You don’t want the bed bugs to bite anymore, but you’re not sure how to get rid of them permanently. The removal of annoying bed bugs can be likened to the removal of head lice, in the sense that both tasks require thorough treatment. Read on for tips on how to ensure your bed is bug free!
Call in the pros
Once you suspect that you have bed bugs, it’s best to call a professional pest control service. The professionals are able to determine for certain whether you have an invasion and they can follow with a safe pesticide to use. If you are keen on eliminating bed bugs yourself, you should use an appropriate pesticide that is least toxic to use in your home.
Isolate the area
The first thing you should do is isolate the affected area to ensure that bed bugs don’t spread in the rest of your home. Steam-clean all affected mattresses and pillows.
Wash mattress pads and affected sheets in hot water and dry them on high settings. Vacuum all infected areas, including the mattress, and discard the contents immediately. It is also a good idea to cover the legs of affected beds with double-sided carpet tape or coat them with petroleum jelly to trap bed bugs.
Starve them out
Enclose all pillows and mattresses in plastic casing to trap and starve bed bugs. In extreme cases where there are holes in the bed or mattress, you should replace your bed, since potential bed bug eggs are not easily reachable.
Inspect your furniture
Be sure to carefully inspect all furniture, electrical outlets, carpets, televisions and basically any items that are near the bed bug infestation. If you have items that you cannot wash, it’s best to heat them (at temperatures over 50°C) or freeze them.
Seal the cracks
Ensure all cracks on walls, bed frames and baseboards are sealed with caulking. Tighten loose light switchboards and replace or remove any peeling wallpaper. Also, seal openings where wires or pipes enter your home. This will ensure that there are no hideaways for bed bugs and no way for them to enter.
Even after you treat the bed bug infestation, you may see them linger around for 10 more days. If they still appear after two weeks, your best bet to get rid of bed bugs for good is to get a professional to eradicate them.
Good luck and, remember, don’t let the bed bugs bite!
Big city bugs
With bedbug reports up 47 per cent this year, big cities such as New York City has been scrambling to get the epidemic under control. Getting rid of the bugs can take weeks and cost several thousand dollars. Mary Plummer and Bradley Gallo report on the city’s newest solution
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