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Comment by Joeri | Hacker News Reader

I once had bed bugs, and can attest to how nasty they are and how difficult to get rid of. Eventually we learned that none of the bed bug repellent products work, and the only thing that actually works is diatomaceous earth.

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We got bedbugs once at my old place. We think we just randomly picked them up at a Marriott we stayed at a few weeks prior to noticing them - crap luck.

We got rid of them by sealing the mattress for 6 months, and letting them starve. This was after taking a pass at them with sprays and such (the ones we could spot).

Did you ever notice most all hotel and motel rooms come with a chromed luggage stand? The chrome makes it impossible for bedbugs to climb up and into your luggage.

I learned that too late! But yes, this is an amazing piece of knowledge not well known.

Ivermectin actually works, as long as everyone in the household takes it for at least two weeks (length of the BB lifecycle).

Isn't it safer to have control mechanisms that don't involve taking some drug ourselves?

Effective control methods include:

- Heat: improper heat treatment has caused house fires

- All sorts of poisons: poisoning not just the bugs

- Diatomaceous earth: Using the wrong kind, or using it improperly can cause diseases like silicosis

And all the creative yet incredibly stupid things people think of when they are desperate.

But done properly these techniques work with minimal risk. The same can be said of Ivermectin.

Don’t forget the use of organophosphate insecticides in the form of Nuvan Prostrips, which are chemically similar to nerve gas for humans.

BTW Cimexa is the current best practice for desiccating bed bugs upon contact, and, unlike diatomaceous earth, is approved for use in human living areas.

Interesting that it works. Some quick googling shows that it only slows them down. For example: [1].

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6901371/

There are multiple studies so far showing that it works; they can become paralyzed as well as prevented from maturing into adults, which effectively ends the reproductive cycle.

So it seems they discovered an anti-dote to roaches, but not to bed-bugs.

Is there any hope? C'mon science, do your thing!

Heat, Bedbugs die at 119-125 degrees fahrenheit after a few hours.

I put 6 propane gas blowers in an apartment, the kind that is used at construction sites. Let that run with thermostats and cameras for a few hours. Bedbug free. Have since done it at 2 other apartments after months of infestations, immediately fixed.

Source: personal experience, after trying lots of other methods.

https://www.orkin.com/pests/bed-bugs/does-heating-or-freezin...

> their heat-resistant eggs require temperatures upwards of 125 degrees.

Achieving that temperature in a home would be nearly impossible unless you live in very hot summer area and likely cause substantial damage to a lot of things.

I've done it in Vermont USA in the summer with all windows closed.

Infrared saunas are 120-140f.

https://www.saunasociety.org/sauna-experience

A car reaches 120f on a 70f day in the sun in 90 minutes so I don't think that temperature would damage that many things.

https://www.scottsfortcollinsauto.com/how-hot-do-cars-get-in...

This company selling electric bed bug heaters says 7 minutes at 115f.

https://convectex.com/pages/bed-bugs

Yes heat is an effective treatment. I've also seen 10kw Resistive load banks used in load testing of single or three-phase AC power systems utilized this way. They are essentially bed bug killers as they generate a tremendous amount of heat.

https://mosebachresistors.com/products/bed-bug-heaters

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