The ants are back... as well as new friends... Bed bugs.
- Thread starter Syn
- Start date
Syn
Avid Member
Sounds like a very interesting method - not sure how I can get it extra hot, though... It will get up to 90 or 95 but not much higher.
Monkeykungphu
New Member
Wow Syn, sorry to hear about the bed bugs. Bed bugs can be super tough to get rid of. I watched a 'Pest' show on animal planet a while back about bed bugs that was really interesting.
They had a dog that could actually sniff them out & he found them all over the place! They were mostly around the beds, sofas, fabrics, etc. But they were even in the hard furniture like the coffee table, trunks, night stands, etc.
They used the heat method to fry the little guys, supposedly works pretty well. They had some pretty special equipment to get the temps up high enough though. I wonder if taking all of your "perishables" out of the house, cranking the heater in the house up as high as it will go, putting some electric space heaters around (maybe borrow some...) & opening your oven & setting it on clean would do it... be careful not burn your place down of course. You could get one of those remote oven temp gauges to check out the temps from outside the house...
Good luck!
They had a dog that could actually sniff them out & he found them all over the place! They were mostly around the beds, sofas, fabrics, etc. But they were even in the hard furniture like the coffee table, trunks, night stands, etc.
They used the heat method to fry the little guys, supposedly works pretty well. They had some pretty special equipment to get the temps up high enough though. I wonder if taking all of your "perishables" out of the house, cranking the heater in the house up as high as it will go, putting some electric space heaters around (maybe borrow some...) & opening your oven & setting it on clean would do it... be careful not burn your place down of course. You could get one of those remote oven temp gauges to check out the temps from outside the house...
Good luck!
DGray
Avid Member
De
People are funny about DE:
why would you want food-grade DE? Are you going to eat it? Its used as an additive to cattle feed. Its finer and actually *less* effective as an insecticide.
And re: " ... high in silicates" The DE is by nature, high in silicates; its the silicate skeletons of diatoms, and the spicules of silica do the killing. Breathing a little is pretty innocuous. Long-term inhalation could be bad, but you're only thinking about using this for a few weeks, right?
Best of luck, bed bugs suck
(sorry)
People are funny about DE:
why would you want food-grade DE? Are you going to eat it? Its used as an additive to cattle feed. Its finer and actually *less* effective as an insecticide.
And re: " ... high in silicates" The DE is by nature, high in silicates; its the silicate skeletons of diatoms, and the spicules of silica do the killing. Breathing a little is pretty innocuous. Long-term inhalation could be bad, but you're only thinking about using this for a few weeks, right?
Best of luck, bed bugs suck
(sorry)
Last edited:
Jonasburns
New Member
Ah if only she could crack the roof it would be 150F in no time. 
Syn
Avid Member
I honestly don't know anyone with space heaters here. Most people use normal heaters and that is more than sufficient. Not to mention... I simply do not have a place I can take all of my reptiles at this time. My sister won't take them, my dad won't take them... family is out of the question and I have quite a few cages.
I may not eat it but it's going to be around my reptiles.. not to mention I have a few house geckos running around my room and house... I wouldn't want them to get hurt because of this!
Truth.Ah if only she could crack the roof it would be 150F in no time.
Syn
Avid Member
Thanks Carl, I actually purchased some at a local feed store! Why hadn't I thought of that earlier? It was a 50 lb bag but luckily they were selling in lbs as well...
Now I just need to find the method to this madness and find out how to properly put this stuff down. I accidentally spilled some on a fan that was on the floor... REALLY glad I got food grade..
Now I just need to find the method to this madness and find out how to properly put this stuff down. I accidentally spilled some on a fan that was on the floor... REALLY glad I got food grade..
Elizadolots
New Member
Here are a few links to "applicators". Hopefully you'll already have something like the syringe and/or squeeze bottle you can use.
http://www.ghorganics.com/GardenSyringe.html
http://www.ghorganics.com/PestPistol.html
http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html
(scroll down to get to the applicators)
http://www.ghorganics.com/GardenSyringe.html
http://www.ghorganics.com/PestPistol.html
http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html
(scroll down to get to the applicators)
Manik6
Member
ugh! this situation really sucks. i just started getting red bumps all over my legs too. i wanted to blame bugs or fleas that i just spotted on my dog cause i brought my dads dog over and that damn thing probably had fleas. but the odd thing is my ol lady doesnt have anything on her at all. i did some yard work about two weeks ago and i wanted to think that could be it but these things just showed up a few days ago.
