Bed bugs are mainly active during the night and bite people as they sleep. They pierce the skin to enable them to feed and withdraw blood. Feeding usually takes a few minutes before they crawl away without being noticed.
Bed bugs are usually not painless when they first occur but they transform into itchy swellings. Bed bug bites appear on different areas of exposed skin. People often realize they have bed bug infestations when they notice the swellings or welts and itching.
Identify Bed Bugs
The first step in avoiding bed bugs and their bites is to distinguish between the presence of bed bugs and other types of insects or pests. Eliminating bed bugs initially appears to be a daunting task, but the good news is that it is possible.
You do not have to get rid of all your items because you will be able to treat many of them. If you do not handle or dispose of your infested belongings properly, you may end up spreading the infestation and causing more distress.
Choose a Treatment Option
Consider the different treatment options available. There are various techniques worth considering apart from chemicals that limit any harmful contact with sprays or pesticides. If you have to use chemicals, make sure you follow all the instructions that are provided or get in touch with professionals for assistance.
Get Rid of Clutter and Keep Items Clean
Cluttered homes provide an ideal hiding place for bed bugs. Clutter also makes it much more difficult to find and treat bed bugs. Wash and dry your linen at high temperatures as regularly as you can. You should also clean items that have had contact with the floor. This will help to significantly reduce the bed bugs. Bed bugs can also hide within your laundry containers and these should be cleaned thoroughly.
Use Heat Carefully
- Using heat to kill bed bugs continues to be a popular solution and it should always be undertaken carefully. Special types of equipment are usually required to raise indoor temperatures because high temperatures are vital for successfully killing the bugs with heat.
- Hot boxes and bags can be heated and used to kill bed bugs that have infested small items such as bags. The bed bugs will die if the items in the bag become heated enough.
- Bed bugs are unable to survive at a certain body temperature. Killing bed bugs through heat treatment will require an even higher temperature. This is within the container or room to make sure that the heat reaches all the bed bugs wherever they hide.
Prevent Further Infestations
- Bed bugs move with ease through people’s belongings. If you have any infested items, make sure you destroy them to prevent the spread of bed bugs to other people.
- Vacuuming thoroughly can help you eliminate a significant number of bed bugs and reduce bites.
- Vacuum carefully around common bed bug hiding areas and change the vacuum bags to prevent them from escaping. Used bags should be tied up firmly and thrown away.
Hire Professionals
Hiring pest control specialists increases the possibility of successfully eradicating bed bugs. If you want to hire a professional for the job, ensure that they are credible and have adequate experience in this field of work.
