So when they close a business for bedbug infestation, if DDT has been banned, what are they doing?

[closeupready]

All of the pesticides which previously were used to kill them off have been banned for use in the US - so when they close a business for four days, just what exactly ARE THEY DOING???

And if it's effective, why aren't the same methods available to households?

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Picking them up with tweezers and dropping them in a bowl of vinegar?

[av8rdave]

2. Just heard a program on NPR about that

Apparently, one of the options is heat treatment (bedbugs can't take anything above about 120 degrees). Unfortunately, heat treatment has only limited effectiveness in hotels and apartment complexes. The little bastards can travel pretty well.

I understand that encasing mattresses in those plastic or vinyl covers is pretty effective, as well as washing all the bedding in hot water, and drying it on high heat.

I have no idea what they do about draperies and carpeting.

[hlthe2b]

8. Daily steam cleaning of mattresses, drapes, linens and crevices

will eventually get rid of them... but you have to prevent re-infestation, which is the challenge for hotels. And yes, the mattress/box spring encasements are helpful.

NEVER let anyone in your household dumpster dive or bring home upholstered "treasures" left out or at yard sales.... If you can't resist a wooden chair or similar, at least leave it in the garage for several weeks before introducing inside and steam it a few times as well.

[foxfeet]

3. Anteaters.

They're too hard to house-train for the average family.

[DoBotherMe]

4. They can be eradicated from a space but very difficult

to prevent reinfestation. Link here for everything you ever wanted to know about bed bugs. Dana ; )

http://bedbugger.com/faqs/

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. Um, bedbugs also show resistance to DDT.

There's some kind of weird movement to bring back DDT, but they seem to forget that.

Anyhoo, there are available insecticides that are not DDT but will be effective against bed bugs. But they have to be used at concentrations that require evacuating people for some amount of time.

[mike_c]

6. there are lots of licensed pesticides that are effective against bed bugs....

Google is your friend. The list runs from growth regulators, which are about as safe as any pesticides can be, to really nasty stuff like malathion that probably shouldn't be used at all in places where people will be spending time soon. Diatomaceous earth works too, if you can get it into all the crevices bed bugs are liable to shelter in.

My preferred approach would be to give the kids a big dose of Advantage or Frontline, then let THEM sleep in the infested beds for a couple of weeks....

:rofl:

on edit-- developed resistance is a real problem, as noted by some in this thread, but there are usually ways around it. Many of the chemical controls really do require some specialized training to use properly, though.

[hlthe2b]

10. Flea collars for the kids....

a gentle kiss goodnight and the admonition, "don't let the bed bugs bite!"

That's the ticket...;)

[MineralMan]

7. One of the techniques is freezing them with CO2.

Any way you do it, it's really hard to eradicate them.

[Statistical]

9. dray heat and pressure.....

at least that is what I heard on CNN. The best method to kill them is to use equipment to seal the room(s) then increase the heat to about 130 deg F and keep it there for 24-48 hours. The heat along with rise in pressure wipes them out no matter where they are hiding. It uniformly kills all of them in a 48 hours. Only bad thing is it is time, labor, and energy intensive.

Most chemicals, pesticides, baits, traps, etc are ineffective.

[Glassunion]

11. They use Republican Juice...

It is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act and as of yet, they do not have to disclose the ingredients to the EPA. It was exempted by the 2005 Energy Policy Act.

The major producer of is Halliburton. I think they also use it to fracture rock when drilling for natural gas or something. I think all they do is wring out their socks into a bucket, but I could be mistaken.

A handful of Dems and one Indi are trying to pass a few bills to resolve the issue. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-1215

[closeupready]

13. lol

:D

[KittyWampus]

12. heating over 120 degrees, chemical cocktails, steaming (again, heat over 120F)