Meh, not really. Bed bugs seriously will crawl on the ceiling and drop on you if they can't figure out a different way to do it.

Sounds ridiculous typing it but its true.

Stupid freaking bugs. Still pisses me off that we're going to spend $1500+ on them

Wow that is ****ing insane. My condolences.

can bed bugs just come in from outside or do they have to be transferred by someone? cause i live in a house where people leave all the doors wide open over night and stuff and there's tons of bugs that come in

my fiance was really concerned about these things so we called in the dog (at the time, the only real dog sniffer around in Minneapolis and was on TV) - she was very paranoid after a train trip back -

Dog came and sniffed for around an hr - nothing - sad to say probably the best 200 bucks I ever spent for piece of mind

now we got ants - frackers

I would sure keep those natural bed bug predators than any other.

I did some research on fleas as well while helping my ex-gf out with her bed bug situation (she had a pet so thought it might be fleas).

Fleas are not nocturnal and are opportunistic feeders, feeding alot more than bed bugs if I recall correctly - so yes they wouldn't just attack you while you're sleeping. Also adult fleas are pretty visible, so it would be pretty easy to figure out if you have a flea infestation vs. anything else (also having a pet is pretty good indicator, although fleas, absent any other hosts, will feed on humans and you could have a flea problem with no pets).

However, and where one might get confused between having fleas and bed bugs: w/r/t the bite itself - I believe the bites are similar in that 1) the welt lasts a really long time and is very itchy for a while, several weeks possibly and 2) fleas bite more than once a feeding, and hop from place to place, so it could resemble the "breakfast/lunch/dinner" line pattern of bed bugs.

Also, fleas are attracted to white and could target a human as a host - so they could end up leaving eggs and hanging around your bed and bed sheets (if you've ever had a pet with a flea problem, you know that fleas will congregate around like the dog's bed if it has one) - so you could be getting bit alot in bed if you have fleas and mistakenly think you have bed bugs.

I believe if your house gets infested with fleas it's a pain to get rid of, but I also believe not nearly as difficult as getting rid of bed bugs as fleas are not great hiders, are not nocturnal, and not as hardy.


Edit - just remembered - believe fleas ideal breeding condition is warmer temps, so summer is peak "flea season" in most parts of the country - in LA, despite the warmer weather all year, will see a spike in flea population during summer months. So if it's summer, you have a pet, and getting bit in bed... I'd think fleas first before getting paranoid about bed bugs.

Damn (re: the climbing on ceiling and dropping down) - I remember reading about that now. Crazy ****.

BTW - you seem to be really handling this whole thing well (especially considering you have a wife and I think I read kid) - my ex-gf completely lost her mind for 4 months dealing with it.

I think if you were to jury rig what would result in a sort of "ambient 140 temp", this is different from the direct heat applied raising a whole house to 140 during a thermal treatment.

I could be wrong though (hm, common sense says I am wrong I think - although I do know that at least in thermal treatments I've read about, exterminators will go around and apply direct heat to higher potential infested areas, that is probably higher than 140).

I read on some random internet webpage, that bed bugs die at about 115 degrees. I guess, the 140 is for a good margin of error.

115 is almost possible with an open window during the summer in Texas...

I think 140 should be easy to hit with a space heater and an enclosed room. (Assuming proper fire and CO precautions)

Or an isolated area with a carefully wielded heat gun/blow dryer.

Fleas are not bad. Treat pets with Frontline-type medication; vacuum and make sure to discard contents (eggs will hatch eventually and escape if neglected); thoroughly vacuum pet bedding; hot wash your own bedding; use Biospot carpet spray to further kill and control fleas & eggs; buy a good flea comb and check pets every few days. Once you're flea-free for 3-4 weeks, you should be clear.

I was thinking about bed bugs... A war of attrition should be effective. (LOL @ me)

1. Isolate the bed, seal the mattress/boxstring, no hanging bedspread/sheets
2. Block access paths to the bed with pesticides, silica, diatomaceous earth
3. Provide false targets with dry ice and sticky strips.

