Off topic: Bedbugs

HEAT!

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

I seem to remember that raising the room temp above 12s°F for 24 hours wipes them out. Space heaters are used with the room vents sealed to hold the heat. Mattresses and upholstery have to be exposed.

Re: Off topic: Bedbugs

JL

https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/do-it-yourself-bed-bug-control

I'd go pro after reading through that.

Kneale Brownson

It's a rental. You don't want to rent it to someone else who will experience what are now your bed bugs.

Professional fees can be deducted.

Re: I'd go pro after reading through that.

Hank Knight

I was on the Board of a non-profit low income old folks home for a number of years. One of our residents brought in bedbugs and they spread like wildfire. Bedbugs are notoriously difficult to get rid of. We tried heat with marginal success and other remedies and hired several "expert" services to get rid of them. We finally found an extermination service with a good record of ridding places of bedbugs. They had a dog that could sniff 'em out and they used a combination of treatments with good success. We now have them bring their dog in every few months to do sniff. If he finds a single bug, we go through the remedy to rid that apartment of the nasty critters. It's working fine but it's costly. My advice is to hire a reputable extermination service with a good record with bedbugs. Do your research and hire a good company. There's a lot of snake oil peddlers in the bedbug industry.

PS

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

After reading the other replies and links . .

faghedaboudit, hire a good pro!

Re: I'd go pro after reading through that.

Barry Irby

I am a do it your self guy.

Having perused the stuff posted and thought about it I believe I would hire a reputable pro if such a thing can be found.

I thought about heat, but I think what would happen would be the bugs would hide from it in the insulation or crawl space and attic. If you are going to gut the house to the framing it might work.

They used to tent and gas houses for Powder Post Beetles. Viacane or methyl Bromide. Stunningly poisonous stuff. It would work but it is dangerous and not cheap.

Another thought might be ozone. I talked to a carpet cleaning company that told me their ozone generators were so powerful they would kill everything in the building. Just a thought. As true gas, it would enter every cavity.

Re: I'd go pro after reading through that.

Michael van pelt

Thanks for great info! I called a pro todaay....we will see!