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A Few Thoughts on Tenants and Bedbug Infestations
The Web at Large | 27 August 2019 | Humble Self

Posted on 08/27/2019 8:19:12 AM PDT by Sarcasm Factory

A recent thread on bedbugs abruptly disappeared because it wasn't news. Still, the care and feeding of tenants is a topic of some interest, and at least one person in that thread complained about tenants who muck up your property with bedbug infestations and then demand that you fix the problem at your expense.

I've had to deal with this problem myself, and it might be worth sharing the results of my extensive research into ways to avoid the costly expedient of either whole-residence heat treatment or sulfuryl fluoride fumigation. This is only a list of a few products that appear to work well and not a complete guide to the ugly art of eradicating these persistent pests.

“Ortho Home Defense Bed Bug Flea and Tick Killer 0.5gal”

https://walmart.com/ip/Ortho-Home-Defense-Bed-Bug-Flea-and-Tick-Killer-0-5gal/192594799

“Rockwell Labs CXID032 Cimexa Dust Insecticide, 4oz”

https://amazon.com/CimeXa-Insecticide-ounces-bottle-Rockwell/dp/B0085HRWI8/

“Mowis 1800W Heavy Duty Hot Air Shrink Gun with LCD Display, Temperature and Wind Speed Adjustable”

https://amazon.com/gp/product/B07J5X5MZP/

The Cimexa is especially useful for preventing an infestation from returning after your tenant re-visits a friend or family member living in a house or apartment with a simmering bedbug problem. It kills slowly but surely, and cautions apply around children and pets. It’s expensive, but a little goes a long way. The heat gun kills all insects hiding in deep cracks, and the Ortho Home Defense spray is useful for mass killing on contact if the heat gun can’t be used. Just keep in mind that the Ortho pesticide bottle requires no less than three safety chokes to be opened for the battery-powered sprayer unit to work. Don't set anything on fire with your fun heat toy, and don't forget that plastic melts.

See the following URL for a decent article on the power of Cimexa™:

https://pctonline.com/article/pct0814-silica-gel-research-bed-bugs/

You'll probably also want a puffer and a cheap paintbrush for the amorphous silica dust (Cimexa). Save yourself some money and aggravation from more expensive puffers that never seem to work well by buying a box of hair-color application from Dollar Tree. Toss everything but the cute little puffer bottle inside. The puffer is for deep cracks, and the paintbrush is for applying a very thin layer of Cimexa to whatever surface. You should hardly be able to see it.

You might prefer to fill your small puffer by squirting dust into it directly from the original bottle of Cimexa. This stuff will fly everywhere, so watch yourself. Wearing your safety goggles and a cheap dust mask from Dollar Tree is a sensible precaution.

Needless to say, you should urge your tenants to keep clutter cleaned up so that these terrifying insects have fewer places to hide and breed. These days, even library books can serve as carriers for bedbugs and their nasty little eggs. :/

https://nytimes.com/2012/12/06/garden/bedbugs-hitch-a-ride-on-library-books.html

And whatever you're wearing during treatments should be washed right afterwards and then left in the dryer at high heat for at least forty minutes after it's dried to kill any tiny white eggs that might have hitchhiked back with you. Before you enter your pest-free residence, stuff the garments into a plastic garbage bag. Immediately discard said bag outside after pouring your clothing into the washing machine. For extra safety, scrub down the washing machine drum with something strong. A cleanroom suit will do nicely if you're paranoid.


TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: bedbugs; infestation; insecticides; tenants
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To: Reeses
Permethrin is present in every single commercial pesticide on the market. Every single can of Raid has it. It'll kill any insect. If it will kill an ant it sure isn't going to be healthy for a fly.
21 posted on 08/27/2019 12:12:50 PM PDT by jmacusa ("If wisdom is not the Lord, what is wisdom?''.)
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To: gunsequalfreedom
No. It was someone else's post. See the following thread. Thank you for your response.

Your post on this subject was removed by moderators and so you posted it again? Did I get that right?

