Interesting blog from someone who combatted bedbugs and won. I had been reading

[snagglepuss]

a lot about bed bugs and there is a lot of good info on line, but this blog details and discusses pesticide free options. Given that the blogger has been bug free for over a year, I thought I'd pass it along.


http://waronbedbugs.blogspot.com/




(I don't have them but I recently was given some articles that I later found out that had been purchased at an estate sale which was rather alarming.)

[truedelphi]

1. Thank you for posting this.

As someone who is "curing" an unidentifiable skin rash with cider vinegar, it is just the sort of thing I like to hear about. (The cider vinegar diet is also altering the shape of my waist line, as well!)

Will check out the link.

[gateley]

3. Good luck with the ACV - it's GREAT stuff! nt

[truedelphi]

13. If only I hadn't first spent $ 154 on

A dermotalogist, who said "You have an unspecified dermititis," with dermititis being Latin for skin ailment.

I already knew that!
$ 154 would buy me a whole lot of Cider Vinegar!

[gateley]

18. Do you use Bragg's? It's "supposed" to be the best -- it has

the "mother" in it.

My brother had some funky stuff on his leg for years. I told him to just try it - what could it hurt? After one application the improvement was impressive (just slopped some on). Of course, then he stopped doing it, so don't know the status of it now, but I use ACV for a lot of things and am always yapping about it to my friends. :7 :hi:

Our father was a physician and I've no doubt were he alive he'd think I was nuts about some of my "medical treatments". Although, he DID say, once when I was experiencing eczema and he'd give me cortisone cream "you know, Mary Ellen, this is just clearing up the symptoms, it's not addressing what's causing it" so maybe Harvard Medical wasn't a total waste! :7

[snagglepuss]

28. A bit off tangent but I cleared up a lifelong skin problem when I started taking

1 tbsp of flax oil daily. For most of my life I had tiny red bumps on my upper arms and my GP told me nothing could be done about the condition. I start taking flax a number of years ago for a another reason and had no idea that it is excellent for many skin conditions. Within 2 weeks my skin was smooth and has stayed smooth even though I have swtiched to ground flax a couple of years ago.


Edit I used to take 1 tbsp of flax oil, now I take 2 tbsps of ground flax seed

[truedelphi]

32. I can't eat wheat, and the rice bread I do bake is very bland tasting

So I finally figured out that flax seed makes it taste very good. Rather nutty. Also makes it look more appealing.

So at least twice a week I get a good deal of flax in my system.

I probably should buy a seed grinder nd get more of it in my diet.

[snagglepuss]

33. Unless flax is ground or pressed into oil the seeds pass right through so

definitely get a grinder or buy a bottle of flax oil, it was the oil that cleared up my skin conditon. I took a tbsp a daily as if it was medicine.

[gateley]

2. K&R and for the life of me I don't understand why someone

would un-rec this, but I for one appreciate it! Thanks!!

[Big Blue Marble]

6. Maybe they work for the pesticide industry? N/T

[gateley]

17. Then why are they hanging out here? :-) Also,

cedarcide and wondercide are supposed to work, too.

I'm just keeping it in mind if I'm ever plagued by the little demons.

[FSogol]

4. Good info. Thanks. n/t

[Big Blue Marble]

5. As someone who has successfully fought flea infestations

without chemicals, I was pretty sure that this could be done as well. It takes diligence and patience, but as I know
with the fleas, it can be successful without endangering my animals or my family.

Thanks

[hlthe2b]

9. I would take a flea infestation ANY day over bedbugs...

I too have managed fleas without chemicals... Hell, if you leave a locale empty of mammalian presence long enough, they are dead/gone. Bedbugs are quire a different challenge, however. They actually can survive very long periods sans blood source in a hibernating type of phase.

[Big Blue Marble]

11. Fleas can last over a year without feeding.

The larvae will wait patiently in a time machine until they sense warmth, then stir voraciously.

When they have infested your living space and you are living with animals, it can be a nightmare.
I have had over one hundred bites at a time just on my legs alone. It is not easy as you imply.
It took me two to four hours a day for months to completely eliminate them for our home.

[hlthe2b]

16. Though you choose not to use insecticides... the point remains

that fleas remain highly sensitive to most available insecticides and can readily be killed with foggers. Bedbugs not...
Fleas can live a few months without a host; bedbugs have been demonstrated to survive 18 months (or longer) without a blood meal.

You can surely have the bed bugs if you are convinced they are more readily eradicated. I'd take the fleas again any day.

