How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs At Home for Good
The best way to get rid of bed bugs at home is by implementing a 2 step process.
The first step involves vacuuming religiously everything, the second treating and preventing.
Bed bugs are resilient parasites that can go on for months without feeding and resist cold temperatures, hence their adaptability and success.
Up to the 40's they were thought of being completely eradicated in the developed world, also thanks to the DDT that was used at the time to fight cockroaches and the introduction of vacuum cleaners soon after.
Unfortunately, there has been a dramatic come back of the pests in recent times as early as the mid 90's.
The pest increase is probably caused by different factors such as complacency in fighting the presumably exterminated insect over the last few decades, inadequate treatments but mostly an increase in global traveling.
Bed bugs are opportunistic parasites that typically hitch a ride in the luggage of unsuspecting travelers.
Once at destination they go on doing what they were already doing in their country of origin: feasting on their host blood, multiplying and invading new premises.
The bed bug life cycle is divided into 6 phases, 5 juvenile phases and 1 adult phase.
Adults are 5 to 6 millimeter long and find their way to their feeding ground sensing carbon monoxide and heat.
They never wander around too far from their host and are virtually invisible at day time, coming out in the night from their hiding places.
They hide in the mattress seams and tufts, in the hollows of the bed frame or behind the head rest, but they can go as far afield as chest of drawers, curtains, smoke detectors, cushions, sofas, skirting boards, wall and wall paper cracks and anywhere tiny enough to accommodate them.
Their oval and flat shape is specially suited for the job.
The first clue a victim has about their presence is the red bite marks they leave just about anywhere in the body.
Bites are not painful, but the skin rushes and possible allergic reactions may be distressing enough.
Another clue of their presence is the remains of their successive molts, tiny shells of exoskeletons scattered on bed seams or upholstery and their tiny droppings.
In order to get rid of bed bugs at home it is therefore imperative vacuum cleaning all the bed bug infested areas thoroughly, even personal items such as lap tops and teddy bears.
All personal items should be vacuumed and sealed in plastic bags to check out for missed bugs some time later.
The whole area should be vacuumed with particular attention to nooks and crevices.
All cracks should be sealed with acrylic or silicone and all furniture inspected inside out.
At the end of the vacuuming operation the dirt bag should be sealed in a plastic bag to stop potential escapees and immediately disposed of.
With the vacuum at rest it is time to pass onto phase 2.
Chemical treatments should be applied 3 times at 10 days intervals to make sure no survivors of the first treatment live on.
Bed bugs can fast for weeks and go on feasting on blood again later if not eliminated by a second or third treatment to make sure they are completely eradicated.
Unlike for fleas, foggers are ineffective because they would scatter the bugs around and make them even more difficult to control, while Pyrethroid, Malathion and Dichlorvos are effective to eliminate them from mattresses, sofas, cushions and upholstery, cabinets, chests of drawers, seams and tufts, However, some bed bug populations have developed a phenomenal resistance to these agents and there is growing concern as to how to find a more effective way to get rid of bed bugs.
IGR (insect growth regulator), the same agent used for cockroach infestations, is also effective.
Whenever traveling, always keep a vigilant eye on public transport seats, do not let the luggage on the floor in your hotel room, carry a pocket spray can for your luggage and sticky insect traps, inspect your bag once back at home and vacuum it.
The first step involves vacuuming religiously everything, the second treating and preventing.
Bed bugs are resilient parasites that can go on for months without feeding and resist cold temperatures, hence their adaptability and success.
Up to the 40's they were thought of being completely eradicated in the developed world, also thanks to the DDT that was used at the time to fight cockroaches and the introduction of vacuum cleaners soon after.
Unfortunately, there has been a dramatic come back of the pests in recent times as early as the mid 90's.
The pest increase is probably caused by different factors such as complacency in fighting the presumably exterminated insect over the last few decades, inadequate treatments but mostly an increase in global traveling.
Bed bugs are opportunistic parasites that typically hitch a ride in the luggage of unsuspecting travelers.
Once at destination they go on doing what they were already doing in their country of origin: feasting on their host blood, multiplying and invading new premises.
The bed bug life cycle is divided into 6 phases, 5 juvenile phases and 1 adult phase.
Adults are 5 to 6 millimeter long and find their way to their feeding ground sensing carbon monoxide and heat.
They never wander around too far from their host and are virtually invisible at day time, coming out in the night from their hiding places.
They hide in the mattress seams and tufts, in the hollows of the bed frame or behind the head rest, but they can go as far afield as chest of drawers, curtains, smoke detectors, cushions, sofas, skirting boards, wall and wall paper cracks and anywhere tiny enough to accommodate them.
Their oval and flat shape is specially suited for the job.
The first clue a victim has about their presence is the red bite marks they leave just about anywhere in the body.
Bites are not painful, but the skin rushes and possible allergic reactions may be distressing enough.
Another clue of their presence is the remains of their successive molts, tiny shells of exoskeletons scattered on bed seams or upholstery and their tiny droppings.
In order to get rid of bed bugs at home it is therefore imperative vacuum cleaning all the bed bug infested areas thoroughly, even personal items such as lap tops and teddy bears.
All personal items should be vacuumed and sealed in plastic bags to check out for missed bugs some time later.
The whole area should be vacuumed with particular attention to nooks and crevices.
All cracks should be sealed with acrylic or silicone and all furniture inspected inside out.
At the end of the vacuuming operation the dirt bag should be sealed in a plastic bag to stop potential escapees and immediately disposed of.
With the vacuum at rest it is time to pass onto phase 2.
Chemical treatments should be applied 3 times at 10 days intervals to make sure no survivors of the first treatment live on.
Bed bugs can fast for weeks and go on feasting on blood again later if not eliminated by a second or third treatment to make sure they are completely eradicated.
Unlike for fleas, foggers are ineffective because they would scatter the bugs around and make them even more difficult to control, while Pyrethroid, Malathion and Dichlorvos are effective to eliminate them from mattresses, sofas, cushions and upholstery, cabinets, chests of drawers, seams and tufts, However, some bed bug populations have developed a phenomenal resistance to these agents and there is growing concern as to how to find a more effective way to get rid of bed bugs.
IGR (insect growth regulator), the same agent used for cockroach infestations, is also effective.
Whenever traveling, always keep a vigilant eye on public transport seats, do not let the luggage on the floor in your hotel room, carry a pocket spray can for your luggage and sticky insect traps, inspect your bag once back at home and vacuum it.
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