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.