How to Deal With a Bed Bug Problem

As anyone who has had a bed bug infestation knows, they are extremely hard to get rid of. The reason for this is that they lay eggs so quickly and they are very good at hiding and escaping notice. Since they are so hard to get rid of, you may have to go through a multi-step process to rid your home of these insidious pests. But first thin is first, you need to know what the bed bugs signs are first so that you can determine if this is the problem you are dealing with.

If you think you have bed bugs then you have probably noticed bites when you wake up in the morning. The fact that the bites show up overnight is one clue that the problem is bed bugs, but there is one other thing that might make your case even stronger. Bed bug bites look a lot like mosquito bites because they are small raised red bumps. However, bed bugs tend to bite multiple times on each visit so you will find the bites in small clusters or lines. If your bites look like this, then you probably have bed bugs. Nevertheless, it is possible to discover a bed bug problem before you notice any bites.

The other clue that you may have bed bugs is their excrement. When you change your sheets each week do a quick inspection to look for small black dots along any seam or crack. The edges of your mattress, along base boards, and at the bottom of the legs of your furniture are all good spots to look for the excrement. It is very rare to actually see a bed bug so you need to look for what they leave behind when they go into hiding.

Now that you are sure you have bed bugs, your next step should be to call a professional pest services company. Only exterminators have the expertise, chemicals, and equipment necessary to successfully eliminate bed bugs from your home. Before the cleaning pro comes to your home their are a few things you can do to help matters. First, remove all fabrics including bedding and clothing and launder them in very hot water. The high temperatures will kill the bugs and their eggs. Next, remove all the drawers from nightstands and dressers and vacuum everything out extensively. Then put all the drawers in plastic and store them that way for a few days. The bugs will suffocate in the plastic.

There are two methods of getting rid of bed bugs that professional pest services use. The first is chemical treatments. The exterminator will spray a chemical around the infected rooms and do a thorough investigation to make sure there are not signs of bed bugs elsewhere in the home. These chemicals treatments may have to be repeated several times over the coming weeks and months until the pest service technician sees no signs of bed bugs. The second method is to use heat. The infected room is sealed tight and then the temperature is raised with heaters until it is hot enough in the room to kill the bugs and their eggs.

Some homeowners get so upset about bed bugs that they throw out all their bedding, mattresses, and maybe even clothing. This is not necessary. With the proper attention to your be bug problem, it is not necessary to go to these lengths. Generally the bed bugs can be killed by washing things and making sure that you do not put them back in the same place until all bed bugs are gone.