Bug infestation

[purplesage]

What's the best way to deal with a bug infestation in Chiang Mai? Any companies or municipal departments that might provide this service?

Apparently the bugs are tiny red critters, and have come into my friend's small condo room from her terrace. They are biting her, but they don't sound like bed bugs, which I believe are brown and leave telltale evidence on bedsheets.

A company has quoted her 8,000 baht to deal with this problem. Sounds a bit steep to me.

Any ideas anyone?

 

[steven100]

can of Chaindrite .... 97 baht,  spray every nook and cranny wearing a mask of course ... ( don't breath in the fumes )   wear rubber gloves if possible.

spray every where she seen them and then close the condo up for 3-5 hours, ( go out for a 5 hour break )

come back and open up , let air in and everything will have been killed.

they wont return.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by steven100

[bbko]

35 minutes ago, purplesage said:

Any ideas anyone?

Clean, sweep, mop then bug spray.

[MrBrad]

About Chaindrite, it comes in a couple different flavors.  I don't know the killing power, but the odor varies.  Look on the back of the can for a black label with the number 3.  That's the one that is less odoriferous in my estimation.  Chaindrite #1 does not have the black label, and it smells like kerosene...really powerful and nasty, I think.  Smell or no smell, it works well.

[purplesage]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I assume this product is widely available. Where would be a good place for her to get it in Chiang Mai?

[VocalNeal]

^ There are sprays available in 7-Eleven etc... Do around the skirting boards and go for a coffee.

 

Edited October 29, 2021 by VocalNeal

[Rotweiler]

Some of you may recall parts of the less than glorious history of Chaindrite when one death and several illnesses ended up killing a really nice hotel in Chiang Mai - The Downtown Inn.  VERY careful with that...................

[drtreelove]

In my opinion there is some very misleading information in the replies here. 

 

Its always best to positively identify a pest, and then determine the entry route and method, fly in, crawl in.  Small red biting insects may be ants. If so, it may be possible to DIY with a simple tracking of the ant trail and spot spraying with Chaindrite Crack and Crevice (cypermethrin and bifentrin, low toxicity for mammals) or with a boric acid bait (organic program compatible). 

 

Did the pest control company disclose the pest ID and what they were proposing to do for treatment?  If not, get another assessment/estimate. 

 

I interviewed and scrutinized CNX Pest Control in Chiang Mai several years ago for a friend's termite control project. If its the same owner, he was an informed, trained, and certified pest control applicator who gave what seemed like a fair estimate for a fully disclosed appropriate treatment. 

[seedy]

When ants enter our house, thru cracks, etc, we spray the ants, and the path, with vinegar.

Never see them there again.

 

 

[purplesage]

My friend used Chaindrite as suggested by steven100. Despite finding a lot of dead bugs 5 hours after the spraying, she says they are still coming into her room a couple of days later. They are entering via the terrace, which is underneath the roof of the building.

 

I'm wondering if it's best for her to repeat the spray treatment, or as drtreelove says, call in a professional to identify the bug and its entry route into her room.

 

My friend has informed the owner of the condo building, but no other tenant has reported the same problem. I imagine that this type of infestation could spread from one room to another in this kind of high-density condo, so at some point it would become a problem for the whole building if it's not dealt with effectively.

 

I'd appreciate any other thoughts anyone may have.

[473geo]

If they are Ants they should be traveling both ways in and out.

To which end buy the ant chalk and scrape dust off the stick all along the path and a slightly larger area either side if possible. The ants returning to the nest take the powder back in with them they usually disappear quite quickly 

[purplesage]

I don't think they're ants. They may be red bugs, aka chiggers.

[BritManToo]

On 10/29/2021 at 11:23 AM, purplesage said:

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I assume this product is widely available. Where would be a good place for her to get it in Chiang Mai?

Every 7/11 and BigC has it.

[473geo]

You could also try mixing a washing up liquid solution, water and about 25% washing up liquid in an old spray bottle, spray and most little visitors die, cheap and effective can be used on things like wasps as they fly too rather than trying to swat them.

[473geo]

9 hours ago, purplesage said:

I don't think they're ants. They may be red bugs, aka chiggers.

Try the chalk powder trick I used it on some termite runs on trees near the house and they disappeared too. Might have been coincidence but don't think it was, all about getting it back to the nest, the washing up liquid solution or soapy water works on most to kill them but they probably will return.

[Golden Triangle]

This is the nicer smelling of the two, very effective, there is also a powder which she can put down on the terrace or wherever, we have it in the bathrooms due to an invasion of Centipedes, it kills most things.

 

[phetphet]

this might help decide which insecticide to use:

https://stoppestinfo.com/408-how-to-get-rid-of-chiggers-and-their-bites.html

[Nojohndoe]

If these bugs are chiggers and are coming  from the balcony that is where they will be breeding if there are pot plants or something. Would take good eyesight to see them because they are extremely small. So whatever they are treating everything in that area with a lasting insecticide would be a priority.

Good old fashioned Deet keeps them off you in the biting form. Adult chiggers which don't bite need suitable places to lay eggs so things like pot plants inside need treating more than anything else.

