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PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2003 8:34 am 
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Maybe sprinkle a little diatomeous earth on the sheets?
DE is safe to all humans but deadly to soft body bugs. (LOL)

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2003 11:08 am 
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There probably are several choices for low toxicity control, one of which is to incorporate d-Limonene into good hygiene management. It happens that I visited a house fairly recently that had bed bugs, but we apparently got rid of them without much trouble. That bedrooms had hardwood floors, so we swept the floors, vacuumed the cracks and crevices, and washed and dried the hard surfaces (I forget the detergent that they used, but it probably was Murphy's oil soap with some Orange TKO added). All the bedding and washable soft materials were washed in hot water, were cleaned otherwise, or were removed. After the hard surfaces dried, we sprayed a mild TKO solution in all the cracks and crevices and on the bed frame (and probably some on the mattress/box spring). They either sealed the bottom of the box spring with plastic sheeting or they put dust mite covers on the mattress & box spring--I forget which they did. I know they added and/or increased the dust mite barriers on the pillows and mattress. Finally, we sealed/filled in any objectively obvious cracks or spaces in the joints, walls, or ceiling that we could find. Since then, there has been no more biting and no bed bugs have been detected in periodic nightime UV inspections since then. As an added bonus, there apparently wasn't a dust mite issue afterward either. Obviously, if there's carpet involved, it probably should go--for a variety of reasons. The d-Limonene approach is but one angle or part of an overall approach, but it apparently worked.

As for the hand-wringing over DDT, that sounds a bit like a different chord of the general absurd drumbeat to bring DDT back. Rachel was right; they should admit it and direct their energies toward something positive, such as eliminating DDT worldwide. Persistent poisons are not a cure for lazy housekeeping or a substitute for good home management, although I suppose they could eliminate the careless homeowner.

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In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice, they aren't -- lament of the synthetic lifestyle.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 09, 2004 6:06 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2004 5:23 pm
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Location: College Station TX
Enzyme11 and Readers,

There is no known agency that maintains records of bed bug infestations; therefore there is no way of knowing whether there are more bed bugs this year than last year. I receive a call or two a month concerning this question. Unless someone can show me some data, I’ll continue to say that there is no evidence of any change in the rate of infestations by bed bugs. In fact several cultural changes such as the elimination of the thick roll around the edge of mattresses and the replacement of the use of wall paper and paneling as indoor wall coverings by textured and painted gypsum board have greatly reduced the harborage for bed bugs. Harborage is very important because the bed bug feeds for a period of time and then moves to a hidden location and remains there for several days digesting the blood meal. Eggs are deposited in the harborage also.

Bed bugs do not as we know vector any causal agent for disease, nor is its feeding irritating to the host. Several hours after the bugs have fed and left the host, the host may experience an itching sensation near the site of the bite, but not during the feeding period. I never notice that I have been fed upon by bed bugs until the next day..

I had ceased to apply DDT for bed bug control before the EPA canceled the registration on the chemical. I assume that you would rather not use any chemical control in case you encounter an infestation of bed bugs. I read the previous replies and I am always interested in what folks consider “non-chemical” methods of control.

Biological control by several species of common household ants such as Pharaoh’s Ant, and Argentine ant has been recorded in the literature. I work with both species and do not doubt their ability to exterminate bed bugs. These ants are general feeders and so the elimination of one source of food would not place the colony in stress.

Heat has been used effectively to control bed bugs.

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Harry Howell
Associate Research Scientist
Dept. of Entomology
Texas A&M University


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