GrammaKathie

I work in a homeless shelter in Iowa and we have a terrible problem with them. The exterminator told us they were pretty much eliminated in the United States about fifty years ago. Then they banned the insecticide that was used to kill them and they have been on the rise ever since. We have tried everything to get rid of them, but with so many people coming and going, they are taking them with them when they leave and bringing them in when they come. We have not found any way to completely get rid of them. They are small, but not too small to be seen - bigger than a flea, smaller than a fly.

4dogs

A suggestion that I have always done...when you are going to be staying in a hotel/motel......I take my "traveling blanket" along with me...I DO NOT sleep under the blankets/bed spreads/ whatever in motel rooms..they only change them out about once a month. I just fold their blanket, put it on a chair and put MY blanket on the bed... bedbugs are supposed to look like small apple seeds....so look good at the bed before you get in it......and when you get home, wash everything that you had in the motel room...it just gives me the creeps to think about this!!!

joyceinoh

Not everyone can afford the professional treatment and even if you have them come in, who's to say they wouldn't miss a bug or two, or some of the eggs.

Yup!! Govt did away with DDT years ago, cause it worked so good. DDT did away with mosqsuitoes, and Malaria in Africa too. Another reason the our govt ban the use of it.

Now it is light bulbs, They want us to buy those twisted lil bulb that burn out faster than you can bring them home.
And they are very expensieve. they closed the last factory that made the old light bulbs last week.
Did away with lots of much needed jobs.
Sorry ole world we live in anymore.

Pickles

Well they just told on our local News this evening that our town how has over 1,00 cases of the dreaded Bed Bugs and is getting worse , Gees now I'm scared !!! Don't want them
at all, we had a friend who had to burn there home to the ground because they had 14 kids and no way to get rid of them back in the 60's. I brought them home to our house back then and let me tell you it was a living nightmare to get rid of even with the DDT. So no I don't want them, I feel like running to the hills and finding myself a cave and a treadle sewing machine..lol :D

moonwolf23

Bed bugs discussion came about on another blog I read. Someone suggested taking food grade diatamous earth, mixing it in water and spritzing it about, it apparently lacerates their exoskeleton.

Something to think about guys and look into if you want.

moonwolf23

No, GE closed their last factory, it doesn't mean other factories won't be around. Some may exist in other countries as well.

joyceinoh

Yes but that won't keep the jobs here.

Momsmurf

Yup, plus there probably will be a ban on imports.

Might want to stock up on some of them...who know's they will be collectors items.

Just think, if we drop one of the new curly ones and the mercury makes contact with the bed bugs it might kill the bugs (I'm not going to talk about human effect.)
Wonder how many calories are in a pound of them? Gross!

moonwolf23

Ok I just lost my appetite

Runs away going ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

gale

Interesting-I wonder if it really works. We use food grade DE in our rabbit's litter boxes-it's supposed to dry up flies. We also plan to use it when we get chickens next spring.