Fricken Bed Bugs!!!!!

cdness · Dec 27, 2011

So person living downstairs got a used couch which happened to be infested with fricken bed bugs. They have traveled up to my place now and I am not happy at all. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do about it but react and fix the situation. We have cleared the house of all of the furniture that was noticeably infested from his place and closely inspected mine. I have found very few but am taking every precaution I can to get rid of them.

I may need to do a fogging or bomb treatment to the house. Unfortunately I have the 125 gallon reef tank in the living room. What do I need to do to protect the tank from the fogger or bomb treatment? I am thinking a crap ton of shrink wrap and turn off the skimmer. I don't know what else to do.

Also if an exterminator is called in (I am renting) and he wants to do the "heat the house to above 95 degrees" treatment, how can I protect the tank? I use evaporative cooling right now and will not be able to keep up if they raise the temp that high, especially since it needs to be there for a few hours or more. I don't have access to a chiller and there is no supplier in town that carries them

.

I am SO PO'd right now...

Curtis

cvysochin · Dec 27, 2011

Man that sucks so bad im really sorry! But I remember watching that infested show on animal planet and they had bed bugs one one episode.. scared the crap out of me cuz it talked about them biting the children when they sleep( I have 2here little ones so yeah, freaked me out). Anyway long story short the only way they rid the house was to get all new furniture and heat the house.

Hopefully someone close to you has a chiller you can borrow, I would if I were close to you!
Best of luck!

mfdrookie516 · Dec 27, 2011

I wouldn't expect heat to be a big issue if it's only for a couple hours. It would take the tank several hours to jump up to any real risky temps IMO. I lost my AC unit back in the summer on the hottest day of the year. The house got up to 92, but the tanks never got above 82. They were that high for about 6 hours, and this included a 40 gallon breeder, which would heat up considerably faster than a 125.

I also used a flea bomb back when I first started the hobby. I bought some clear plastic sheeting from walmart, and a couple rolls of duct tape. I sealed the top of the tank completely. If you're running a sump, you'd need to do the same. Might be hard with your overflow and all, but with a little work, you should be able to seal it off.

REEFKEEPER10 · Dec 27, 2011

my ac went out last summer and my tank got to 94 degrees for like to weeks until they got it fixed. all I lost was a encrusting montipora.

reefpeeper · Dec 27, 2011

I got them a few years ago and i also rented. I think when the exterminator came i put a blanket over the tank and sump. Never had a problem. Just something to stop the mist or whatever from going in tank. Also i think they just spray edges of the room and creases in bed/furnature.

cdness · Dec 27, 2011

Thanks for the updates! I didn't think of the plastic sheeting and duct tape. That may work out well. I'll probably have to just encase the whole stand and call it good.

I think I got the infestation taken care of at my place last night. There was nothing in any of the furniture, colony wise, so I think they are all hitchikers from downstairs. If I have to I'll treat the house, otherwise I'll use a pet safe stuff I found on the furniture to try keep them away. I am going to get on my neighbor about getting this cleaned up for sure.

bct15 · Dec 27, 2011

Once the bed bugs have established themselves the only way to get rid of them is by heating the house. Bed bugs are very resilient and one of the worst infestations to get. Most people get them from hotels and buying "new" used furniture, that is why you should check the beds, cracks and crevices, and use the luggage rack to keep your luggage in the air. I hope for hour sake the bed bugs have not established themselves as they are a nightmare to deal with. I've never had them personally but have been told many horror stories...

cdness · Dec 31, 2011

A pro has been called in. He says his chemicals are safe for all pets and children. He sprays without a respirator so will those be safe around the tank?

I am going to plastic cover the tank, but do I need to shut everything down as well? I need to be out of the house for 8 hrs to let the treatment dry.

Aquaph8 · Dec 31, 2011

Most pest treatments that are safe fore kids and pets are still harmful for birds and fish. Cover the tank really well, turn off the skimmer and make sure to run some fresh carbon. If they're gonna heat the house it should take a while to change your tank but maybe freeze some two liter bottles of water you can float a couple to help. I'd change your carbon out a couple times in the week following just in case. Is your neibor taking action as well? It would be horrible to go through all this just to get them back. Good luck man, sorry you have to Go through that mess. Let us know how it all turns out.

cdness · Jan 3, 2012

Well both places in the duplex were professionally sprayed. They used a chemical called Temprid SC from Bayer. It is a localized liquid spray, not an airborn "bomb" so there was little chance to get any in the tank. As a precaution I still turned off the skimmer and sealed the stand with painter's tape and 1 mil plastic dropcloth. I also added a good amount of fresh carbon to the sump in a media bag to assist with any stray sprays. Also the guys doing the spraying were informed of the hazards with the tank and knew where to not hit with the spray.

I had to be out of the house for 8 hours to let the chemical dry so we left to pick up the kids from my parents house as they were out to see grandma and grandpa for the week. When we returned the house was chilly as they turned the heat way down, but all of the fish were still swimming. I think it took longer to remove all thetape and plastic than it did to put it up. This morning it looked like everything was still ok so I think it was crisis avoided...

The bug situation though he said it can take a week or two for all of them to die due to hatching of the eggs. After that if they are still here he will come back and do another treatment. He has only had to do that once though in the past 10 years and tat was a massive infestation so I am confident these evil creatures will be killed, killed till ther're dead.