What You Need to Do When Exterminating Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are parasitic insects of the cimicid family that feed exclusively on blood. Bed bugs can be tricky to defeat, it isn’t quite as impossible as some people would lead you to believe.

Effective bed bugs extermination methods are not limited to fumigation and throwing out all of your furniture, clothing, or ripping up the carpet. Bed bugs extermination is a two-step application process that focuses on the live bugs present and any future bugs.

 

Here are some dos and don’ts for bed bug extermination:

Do’s

• Call the pest control extermination professional and invest the money. It is true that it can take several treatments before fully eradicating an infestation, but their methods are thorough and more effective than what you can do at home.

• Even though DIY treatments won’t work in the long run, it is important to dry clean linens and give your wardrobe a thorough hot wash and dry. Try to isolate the infestation to one room if possible, and store your clothes someplace else in the interim.

• Keep up with bed bug extermination treatments over a period of time. Eggs hatch in cycles, so while you may think they are gone, another batch can suddenly appear. You’ll need to keep a sharp eye out for a couple of years to ensure the problem doesn’t reoccur.

Don’ts

• Using space heaters or allowing cold air in through the windows is not going to be powerful enough to kill even a few of the pests.

• Don’t avoid chemicals if all other removal methods have failed. It doesn’t have to be your first line of defense, but it’s better to try it than risk spreading the pests to other homes or people.
• When traveling don’t use the linens offered by a hotel or guesthouse, but rather bring your own instead. Check the mattresses and any furniture for signs of the pests. If you do see visible signs, alert staff and ask if you can switch to a different rooms.