Bugs...

[GreyhoundsRUs]

So, BIL went to the Holy Land back in March. He got back at the end of March, and brought with him some souvineers. For DH and I, he got a handcrafted wooden jewelry box with Mother of Peal inlay. It's really pretty. The not-so-pretty part? It came with tiny bugs DH accused him of bringing us scarab beetles (they seriously were like drosophyla sized). The bugs were dead, and the box has been sealed in a plastic bag ever since. The box is lined with felt? velvet? something...

Do you think it's safe to use the box or even unwrap it? Could there be larvae lying dormant under the lining? Could we spray it with something or put something in the box to kill any possible hiders?

[HouseofWool]

Throw it in the freezer for a while (a couple of weeks). We once had some wooden souvenirs from Brazil that was infested and that was what worked to get rid of them for us.

[poky]

Throw it in the freezer for a while (a couple of weeks). We once had some wooden souvenirs from Brazil that was infested and that was what worked to get rid of them for us.

A friend used to have to ensure a collection of old blankets and rugs was free of bugs, as part of her job. Her research told her that freezing (there are specific temperatures and lengths of times to be sure), and then thawing, but only for a certain amount of time, and then freezing again, is the best way to be sure; the freezing kills them, but there are eggs that can survive it, but then when you thaw they hatch, and when you freeze again before they lay MORE eggs, then you've killed them all. I'll ask her and let you know what she says.

[MsSassyBaskets]

http://www.waitinthevan.com/2012/06/...ed-beetle.html

[SuzySunshine]

http://www.waitinthevan.com/2012/06/...ed-beetle.html

OMG! I would DIE, I hate big unknown bugs in my house.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

Thankfully, these are tiny I would FREAK, too!

[poky]

OK, my friend says:

Put in plastic bag, put in freezer, as cold as you can get it. Chest freezer is good, or buried in the back of a freezer. Leave in at least 3 days, then take it out, leaving in plastic, and let it warm to room temp and leave it out for 24 hrs. Then back into the freezer for 3 more days. Finally, open plastic, clean and remove bugs (vacuum? whatever works given the size of it) and then she should be good.
First freeze will kill living bugs, then the warming will cause eggs to hatch and 2nd freeze will kill them.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

Thanks, poky!

[scrub-jay]

http://www.waitinthevan.com/2012/06/...ed-beetle.html

First, that blog is hysterical and second, I'd lose my ever-loving mind if I saw that in my child's room. YUCK.

[Momo]

hmmph...I still think THIS creepy crawly, that I have come across, is the mother of all OMG freakin' bugs!!



http://bugguide.net/images/cache/DL7...SH0Z0HSZZH.jpg

[Thirteen]

I found one of these in my condo yard when I lived in CA.
I asked my then roommate to identify it, and we couldn't figure it out until 2 years later.
It was so gross!


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[SuzySunshine]

I HATE bugs! Those are both disgusting!!


13 WHAT is that?

[WolfpackWife]

I can't bring myself to enlarge any of those photos. I am sorry you have big issues--I hope the freezer tip works. Now that warmer weather is here we have thousands of inchworms hanging from trees. Not so bad. But apparently the weather has also summoned the house centipedes. I've already seen one and killed it and it was so upsetting I almost had to take a personal day to deal with all of the feelings (kidding. Sort of). Don't know what house centipedes look like? I do not suggest you google.

[Thirteen]

It's called a Jerusalem cricket.
I usually only reserve my bug fear for things that sting without mercy (e.g. Yellow jackets), but that thing was HUGE and CREEPY.


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[scrub-jay]

It's called a Jerusalem cricket.
I usually only reserve my bug fear for things that sting without mercy (e.g. Yellow jackets), but that thing was HUGE and CREEPY.


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Aka Potato bugs! Harmless, creepy, but essential for CA ecosystems. Now house centipedes are creepier, faster, and have zero redeeming value.