22 posted on 08/27/2019 5:01:54 PM PDT by Sarcasm Factory (Being a friend of the Clintons is like being bosom buddies with a great white shark.)
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To: Buttons12
I looked into diatomaceous earth too, but it's apparently not very effective against bedbugs. Even though boric acid is great for killing cockroaches, bedbugs evidently aren't affected much by that either. That's why I don't use those two, much cheaper, substances instead of Cimexa. The search results for diatomaceous earth that you see in Google are misleading. Some people just want to believe in "natural" pesticides, and others want to sell them. :-)

BTW, it would appear that cockroaches eat bedbugs. That evokes entertaining images of an insect war, doesn't it? A disgusting, nasty war. Cimexa and Ortho Home Defense on the entire lot of them! Or a flame thrower. -_-

Roaches Eat Bedbugs, Toads Eat Roaches (New York Times)

Oh, yeah. It occurs to me to point out that you need the version of Ortho Home Defense formulated specifically for bedbugs, ticks, and fleas. It's the purple-white bottle, and it says "bedbugs" right there on the label. The cheaper stuff in the red-white bottle may not work nearly as well. I have to order the right version for store pickup. The top post has the correct link for Walmart. Amazon has it too. If you buy both versions, you'll see that the ingredients are different. I say again — open all three of the safety chokes. Bottle choke, wand-tip choke, and the internal choke that opens when you flip up the wand.

https://amazon.com/dp/B01JYT16AA/

Also, Cimexa has to be kept dry, or it loses much of its potency. But if you apply it correctly, away from moisture and strong breezes, the ever so thin layer will cling for months, silently killing every bedbug that touches the stuff. Happy-happy-joy-joy!

And the heat gun is just fun. I love hearing the tiny screams of roasted bedbugs. Wait, no, I don't. The stink ... yeech. But die, die, die!

That is all.

23 posted on 08/28/2019 4:10:36 AM PDT by Sarcasm Factory (Being a friend of the Clintons is like being bosom buddies with a great white shark.)
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To: Sarcasm Factory
The search results for diatomaceous earth that you see in Google are misleading. Some people just want to believe in "natural" pesticides, and others want to sell them.

I hope you're not confusing me with a Google-reading gull for snake oil salesmen. Your mileage varies, fine.

24 posted on 08/28/2019 7:13:44 AM PDT by Buttons12
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To: Sarcasm Factory
It wasn't my post, dude.

Well, your opening diatribe made it sound like you were personally offended by the mods.

25 posted on 08/28/2019 8:27:25 AM PDT by Windflier (Torches and pitchforks ripen on the vine. Left too long, they become black rifles.)
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To: Windflier
I was being literal. Your interpretation of my brief description of events as being a "diatribe" is peculiar. Perhaps I should simply ignore your comments.

Well, your opening diatribe made it sound like you were personally offended by the mods.

26 posted on 08/28/2019 9:07:38 AM PDT by Sarcasm Factory (Being a friend of the Clintons is like being bosom buddies with a great white shark.)
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To: Buttons12
Ah — I see the problem. I wasn't saying that you are a gullible consumer of the marketing folderol surrounding diatomaceous earth. I meant only that enough people out there want to believe in "natural" pesticides that Google's secret algorithms have responded by pushing such websites to the forefront of search results.

I myself had to dig deeper to get past those overly optimistic endorsements of diatomaceous earth for insect control. I should have been more precise. :-)

I hope you're not confusing me with a Google-reading gull for snake oil salesmen. Your mileage varies, fine.

27 posted on 08/28/2019 9:16:08 AM PDT by Sarcasm Factory (Being a friend of the Clintons is like being bosom buddies with a great white shark.)
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To: Sarcasm Factory
Your interpretation of my brief description of events as being a "diatribe" is peculiar. Perhaps I should simply ignore your comments.

If you think my usage of the word 'diatribe' is peculiar, your time might be better spent acquainting yourself with a dictionary.

And yes, you can ignore my comments to your heart's content.

28 posted on 08/28/2019 11:32:58 PM PDT by Windflier (Torches and pitchforks ripen on the vine. Left too long, they become black rifles.)
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