Does Diotemacous Earth actually work for Bedbugs?

[Matt Liu]

Has anyone had success treating a unit with diotemacous earth for bedbugs? I thought I did a very good job of lining the entire apartment with light DE powder just like I was supposed to but the critters came back two weeks later. I can't afford to spray the entire 4-unit building through a company - is there any other affordable alternative?

[Adam Johnson]

Regardless of what your lease says, bedbugs are YOUR problem if they are in your building. Once they are there, you can get rid of the tenant, but the bugs will remain. If you "make" your tenants "fix" the problem, guess what, it won't be done right.

Income level makes no difference, if you are a human and you have blood, you can get them. They are common in movie theaters, motels, etc. You or I could get them as easily as our tenants.

It is VERY easy to get reinfested. Let's say you pay for a pro treatment and your tenant took a purse, book bag, or simply didn't leave the house naked that morning. They can bring them back that evening and the problem remains. These are NOT an easy problem to solve. They can go up to a year between meals before they die. They will hide in/around baseboards, in cracks/crevices in wood floors, inside all types of furniture (box springs, cushions of chairs/couches, etc.). I will take on roaches and fleas any day over bed bugs.

Be careful about buying chemicals that require a license to use if you aren't licensed.

Heat treatment is very effective. It reaches inside the walls, inside the furniture, inside the clothing, etc. when done properly. It kills the entire life cycle (eggs, larvae, etc.). When the heat treatment is done, everything is dead if it is done properly.

I own buildings, they are a problem in my area. I also purchased the heat treatment equipment to do my own treatments. This was not a cheap endeavor, but it fit with my management business and I can hire my crews with equipment out to other property owners/landlords to help recover my investment.

DE can work, but it takes time to work and requires them to come into contact with it to do any good. In my opinion, it is better used as a preventive measure after another type of treatment is done.