How To Treat A Bed Bug Infestation
Bed bugs are gross. They invade our bedrooms, crawl on our sleep and bite us — hard. They seem virtually impossible to get rid of and though they’re only interested in blood, they can spread diseases like Chagas and Sardinian Plague. Some people are even allergic to the bites! Thankfully, despite how unsettling it may be, bed bug treatment is fairly straightforward.
Bed bugs are small insects that feed on human and other animal blood. They don’t transmit disease, but their bites can cause an itching sensation that can lead to skin reactions. Bed bugs are primarily active at night and hide in areas with little light. The best way to take care of bed bugs is to prevent them from establishing a colony in your home or sleeping space. This can be done by regularly inspecting for the presence of bed bugs, obtaining pest control service if you have identified them, and by following some good housekeeping practices. If a bed bug infestation has already gotten started, it is important to seek out professional help as soon as possible.
How To Treat A Bed Bug Infestation
How To Treat A Bed Bug Infestation
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The first step in treating a bed bug infestation is to remove all the clutter from your home. The clutter provides hiding places for bed bugs and other insects that may carry them. Remove furniture from rooms where it does not belong, such as bedrooms, and put it in an unused part of your home.
After you have removed all the clutter, vacuum every room thoroughly with a vacuum equipped with a HEPA filter. This will help reduce dust mites, which are another common source of allergies and asthma symptoms. You should also wash all sheets and blankets in hot water or dry clean them before putting them back on beds or couches; this will kill any bed bugs or eggs they might have been carrying around while they were hidden away in their nests during those first few weeks after moving into your home. Taking these precautions will make it much easier to treat any remaining infestations quickly and effectively when they do appear because there will be less hiding space available for them to hide out until someone notices their bites again!
How To Treat A Bed Bug Infestation
You can get rid of bedbugs. Try to be patient, as removing bedbugs often takes some time and effort. You may have to try a few different chemical and nonchemical approaches, especially if you have a large infestation.
Certain factors can make bedbugs harder to remove. You may have a tougher time ridding your home of them if you have a lot of clutter or you travel often and bring new bedbugs home in your luggage.
If you cannot get rid of them on your own, you may have to call in a professional exterminator. Read on for a step-by-step guide on getting rid of bedbugs.
If you’ve got bedbugs, you want to find them early before they start to reproduce. It’s much easier and cheaper to treat a small infestation than a big one. But smaller infestations can be harder to detect.
Search for bedbugs yourself or hire a professional to do an inspection. Some inspectors use specially trained dogs to hunt down bedbugs by scent.
Bedbugs’ small and narrow bodies enable them to squeeze into tiny spots, like the seams of a mattress or couch and the folds of curtains.
Also, look for them:
- near the tags of the mattress and box spring
- in cracks in the bed frame and headboard
- in baseboards
- between couch cushions
- in furniture joints
- inside electrical outlets
- under loose wallpaper
- underneath paintings and posters on the walls
- in the seam where the wallpaper and ceiling meet
Use a flashlight and magnifying glass to go over all of these areas.
You can spot signs of bedbugs by the following:
- live bedbugs, which are reddish and about 1/4-inch long
- dark spots about the size of a period — these are bedbug droppings
- reddish stains on your mattress from bugs that have been crushed
- small and pale yellow eggs, egg shells, and yellowish skins that young bedbugs shed
Once you find a bedbug, put it in a sealed jar along with 1 teaspoon of rubbing alcohol. Other types of bugs can look a lot like bedbugs. If you’re not sure what type of bug you’ve found, bring it to an exterminator or entomologist to identify.
Once you know you have bedbugs, you need to keep them contained so you can get rid of them. A quick and easy way to trap bedbugs is with your vacuum. Run the vacuum over any possible hiding places.
This includes your:
- bed
- dresser
- carpets
- electronics, like TVs
Seal up the vacuumed contents into a plastic bag and throw it away. Then thoroughly clean out the vacuum.
Seal up all your linens and affected clothes in plastic bags until you can wash them. Then put them on the highest possible temperature setting in a washer and dryer. If an item cannot be washed, put it in the dryer for 30 minutes at the highest heat setting.
Anything that cannot be treated in the washer and dryer should be placed in a plastic bag. Leave it there for a few months, if possible, to make sure all the bugs die.
If you cannot clean furniture, throw it away. Tear it up first and spray paint the word “bedbugs” on it so no one else tries to take it home.
Before you start treating your home, do a little prep work to maximize your odds of success. Make sure all your linens, carpets, drapes, clothing, and other hiding places have been cleaned or thrown out (see step 2).
Next, get rid of bedbug hiding places:
- Pick up books, magazines, clothes, and anything else that’s lying on your floor and under your bed.
- Throw out whatever you can.
- Do not move items from an infested room to a clean one — you could spread the bugs.
Seal up any open areas:
- Glue down loose wallpaper.
- Caulk cracks in furniture and around baseboards.
- Tape up open electrical outlets.
Finally, move your bed at least 6 inches away from the wall so bedbugs cannot climb on.
How to get rid of bedbugs at home
You can first try to remove bedbugs without chemicals. These bugs are pretty easy to kill with high heat at 115°F (46.11°C) or intense cold at 32°F (0°C).
Here are a few ways to treat bedbugs using these methods:
- Wash bedding and clothes in hot water for 30 minutes. Then put them in a dryer on the highest heat setting for 30 minutes.
- Use a steamer on mattresses, couches, and other places where bedbugs hide.
- Pack up infested items in black bags and leave them outside on a hot day that reaches 95°F (35°C) or in a closed car. In cooler temperatures, it can take 2 to 5 months to kill sealed-up bugs.
- Put bags containing bedbugs in the freezer at 0°F (-17.78°C). Use a thermometer to check the temperature. Leave them in there for at least 4 days.
Once you’ve cleaned all visible bedbugs, make the area inhospitable for the rest of them. Place bedbug-proof covers over your mattress and box spring. Zip these covers up all the way. Bugs that are trapped inside will die, and new bugs will not be able to get in.
If these methods do not wipe out all the bugs, you may need to try an insecticide.
List Of How To Treat A Bed Bug Infestation
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