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For Bed Bugs the local DIY pest control store recommends Temprid FX. Green Akers pest control company that has put out several Youtube videos recommends the MGK Crossfire brand. Does anyone have any experience with either of these? Any other info or recommendations appreciated.
Thanks
Heat treatment is the best solution as bedbugs are becoming resistant to chemicals on the market. I would think your local dIY pest control would know the best treatment to use.
As I said on your other thread i would suggest you get a pest control crew into treat it professionally as it’s for a place that you let out commercially particularly as you can claim it as a tax expense against your listing. @Nolan
@Helsi is correct. At one of our long-term rentals, a visiting relative of one of our tenants brought bed bugs. The apartment was chemically treated by a professional company three times and the problem was not solved.
After contacting another professional company that specialized in heat treatment and getting a quote, we decided to purchase the equipment, a tax deductible expense, and do it ourselves. One treatment and no more bed bugs. The equipment cost about $200 more than the quote for having the work done.
We now have the equipment if we ever need it and have loaned it to a landlord friend who also had a bed bug infestation in one of his apartments.
Search for Convectex if interested.
Hi Wwirth, thanks for the reply, i looked up the heater you listed, can you tell me what other equipment you purchased, if any, and what other treatments/methods you applied? I was just now contemplating which way to go (professional or DIY) and was leaning toward professional to have more peace of mind and then saw your reply. It’s a hard decision to make. I have the ability and I believe I could save a little bit of money but i want to be sure I dont get a bad review if they aren’t eliminated and then loose as much or more rent as I would spend on a professional exterminator. I’m now going to look at reviews of some professional exterminator and then decide. Did your original exterminator have good reviews?
Nolan, remember that something that a contractor will do, that a DIY measure cannot, is give you written proof that your rental is bug-free. This can be very useful to you.
I can think of at least two more reasons to use a professional rather than DIY:
The original exterminator was Terminix Pest Control - hired by the tenant. I don’t know about the reviews or cost but is is a national company in the US.
The heat treatment set-up we purchased is (https://convectex.com/products/home-bed-bug-heat-package?variant=12995809050712¤cy=USD&utm_campaign=gs-2018-09-19&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=Cj0KCQiAv8PyBRDMARIsAFo4wK2WcggWKSzhIJhq357vC61AGb04fDYXES0EsaS3QYVx7KYB1YJMdokaArdGEALw_wcB)
@jaquo is right, for airbnb you probably need written proof that the rental is bug-free. In our case, it was a long term rental, we did the inspection and the tenants were satisfied that there were no more bed bugs.
Chemical treatment for bedbugs is marginal, and will not kill them. The eggs can survive for years! The only proven method for getting rid of bedbugs is heat treatment at 180 degF or higher for a minimum of 24 hours.
The great thing about heat treatment is that it kills everything - mice, flies, roaches, and in a pinch, ex husbands.
Everything is washed in bleach and dried at least 30 min.
All bedding and towels and pillows are stored in sealed plastic containers.
All beds are steel framed and have sticky pads on bases. Pillows and mattresses use proper bed bug proofing.
In between rotations I use PNP by Onguard. Makes Spray 9 look wussy. Everything alive has to clear out for an hour.