[Big Blue Marble]

21. I really do not understand why you arguing.

The whole point of this thread is to not use pesticides. I do not use pesticides.

In fact thirty years ago when I was willing to use them. I did use a fogger. Covered my kitchen cabinets and
any food stuffs. Left the house for the day with 3 cats, two dogs, and two small children. We drove around
for hours waiting for the little bastards to die.

When we arrived home in the evening, it took twenty minutes for the hoppers to be back at us. Yes,
the fogger knocked population down, but not out. And as they multiply very quickly, they were back
in business quickly even though our home was left with the poisonous residue.

Since then I use not toxic treatments with a much better result. But as I said it takes time, patience,
and a lot of attention

[hlthe2b]

22. The OP posted a link to a blog from someone who won the war with bedbugs

If you read his blog, his intent was NOT specifically to avoid insecticides-- it is just that he found it was expensive and didn't work.

My point is that fleas remain far easier to control than bedbugs. There really is no argument.

[Big Blue Marble]

23. And my initial reaction that you took exception to,

was that I was glad to hear that it was possible to stop them without chemicals, that I had experience with fleas and other insects
that was similar. I had assumed that it was possible to do the same with bedbugs. I did not say that it was as easy, How would
I know? And how would you know how hard it was for me to remove the fleas? Have you personally removed an infestation of
1000's of fleas from your environment without any chemical help?

Iin fact, I had been told by many including my vet that it was impossible to manage fleas without pesticides either.

In my experience pesticides did not work and are harmful. I will always choose the least toxic way to remove unwanted
insects from my living space. You are certainly are entitled to hold whatever opinion you choose. Do not minimize
my experience or my opinion, Thank you.

[hlthe2b]

24. I am not criticizing your efforts to avoid pesticides...

nor the difficulty in ridding fleas without their use. I applaud your efforts. I do however, take exception to your suggestion that ridding an infestation of fleas--no matter how severe is as difficult as bedbugs and to that I presented evidence why that is not so (comparative survival periods for bedbugs versus fleas, inherent sensitivities to available pesticides if one choose to use them--not to mention that humans are the preferred host for bedbugs while a secondary host for fleas.

Your sensitivity and irritation is unfounded. I was not attacking your but rather clarifying some of your points. And, yes, I have aided in the clearance of fleas from a badly infested apartment complex where insecticides were not an option due to asthma concerns among the owners. Sealing it up sans inhabitation or any kind for 90 days with dehumidifiers did the trick. Obviously temperature, moisture and other ambient conditions can impact that effort.

[Big Blue Marble]

27. I did not have the option to seal my home or eliminate

the food sources for these infestations. I have had several over the years. I had to do it with ten available feeding
stations. Two adults, two children, four cats and two dogs constantly on the premises.

A bit more challenging that sealing the space for a few months.
The feeding and breeding were continuous during the process.

[Big Blue Marble]

25. It appears that it is important for you to have the last word.

So I will give it to you with one exception, please answer my question: Have you totally eliminated a massive
flea infestation in a large home with lots of carpeting without any chemicals? And I mean no chemicals, not
just pesticides. My only exception was the soapy water to drown the fleas that i hand combed from my animals
fur?

[hlthe2b]

26. I answered that in my previous response #24 that you must have missed...

Perhaps if you can realize I am not in any way attacking you, you will see that I have agreed with much that you said. :shrug:

Kindly go read my answer to you and feel free to have the last word. It seems very important to you for some reason. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. Kudos to you on your efforts.

[hlthe2b]

7. I read that with interest a while back.. Impressive how much EFFORT

was required. Actually frightening. This guy literally went OCD on sealing every crack and cranny in his home that could hide the little creepy creatures and "reinfest" ....


I take bedbugs very very seriously now... but if you have neighbors in a townhome, condo, or apartment, you are at risk from THEIR behaviors as well. While they aren't really much of a health risk, the devastating expense and efforts required to rid yourself of them is shocking. For heaven's sakes, don't assume any hotel is free. Take your flashlight and check all the bedding for evidence, keep your bags in the car or in the bathroom, and when you return home leave them in a hot car for a few hours.

Some take home points though. Anyone telling you that natural (e.g., cedar, citrus-based products, herbs) or insecticide sprays are THE ANSWER is just taking your money. While heat (steam) will kill them and many insecticides and even some of those natural sprays will as well, it only works if you make DIRECT CONTACT with them. So spraying everything in sight may just be costing you considerable $$ since they may just find a way to avoid contact with the sprayed areas.

