How To Avoid Bed Bugs And Get Rid Of Them
Bed bugs can end up being a huge problem and you need to always be sure that you do all that you can to avoid them since getting rid of these pests is not as easy as you may think at first glance. Since you most likely already know what bed bugs are, let’s tell you how you can avoid these critters and how to get rid of the pests in the event you have an infestation.
Avoiding Bed Bugs
Not much is known about how bed bugs end up in a home but we do know that the pests can get into luggage or right on your body as you travel. With this in mind, using common sense helps out a lot in order to avoid bed bugs infestation.
For starters, do not pick up any furnishing that you find in the streets. When you travel, you have to inspect the hotel’s mattress, headboards and box springs because the insects can survive a really long time without actually feeding. You can pull down sheets and the fitted sheet. Look for small, black spots that are bed bug droppings or for the insects. If you do not see them, you can most likely stay at the hotel.
You need to realize the fact that dirt has no real connection with bed bugs. There is this misconception that bed bugs mean that the home is not clean. This is incorrect. You can get bed bugs in really expensive homes or in cheap homes. What you need to understand is that avoiding bed bugs is quite difficult. These insects are practically hitchhikers and you can have them around without realizing why they are there. One pregnant female bed bug can easily lead to a huge infestation.
How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs
If you notice that you have bed bugs at home, controlling them is easier when using a special mattress cover and when you get rid of clutter. You have to basically gather the items that may carry bed bugs and then put them in a plastic bag until you can launder everything.
Traps can be placed on bed legs. The bed bugs need to basically crawl up bed legs in order to reach bodies. In a pest control store you can buy these traps. They are really cheap and easy to install.
The bad news is that you cannot really completely eradicate the infestation alone. In most cases you will need to hire professionals. This is due to the fact that exterminators are well-trained and know everything about eliminating infestations while also preventing re-exposure.
The exterminators basically use different methods, based on infestation levels. Different chemicals are used since bed bugs can be resistant to some of them. You can use freezing cold or steam in order to destroy some of the bed bugs while using an industrial strength heater can warm the home for many hours, killing bed bugs, eggs and larvae. Some of the exterminators also use sniffer dogs that are especially trained to discover where bugs hide.