Sure they can fall off the ceiling to get you but with the above that can't be a large number.

I wonder if deet/chrysanthemum oil is effective at screwing up their targeting ability?

Uggg wtf @ this thread. Had no idea these things were so bad. I'm all itchy now and reconsidering taking old bunk beds from my parents' house.

Spending $1,600 to heat-kill these things sound like money well spent imo. WTF @ people telling you to heat your own house. Use the pros b/c if they ruin **** you can sue them since they will certainly be insured to heat houses to 140 degrees.

140 isn't that hot. If he has an attic, it's 140 up there. When he leaves his car in the sun in Dallas, it's 140 in there. It would be challenging if it's 75 degrees outside, but if it's 105 you might not even need to turn on a heater.

Are you really this ******ed?

You think that's wrong for some reason?

The only think somewhat unlikely is getting to 140 w/o any help and I said "might" and I think if he has enough sun coming in the window he could get there. Nothing in a typical house except for pets/kids would be bothered by 140 as long as all the computers/electronics are turned off. It would be easy to keep an eye on with a thermometer, and walking into a house at 140 would be no problem at all. Saunas get way higher.

If I approve hero's plan of action here I will insure him against damages for a payment of $1000.

I haven't actually read the whole thread so I'll just assume you are leveling.

I agree with microbet...

Everytime I go in my attic, I'm always amazed with the complete lack of insects and spiders. No webs. Just dust.

With what do you agree? That 140 degrees is "not that hot" or that it's easy to heat an insulated home to 140 degrees by opening a window in Dallas?

I'd say this guy disagrees with microbet

I'm not. What's your point? That 140 is shockingly hot and things will burst into flames? That your paint will fall off the walls and your computer will fry? That your trumpet will melt?

What is your expectation of damage in dollars?

You know saunas can get up to 200 degrees?

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I have no idea what temperature kills bedbugs, but it's not unreasonable. A lot of insects can't survive these temperatures. You may have heard about the bees in Japan that kill the Asian Giant Hornet scouts by mobbing them and raising their temperature. The hornets die at 115 deg, but the bees can survive to 122 deg.

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Also, if you're going to call someone ******ed, shouldn't you at least be correct in that discussion?

Tell me how you plan on heating a 2,000 square foot, insulated home to 140 degrees, micro. You are the one being stupid comparing non-insulated attics and saunas and cars out in the sun all day to the spacious, insulated portion of a home.

I wouldn't approve a chimney fire as a method. Most of the heat goes up the chimney. Fires caused by chimneys are somewhat common because of lack of maintenance. Also, hero should be monitoring the situation.

A home being insulated would make it easier to get the home to 140 degrees. Don't you understand that?

Most attics are insulated on the ceiling. Don't you know that? The insulation keeps the heat from going into the house. This keeps the house cooler, but the attic hotter. You really didn't know that?

I just read this...

http://www.freebedbugadvice.com/kill...ng-your-house/

Reading the article did cause me to pause. That guy seriously went balls to the wall. I think any heating solution I would attempt would be localized to a single room or area.

(Unless I lived in Vegas, Then I just turn off the A/C and leave for a weekend)

I'm sure I could do this safely. 100% sure of that. That I could get the house to 140 (safely of course) I'd say about 90% sure and it would depend on the house of course. A house sitting under a huge tree in the shade is going to be a lot harder than a house with big windows that get a lot of sun.

I would seal the house up fairly well. Let as much sun in as possible. Maybe try the houses heater. Maybe some space heaters. Use thermometers. Have a fire extinguisher. And keep an eye on it.

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Doing a little googling, I see some sources for bedbugs dying at 113 deg or so. That would be cake in Dallas.

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As far as fires go, I wouldn't say anyone should try to heat their home in the summer, but people cause fires doing a lot of things like changing a ceiling fan. You shouldn't do that if you don't know what you're doing, but that doesn't mean no homeowner should ever change a ceiling fan.