttle to SEA-TAC, and then onto Seattle's equivalent to our Skytrain system, taking one just 2 1/2 blocks from Paratex.

The folks at Paratex are polite and courteous. They allowed me to hang out in their offices for a few hours while they prepped the vans. I wanted to see how it was done. Basically, they tented my SUV plus the two trailers around 3:00 p.m., left them overnight, to be opened and aired out (with fans) starting at around 9:00 a.m.

One word of caution however - the temps in Seattle were cool that day, at only 47 degrees F, sinking to 38F that night. Several folks on this site have suggested that sulfuryl flouride is effective at temps above 52F. I vigorously argued this with the folks at Paratex (suggesting that they use space heaters), without success. They kept telling me that they had fumigated over 200 places with sulfuryl flouride with a 100% sucess-rate and that they were the experts. One worker told me that they simply increase the amount of gas used when the temperatures drop, unless they approach freezing, and then they use space heaters. But they said it wasn't necessary on that particular day because it wasn't cold enough.

Uh-oh.

They also claimed that methyl bromide (another fumigant) works better on bedbug eggs than sulfuryl flouride. It was then mentioned to them that one of the Vancouver-based fumigators indicated not to use methyl bromide on furniture because it leaves a harmful residue (and that he couldn't process my stuff, which got me going on the whole Seattle/sulfuryl flouride thing in the first place), but Paratex claimed that they apply methyl bromide to all kinds of products, including furniture and even food, and that it's perfectly safe.

Pardon if one feels confused by all this. I wish I could offer a definitive response one way or the other, but I'm not a scientist - I have no idea if methyl bromide can be used safely on furniture & food and two PCOs contradicted each other on this point!!

So, I drove back to BC, unpacked my things into storage (just to be on the safe side). At first, everything seemed fine, but about day 3, I started noticing the telltale itches. Incredulous, I went into the now-familiar bedbug [/b]denial[b] phase, emerging back to reality 2 days later when the mauling continued unabated.

Whatever the reason and despite the detailed efforts (I am convinced it was the low ambient temperature), the treatment failed.

Darn it anyhow. Luckily, my entire active belongings list had been pared down to the car, and two suitcases of luggage, plus an iron & ironing board. My friends seem surprised I'm not upset with Paratex, but I sent them a polite request for financial consideration (which they have ignored all week) due to the lack of success, along with a passionate urging to ensure that the ambient temperature is above 52F.

At the end of the day, I paid for a service that didn't work - I'm not happy that it didn't work, and it cost a fortune, but at the end of the day - it's collateral damage in the war. My belongings will simply need to stay in storage for 16 months, it's that simple. They are just things - the bedbugs remain the focal point. All articles, clothing, furniture, these things have zero importance until the enemy is eradicated. I still believe in my heart it's the right approach when it's a warm, sunny day....

Back in BC, I turned to heat treating my car, but that story will be in another thread.

Best of luck to my compatriots in BC and to our friends south of the border. Keep up the great work guys! Don't hesitate to PM me for more info.
thebedbugresource

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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Dec 30 2010 1:33:57
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Well this is directly from the Vikane label:

If fumigating for insect pests, do not apply when temperature at site of pest activity is below 40F.

This is directly off the Dow website:
Each bed bug infestation is unique and, therefore, requires a customized treatment plan. However, fumigation with Vikane® gas fumigant is the only treatment method that can reliably eradicate all bed bugs infesting a building, including the difficult-to-control egg stage.

I assure you that when applied correctly Vikane is 100% effective against bed bugs and the eggs.

I can also assure you that Methyl bromide is safe (no residue) to use on furniture, the problem is that the odour will leech out of the fabric/filling of furniture for weeks or even months after fumigating. In Canada the use of Methyl bromide is not permitted for bed bugs.

Sincerely,

Sean
Pest Professional / Entomologist
The Bed Bug Resource
DougSummersMS

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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Dec 30 2010 4:50:45
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I'm confused... Which fumigant was used Methyl Bromide or Vikane?

I doubt that the temperature alone would produce a failure... The Vikane label calls for a minimum of 40 degrees F at "site of pest activity" as Sean already pointed out... The question would be did the temperature inside of the contents fall below 40 as opposed to the outdoor temperature outside of the tented vehicles.

I suspect there is a margin of error built into the cut off temperature listed on the label that would be greater than a couple of degrees.

