Information
Infestations
Young swarms sometimes breach the surface and cause infestations. Though these 1-2" bugs are less threatening than the ancient swarms from the depths, they still cause millions in damage to pipes, machines, infrastructure, and people as their bites cause wild hallucinations.
Signs of Infestation
Keep an eye out for the below to know if your home has been infested:
- Strange marks in a trail along metal or stone surfaces.
- Erosion-like damage to pipes.
- Egg satchels found in corners, especially in basements.
- Odd behavior or itching in household pets.
Extermination
Once you've confirmed the presence of burrowbugs, these are the steps to get rid of them:
- Find all locations they're coming in from. These are usually in basements.
- Pump poison into every entrance and seal them as best you can.
- Fumigate the building, including every crawlspace, cabinet, pipe, and vent.
- Repeat fumigation after two weeks to catch any newly-hatched larvae.
Hire or DIY?
The equipment and gas to fumigate costs 300-400 credits for the average home, and up to 2,000 credits for a large factory. If going the DIY route:
- Verify your supplier and what they're supplying. Don't get scammed!
- Wear equipment to protect from bites and fumes.
- Be prepared for multiple long days of searching and gassing.
Hiring an exterminator costs an extra 10-20%. Verify their timeline! Fumigations should be no more than 2 weeks apart. Your exterminator may catch a few bugs to place elsewhere for future work, but as long as your house is bug-free, does it matter?
Treating Bites
Small bites may itch and rash for up to a week. Bites from large bugs found underground sting, burn, and can draw blood. Too many bites from them can and will kill you.
Even a small bite will induce hallucinations, often within minutes. They last up to an hour. The larger the bite, the more vivid the hallucinations.
If you or someone near you has been bitten:
- Restrain the victim to keep them and others safe.
- Vacate the area to avoid further bites.
- Disinfect and bandage bleeding wounds.
- Use anti-itch cream on healing bites.
i love this article, i would absolutely not want to run into these bugs! the detail about the exterminators, though, that's scary...
What you call scary, they call job security :D