Don't use chemicals to kill bed bugs (2009)

They told us in the past that pesticides like DDT were safe to kill bugs, including bed bugs. But they turned out to be carcinogenic. ThermaPureHeat CEO Dave Hedman asks that, in light of the bedbug epidemic facing the US today, why would people let pest control companies spray toxic chemicals and powders (which don't kill bed bugs and their eggs without multiple applications) on your bed and bedding when there's a new, green, chemical-free and laboratory tested safe and effective way to kill bed bugs? www.thermapure.com

It's a single heat treatment, normally taking just a few hours, that kills bed bugs and their eggs and does not harm the structure or the contents.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• bed
• bug
• bedbug
• thermapure
• ddt
• pesticide
• heat
• hedman

[teagan113]

now if it was not so damn expensive we would be all set!

[nickthompson44]

@teagan113 Heat technology does cost more than pesticides. It's true. But let's dig deeper. Pesticide treatments do not work in a single treatment. They require 2-3 treatments to POSSIBLY work (pesticides have to be sprayed directly on bed bugs and eggs to be effective). Secondly, if you use pesticides, you must get rid of your bed and bedding. Add that cost into the mix, plus the fact that heat not only kills bed bugs and their eggs but also sanitizes your home, and it's very close.

[ctrlaltdlt01]

they need to find a modern DDT alternative and implement it. Bed bug infestations are no joke and sadly the problem is only growing while our leaders do nothing.

[nickthompson44]

@ctrlaltdlt01 I agree with the idea of finding an alternative, but--personally- not hip on spraying more pesticides into the environment. Did you know that researchers at Harvard and UC Irvine have proven that methyl bromide (used in tented structures to kill termites) is a greenhouse gas? That's why I'm such a fan of ThermaPure. It's green. It's non-toxic. And it works. It may not be for everyone, but we're gaining a lot of customers who don't want their families exposed to pesticides.

[nickthompson44]

March 11, 2009 - A gas used for fumigation has the potential to contribute significantly to future greenhouse warming, but because its production has not yet reached high levels there is still time to nip this potential contributor in the bud, according to an international team of researchers.

Scientists at MIT, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego are reporting the results of their study of the gas, sulfuryl fluoride, this month in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

[corthew]

@rafiq89 90% rubbing alcohol worked for me. I bought a cheap pump sprayer and a few bottles of rubbing alcohol and sprayed on, under and around my bed and furniture every day for a few days, then I bought a hammock and started sleeping on that. Bedbugs can't get you there as easily and there is less bedding to eliminate them from.

Also, drying on high heat kills any eggs they may be on clothing.

Heat alone is unsuccessful because they hide in areas that the heat doesn't reach.

[rafiq89]

how do we kill all the bedbugs

[nickthompson44]

11/3/08 Some 80 delegates from governments, industry, research and NGO's kicked off a 3-day UN-backed meeting focusing on cost effective and environmentally-friendly alternatives to DDT, a controversial chemical used to control malaria.

DDT is an old substance, there has to be a better way. We need to build the confidence of governments and malaria-stricken communities to invest in genuine alternatives that can be deployed straight away so that DDT becomes a weapon of last resort.

[Orthrus]

You realize that DDT is a perfectly safe pesticide right? According to UN and WHO joint studies, the LD50 is 215mg/kg. In other words, to kill me, 120 pounds, by oral ingestion, I'd have to eat 24 pounds of DDT. Through skin absorption it'd take 300 pounds. It was eaten for 2 years in one experiment in 1969. No ill effects, no carcinogen. It was the safest chemical was had, and when banned, we replaced it with a fucking nerve gas.

[nickthompson44]

Thanks for the comment. The point of the video was to point out, very rightly so, that we have been told several times through the years that something is safe when it is not. Certain pesticides fit that niche, including DDT. There are also new studies just out that indicate pesticides don't dissipate as quickly as advertised and are, in fact, contributing to global warming. No question pesticides have their place. Proven in university studies, that heat kills insects, fungi & allergens.