30 Rock episode on Bed Bugs

Jack does a wonderful job of portraying the leper like issues with bed bug
You can watch the whole episode here 
Watch the AUDITION DAY EPISODE
This also lends credence to how rampant the bed bugs have become in the NY metro area

Night Watch Monitor - Review

The Monitor ran successfully for 5 nights.
I ran it in 3 different rooms. Ideally, I should have moved it around every 4 days, but I knew I was running out of CO2 based on reviews I had read.


The CO2 bottle - 20 OZ ran out on the 5th night.

I paid $40 for it, a bit much.
But, any place that refills your fire extinguisher or Paint ball store, will refill it for $5.
I plan to purchase a few more empty cylinders from them and fill it up.
Have  a stock at home.

Day 31 - Bed bugs Are gone??

I know they are truly not gone yet.
But they are not eating into our brains the way there were before. The first 2 weeks were of nightmarish proportion, but remember you will get through it, just like I did. Take it as a learning experience. I did have to cast everything else aside and focus upon the bed bugs and figure out what I needed to do to eradicate them. It sucked away a lot of time, but look at it this way - happened after the summer blast was done and over with. I could face some real world problems, couldn't I?

We are no longer getting bitten by bed bugs - here is a quick summary of what we did

- Pushing the beds away from the walls and putting vaseline laced  containers underneath the bed posts helped.  This is probably the first thing I should have done. Did this for all other bedroom furniture as far as feasible
- PROTECT A BED Mattress and pillow encasement - an absolute must
- My night clothes stay in my bed when I wake up in the morning. The day clothes never makes contact with the bed or my night clothes. Bed is pretty much quarantined.
- Placing DE all over the house was another critical step - mostly by the baseboards. They will remain there for the next year perhaps. I didn't use any chemicals and seems like there may not be any need for it. Time will tell! From time to time, I see dead bugs by the DE. We have a couple carpets interspersed all over the house over the hardwood, and I sprinkled DE over these carpets as well. There are dead bugs underneath these carpets as well.

It was too bad I had to deal with these bed bugs, but seems like I discovered it in time before they became rampant invaders of the house - hard to get rid off. I think I discovered them as they were just beginning to spread themselves into other areas.
- Running our bed sheets every week through the washer dryer was helpful too. The first couple times I did it, I found a couple sleepy bed bugs stuck somewhere in the sheets. Don't bring anything into your sleeping area that has not gone through the dryer.
-Bought new furniture, keeping bed bugs in perspective. The living room set with fabric cushions is gone now and in place a leather sofa set. The furniture we bought for the bedrooms were chosen to prevent too many hiding areas for the bed bugs.
- Laundry away all your clothes, more so from the room that had the most bugs.
- The NightWatch Monitor was good for peace of mind

Night Watch Monitor is up and running

We got the Nightwatch monitor over the weekend.
Takes a couple minutes to setup.

Lowes initially said they didn't have the CO2 bottle, but called other Lowes and finally talked to someone knowledgeable who found it for us (locally). The CO2 bottles are expensive! Found these Co2 bottles online as well (lot cheaper @ Motosport.com, you have to make sure there are threads at the end of the CO2 bottles) - it is considered hazmat, thus ground shipment takes time. BioSensory Inc (manufacturers of Night Sensor) take time to answer the emails, but do eventually get to it.

I had it setup last night - you setup the time, and the inbuilt timer turns it on at 10pm and shuts off at 6AM. This morning, I walked upto the machine not expecting to find any bug. But to my surprise, found one trapped in the side container. The bed bugs climb over easily, attracted by the CO2 emission, and find themselves in this slippery zone - from which they cannot escape. This bed bug is now sitting inside a zip lock bag of DE.

I have not seen a bed bug since a week - after sprinkling DE all over the house. I am glad I ordered this. The plan is to run it for 4 days in each room (typical feeding cycle), moving it around. If we set it up in a bedroom, no one will be sleeping in that room, to make it easier for a bed bug to bed bugs to try to get their bloodmeal from the Night zone and not a breathing human.

DAY 11 - Total onslaught with DE (How to work with DE)

DO NOT USE THE SWIMMING POOL GRADE DE.
You are better off buying DE from the neighborhood

Went all out in dusting DE all over the house. The only area pending is the garage, but have pretty much dusted areas around the baseboard - accessible areas that can be later vacuumed easily. If the area was not accessible via vacuum, did not dust them.

Regarding DE - I would suggest using an N95 mask (available in Home Depot) while
applying the DE. If inhaled, it is not good at all for the lungs. Use a "mustard
container" or a parmesan cheese container to sprinkle them, focusing on areas
which don't receive foot traffic. Open up the wall sockets and spray inside as
well and around the baseboards.

