Bedbugs

throw his and yr clothes in the dryer for a few minutes … follow any instructions as if washing the clothes

be careful with down products of course …

if you were a true BPLer … you'd just use them as protein supplements ;)

I think it's going to take much more than just throwing clothing into the washer and dryer for a few minutes. If you want to be careful, then ASSUME that your gear pieces are affected.

1. Leave ALL of your gear and clothing outside of your house / garage upon return.

2. Give yourself a thorough wash.

3. Wash bag and all clothing and shoes thoroughly — dirty or not. Might be a good idea to have the bag washed professionally.

4. Examine and clean all other gear pieces individually — piece by piece.

Remember, nothing except nothing gets into your house or garage without going through steps 3-4. This may be a chore — but prolly nothing at all compared to what you might have to go through if even just "a very few" bedbugs should make their way into your house or garage!

I'd add that you should treat your clothing with permethrin.

We had bedbugs brought into our house — you really want to avoid this.

Thx everyone, but after talking with the wife we thought of something a bit more troubling. The 5 hour car ride to the trail head will likely infect my car, so we're just gonna cancel. If it got in the car there'd be no way to keep it out of the house. Ugh, what a pain.

"I think it's going to take much more than just throwing clothing into the washer and dryer for a few minutes."

from the U of Kentucky Entomology Dept … id take 20 min in the dryer at medium over pesticides or other such on my outdoor gear anyday

im lazy … if i can just throw it all in the dryer and the bugs all go toasty … im good

Treatment Procedures. Infested and infestation-prone bedding and garments will need to be bagged and laundered (120°F minimum) since these items cannot be treated with insecticides. Another effective and efficient option is to place clothing, toys, shoes, backpacks, etc., in a clothes dryer set at medium to high heat for 10 to 20 minutes. This will kill all bed bug life stages and can be done alone or in conjunction with laundering. According to textile experts at the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (Laurel, MD), most garments designated as ‘dry-clean only’ (e.g., cotton, wool, silk, linen, rayon, nylon, poly blends) will not be harmed provided they are dry before being placed in a clothes dryer at moderate (less than 160?F) settings. While dry cleaning procedures also kill bed bugs, there is risk of infesting the establishment when buggy items are de-bagged, tagged and sorted.

Items which cannot be put in a washer or dryer can sometimes be de-infested by wrapping in plastic and placing them outdoors in a hot, sunny location, closed vehicle, etc. for at least a day. If this method is attempted, packing fewer items per bag makes it harder for the bugs to find cooler places to hide. Monitoring with a thermometer is prudent, with a target internal temperature of at least 120°F. Bed bugs also will succumb to cold temperatures below 32°F, but the freezing temperatures must be maintained for several days. Consequently, throughout much of the country, heating tends to be a faster, more reliable option than chilling. Attempts to rid an entire dwelling of bed bugs by raising or lowering the thermostat will be unsuccessful, although some companies are having success using supplemental heaters.

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp

I have some experience with bed bugs as I am a lawyer by day that represents hotels. The science is pretty well established. 30 minutes at 140 degrees will kill them in all stages of their lives. Put your stuff in a dryer. Most fabrics will be fine at 140 degrees, but confirm that for each piece. Also, a few hours at freezing will kill them. Put more fragile stuff in a zippolock and out that in your freezer. THen just shake out carcases. Gear is easy. Rooms are difficult because you cannot put wall to wall carpeting in a dryer.

If freezing will do it, bagging and putting them in the freezer would do the trick without damaging the gear with heat. Other than the aesthetic issues, I think the science is good. 72 hours at 0F should do them in nicely.

Freezing might not kill the eggs. It will kill the other stages of the pest. You can also put all clothes and gear into tightly sealed garbage bags and place into a closed hot car for a couple of days. Kinda hard at this time of the year up north but might be doable in the south.
Side note: The bites from these creatures can be mild to many but can also be significant to some people.

Thanks for the additional info everyone. I'm back now, but in reviewing the circumstances, seems it's safest to decontaminate everything anyways. The dryer seems like it'll work well for clothes, but not gear. So I'm gonna use the oven set real low, at 150, for some of my gear like the frontier pro water filter, that wouldn't survive banging around in the dryer.

Yikes… I feel for you bro. I don't seem to get a reaction, but my buddy did and I am forever traumatized.

I'd utilize a hot wash and dryer on high whenever possible, but a deep freeze for everything else would be your best bet.

The same friend had an infestation in his house once and he threw everything (mattresses etc) outside and the exterminator said that was the best thing he could do. It was winter in Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada -30 degrees celsius.

I have no idea who you would ask for a definitive answer on whether freezing kills the eggs. I'd imagine it would after 48 hours…. but don't quote me.

For anyone who comes along this thread in the future, here’s a pretty solid write-up by the U of KY:
http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp