Bugs in my chest freezer???

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movet22

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This is going to sound ridiculous, but I bought a freezer off CL last week to finally be able to make lagers. Picked it up, looked fine, unplugged it and put it in the car for the hour ride home. Got it in the house, opened the top and there were bugs in it. I don't know anything about bugs except that I do not like them much hahaha.

I cleaned out the freezer and covered up some of the warped exterior that I believe the critters may have snuck in. I set the temp and all seemed honkey dorry, until I cranked the temp up to about 50*F to start off the first fermentation in it. I opened the top to check progress and saw two more of the bugs. This is why I am worried, I don't want there to be little beetle-looking kinda things crawling around whenever the ambient temp rises too high. (When I kicked it back down to 44*F, the problem halted.

What the heck should I do about this? Just keep the temp low? use some sort of insecticide? I am really at a bit of a loss here.

PS- I would prefer not getting a new freezer- it was quite a major PitA to get it in my basement, and it was only a 5 cubic foot model!
 
I would guess they got during transport but if not...

Empty the damn thing out and crank the temp as low as it will go and let it sit for a few days...

When you are done check the seals because I cannot imagine they are getting access anyother way.

You could also stick it out side, close it up and hit it with bug spray in those exterior places where they might be nesting.
 
Do you know what a cockroach looks like? They like make nests/hang about heat sources such as freezer compressors. ARe they alive?
 
Post a pic, but either way the problem can be solved with pesticides. Just make sure to unplug it, treat it(at least twice as well as your basement) and clean it out good with baking soda solution be fore using again. Also check and make sure all your seals are good. You can purchase new seals from a home appliance repair shop for cheap and seal all seams in the inside with food grade silicone only on the inside regular silicone on he outside.
 
Do you know what a cockroach looks like? They like make nests/hang about heat sources such as freezer compressors. ARe they alive?

I do know what cockraoches look like, but these are not nearly as big as them. but I guess they look similar, albeit, much smaller (biggest one was about 1/2'')

I'll snag a pic if I see one again. Anyone have any recommendations for the type of pesticide to use?
 
Mother ****er. A quick google search looks like I may have some small cockroach things. I would say almost certainly a nest inside the freezer somewhere (it is a bit beat up, so all the seams are not tight.)

My fiance is going to murder me is the freezer she didn't want in the house causes us a roach problem... What should I use to kill these bastards? And honestly, I may go to HD and load up for war either way. hahaha
 
I'm betting that they're holed up inside the insulation of the lid. If you took that apart and replaced the insulation in the lid, they'd go away.

The lid insulation areas of chest freezers are typically pretty nasty. Be forewarned.
 
I'm betting that they're holed up inside the insulation of the lid. If you took that apart and replaced the insulation in the lid, they'd go away.

The lid insulation areas of chest freezers are typically pretty nasty. Be forewarned.

This makes a ton of sense- the last one I found was actually IN the wrinkle of the rubber seal thingy that it attached to the lid...

Good lord, I am going to find a world of **** in there, aren't I?
 
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I'll load my rifle and get a makeshift flamethrower going. I can't say I am happy about this, but if it will take care of my pest problem, then it shall be done.
 
Get yourself a huge plastic bag, or duct tape plastic sheet to make one, and put one of those cans of bug-bomb in there. Then air it out like a mofo after all the buggers are kilt.
Might even be able to give it a couple of days of CO2, and asphyxiate them?
 
This makes a ton of sense- the last one I found was actually IN the wrinkle of the rubber seal thingy that it attached to the lid...

Good lord, I am going to find a world of **** in there, aren't I?

Step 1) With the lid closed, take some hefty nails or some 12 gauge wire or coat hanger wire and locate the holes in the sides of the lid hinges that stop the hinges from opening once the lid is disconnected from the hinges. This way they won't spring open on you once you remove the lid.

Step 2) Take a socket driver and remove the bolts holding the lid to the hinges.

The next steps require you to have a video camera with audio running, preferably on a tripod for our amusement. And you really should do this outside on a deck or a backyard or a garage or something.

Step 3) Lift up the ends of the rubber seal to locate the plastic plugs that hold the inside lid liner to the lid and remove the plugs with a putty knife and pliers.

Step 4) Put on some gloves to protect yourself from the nastiness waiting for you.

Step 5) Remove the rubber seal and lid liner to expose the insulation. Try not to yell too loud.
 
I would make sure they aren't bed bugs before bug bombing anything. Pesticides are generally ineffective on bed bugs, and will just cause then to spread further into your house, resulting in a difficult to treat infestation.

Bed bugs are on the rise lately. I'd hate for anyone to get them from purchasing second-hand equipment/furniture. They are not fun.
 
ok, so (after another google search) they look like they might also be bed bugs...

Any ideas for how to take care of that? I am seriously considering moving my current fermenting pils into my main fridge, and going with the plastic-sack-bug-fogger-bomb method. Will the bed bugs live through this?

I would love to avoid opening that freakin' lid if I can just fog bomb the you-know-what out of it and seal all the cracks and gaps with silicone.
 
The problem I am having ID-ing the culprit bug here is that I had the freezer running at -15 for ~24 hours after I brought it home. wouldn't that have killed anything inside of it. Like I said, the only time any bugs are apparent is when the temp is above ~50*F
 
Ok, disclaimer: Do not freak out until you have a professional identify whether or not they are in fact bed bugs. There are a couple bed bug look-alikes out there.

However, I would also suggest getting that freezer outside ASAP. The last thing you want is bed bugs. Unfortunately, the only really effective treatment for bed bugs is heat. You would have to raise the core temp of the freezer to above 120 degrees F. Conventional pesticides tend not to work on bed bugs.

If bed bugs did make their way into your house and started reproducing, you'd likely end up having to get a specialized company to raise the core temp of your entire house (or at least the affected rooms) to above 120. No simple task.

I'm no professional, but trust me, you do not want to mess around with bed bugs. I know it may be awkward/potentially insulting to them, but I would get in contact with the people you bought the freezer from. Ask then if they know anything about it.
 
Running the freezer at a low temperature may kill bed bugs, but it could take weeks. They're much more resistant to low temps than they are high temps.
 
I think I may have gotten lucky with the fact that they are contained within the actual freezer, I am going to get that trash out of my basement this afternoon and drive my ass to HD or walmart and buy a new, non infested freezer. SWOMBO will be unhappy, but it will be better than me infecting the house with bed bugs, or the like for that matter.
 
I do know what cockraoches look like, but these are not nearly as big as them. but I guess they look similar, albeit, much smaller (biggest one was about 1/2'')

I doubt they are bed bugs if they are really this size. Had a minor bed bug issue when I was living in NYC several years ago. They are a b*tch to get rid of, but are much smaller than that - think mm, not inches.

Unless your new fridge was being used to incubate a new cockroach/bed bug hybrid (bedroach?)...
 
Good call. It may also be good form to mark the freezer as bed bug infested, if you plan on getting rid of it. That way, dumpster divers and the like don't make the mistake of taking it home.

I agree that you should be fine, and that they were mostly contained inside the freezer. Just get that thing outside, and stay aware for the next few months.
 
I doubt they are bed bugs if they are really this size. Had a minor bed bug issue when I was living in NYC several years ago. They are a b*tch to get rid of, but are much smaller than that - think mm, not inches.

Unless your new fridge was being used to incubate a new cockroach/bed bug hybrid (bedroach?)...

Yeah, I am no expert, but in fact a panicker/worrier. The more I look into bed bugs, I don't think it is them. These guys are in fact larger than what people say, and they don't look like the adult ones (which have more of a stink-bug look to them).

Either way, I am getting rid of this thing.
 
That's true about a half inch being a bit too big. Biggest they get is about the size of an apple seed. Still, I would err on the side of caution.
 
just offered a buddy dinner to meet me at my house after work to help take it out. he obliged. hahaha, thank god
 
This will also be the last time I buy anything on CL, I am afraid. There was ZERO sign of any bugs when I checked it out to pick it up... son of a b*tch!
 
Might want to eat BEFORE you open up the freezer.

Ha, no no, the freezer is not going to be opened. I am taking my keg out of it and taping the **** out of it to close it, and then parking that bad boy on the curb.