With hardwood, dusting with DE is straightforward.

With carpets - I would suggest creating zones with blue tape
that are not to be walked upon - and dusting those areas only with DE. Leaving
them on for a few weeks is advisable . You would need to ensure that your
asthamtic kids are not around during the vacuuming - whenever they occur. Ashma
and bed bugs ==> you should consider switching to hardwood. Ideally, I would not
put any DE on carpets, keeping your asthma child in view



--- In bedbugger@yahoogroups.com, "..> wrote:
>
> i've been reading about "putting DE everywhere" is that safe? My kids have
asthma and I thought it was not a good idea to put it all over the carpet b/c
you can kick it up and breath it in. Plus with all the vacuuming we do, don't
you just vacuum up what you put down. Right now we have it around the bed and
along the baseboards.

Advice to Mary

Mary
It does sound like you have detected the bed bugs at an early stage. It is hard to see them unless they get to a certain mass.

Best bet is to thoroughly inspect every inch of your bed frame - look through every crack and every crevice for these bed bugs. Use RID or EQUATE to spray on areas which are infested. Once you are sure the bed frame does not house the bed bugs, cover the mattress and box springs with the encasement (Protect-A-Bed is probably the best brand in the market) - and pull the bed out so that it is not touching any wall. Wash and dry the existing bed covers, comforters etc on hot before using again. Cover the legs of your bed with vaseline to prevent bugs from climbing up. Ensure that no portion of the bed, blankets etc touch the floor. And finally, before you go to sleep, wear a set of fresh clothes that ideally run through the dryer on hot. At this point, your bed is a secure island.

Another thing that works for me is applying baby talcum powder on my skin - psychologically or otherwise the bugs seem to avoid me.

Take pre-emptive measures now to kill these bed bugs wherever they are hiding. Vacuum all over. Spray DE around the baseboards etc etc.

You do want to invite a Pest Control agent to inspect your home - they might find tell tale evidences.


--- In bedbugger@yahoogroups.com, ..> wrote:
>
> Hello, I think my family and I might have bed bugs. I have been feeling like things are crawling on me for about 2 weeks now. I first started getting bit but the bites were just one at a time. Now a week later my husband feels it also. We have checked the beds and have seen nothing. No bugs. No one else in the house or neither of my five children have felt anything. We have bought the mattress covers for all the beds and I bought Sleep Tite spray from Fairy Tale Hair Care and have sprayed that on the beds and frames and all around the house and  I am scared to death. I am having the kids shower twice a day and I still cant see anything. I sure feel it though. I feel like things are crawling on me but not always biting. We did the tape on the bed legs test and saw nothing. I dont know what is going on. Now my kids are getting bit and there is no bugs. I get out of the shower and sit in my kitchen and I can feel crawling but there isnt anything there. I am losing my mind. could this be something other than bed bugs? Is this how they start? I figured I would have seen at least one of them by now. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. Thanks Mary

What worked for Douglas

Lots of details in Douglas's account from the bedbugger yahoo group
Tools we need
Premise 1000
Vapona
N95 mask.

http://www.safe2use.com/poisons-pesticides/pesticides/permethrin/cox-report/cox.\
htm
Permethrin seems to be a health hazard - and I am hesitating to use it around
the house.

Vapona is what you used in the car
http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/gordons-vapona-insecticide-dairy-cattle-spr\
ay-p-58223.html?ref=42a

I do need to liberally apply DE all over the house for a couple weeks and leave
it there. Wonder if the DE alone will work or needs a supplemnt like Permethrin.
 ***************************
Douglas's account

I got my infestation in late April, contacted my landlord, they booked the
exterminators for 29th April.

Threw out mattress and boxspring, slept on an air mattress in my bedroom, on the
floor, for two full weeks. I sprayed under the air mattress with Premise 1000
(active ingredient is Permethrin) and very lightly sprinkled DE around the air
mattress. I was advised to do this by the exterminators so I would act as bait
for the BBs. I honestly believe that it was this that helped clean out the BBs
in my apartment so quickly.

I also sprinkled DE on, under, and around the sofa in the living room (and was
surprised how easily it vacuumed up from the carpet leaving no traces). I also
applied DE around the office chair at the computer and then limited myself to
only sitting in these three places.

Someone said: "I don't think you need a mask, but it couldn't hurt. Just don't
inhale the particles." That seems a bit contradictory to me. I certainly wear
an N95 mask every time I apply DE. I also leave the house for an hour or two
each time after applying DE to give it time to settle.

