[quote=CA renter]FWIW, I did read that diatomaceous earth can be helpful in keeping down (hopefully, eliminating) bedbug populations. This should be used in conjunction with professional treatments. [/quote]It does by abrading the bugs as they move. Also helps with fleas.
I would recommend moving the tenants out.
Suggest they replace all beds, couches.. or have them leave them in when you bomb the place.
Have them wash everything else at a laundromat and dry at high temp. Be very careful of handling because the clothes they are wearing when cleaning ‘may’ also have bugs/eggs on them (handle things short sleeved?).
Bathe and switch clothes. Make sure you then clean the clothes you took off.. treat them as ‘contaminated’ until cleaned (put them in plastic bag immediately after taking them off – try to avoid them dropping to the floor when taking of).
Do not bring cleaned clothes back into the house. (Hotel?)
Steam Clean carpet.. bed surfaces and couches if they are there. – dry.
Work Diatomaceous Earth into the carpet, bed surfaces(w/o sheets), couches – vacuum after the bombing.
Bomb the place. (could also work Hartz flea spray into the carpet before bombing.. ) The Diatomaceous Earth could potentially aid in getting poison into the bugs because it abrades the bugs as they move. The Hartz can help prevent them from surviving the bombing if deep in the carpet.
Now replace the carpet.
The reason why all of the ‘duplicate’ effort, is that all it takes is a few eggs.. or a few to survive. You want to reduce the likelihood of eggs or bedbugs falling off the carpet or transferring to the workers when the carpet is being removed.
