TonyV
Senior Member
AoD: most appreciated! My thanks, in advance.
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- Thread starter avenirv
- Start date
Torontovibe
Senior Member
daylyn33
New Member
I'm using Diatomaceous Earth to combat the bed bugs that came into my unit earlier this year. I haven't seen any at all since and have given DE to my neighbours and it's worked for them also. It's simple to use - just sprinkle it on the floor, sweep it under the baseboards, around your bed and they're gone. I also put the powder in between my boxspring and mattress for good measure. It's a natural pesticide and has many uses other than kililng bed bugs. I used it for many years when I lived on an acreage for fleas and flies and de-worming my dogs. As soon as I saw the bed bugs I knew it would work, anything with an exoskeleton will die after walking through it. Fantastic stuff, message me privately and I can hook you up.
You know that the little suckers can lie dormant for a year or more right? ^^^
Yup, TorontoVibe, standing seems to be the wisest thing these days.
Yup, TorontoVibe, standing seems to be the wisest thing these days.
daylyn33
New Member
I re-apply the DE every month. I'm going to tape up my baseboards next application. Really doesn't take any time at all to put it down. And I've only done it in my bedroom, but the fact that I'm in a corner unit may explain why I don't have them elsewhere. Yes, they can live up to 18 months without feeding. Yuck!
drone
Active Member
DE will not work, bedbugs enter your unit through any crack/crevice available through other units that are infested.they can lie dormant for upto a year waiting for a viable host.all they need to do is feed once and they can live on for another year. In the organization I work for,we are no longer able to sit or lean against walls in patients homes,if we do, and we get bedbugs in our home we are liable for the expense of getting rid of them. Here's the good news..bedbugs likely would not reside for very long on the ttc. you would be most at risk for having one crawl on you from someone sitting next to you,or one that has fallen off them. Bedbugs are notorious for living in people's clothing,they get into every nook and cranny they can to hide.they hide during the day,and are active at night. if you see them during the day in your unit,there's a large number in the building, I know buildings where there is a low level of infestation all the times. Gym is not a risk unless you have sat on the same spot where a bedbug just fell off someone,and it attaches to you. I know for a fact that certain mental health agencies downtown are infested and the workers have to change clothes when they come in and when they leave.Heres' what scared the hell outta me. A pest control worker said that bedbugs are such a problem now,that let's say you own a house and a squirrel gets into your attic.Bedbugs will live on mammals for short periods,and if they are attached to a squirrel or any other mammal that has been in a bedbug infested area.They will/can fall of that animal into your attic and well,now you have bedbugs. bedbugs historically lived on bats in caves.so, I can see how this could happen. It's going to get worse before it gets better.
DE does destroy there exoskeletons,but, it takes many contacts with the DE to kill them,and by then they've reproduced.
DE does destroy there exoskeletons,but, it takes many contacts with the DE to kill them,and by then they've reproduced.
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daylyn33
New Member
Well let's see - 5 months without getting bitten kinda proves to me that the DE IS working. And reapplying it every month means they won't come back. It doesn't take many contacts with DE to destroy them - where in the world are you getting your facts from? Probably a Pest Control company.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Don't forget that during the summer, buses, streetcars, and heavy rail subway trains sit out in the sun between the rush hours. With the A/C off, the heat inside them (and automobiles as well) can easily reach over the 43° threadhold needed to kill bedbugs. Just 20 minutes or more is all that is needed.
During the winter, that would be a different story, however.
drone
Active Member
My first question would be..how well did your building treat? if you haven't gotten bitten,then maybe they did well in treating the building and surrounding units. second point,bedbugs crawl up walls,so,they will come through any crack,I'm not sure if DE can be placed in cracks,heating vents etc.Most often when I've seen infestations,the bugs are hiding in a wall outlet,and when it's not in use,you may wanna cap it. Bed bugs will die in over 42 celsius after about twenty mins,and they will freeze at -32 celsius after 15mins
you can't say it was just the DE,it helps,but, it's not a solution in and of itself. many contacts means it has to pass through the DE a couple of times in order for it to pierce the bug and it die from it's injuries. It's been studied in NYC,again,it helps,but,mainly as a deterent. In cases of large infestations,it may not be as effective.
where did I get my info?
I chair a bedbug board for a majorhealth agency of over 300 employees and advise other agencies and TCHC on how to deal with bedbugs. Our info comes from an entymologist from U of T
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W. K. Lis
Superstar
Diatomaceous Earth can be dusted (use a mask) into all the crack and crevices, and then just have it lie there, like the bedbugs. You can just leave the DE there for a whole year, if you like. When any insect gets cut by the grain powder, the insect will dehydrate and die. Just repeat the dusting to control all the insects, not just bedbugs. PETA may not like it though.
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drone
Active Member
It's not a solution alone.the building must treat every unit,or there will be a low level of infestation. If it were a solution in and of itself,bedbugs would not be on the rise
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Tuscani01
Senior Member
Just because one unit has them doesn't mean others will. The walls between units in my building are solid concrete. Bugs can't get through. Bedbugs have always been a problem, but we had more powerful chemicals to deal with them in the past. Now that these chemicals are banned, the population is booming.
drone
Active Member
true,some units that have concrete in-between may not get infested,older buildings are the worst. The worst infestation I've seen was in a downtown highrise,bedbugs were coming through shared heating vents. I'm not posting this to make people angry,but,when someone says DE is a solution,it's misinformation and that's unfair to spread that out,cuz if people think that's all that has to be done,it'll increase the bedbug problem. Even to prepare a unit perfectly takes hard work,and attention to detail. Clothes must be washed in hot water and dried at high temps. You can't miss anything. TCHC is working hard to even figure out where to begin addressing the problem,and there is no solid solution.Many are saying that we will have to just accept a low level of infestation..
They don't worry about concrete. They can come under the crack of your front door.
daylyn33
New Member
Look, I'm not trying to eradicate them from the world (although that would be AWESOME!) I'm trying to eradicate them from my little corner of it. It's a known fact that my building has them and nobody cares. They have treated many units, but the little buggers are still around. As long as they stay away from my unit, I'm a happy camper. And really, if everyone treated with DE and sealed off their units, wouldn't they all eventually die? It may take years, but eventually the building would be bed bug free. Much better than spending thousands of dollars in pest control. Steaming/Icing/Pesticides all cost a fortune. DE is cheap cheap cheap. And it works. Period.