After almost three weeks, around the 15th of May, I had a new mattress/boxspring
delivered and immediately put on Aller-Zip protectors on both. They're on a
metal frame with NO headboard. The bed has been removed away from the wall (in
fact I replaced the queen with a double to give me more room between the bed and
the walls. I replaced my sheets etc with very light coloured ones and ensure
they never touch the floor or walls.

Each leg of the metal frame is standing in empty clean tuna cans each with a
half-inch of DE in it. I applied a very thin film of DE completely under all
the bed and around all the bed, in fact pretty much the whole bedroom floor. I
used polyfiller to fill every single crack I could find between the walls and
the floor and in any spaces, no matter how small, between the boards of the
floor.

I do clean up the DE on the floor where I walk as walking does tend to bunch it
up and remove it from some parts. I then re-apply a very thin film.

I step lightly so as not to cause the DE to float up.

From what others have said I would say I use more DE than most but I'm careful
to ALWAYS use an N95 mask and try to stir it up as little as possible and ALWAYS
leave the house for a couple of hours after applying it. At first when I was
applying the most I also wore swim-goggles to protect my eyes.

After about the end of the first week of June I was getting about 1 or 2 bites a
week and always on my backside. I eventually worked it out that it absolutely
had to be from my car as I walk almost everywhere and only use the car when it's
raining and I have to go a long distance. I put in three (3) whole strips of
Vaprona (sp?) in the car and closed it up and gone near it for over three weeks
(you can imagine how much "airing" it will need to get rid of the smell) and
that hopefully has got rid of the BBs in the car. I had also sprinkled DE on
and under the car seats. The car treatment was from ideas I found here and
confirmed by my exterminators.

I use a plastic ketchup/mustard bottle to sprinkle the DE but as it's not
consistent I use the sock method when I want to ensure there is only the
thinnest of coats of DE spread around.

The two products I used, in fact are still using, Permethrin (in Premise 1000)
and DE are the exact same two products the exterminator used.

I'm keeping my bedroom as though I still have an infestation of BBs although I
am certain, absolutely certain, they're no longer in my apartment or car. I'm
guessing that it's going to take me a long time before I no longer use DE around
and under my bed.

Compared to others I think I got rid of the BBs relatively easily in a
relatively short period of time and I put most of that down to DE and
Permethrin, but especially to the DE.

Day 16 - Part 2- Ordered Nightwatch Bed Bug Monitor

 A sinking man looks for a straw to hold onto.



The next generation bed bugs have emerged.


Things that went wrong sofar
- The CHinchilla dust that I sprayed all over does not seem to work.
- The mattress encasement that we purchased (CLEAN REST Make) probably does not work.


This morning we got up with couple extra war scars from these accursed bed bugs - and I decided to bring in the big guns aka reinforcements from the left flank. Just ordered the Night Watch Bed Bug monitor from doyourownpestcontrol.com - At $450, it was much cheaper than Stern Environmental Group.. Talked to Stern this morning and was told that the CDC 3000 is not available to order. I could order the Night Watch and if I did it over the phone - it would be processed a lot faster (compared to online) for $650. Found a cheaper site. Hope this works out.

WHY DID I BUY THIS, INSPITE OF CONTRARY ADVICE?

I reached out and had a talk with BioSensory today - the makers of Night
watch.In order for them to claim entrapment they need to go through a process of
submitting proof, documents to EPA - and thus, they claim only monitoring as of
today. Getting EPA buy-in is a complex, arduous process - as we know. I was told
that it can trap bed bugs and we have an option to leave them inside the unit -
and they are ultimately dessicated. I am also being emailed a New York Time
study - that provides more details. They have couple reports published here
http://biosensory.com/nightWatch-bedbug-monitor.cfm

Getting this unit still makes sense to me - there is nothing else like this in
the market. Getting a K-9 unit to walk through is at least $250 and this monitor
used as a bed bug detection will itself pay off - as long as it works. I believe
we have infestation that has spread elsewhere in the house and this unit should
help identify that too by moving it around from room to room (works best when a
person does not sleep in the room). Also, this monitor can be re-used over the
next few months - this problem has just emerged for the world and it will be a
few years before we get a grip over it. It makes sense to own this device for
reuse over the next few years - (again) as long as it works the way it is
intended to. There are other devices that are emerging in the market, but this
is all we have right now.

I am thinking using this monitor in combination with DE, along with other daily
paranoia measures, might be the way to ultimately get rid of these bugs. I would
love to get a PCO, but their lack of warranty / guarantee throws me off
completely and charging in the $1000+ range gets a bit much, when there are
pretty good chances we will need to bring them back. I know back in the '70s the
treatment was not very expensive as per my parents, and I wonder why the cost
for treatment has spiked so much.