As much as I always hated dealing with fleas, damn, they are easy peesy compared to the return of bedbugs.

There is an interesting theory expressed on this or a linked website as to the role that a change in strategy for combating household roaches may have had in the return of bedbugs, since the old slow release bait chemicals (not DDT) for roaches are no longer used, but may well have had a synergistic effect on controlling bedbugs over past decades.

But, yes, I recommend others read this guy's blog as well. If nothing else, it will cause you to take appropriate preventive steps of your own.

[snagglepuss]

29. The effort he put into this is also what caught my eye. There a lot of good

sites but this one stood out and like you said even if someone doesn't have bed bugs this is still wothwhile to read as it does drive the point home that precautions to avoid infestation are a must.

[Warpy]

8. Gagtime story today on local news

is of a body found in an apartment that was "heavily infested" with bedbugs.

They're performing an autopsy to find out if the bugs were what killed him.

[hlthe2b]

10. I would bet money the bedbugs are not what killed him...

though they may have pushed along his passage in an already very weakened chronically ill state. I have seen fleas kill dogs and cats (we are talking massive infestations leading to blood hematocrits less than 10)-- but these animals had other infections or chronic conditions to begin with.

[Big Blue Marble]

12. I almost lost my cat to fleas.

He developed a horrible allergies that spread to his colon. He nearly bled to death.

[Warpy]

14. That's my guess, although I think it's likely they were feeding on him post mortem

and hence the population explosion of them in that particular apartment.

Bedbugs have been known to carry hepatitis B and HIV, but they feed so seldom that no cases of transmission of those diseases have ever been proven. It's also likely that a bite could act as a portal for MRSA and other nasty infections and that's what killed the guy.

[hlthe2b]

15. Insects and arthropods as mechanical vectors of disease...

is a well known phenomenon. The point is that these viruses and bacterium do not reproduce within bedbugs. They are thus not truly hosts for them and any transmission would be exceedingly rare. The hysteria that erupted decades ago re: the possibility of mosquitoes transmitting HIV led to definitive transmission studies by CDC. Mechanical transmission is highly opportunistic in terms of timing from bite of infection source and the feeding on a new human and thus exceedingly unlikely with that and other viral infections. Yes, MRSA can be theoretically transmitted by bedbugs, but that towel in the health club or other shared items is a far bigger risk.

[Warpy]

19. Transmission is theoretically possible

but not confirmed even though viral diseases have long been known to live inside them for a period of time, at least until the human blood has been digested. Since they feed so seldom, it's unlikely those diseases would still be present when they fed on the next victim.

For instance, HIV has been shown to exist for nine days. Hepatitis B has a longer period but no cases have been tied to bedbug bites.

[hlthe2b]

20. Yes... that is exactly what I said. theoretically possible but improbable

Hepatitis B (and A for that matter) can live so long on inanimate surfaces and ambient temperatures, pressure and humidity, resist freezing that its theoretic spread by mechanical means has far more relevence than HIV which is a rather fragile virus in comparison. Theoretical concern for mechanical transmission exists for many viruses and there is some evidence for spread of some --bluetongue and foot and mouth disease in cattle as two examples). Yet again because these viruses do not reproduce in the insect/arthropod host, any transmission would be highly inefficient at best and thus a rare risk.

[LaurenG]

30. Be very careful when choosing a company to help with this problem

Thankfully this isn't common but happened in my area last May

Bedbug treatment burns Carthage home
CINCINNATI - A house being treated for bedbugs caught fire Sunday afternoon in the 300 block of West Seymour Avenue. No one was injured in the fire, but four people are left without a home.

Richard Tyree owns R.S. Tyree Pest Control and says he was six-hours into a bed-bug treatment when the house caught fire at about 2 p.m.

Tyree says he placed six propane convection heaters inside the home to raise the home’s temperature to 135 degrees. He says he's not sure what caused the fire but feels responsible.

"It happened under my watch," Tyree said. "I just feel awful and will do anything to fix this."

http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/region_west_cincinnati/crews-battling-2-alarm-fire-near-carthage-area

[snagglepuss]

31. Very true and I noticed the blogger mentions this hazard. Also plastics may melt.

It can't be stressed enough that people have to look at all the angles when dealing with an infestation which is why I got so stressed when I realized I was given stuff that may have come from an infested house, I doubt if it did but who knoes. The articles are small enough so I opted to put them outside during the heat wave in dark plastic sealed bags. Hopefully if any bugs were there they are dead.