Ensure it is bedbugs and not other crawling insects
The first step is for you to look at pictures of bed bugs to compare if what is in your home or office is similar. Other insects like ticks or fleas are often mistaken for bed bugs.
Don’t panic
Eliminating bed bugs can be a difficult task, but that doesn’t mean it is not possible. Don’t panic and start throwing away all your infested items, because the truth is they can be salvaged and treated. Throwing away your stuff carelessly may also endanger other people’s property and home
Go through the various treatment options available
Do thorough research and see which treatment method best fits your current bed bugs problem. Don’t just reach for a spray can immediately, try other options first, like the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) method that reduces the share number of bed bugs in your property and also limits your use of pesticides. If you must use pesticides, read the label directives. You can also hire a seasoned professional before you use the pesticides.
Clean up any clutter
Clean up any clutters you may have in your home as they give bed bugs a great hiding and breeding spots. If you spot bedbugs in your mattress, you can utilise special encasements to cover your mattress and box springs thereby making it difficult for bed bugs to disturb your much-needed sleep. You can leave the encasements for up to a year. Ensure you buy a reputable, durable and reliable product that can serve you for up to twelve months without wearing out.
Thoroughly wash and dry heat your clothing on a regular basis.
Bed sheets, bedspreads, blankets and any other clothing material, especially those that are in contact with the floor, often serve as a place for bed bugs to nest and rest. Ensure you clean them thoroughly on a regular basis.
The DIY freezing method may not be reliable for bed bug treatment and control
Although it is known that freezing has a way of killing bed bugs, the temperature has to be very long for a long duration of time. Ensure you use a thermometer to check for the right temperature and don’t just rely on home freezers alone. Placing personal belongings and items in freezing temperatures can in a way kill bedbugs, but the efficiency of this method is dependent on several factors.
Be careful when you use heat to kill bed bugs
Using heaters or thermostats to increase the temperature of the house may not eradicate the bed bugs as you would want to. Some specialized equipment, capable of generating extremely high temperatures are needed to carry out a successful heat treatment. Using a black plastic bag place in direct sunlight may kill bedbugs in personal items like luggage. When the temperature exceeds 113oF (45oC) Bed bugs usually die. To ensure that you kill bedbugs with extreme heat, the container or the room must exceed the temperature above for a sustained period so that the heat can reach any bed bug irrespective of their hiding place.
Don’t give the bed bugs to other people.
Bed bugs are one of the most prolific hitchhikers in the world. If for example, you want to throw out an invested furniture or mattress, try and disfigure it in such a way that nobody will take it and suffer from a bedbug infestation.
Eliminate the bedbugs to reduce the bites.
With the aid of vacuuming, you can easily terminate some of the bedbugs plaguing your property. Thoroughly vacuum bed frames, furniture, closets, around the bed, behind picture frames, cracks and crevices and the entire room. Discard the material of the vacuum in a sealed plastic bag so bedbugs cannot escape.
Call professionals if you can’t handle the situation
If you want an experienced set of hands to help with your bedbug’s problem, you can rely on seasoned pest control professionals. They increase your chances of making your home or property free of bugs. Ensure you do a background check on the company and insist they use the IPM approach when working. With the right professionals, you can be assured of a reliable and effective treatment method