\Email from JIM NOLE of BIOSENSORY   (SEE BELOW)
Although NightWatch units have been in service for only two months, they are receiving glowing praise from prominent users, which substantiate the published studies by Dr. J F Anderson of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station..  For example:

• The New York Times Sunday Real Estate section of August 23rd featured John Furman of Boot-a-Pest, who praised the NightWatch for its ability to accurately detect bedbugs, unlike bedbug-sniffing dogs, and to let the homeowner know when eradication is complete.  According to the Times, "The device is working so well for clients that he plans to set up a separate leasing program this fall."  The link to the Times article is:
  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/realestate/23cside.html?_r=1&scp=7&sq=bed%20bugs&st=cse
  
• W. Jay Nixon, MS, BCE, Board Certified Entomologist, of American Pest Management in Washington, DC and his operations manager Wayne White have confirmed Dr. Anderson's findings in an assisted living facility, and are now using NightWatch in an NIH residential facility for children with cancer.  The NIH has agreed to permit a testimonial on the NightWatch performance. 
  
• The Consulting Entomologist and the author of the pest management program for the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) has tested NightWatch successfully.  This program was funded by a grant from the Kellogg Foundation and subsequently audited  by the Boston University Medical Center.  The BHA program is a national model for pest management.  Since bedbugs are a major issue for the 7,000 apartments managed by the BHA, their test results have been accepted for publication by Pest Control Technology magazine. 

Day 16 - Online order of new Mattress encasements

Just ordered everything directly from Protect-A-Bed.
I almost did an online order - but decided to call them and got a 20% discount.
(Are these available cheaper at a retail store perhaps?)
These guys have a special box spring protector (cheaper) that "Clean Rest - Allergen Barrier" our original purchase did not have.
Clean Rest  as per the writeup here http://bedbugger.com/encasements/  does not work the way it is intended.



> http://eradicatebedbugs.blogspot.com/

Qty	Item	Price	Total
1	BOM1709 Allerzip Mattress Protector Smooth King, 9 inches deep	$139.99	$139.99
1	BOB1007 Box Spring Covers King	$77.98	$77.98
2	BOM1109 Allerzip Mattress Protector Smooth Twin, 9 inches deep	$89.99	$179.98
2	BOB1001 Box Spring Covers Twin	$38.99	$77.98
1	BOM1513 Allerzip Mattress Protector Smooth Queen, 13 inches deep	$129.99	$129.99
1	BOB1005 Box Spring Covers Queen	$52.99	$52.99
2		$
1		9

Subtotal:

Shipping:

Tax:

Discount

Total

More details info - published by the Secretary of Defense

Click here 

Armed Forces Pest Management Board
TECHNICAL GUIDE NO. 44

Published and Distributed by the

Defense Pest Management Information Analysis Center

Armed Forces Pest Management Board

Forest Glen Section

Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Washington, DC  20307-5001

Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense

for Installations & Environment
August  2006

http://www.afpmb.org/pubs/tims/TG44/TG44.htm

Day 15 - Raised the bed

 Raised the bed - put metal plates underneath the bed stands and put a layer of vaseline on the plates.
Now we use fresh set of clothes that have run through the dryer before hoping onto the bed.
Clothes that were used during the day DO NOT go up on the bed.
Get up in the morning and leave the night clothes on the bed.

The bed is a protected island

From bedbugger.com - 5 step process1) Vacuuming
2) Contact treatment (Pro Aerosol)
3) Residual treatment (Tempo and Ficam D)
4) Heat treated the keyboards, mice etc. using a Packtite unit
5) Place out CDC 3000 monitors to act as an attractant ....

Mattress tab from bedbugger.com - discusses which particular mattress to purchase and findings from running a product test
 http://bedbugger.com/encasements/

A choice to consider is going with an all plastic air mattress, not one with fabric like sides. it is more difficult for the bed bugs to climb up.

http://lewchem.com/encasements.html

These are some inexpensive mattress encasements - not sure how good they are 

To order CDC 3000 monitors -  Stern Environmental Group  phone (201) 319-9620 or toll free 1-888-887-8376. They apparently don't sell the CDCs yet - but only the night watch

Chinchilla Dust Does work or does not work????

Captured a bed bug, looks like a nymph. It has been sitting comfortably in a
ziplock bag of Chinchilla Dust with no ill effects...almost 30 hours now.

Will need to experiment if DE works. Any local store that carries DE or I have to order it online?

BTW the next gen bed bugs are hitting our home now - and I can tell this problem  is here for the long haul. Seriously considering monitors.

 There was a posting recommending Chinchilla in the New York Times blog site discussion on bed bugs - see below for the verbatim writeup.
I found it easily at petsmart (locally) and it seems to me shares properties with DE, but is less toxic.