If these bugs are readily visible they might be fire ants. They will happily nest up in pot plants and go foraging from there.

 

[brianthainess]

They sound like ticks, they do appear out of nowhere seem like they are born on the wind, i had a huge infestation in my workshop, around the house and their nests on the patio. I brought some water soluble insecticide (Laz), and used a garden sprayer all over, kills almost anything, they never returned. 

[Dellboy218]

Depending on what bugs you are talking about you can use diatomaceous earth.  This is safe to use in any environment and you can buy food and pet safe quality. 

https://www.earthworkshealth.com/diatomaceous-earth-rid-bed-bugs/

https://www.dodsonbros.com/five-things-you-should-know-about-diatomaceous-earth/

All done without any chemicals.

[purplesage]

Here's an update on this situation. After applying Chaindrite a few times, and thoroughly cleaning with a vacuum cleaner and washing clothes in batches my friend is still plagued by insects, although their numbers have declined.

 

She contacted Rentokil, who came to inspect and took away samples of the insects. They have said they cannot identify the insect, which seems rather strange. However, they have offered her a 10,000-baht package which I believe involves three or four spray treatments, of which at least the first would necessitate vacating the room overnight. Is it worth going ahead with such a treatment if they can't identify the insects?

 

She also contacted CNX Pest Control, but they said they couldn't help and told her to ask a cleaning company. Maybe they only deal with people who live in houses and not those who live in rooms in a condo.

 

Regarding Dellboy218's suggestion to use diatomaceous earth, does anyone know where this product can found in Chiang Mai?

 

Thanks once again to everyone who has made suggestions on this thread.

 

 

 

[drtreelove]

On 11/26/2021 at 8:05 PM, purplesage said:

Here's an update on this situation. After applying Chaindrite a few times, and thoroughly cleaning with a vacuum cleaner and washing clothes in batches my friend is still plagued by insects, although their numbers have declined.

 

She contacted Rentokil, who came to inspect and took away samples of the insects. They have said they cannot identify the insect, which seems rather strange. However, they have offered her a 10,000-baht package which I believe involves three or four spray treatments, of which at least the first would necessitate vacating the room overnight. Is it worth going ahead with such a treatment if they can't identify the insects?

 

She also contacted CNX Pest Control, but they said they couldn't help and told her to ask a cleaning company. Maybe they only deal with people who live in houses and not those who live in rooms in a condo.

 

Regarding Dellboy218's suggestion to use diatomaceous earth, does anyone know where this product can found in Chiang Mai?

 

Thanks once again to everyone who has made suggestions on this thread.

 

 

 

Sorry to hear that your friend has to go through all this.  Can you get a macro/close up photo of the pest?  

 

There  are some pest identifier phone apps available now, like Picture Insect and Pest Identifier. I haven't used them.

 

Pest Identifier for iPhone
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pest-identifier/id675370471?mt=8
Android app on Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.agilerocket.pestidentifier

 

My opinion is to not hire a pest control company who cannot identify the target pest and provide detail of the treatment method and pesticide product to be used, and a guarantee of effectiveness for a specified period of time. 

 

I'm surprised that Rentokil can not identify it. They are a huge international chain and must have entomologists and lab resourses, or the local branch is just not willing to try very hard, and they offer the 10,000 baht fumigation package that they are guessing will kill anything and everything. 

 

Has your friend inquired of the condo management or neighbors in the building, if anyone else is having this pest problem. A responsible pest management company would have investigated that important factor, which is a key bit of information. Because isolated treatment of one condo unit may not eradicate the pest from the building, and the  problem could return in time when the pesticide residual effectiveness has expired. 

 

That may be why CNX declined to even inspect it. They are probably aware of how complicated that can be in an condo apartment building with multiple owners.

 

Diatomaceous earth is an interesting option for some pests, but without an identification it's still guessing on appropriateness and effectiveness .  I haven't seen it at garden and ag shops. Try Aden Health Food Store at JJ Market, near Lotus Kamtieng.  Lazada Philippines and Alibaba China list it. 

 

[bbko]

Infestation of any kind will require several treatments, just be cause she did one doesn't mean the job is done. 

[MrJ2U]

If she has a dog or cat likely ticks.

 

If there bedbug's, find a new girlfriend.

[drtreelove]

And I assume that you have seen evidence of an actual pest and not a "perceived" pest or skin disorder. 

[steven100]

13 hours ago, drtreelove said:

I'm surprised that Rentokil can not identify it.

I think you misunderstood what he meant .... I would think he means :   they could not identify the pest then and there on the spot ,  they will take it back to their lab for identification ....   just saying.  

[purplesage]

Rentokil sent someone to inspect who took away samples of the insect. After a couple of days they said they were unable to identify it and offered a 10,000 baht package, which as drtreelove says is probably not a good idea without targeting a specific pest.They also suggested she could carry on dealing with the problem by herself. I think the fact that she lives in a condo may mean they prefer not to deal with any potential issues regarding future infestations that might come in from neighbouring rooms.

 

I'm not in Thailand at the moment so I haven't seen these insects myself.

 

My friend has managed to find some diatomaceous earth that will be delivered from Bangkok. If indeed they are chiggers, this might well help. Let's hope so.