Understanding Bed Bugs And How To Kill Them
A bedbug is an insect that is small, brownish, and oval living on the blood of humans and other pests. The adult has a flat body amounting to the size of an apple seed, which swells after they indulge in a feeding. They cannot fly but scatter rapidly across floors, ceilings, or walls. The female has the ability to lay eggs in the hundreds within her lifetime, which resembles that of a speck of dust. The sheer volume of reproduction, tiny size, ability to hide, and immunity to pesticides makes their eradication nearly impossible.
For the most part, the best way to rid a home of bed bugs is through professional extermination. In most instances, a pest expert will use a combination of a steam cleaner for bed bugs using deep heat along with chemical treatments. For any clothing or bed linens that have been exposed to infestation, they should be put into a hot dryer for at least 20 minutes in an effort to kill the bugs. That’s just the beginning.
The Process Of Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs
A Journal of Medical Entomology study indicated that bed bugs have favorite colors they’re drawn to, which are black and dark red. They’re not fond of green, white, or yellow. Your journey into repelling these little guys can start here. But if they already made their way into your home, you may have a tough road ahead of you. It’s essential to stay organized and follow a plan when trying to free your home of this persistent pest.
- It is critical to ensure that what you’re dealing with is, in fact, a bed bug and not another species such as a tick, flea, or another similar type. If you’re able to capture one of the critters, you can compare it to an image online or show it to a local trained exterminating agent.
- You must remain calm. Though the consensus is that it is challenging to eradicate this species of insect, it’s not impossible. There is no reason to toss all your things in the trash because most anything has the potential for treatment and the opportunity to be saved. Tossing things out is costly and poses a risk of spreading the threat to other people, which increases stress in the neighborhood but may bring the problem right back to you.
- Even though it is an emergent situation, take a breath and think through the options for treatment rather than taking hold of a spray can. IPM or Integrated Pest Management methods have the possibility of reducing the pest population while limiting contact with pesticides. If it’s found that pesticides are the only alternative, it’s essential to contact a professional exterminator to handle the process. For medical concerns relating to these pests follow https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/bedbugs-infestation#4-6
- If you have a lot of clutter around your house, this gives bed bugs multiple places to hide and makes finding them and treatment much more difficult. If there are bed bugs in the mattress, an encasement will make it more challenging for the bed bug to get to you while you sleep not only on the mattress but also on the box spring. It’s crucial to use an encasement that has been tested for bed bugs, and that has the capability of enduring for at least a year’s use without tearing. It needs to stay on for that length of time.
- Killing bed bugs with heat notes to be effective; however, when you raise the temperature in the home or use space heaters, it won’t work. It takes specialized equipment and extreme temperatures for successful heat treatments. The claim is that using black plastic bags put out in the sun has the potential to kill bed bugs for luggage or small items if the items reach a hot enough temperature. It takes a body temperature of 113 degrees Fahrenheit for a bed bug to die, and for them to die within the home, the room needs to be considerably otter to make sure that sustained heat gets to them wherever they are in the house.
No one wants to pass their infestation on to others. If you have a bed bug problem, don’t toss items with live bugs into the trash so that they can travel throughout the neighborhood. Make sure that you destroy the critters that you dispose of as opposed to sharing.