Elizadolots
New Member
Nifty allergy tests cost a lot...
Manik6, it could well be the yard work. There are a gazillion levels to allergic sensitivity...some things I'm allergic too make it hard for me to breath in 10 minutes (that's something I eat, there are things that hit my nasal passages and send me "run!!!!" warnings within seconds), some show up hours later.
Bed bug bites are pretty distinctive. Google it for pictures, but they would not show up "all over your legs". Ditto for fleas...fleas will usually show up as bites below the knee.
Are they well defined "bumps" or do they cluster together? (that would likely be called HIVES).
Manik6, it could well be the yard work. There are a gazillion levels to allergic sensitivity...some things I'm allergic too make it hard for me to breath in 10 minutes (that's something I eat, there are things that hit my nasal passages and send me "run!!!!" warnings within seconds), some show up hours later.
Bed bug bites are pretty distinctive. Google it for pictures, but they would not show up "all over your legs". Ditto for fleas...fleas will usually show up as bites below the knee.
Are they well defined "bumps" or do they cluster together? (that would likely be called HIVES).
panthercham
New Member
I am back in Arizona on business for 2 weeks staring mid next week. If you do decide to use chemicals or anything non lizard friendly let me know and I will swing around and look after them for a couple of days/week until everything is sorted out.
ChameleonRave
Avid Member
call up your local Walmart or grocery store.. yes its weird calling them up. but you can get rentals. call up vaccume stores.. thats what we do if we need to clean our carpets and its way better than buying one.
Syn
Avid Member
I may have to take you up on that offer. Will you be in Scotts again? If that's the case I may not be able to take you up on the offer.. with all of the cages and us only having a car it may not work out so well.I am back in Arizona on business for 2 weeks staring mid next week. If you do decide to use chemicals or anything non lizard friendly let me know and I will swing around and look after them for a couple of days/week until everything is sorted out.
Walmart does not offer them here, I called a vacuum store and they were incompetent to the levels of "I don't know how hot it gets, but I can offer you a 5% discount if you use it for 3 hours or more".....
Off to school for now, hoping that diatomaceous earth helped. I accidentally got some into a cage but it poofed and didn't congregate all in the same area... hoping I got all of it.
ChameleonRave
Avid Member
I may have to take you up on that offer. Will you be in Scotts again? If that's the case I may not be able to take you up on the offer.. with all of the cages and us only having a car it may not work out so well.
Walmart does not offer them here, I called a vacuum store and they were incompetent to the levels of "I don't know how hot it gets, but I can offer you a 5% discount if you use it for 3 hours or more".....
Off to school for now, hoping that diatomaceous earth helped. I accidentally got some into a cage but it poofed and didn't congregate all in the same area... hoping I got all of it.
yeah. i know that my mother always calls up Walmart or a grocery store that has more than groceries. just for the cleaner. a. ik around town or like a neighbor it might work
Good Luck!
sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
havent read the entire thread, so sorry if this is a repeat
a cheap steam cleaner isnt going to be good enough. rent or buy a very good one and get the chemicals
bed bugs are not something to go half-way on. hit them heavy, hit them hard. wash everything in hot water followed by hot drier. Anything you cant wash you will want chemical treatment on.
a cheap steam cleaner isnt going to be good enough. rent or buy a very good one and get the chemicals
bed bugs are not something to go half-way on. hit them heavy, hit them hard. wash everything in hot water followed by hot drier. Anything you cant wash you will want chemical treatment on.
Syn
Avid Member
Yes, I found them in my computer chair... my sister always sits in it when she comes over so I am not surprised they were there. I tried to get a picture with my phone but it did not turn out well. It was an adult.
Thanks Sandra. I may be purchasing a steam cleaner and buying a whole new bed... I will probably be sleeping on the floor for a few days. Everything that requires chemical treatment will be going outside. I may be renting a truck to get all of the furniture etc. we don't use to the dump.
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