---------------

I'm a former pest control guy and public health inspector in the Seattle area. I
have expertise that you will not find so easily and here's what I would do.
This is my own personal discovery and you will not get this information from
anyone else no matter how expert. You can treat your whole house, furniture,
everything for about 10 bucks. Use chinchilla dust bath. It's made of
diatomaceous earth and it kills anything with an exoskeleton, roaches, fleas,
bedbugs, yellowjacks, you name it. You can buy it at a pet store. Sprinkle it or
puff it with condiment squeeze bottle or something similar, work it in with a
wisk broom, vacuum the excess and you've nailed them. Don't hire an expensive
pest control firm that will spray toxic chemicals.
My method is better, cheaper, safer and effective. Sprinkle some on your dog too
and you'll save money on your flea control problems too.I can hear you going
"huh, chinchilla dust bath?" Yes, chinchilla dust bath.
— Zac Segal

Bed Bug Monitor for the house

Just got a bid of $3000 - propane treatment includes K-9 and 2 followups.
Warranty - 30 days after the inital treatment
Targeted treatement - after the follow-up if needed
The technician also mentioned NIGHTWATCH BED BUG MONITOR
Here is how this monitor works
Plugs into a wall
$500/piece -
Time will tell how good it is

Here are some other bed bug monitoring units
NightWatch by BioSensory, Inc. is the just one of an effective new type of bed bug monitoring devices on the market. Extensively tested and vetted by Purdue University entomologists, it uses heat, CO2 and a pheromone lure to attract, trap and kill bed bugs. It has a small footprint and has a clock timer with an automatic “on” setting and a CO2 cartridge that lasts several days.
• CDC 3000 by Cimex Science is a discrete, portable monitoring and trapping device housed in a briefcase. Mimicking a human body, it lures bugs within a six-foot radius, annihilating them with CO2, making it safe around children and pets. This monitor has a CO2 cartridge that lasts about eight hours.
• Bug Dome by Silvandersson will soon be available from the Swedish company that developed eco-friendly bed bug eliminator Cryonite. Using an attractant to lure bed bugs into replaceable glue traps, it plugs into any wall outlet.
• BB Alert Active by MIDMOS, available in Europe, should reach U.S. markets soon. The small monitor uses replaceable packets of chemical attractant to entice bugs into a glue trap.

A bed bug monitor might be something to consider.
But looks like now of the 850 subscribers to the yahoo group have tried that, as I have no feedback from any.
These monitors are expensive, but no return policy - as they don't want to infest their warehouse. But then if they this monitor working the way it is intended, then they should not fear an infestation? 

The bed bugs are invading California.

THe PCO I am considering bringing in also does thermal - and it might be worth it to go through that. But, seeing the rampant spread of these bugs, *very* good possibility they will come back.I am tracking the geographies that are hitting my blog and it seems like right now it is Europe, Canada and the US. THis is become a major challenge that will infest every nook and corner including big cities like Vancouver, San Francisco, Toroton, New York etc.

San Francisco was first hit. And visitors to SF have carried it to every nook and corner of CA and beyond. The State Government needs to get cracking on this otherwisethis will be one heck of an issue in less than 6 months. The big guns need to bedrawn and act fast.I am in the San Jose area and have had bugs for at least a year - onlydiscovered last week and it was nasty. I am tracking the geographical hits to myday to day account and steps take in my blog and seemingly every nook and cornerof the world is going through it. Forget swine flue - this is the real deal. We need to get our arms around these buggers (not literally)

Just called the San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf Hostel where I had stayed in December 2008. Pretty good chances I got the bugs from there. Operator said yes, they have had bed bugs problem off and on for the last few years.

Bed Buggers make you a pariah!

I sorta alluded to this in my previous postings.
But becoming a social outcast prevents us from fessing up to an infestation.
Thus, we spread these bed bugs who conveniently find new gullible prey.
We inadvertently pass it on to others and these buggers spread
http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=%22bed+bugs%22
Check this out - the bed bugs have infested Clinton's office, the UNO,

Cruise ship infestation - read on  

Juries and judges have been siding with bed bug victims when cases go to court. In the 2003 landmark case (Matthias v. Accor Economy Lodging), Toronto siblings received a jury award of $382,000 against Motel 6 after sharing a room with bed bugs. In 2006, a Chicago couple sued a Catskills resort for $20 million, claiming more than 500 bed bug bites left them physically and mentally scarred. “I was miserable,” plaintiff Leslie Fox told the Associated Press. “My skin felt as if it was on fire and I wanted to tear it off.” In 2007, New York opera star Allison Trainer sued the Hilton hotel chain for $6 million after suffering more than 100 bed bug bites at a Hilton Suites in Phoenix. “They were all over the bed and the comforter and the pillows, and I pulled the sheets off and they were just everywhere,” she told ABC News. In 2008, a guest at San Francisco’s Ramada Plaza Hotel received a $71,000 out-of-court settlement, the largest to date, after 400 bed bug bites left her with a disfiguring skin condition.