EDIT, oh I see what you mean... that would be a major bummer, but I do not expect such problems. When I moved it into the house, after an hour of warming in the car, there was no movement from the bugs, they stayed in the freezer compartment.

Precautions will be taken though.
 
You need to make sure to treat the house as well now, those little bastards are hard to get rid off. Don't go cheapo on the pesticides. A good quality one like raid or even a commercial one is best. If all else fails call orkin.
 
I wrapped the freezer in plastic and duct-tape last night and got it out. It is now rotting on the curb. They weren't bed bugs, because I found another one in the freezer right before I tossed it and it was large, about 1/2'' to 3/4''.

After checking the house, I am confident I am in the clear. I will be picking up some Raid at HD today when I go to get my new chest freezer... just in case I catch one of those bastards poking around. Thanks for all the help with this guys!
 
I thought you meant something else in your title. I bought a chest freezer off Craigslist for what seemed like an absolute steal - $40 for a perfect-sized, late-model, Energy Star.

It was quite a bit of a drive, but having already tried for a couple months to nab a decent freezer off Craigslist (for even TRIPLE the price) and having ALWAYS gotten beaten to the punch (over a dozen times DESPITE calling within a half hour of each ad being placed), I headed out there the moment I got them to promise to hold it for me for at least a few hours (so that I wouldn't waste a fairly significant amount of time and money getting there only to have it sold out from underneath me).

I mention all that to explain why I still decided to buy it when I arrived to find it sitting in their VOC-stinking garage with the lid open and a fresh coat of paint (actually, crappy interior-grade white primer, I believe) on much of the interior surface, which was NOT apparent from the picture nor the wording of the ad. I wasn't sure if it was just the lighting or what, but it seemed to have a faint blue-green tint to it. Also absent from both the photographs and the wording of the ad was the fact that the original feet or casters were removed and it was instead permanently mounted on blocks of wood, and any indication of the dangerously shoddy rewiring job by the compressor that both "spliced" a bare copper wire AND insulated it with (what appeared to be) super glue! :eek:

I took it anyways (after knocking it down another $10), because I didn't want to go home with nothing to show for the trip. I should have known something was up when initially getting the directions from the guy's wife, when she told me her husband could be talked down to $30. Apparently she didn't even want to RISK having to keep it!

Anyways, the girlfriend at the time insisted I leave it in the garage because she too was worried it was full of cockroaches. There actually ended up being a "bug" problem indeed, but it turned out that the reason they painted it was apparently to cover up the mold and (with some bondo) rust. Probably wouldn't have even been a big deal if I was going to use it as an actual freezer, but the considerable amount of condensation that inevitably built up (even with Damp-Rid and a fan to properly circulate the air) made it an utter disaster, and the brews that I had put in there (and the ale pails that contained them) didn't stand a chance!

When I moved out of the place, I was offered me $50 to just leave the freezer there, which I accepted AFTER making them aware of its issues (and I had properly repaired the wiring, so I wasn't passing a fire hazard on to someone else). Without any exaggeration, I would have paid THEM $50 to not have to haul it out and deal with the POS myself... good thing I hadn't tried to work out something else with them first!

And there is a happy ending to this story. My next ferm chamber was/is going to be an "expanded" minifridge - basically removing the door, butting the opening up to a wooden frame, sealing and insulating it, and mounting the fridge door (separately) as the access to the interior. The top of the "frame" will function as a work bench/surface in my man cave, which I really needed anyways, so it's an amazing use of space. The "happy" part is that I ended up getting a *perfectly*-sized and very modern and attractive black mini-fridge, only a year old and without a single scuff, dent, or scratch. For FREE. From a really nice (yuppy) family off of Freecycle. They really liked the use I had planned for it and were apparently able to separate me out from the dozens of hoarders/scrappers/resellers you'd expect to see respond such an ad. ESPECIALLY considering that people on Craigslist around here ask for nearly retail prices for mini-fridges that are actually in fairly poor condition. The whole experience with the amazing and generous family on Freecycle really contrasted severely with the greedy, unscrupulous family (essentially) scamming others into buying their garbage on Craigslist.
 
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