freakin bed bugs


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Old 11-20-17, 09:22 PM
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freakin bed bugs

My mother has recently been battling a 3 month old bed bug situation without knowing where they were coming from. Although she's experienced some bites and found some adult and baby bed bugs on the floor, they haven't been found in her mattress or easy chair where she'll nap. Just last week she found out the apartment next to hers, which she shares about a 30 ft long wall with, has had them for 6 months but has refused to be treated because they don't want to leave their apartment for the treatment to take place. Now that management is involved steps are being taken to make sure the neighbor is getting rid of their nesting places and preparing for spray treatments.

It appears the 3 chemical treatments in my mother's apartment have been effective as she hasn't received any bites for a number of weeks, but now we're facing the potential fallout of the neighbor's place being treated in the form of fleeing bugs.

Our discussion right now involves should we caulk and completely seal any potential pass through points in the wall Mom shares with the neighbor, and how the sealing should be timed with the upcoming spray treatments.
The advice I've read is that if no nests are in your living area, and the bug's main food source is outside your living area, then caulk sealing would be recommended.

Any thoughts or ideas?
 
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Old 11-21-17, 01:50 PM
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Sorry to hear that. I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment on caulking. But people claim to have had good results with Diatomaceous Earth which you might want to use for prevention now that her place has been treated with chemicals. It is non-toxic and organic. I have never had a bedbug problem. But I started using it anyway as a preventive measure. I sprinkled it between my mattress and box spring, and on the metal bed frame also. I don't apply that much of it. It can't hurt to use it. Just avoid breathing it in. It can irritate the lungs

There is an exterminator on this website who might weigh in with his thoughts. He knows a lot more than I do.
 
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Old 11-21-17, 03:57 PM
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I like the idea of caulking and sealing where possible. It should be done before the upcoming treatment at the neighbors. Hopefully the neighbors will co-operate with the preparation instructions as it is important for the success of the treatment. Hopefully they are not “hoarders” which would be the worst case scenario.

The residual life of the insecticides used in your mothers apt should be long enough to still be available and toxic to any bed bugs that may get in anyway. Does she share any “wet walls” with the neighbor such as kitchen and bathroom which would indicate that plumbing is shared in the same wall voids? Walls that share plumbing will be hard to seal effectively.

Possibly you’ve done this already, but have you learned about “bed bug moats”? They are dish like devices that you place under each bed leg which will prevent bed bugs from climbing up at night. You would also want to move the bed and frame away from walls and make sure that blankets/sheets don’t touch the floor or wall. The idea is to isolate the bed so it is in effect an island within the room. Being able to sleep is psychologically important when you know that bed bugs are nearby.

Mattress/box spring encasements are valuable in that they will protect against infestation of both. Once infested you pretty much have to get rid of them.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted with progress and questions.
 
 

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