National Geographic video on Bed Bugs - watch at your own risk

Day 11 - It is eerily quiet

Haven't seen these buggers in some time now.
An itch here a scratch there and I am jumping up to see if I can find one.
This is pathetic!

I have the maids coming over Friday and we plan to use Murphy's oil soap to clean the hardwood floor, clean the tracks of the sliding doors, but leave the Chinchilla dust. Somehow treat the rest of the home. There are no dead bugs by the chincilla dust and I am not sure if it is working. Pestec in San Francisco has K9 units Latte or Ladybug and perhaps it is worthwhile to invite them.


As I lie in bed, any need to scratch gets my mind racing .....thinking about these bed bugs. This is not a good way to live.
But at least no new bed bug bites. But the paranoia continues!

Day 10 - Did some more research - stuff that I need to try

In my previous email, I have tried to list out all the things we did. All I can say is, we are not getting these parasites biting us in the night, not that we have gotten this in total control yet. That might be a good start.

We are clearing up clutter, thrown away a bunch of stuff - and trying to be very systemic in going about. Based on the horror stories I have read, we have not seen the end of these bugs....all we can do is to be pro-active and instead of a feeling of hopelessness, try to go with a killer attitude and hopefully we can end up victorious (I know, easy to say, hard to do).

But I remember the agitated state of mind we were in when we first discovered
it, but we are feeling more in control after making a little progress. If we outsource this to a PCO, we will never know how to deal with this, and given the state of the world, these buggers have made a huge come back and it is definitely not the last we will see of them in the next few years. Might as well learn to deal with them and figure out for ourselves what works and what does not work. I was very tempted to throw $$ at these over zealous PCOs, but I was hesitant because they don't offer any warranty for their work and secondly, was not sure how harmful the chemicals they use will turn out to be. After all the PCOs are not living in my home, but I will have to bear the long term consequences of whatever they apply inside my bedrooms.

Thus, empowering myself to take responsibility and act was the only way out.

OTHER THOUGHTS and suggestions.
- Do not every buy used furniture or mattresses.
- If you are coming back from a vacation - laundry everything. Vacuum the suitcase.
- Be wary - very wary. Inspect bedding at hotels before you sleep. keep your suitcase on a hard surface, like a table, to avoid infestation. Do not unpack.
- Any area of the house where you spend significant time at - get that area inspected minutely. They are known to sit inside the computers you use. Guerilla warfare at its finest.
- Getting a gecko as a pet? May not work very well.
- Try to increase your room temperature to 120 degrees or open up the windows (if you live in winter land) to let these bugs freeze their butts. This is difficult unless you rope in the professionals.
- Bounce on your beds to dislodge them. They are slow moving and will take all night to come back up. Will work only in a hotel room if you don't have other choices. Worth a try.
- Bed bug bombs don't seem to work. The bed bugs have this weird survival instinct and will scatter at the first sign of trouble. They will come back very angry - be very careful.
- Get an iron bed. Bed bugs can climb shiny surfaces where they can get even the slightest grip.
- Visiting bookstore or coffee shop with those inviting padded chairs - choose a plastic one.
- Purchase an oil burner. Bed bugs can't stand the smell of the burning oil, but for humans it's very easy to select a scent you find pleasant.
- Paint furniture with turpentine - this is very drastic. Or use kerosene.
- Try them all - steaming, spraying Rest Easy, sprinkling of food grade diatomaceous earth, spackling, laundry, black sealed garbage bags in the sun
- Throw away your wooden frame / bed. Wrap them up before you drag them out otherwise you are spreading infestation. Or spray them prior to dragging the furniture. Do not leave them curbside otherwise you are giving this trouble to someone else and that is bad karma.
- There are a few sprays available that seem to work and are non-toxic like BedBug Terminator by Kleen-Free.
- Purchase BT and spray - Many of the transgenic crops being planted in American corn and cotton fields are supposed to give plants do-it-yourself resistance to insects. This trick is done by inserting a gene that makes a protein that injures the gut of chewing insects. The protein, normally made by a soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, does not affect mammals, fish, or the beneficial insects that eat crop pests. The many advantages of Bt's crystalline proteins have made the material a mainstay of organic agriculture and the largest-selling biological insect control. Supposed to work well with bed bugs. Give it a try.
- Select furniture and headboards that have very few cracks and crevices for bedbugs to hide.
- Run a bead of caulk around the wall plates, and plug each one with a child safety outlet cover, just in case.
- Keep a LINT-REMOVER. Set a daily alarm for 2am and you would be able to catch them with the lint remover.
- Cryonite spray is the new thing - low temperature CO2 to freeze the heck out of these bugs
-Tip to know if you have bed bugs: check the corner of your fitted sheets. If there are bed bugs you will see small red stains/ pale red/ in the corner.
-bedbugs CANNOT crawl up smooth surfaces like glass or stainless steel, so major appliances are an obstacle to them, walls and furniture ARE NOT. Another obstacle to them is petroleum jelly (one of Pronto's ingredients is a petroleum product). Smearing the legs of tables and chairs with petrolatum creates a
barrier which they don't like and have difficulty crossing. Buggers are repuled by petroleum jelly.
- Sevin. That stuff will kill anything and did. Is it toxic…..yeah. use it carefully or not use it at all.
- Vacuum everything, inside and out, wash all the bedding, then spread diatomaceous earth at floorboards, under the bed, and between the mattress and the box spring. DE is not exactly non toxic and DO NOT INHALE.
- A tablespoon of tea tree oil in a pint-sized spray bottle of water works wonders! And it's a non-toxic, safe solution.
- The best remedy is a great attention to detail (bedbugger.com has lots of good advice. No cutting corners, only you will pay
- Put on clean linens with pale colors such as grey, blue, green, yellow (so you can see blood or other stains more easily).
-If you have a wood bed frame and throwing is not an option, take it completely apart, if you can, and wash it down (every inch) with Murphy's Oil Soap. Spray the Murphy's on and wipe it off.
Don't just spray it on a rag and wipe. The Murphy's will kill bed bugs on contact, if you douse them. I don't know what a light spray will do.
-Captain's beds (with drawers underneath a wooden platform) can be a bed bug nightmare. Consider destroying and carefully removing them. Otherwise, every piece will need to be disassembled, cleaned and sprayed with pesticide (by a PCO). A PCO who knows bed bugs will be able to advise about which items you should discard and which can be treated successfully.

