This. My wife had grabbed a couch off the side of the road. Perfect condition, even advertised on Facebook as free!
After a couple days we saw these bugs crawling out of the couch. After a quick reverse image search, it came back as a bed bug.
Lo and behold we noticed these buggers were all over our house after a month.
We didn't use anything but diatomaceous earth. Sprinkled it all over the house around the base boards and furniture. After about two months, they were all gone.
Yup. It’s a fine powder that will get into the air if walked on or near, and causes nasal and lung irritation if breathed in short term - and silicosis if breathed in long term.
Unlikely this length of exposure would result in silicosis probably though.
Not really, there are different forms and OSHA recommendations for how much of a safer form should be in the air if you are possibly breathing it your whole working life..
Pets and very small children might get much higher doses being curious and near the floor though.
Is it safe to use this to avoid any possible bed bug outbreaks? or are there any risks that outweigh the benefit of it defending against possible bed bugs?
I've been thinking about spreading it around every so often under my bed (plus around my bedroom) just in case.
You want “food grade” diatomaceous, which is reasonably safe. Personally I wouldn’t use it preemptively, only when there’s a suspected problem. I would wear a mask when applying.
“Pool grade” diatomaceous earth should not be used, it is hazardous to be around as it’s structure was changed by heating.
It's generally considered safe. It's sold as an additive to livestock feed, though I don't know what the purpose there is.
It's very finely ground volcanic rock. The particulates have very sharp edges which shred insect exoskeletons. It doesn't hurt your skin though.
It might cause a problem if inhaled, similar to silicosis but that's mostly a guess.
Some people leave a line of it on windowsills or door thresholds to keep bugs out, but it's a fine powder that gets everywhere and makes a mess. Personally I wouldn't leave it around but that's up to you
No. "Diatomaceous earth is made from the fossilized remains of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms. Their skeletons are made of a natural substance called silica." http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html
Wikipedia is pretty clear that it's finely ground fossils. (It also says that it's sedimentary rock, as is necessary for fossils. Fossils can't be volcanic rock; their structure would be destroyed by melting.)
I'm going to go ahead and suggest you don't make a proclamation of safety (about a product associated with severe lung disease) followed immediately by "mostly a guess".
The problem here is that their lifecycle is unimaginably long and punctuated. They happily hibernate for 6 months at a time between feedings, so waiting them out means waiting a very very very long time.
They can survive 6 months without eating, but they'll also feed off of each other last-man-standing style, which is why you have to go a whole lot longer.
Yeah I've read all of the facts about them, but I've also read posts by many people who have simply done any ONE of the myriad of suggestions, and claim that it worked. So there's more to the story here.
1. Bought a bedbug-proof encasement for every mattress and pillow. Seals them in and they starve.
2. Bought a handheld steam cleaner and steamed every seam on every piece of furniture.