Did they monitor the gas concentrations in the work areas with a Fumiscope?

Did they monitor the temperatures and list them in the fumigation log book?

If a sufficient amount of gas was used with the proper exposure time the probability that the gas failed would be extremely low... less than 1/3 of one percent... if we look at Dow studies on efficacy of Vikane gas.

The label is the law and the label calls for a minimum of 40 degrees, but I doubt it would create a treatment failure.... if the temps fell to 38 degrees toward the end of the treatment.

I urge you to consider alternative sources of re-infestation as a possible cause for the treatment failure... You didn't say if your residence was treated or if you moved to a new location... Could there be a source related to work, social contacts, transport, buildings that you visit or other exposures?

It is important to try to identify the source... You need to ID the true source to become bug free in the long run.

I feel very badly for you... You clearly expended a lot of time and money in a well researched effort to become bed bug free... I truly respect your stoicism and rational attitude.

You have some excellent BedBugDog teams in your region... My best advice would be to hire a reliable K9 team to help you track down the source(s) and identify any affected items for treatment by your thermal provider.

You deserve to be bed bug free... Send me a PM... if I can provide any recommendations or assistance.

(Disclosure: I am affiliated with Florida K9 Academy and provide clearance inspections for fumigation companies)
pum67

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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Dec 30 2010 13:00:30
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Thanks for the responses and esp. the helpful information re: methyl bromide safety, etc.

I insisted that they use sulfuryl flouride due to the doubts I had at the time surrounding methyl bromide (which have now been addressed thanks to the post in this thread).

As for the temperature, so it's clear, the vehicle + 2 trailers were tented outside, so the ambient temperature at night would have been under 40F for several hours, at least 6-8 of the 17 hours in total.

Re: origin of the continued bedbug infestation, I moved everything into storage immediately upon returning to BC. At work I changed offices to a new one more than 100 feet from the old one, so the opportunities for transference are next to nil. Nothing in my life, neither at work nor in my new place had not been exposed to the surfuryl flouride fumigation.

Just so it's very clear - I believe firmly in Vikane fumigation, but when one plays at the margins, these are the kinds of problems that arise.

Regarding the various monitoring methods, I cannot really say what devices were used - to my best knowledge, the gas was put into the trailers, tested for concentration, the employees went home around 5:00 and returned the next morning around 8:00 and began to dismantle the tenting and fan the contents.
thebedbugresource

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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Dec 31 2010 0:34:07
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The company should have given you full documentation of the fumigation. It should have listed the quantity of gas used, the ppm readings at intervals during the fumigation, the temperature at intervals throughout the fumigation, along with other pertinent information.

Sean
cilecto

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Jan 3 2011 19:44:43
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If your items were not brought back home and you continued to be bit (and the cause was confirmed to be BB in your home, not elsewhere), could it be that your home's treatment (rather than the convoy of your things) was not successful? And if you're storing your things, have you sealed them up to prevent possible infestation from a source in the storage complex?
pum67

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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Jan 5 2011 22:41:06
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1. Yes, bedbugs were in my former apartment, confirmed by two PCOs.

2. I did not return, but rather moved to a new house (no adjacent buildings) that never had any prior indication of bedbugs and where I had never visited prior (ie. not one time).

3. I did not seal the belongings, nor touched them since the day of the return from the sulfuryl flouride treatment.

Sulfuryl flouride is not a chemical wunderkind - it is a highly effective and useful tool, but one with its own limitations (in this case, related temperature & concentration), just like any other fumigant: http://www.fluoridealert.org/pesticides/sulfuryl.f.vikane.epa.htm

Sulfuryl flouride sees a diminishment in its effectiveness at low temperatures. This is the most probable cause for its failure in this instance - and is a lesson to be heeded for future application.
BC BEDBUG EXPERT

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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Mar 24 2011 15:09:09
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I am very interested in how your heat treatment for your car turned out?

I turned to heat treating my car, but that story will be in another thread.
Nobugsonme

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Posted 2 years ago
Wed May 25 2011 1:50:19
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BC BEDBUG EXPERT - 2 months ago »
I am very interested in how your heat treatment for your car turned out?
I turned to heat treating my car, but that story will be in another thread.

BC Bed Bug Expert,

Did you ever end up telling this story?
Winston O. Buggy

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Jun 1 2011 14:50:35
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Is there another thread?