Getting rid of bed bugs can be a time-consuming process because of their resistance to chemicals and their ability to hide in hard-to-reach areas. In addition, you must kill all life stages of these pests, from egg to adult, or your relief will be only temporary. Here are steps and tools used to get rid of bed bugs and to prevent a re-infestation.
Doing an Inspection
Finding bed bugs’ hiding places helps guide extermination. Since the creatures feed off blood at night, sleeping areas are the first areas to inspect, but additional hiding places are often found elsewhere. Check the following:
- All furniture
- Behind switch plates
- Underneath loose wallpaper
- Drapery seams and hardware
- Baseboard crevices
- Window frames
- Carpet seams
You might not see live bugs, but signs of their presence are enough to indicate you have an infestation. These signs include small reddish-brown specks or spots on or beneath mattresses, in mattress or box spring seams, or in furniture cushions and seams, and tiny yellow or translucent bug skins.
Discarding Clutter
Bed bugs can infest any home or commercial building, but the more clutter you have, the more hiding places they find. This is why discarding clutter is an important step in handling infestations.
Bed bugs often inhabit paper bags, cardboard boxes, and other common paper or linen items, so you should discard all of these. Go through each room and seal the items in plastic bags before removal. Sealing helps prevent transferring bed bugs to other areas as you transport the clutter to outside garbage bins.
Using Heat
Temperatures over 113 degrees Fahrenheit will get rid of bed bugs in all stages, as long as they are exposed to this heat long enough. Clothes dryers and steam cleaners are two readily available pest-killing tools for home or business owners.
Our pest professionals sometimes use heat chambers that fit around furniture and other items. The concentrated high heat kills bed bugs hiding in places where steam-cleaning tools might not reach them. This method is safe and effective, and it is sometimes preferred over pesticides because few chemicals will kill the eggs.
Most clothes dryers reach at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit on the highest setting, which makes using a dryer a simple way to get rid of bed bugs on belongings like clothing and plush toys. Let items remain in a running dryer for at least 30 minutes.
Steam is another way to kill bugs on upholstered furniture, mattresses, box springs, and other materials. It requires patience and diligence and is painstaking work because the steam must make contact with all bugs and eggs. Hiring a pest management professional makes this job easier because a professional has the right equipment, knows where bedbugs hide, and understands the best way to use steam to eliminate them.
Using Chemical Treatments
Bed bugs are resistant to many chemicals, but pest professionals have access to pesticides that work. In severe infestations, a multistage approach of chemical treatments, steam treatments, and elimination of bug habitats is often needed.
Insecticides should be applied in all crevices and surfaces where the bugs like to congregate. Both dusts and sprays are available for this purpose.
Using Bug Interceptors
These are receptacles placed under furniture legs. Bed bugs use furniture legs as a highway for crawling into mattresses or upholstery. Interceptors will trap them, and you will be able to see if you still have a pest problem.
Bed bug infestations might feel like a nightmare, but we can help you sleep in peace again. Contact us at Bain Pest Control Services and let our technicians set your mind at ease.