This was news in San Francisco over a year ago. As per SF Chronicle - laundromats were being besieged by people bringing in large amounts of bed linens to be dried (not washed - only dried).

This is a great link below - read through the 198 comments. It is certainly a major threat - they have made a *huuuuge* comeback after a few decades - we will eradicate it completely this time around.
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/bedbugs-itch-itch-scratch-scra
tch/?apage=1

Check out how many recent news items have cropped up recently
http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=%22bed+bugs%22

Interesting research at Ohio State
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602133555.htm

NY State IPM's bed bug site:
http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/whats_bugging_you/bed_bugs/default.asp


Test whether your skin lesions are due to bedbugs as opposed to other bites or human infestations such as scabies. A good reference for the appearance of the bedbug lesions on the skin can be found at:
http://www.visualdxhealth.com/adult/bedbugBite.htm

- bedbugger.com and read FAQs.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/bedbugger/
http://blogafornia.blogspot.com/
Link

here a few links to some products worth considering
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Earthworkshealth__W0QQ_armrsZ1
http://allersac.com/
http://www.bugzip.com/
http://www.beyondbeds.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=138
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753568&utm_source=googlepro
duct&utm_campaign=2753568&utm_medium=cse&mr:trackingCode=80CC2C64-C881-DE11-B712
-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA

Day 6 - Changed bed sheets

Discovered a bug floating around on one of the beds.
Good idea changing the covers.

I live in a single family dwelling. We are still fighting the battle, what
has really helped is having hardwood and not carpet. We are no longer getting
bitten in the night, but I am sure these buggers are hidden in the crevices,
cracks etc and we have not seen the last of them. Unfortunately, it takes only
two to create an army in as short as a few weeks.

I think we can do a lot more - as we have barely cracked the surface of things to do.

If these bugs have hitch hiked and created their base in other rooms - which I
am sure is the case - that will make it more challenging. We have just focused
upon the bedrooms, but perhaps we need to go with an all out
on slaught, but that impacts our social life and we are sorta hesitant about it.

Day 3 - Depression gives way to Determination

Some measures I adopted and would recommend.

