Bed bugs are insects that are feeding on the blood of both people and animals. While they do that, they don’t cause any disease, they are just a pain to deal with. On top of that, they are highly contagious like lice and feels. They are very small, flat and brownish red colour and they can live months without feeding. Bedbugs are only five millimeters long, which is the size of a pencil eraser. These bugs are intelligent and hardy, and they reproduce swiftly. Bedbugs know where to hide to escape discovery and can go months without eating. In her lifespan, a female can produce half a thousand eggs. It’s no surprise that these little bloodsuckers can wreak havoc in your house. They may create red, painful blisters all over your skin if they come into bed with you.
Main Symptoms
When you have bed bugs you will have clean physical symptoms. But there are quite a few people that won’t reach them, therefore won’t notice that they have them. Others will have an allergic reason that can require medical attention. But most people will notice red dots that are very itchy.
Step 1: Identify Infested Areas
Because bed bugs multiply very fast, you have to ensure that you are finding them before they start reproducing. The most common places bed bugs hide are the seams of your mattress and the box spring. You should also check the cracks between the frame and the headboard. You will want to use the same tactics on all of your furniture. After you have inspected the furniture make sure that you are looking at any checks on the floors as they like to hide there too. The best way to do this is to use a flashlight and search for any rust-coloured droppings, live bugs or small eggs that are pale yellow. If you find any signs of them, make sure that you are checking your nightstands as well as closets.
Step 2: Contain Them
If you find them and you are sure that it is a bed bug infestation. You have to ensure that you are doing everything in your power to try to contain them. The best thing that you can do is vacuum them up. Start by vacuuming the mattress, inside of your dressers, carpets as well as any scenes in the furniture. Once you are done vacuuming make sure that you are renting out the canister into a plastic bag and throw it out outside in the bins. If you think that your clothes are infested, make sure that you are putting them in the dryer. Containing them is one of the most important pest control tips out there.
Step 3: Kill The Bed Bugs
Once you have tried to contain them, make sure that you are killing them. There are two ways you can go about this, you can take a natural route or the conventional way.
Natural Home Remedies
1. Get rid of bed bugs naturally with heat or cold
What a lot of people don’t realise is that bed bugs are very sensitive to temperatures. One of the simplest and most natural ways you can ensure there are no bed bugs in your house is to soak everything in boiling hot water for at least 30 minutes. Once they have sat in the hot water long enough, make sure that you are putting them in the dryer and doing the same. Your alternative is to put everything in the freezer as they will die in temperatures below 0 Fahrenheit. But that way you will have to ensure that it is in the freezer for at least four days to ensure they are all dead.
2. Use steam
Since you can’t wash a mattress, the best thing that you can do is steam it. You want to speak of your couches, mattress as well as any bigger furniture. This is a very safe and effective way of killing bed bugs as well as a great preventative treatment. The only downside to this is that some materials can be damaged by steam.
3. Cover mattresses
One of the best things that you can do, even if you don’t have bed bug cruelty, is get bed bug-proof covers and place them around and, on your mattress, and box spring. When you zip them up there is no way a bug can get into them and it will kill any that get trapped inside. It is non-toxic, adorable and a very simple way of getting rid of them.
Conventional Bed Bug Treatments
1. Use an insecticide
One of the most popular ways you can get rid of them is by yang insecticides. This is the best way as they are less toxic to pets and people than others and they are fast-acting. As they are so small, you will need a very low dose to kill them. But sometimes bed bugs will be resistant to chemicals like this, so you might need more tyres which is one of the downsides of using them.
2. Use a desiccant
Desiccants are substances that specifically kill bugs by eliminating their protective coating. It works by taking out their coating which will cause the bugs to dry out and die. The most popular options are silica aerogels and diatomaceous earth. Online insecticides and bugs can’t repel disincentives which is why they work so well. Why people don’t like using them is because they can get quite messy and require a constant application.
3. Have a professional deploy a bug bomb
If you are over it and you want a quick solution, your best option is to deploy a bug bomb. For this you will need to ensure that you are not at home for at least a day as well as that it is done by a professional. Most professional pest control in Cairns and other places will offer these services if you have a full-on infestation as it is the best and fastest way to get rid of them.
Step 4: Closely Monitor The Affected Areas
The best thing that you can do aside from hiring professionals is to monitor the affected areas to ensure that there are no bugs coming back. Bugs can come back after a month of treatment. To ensure that they are not going back and causing an investigation, make sure that you are checking the infested areas at least once a week. If you notice any changes make sure that you are contacting the professionals again to revisit the issue.
Something that is important to know is that bed bugs are something that a lot of people struggle with. Getting them doesn’t mean that you are living in a flirty home or you have bad hygiene, it can happen to everyone. Another thing that is important to know is that there are a lot of people who are allergic to bed bugs so make sure that if you notice any bites, you are ready to get medical attention if needed.
Conclusion
Infestations of bed insects can be quite irritating. Although they do not spread disease, they can leave you covered in itchy red bites. However, you may help prevent the spread of bed bugs by regularly examining your room for signs of bed bugs, checking your luggage and clothing while traveling, and keeping your room clean of piles of stuff where they can hide.