So you have just moved into your new clean apartment equipped with sleek modern facilities, yet you can't seem to fathom the puzzling fact that there are bed bugs in your home. Seriously, you could sleep on a plush king-sized bed in a beachside villa, and the bed bugs would still find you. If you find them in your Charlotte, NC home, call your local exterminator to control the problem.
Bed Bug Extermination
Bed bug infestations are not a reflection of bad housekeeping or poor hygiene. These creatures are adept hitchhikers; they are spread through humans and human belongings like clothing, bedding, furniture, and suitcases. Hotel rooms, airplanes, trains, buses, and even your fuzzy little pet could harbor these bugs. Ultimately, their preferred source of nutrition is humans, and they will eventually find their way to bed.
Bed bugs got their name from the fact that they are usually found near beds. Though bed bugs are not innately nocturnal creatures, humans are most stationary in bed at night. Hence at night time, the bugs find their warm-blooded victims through generated body heat and exhaled carbon dioxide where they pierce the skin and suck blood. After their blood-sucking spree, which could go on for about 3 – 10 minutes, they retreat to their hideouts and can remain there for days before resurfacing.
Even though bed bugs are not recognized as a major threat to human health, they are quite unpleasant to live with and can cause a major downgrade in the quality of sleep. Thanks to their evolutionary survival skills, it is extremely difficult to completely exterminate bed bugs in the home. Even the presence of one fertile female bug in a bug-friendly environment is an infestation waiting to happen.
These insects can lay about 500 eggs in the course of their lifetime at a rate of 2-3 eggs a day. To further complicate matters, bed bugs grow very fast, attaining maturity in about 35 days, and can go on to live for another 7-12 months. If there is any chance of a bed bug extermination, early detection is very critical.
Warning signs of a bedbug infestation include:
- Blood stains on your bedding and nightwear.
- Fecal stains/bed bug excrement on bedding.
- Bed bug bite marks on the skin.
Whether it is a full-blown infestation or you just want to take precautionary measures against the bloodsucking parasites, here is a concise review of the most effective control measures to use when tackling a bedbug infestation.
1. De-clutter
Bedrooms are the optimal location for bed bugs. However, an infestation can spread to other rooms in the house. De-clutter all rooms, move out furniture, dismantle the bed, and remove personal items. Beyond cluttering, vacuum, scrub, and clean out the house. A good job will leave a more spacious and cleaner environment bound to expose their hideouts.
2. Launder
Though not practical, it is ideal to launder every item that can be laundered not just the infested ones. Bedding, clothing, stuffed toys, etc. should be properly washed and dried both at the maximum temperature the fabrics can withstand. Bed bugs hidden in these items will not make it out alive.
3. Steam
For materials that cannot be laundered, steaming is an effective alternative. It is essential to use a steamer specific for bug treatment as a regular carpet or fabric steamer will not do the job. At a temperature as high as 180°F, steam can kill bed bugs at any stage of its life cycle including those hiding out in cracks and crevices. Nevertheless, it is recommended to use infrared thermometers to monitor the temperature of treated areas.
4. Freeze
Simply freezing infested items is enough to kill the bed bugs present. The temperature must be lower than 0°C, and it is safer to leave it there for some days to be completely guaranteed that the bugs are killed.
5. Dry Heat Treatment
This is the only treatment method on this list that isn't "Do It Yourself." Unless you are a licensed pest management Professional, do not attempt to conduct this treatment by yourself.
6. Chemical Treatment
A thorough insecticide/pesticide treatment will see a bedbug extermination in no time. However, you must seek the help of a pest management agency if you hope to get the best results. A professional is better equipped with the knowledge of the best insecticide to use in any case and will give you the guidelines on preparing the home for insecticide treatment.
Bed bug extermination is a very challenging and time-consuming process, and there's no assurance that the bed bugs won't find their way back to your home after a while. Regardless, efficient application of these control measures will always guarantee you a bed bug-free home, and your beauty sleep at night.