- Put bed bug protector covers onto the mattresses and pillows (Bed Bath and
Beyond). They will suffocate inside your mattress and die.
- Get Chinchilla dust bath from http://stores.petsmart.com/index.php
dust your home below the base board and other hiding spots. Put it around the
perimeter of your bed. It sucks the moisture from the bed bug and they will
eventually die. Use a mustard jar - fill it with this dust and spray it around.
Open the wall sockets and spray it inside (between two walls - where they are
typically hiding). It's made of diatomaceous earth- non toxic - and it kills
anything with an exoskeleton, roaches, fleas, bedbugs, yellowjacks, you name it.
You can buy it at a pet store. Sprinkle it or puff it with condiment squeeze
bottle or something similar, work it in with a wisk broom, vacuum the excess and
you've nailed them. Don't hire an expensive pest control firm that will spray
toxic chemicals.
- Put a double sided tape around the legs of your bed
- There is a chain of thought about steam cleaning - but it only works if the
steam comes in contact with the bed bugs. They are hidden deep inside your
mattress.and will be hard to reach.
- Purchase EQUATE or RID bedding spray from Walmart (near pharmacy section) and
spray any area you suspect of hosting bed bugs.
- This is a good time to go on a cleaning binge - clean your home up real good.
Reduce clutter and become a minimalist.
- Pull the furniture away from the walls - you should be able to see the edges.
Pull the bed away from the wall and any wall hangings.
- Focus on the rooms where folks sleep - that is where the bed bugs converge
- If you have carpet, think about getting hard wood. Will make it easier to get
rid of the bed bugs. We got lucky, had put in hard wood a few years ago.
- Laundry your bed sheets every week. Take the comforter to a commercial dryer /
dry cleaner.
- Before getting into your night clothes run them into the microwave or dryer (@
hot) - we have not been too good with this.
- Spray medicated baby talcum powder underneath your bed sheets - functions like
the Chinchila dust
- Run your laundry cycle at hot only - dryer at hot only
- In my mind it is not worthwhile to pay pest control. They will come in and
play the fear card - just stay firm. Invite them to learn and see what they have
to offer. But the destiny of these bug s lie in your hand. Play your cards well
- be meticulous and read up. THey are hard to get rid off and giving a PCO $3000
is not the cure. You just play it smart and do the right things you have a
pretty good chance of getting rid of them. It takes a good mixture of
dedication, obsession, and some good natural products to exterminate these
things, but it can be done. So do not give up hope.
- If you have tell tale marks on your body, cover them with band-aid and see if
new ones crop up. If new ones crop up, the bed bugs are still int your bed.
- We did throw away some furniture - but it was time to get some new ones
anyway.


Think of all the good things that life has offered you and continues to offer
you. Be happy - that bed bugs are the least of your problems - could be a lot worse.
Stay positive.

Day 2 - PCOs

I have been having sleepless nights. Nightmares with the bed bugs popping out from every direction.

I have also been reading a lot. As is typical with a project - invited the experts.

The PCOs streamed in and out. I could sense a bit of fear in their eyes, they wanted to make sure they don't take the bugs along with them.

They sensed the fear in me as well and came up with arbitrary numbers. One of them wanted to tent the house ($3000)...too expensive. I asked him pointedly how does the 3x gases work with the eggs. He stumbled and mumbled something. One of them wanted to use cryonite and spray all over the house at likely hiding places. ..may not work . They offered a warranty of 90 days, better than most other folks. Another wanted to just spray the bedrooms. This last guy discussed the issue in some detail (and didn't come in and get out in a hurry) and I learnt something. Started getting comfortable of doing it myself. These guys were planning to spray some nasty chemicals ...God knows what and I mentally decided not to invite them in.

Many of them acted like Bush and Cheney - play the doom and gloom card, raise the terror alert flag and make hay while the sun shines. The $$$ were shining in their eyes. They made no attempt to provide some assurance at all - probably because they know it is a hopeless battle. There was only one guy who spent some time with me walking through and answering my questions.

They just didn't invest enough to try to solve my problem...too bad! Perhaps they were in a hurry to run to the next appointment.

I realized I had enough data points to try and do it myself.

Stuff that plays in my favor - living in a single family home and hardwood floors.

Day 1 - The Bed Bugs Strike

God know how I got them inside my home.
But these buggers were discovered on two separate bedrooms on September 6th.
I was absolutely horrified!

For a long time I thought they were mosquito bites.
But, this particular bed was teeming with these rascals.
DId a quick bed check, and we found another infected bed.

I promptly threw the beds and mattresses in the backyard. These bugs were crawling all over my lawn. Sprayed them with RID that I got from Walmart. Thought the sun would kill them, but on further research they wilt under scorching heat or freezing weather. The furniture was all gone. Two of the twin mattresses lay in the sun for the next 4 - 5 days.

Not a good Sunday I must say. My research just begun...lots of reading.

Gives me the heebie jeebies to go back to the scene of them crawling over the bed. To imagine that they had an unaware host for almost a year.

Darn, these suckers deserve to be nuked!