Fighting Bed Bugs

Once you know that you have in infestation of bedbugs the next step is pretty obvious.  Whether you find actual live bugs or suffer from their obnoxious and painful bites.  You want to take steps to kill them.

When fighting bed bugs you need a plan.   The better thought out that plan is the better it is going to work.  Fighting Bed Bugs

First you need to figure out, if you can, where the bugs are getting into your home.  You need to block the way they are using to access your home.

These bugs may have crawled into your home from a neighbor’s.  Or maybe come in attached to a box, furniture or even clinging to a piece of cloth.  They are able to crawl into your home through the smallest holes in pipes and electrical outlets.

If you can find out how they got in your home it helps you to block and treat that entry so it can’t be used again.

If you hear about bedbugs in your building you can do preventative treatments.  You want to keep them out of your apartment or condo.  But once they get into your home it becomes a much larger issue.   You have to figure out how to get rid of them.  Should You Use An Exterminator

Don’t Be Embarrassed

Finding out that you have bed bugs in your home can be a pretty awful feeling.  It makes you feel helpless. 

It will seem like finding them is something that you should be embarrassed about.   But nothing is further from the truth.

Bed bugs are finding their way into more homes than ever.  You should know that there are things that you can do about it.  Even though you might think finding bed bugs means your home is dirty, that’s not true. 

The fact is that these bugs don’t care how clean or dirty your home is.  They are just looking to suck some blood out of anyone they can find.  So there is nothing to be embarrassed about.

These bugs can crawl through minute cracks in walls.  Or they hitchhike into your home by crawling into boxes or suitcases.  There have been reports of the bugs turning up in public places like taxis, restaurants, theatres, libraries and dorm rooms.

You should remember is that for every bug you find there are probably several dozens more.  They are hiding in your mattress and around your bed.  These bugs are experts at hiding.  Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs In Your Mattress

If you live in an apartment or condo where they provide exterminators you should immediately use them.  But even if there isn’t an exterminator available there is a whole lot that you can do yourself.

What To Do If You Get A Bed Bug Infestation

You can, if you want, hire your own exterminator to come into your home to treat for the bugs.  But if you do, just make sure that they know what they are doing.  Many exterminators don’t have the experience at killing bedbugs.  So you need to make sure that anyone you hire or rely on has the proper experience and tools. Finding An Exterminator

Or you can decide to exterminate the bugs yourself.  In either case there are things that you should do to make any treatment efforts more successful.  Hiring An Exterminator

Using an exterminator can be pretty expensive.  Unless you live  where one is going to be provided you may decide to try and kill bed bugs yourself.

Many of the things that I describe below would also make having an exterminator more successful.  Whether you choose to do the work yourself or not.

The best way for  fighting bed bugs is to have a plan that you follow to get rid of them.  You need to do certain things in specific order to get rid of them and stop the nasty bug.

Here Are The Steps To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs

The steps that you take are pretty basic.  Regardless of whether you use an exterminator or decide to do the treatment yourself.  Here is an outline of the steps that you should take.

 

First: 

As silly as it may sound, the first thing that you should do is to make sure that the pest that is bothering you is actually a bedbug.  The bites from these pests are similar to many other bugs.  So before you start you need to identify the bug and make sure that you are treating the right one.

This is especially important since the methods and materials used for treatment is different from other insects.

To find out what type of bug you are dealing with try to find one.  Generally these bugs will hide on the mattress in your bed along the seams.  Handling Bed Bugs In Your Mattress

Have a bright flashlight handy to help you see better and pull back the sheets to check for the bugs.  They are really fast so you might not be able to catch one.

But if you see the bugs, discarded shells, small blood smears or small dots that are fecal droppings you probably have bed bugs.

Check Here For Bed Bug Pictures

Don’t freak out and toss your mattress.  Later we discuss how you can use a mattress cover.  This will trap the bugs inside till they die and give you instant relief.

Second: 

The second step that you should think about is decluttering your home.  Focus on the areas around your bed or other places where you might sleep like a sofa or a recliner.  

According to recent studies more than 90% of the time these bugs are found  in the areas around your bed..  This is where they need to go to feed.

De-cluttering doesn’t imply that you need to scrub your home clean and spotless.  Like I said above the bedbug doesn’t care whether your home is clean or dirty.  

It’s just easier to treat your home if the area, at least around your bed, is de-cluttered.  Because the bugs will then have fewer places to hide to avoid treatments that kill them.

Third: 

I always suggest that the third step that you take involves bedbug proofing your bed.  Think of it as building a moat around your bed that the bugs can’t cross.  I always think that this is a good idea for two reasons.

The first reason is the infestation of bugs is going to be found mainly around your bed.  You should enclose your mattress, box springs and pillows in  bed bug Mattress Encasements .  This will trap the bugs inside where they won’t be able to bite you any longer.  This gives you instant relief.

Just make sure that any enclosure you get specifically says it is bedbug proof.  There are a variety of sizes for every type of mattress and pillow.  Also get one for your box springs if you use one.  These Mattress Enclosures make sure that your mattress and box springs are tightly sealed keeping new bugs from infesting them and the bugs that are already inside your mattress trapped.

This step keeps the bugs trapped inside till they die.  These mattresses enclosures are basically big bags that are designed to seal the mattress.  If you happen to rip the cover  getting it on your mattress you can just use duct tape to reseal it.

Then you clean and treat the bed frame itself.  Finally you put Climbup Insect Interceptors on the feet of your bed frame to keep the bugs from crawling up onto your new bed bug free zone.

After you have cleaned and treated your bed is make sure you keep any of your blankets from falling to the floor creating a ladder for the bugs and you’ve got a bed bug free zone where you can get some rest without worrying about getting fed upon.

Fourth: 

Now you have time to treat your entire home or at least anywhere that you find bedbugs.

Be careful to avoid doing just spot treatments because this type of treatment will just drive the bugs from one area of your home to another.   Make sure to treat all the areas where you have found the bugs.  Include any areas where you suspect that they may be coming into your home.

There are different types of Powders and Sprays to use for these treatments.  

There are contact killers that will kill on contact.  And sprays that will leave a residue that lasts for days to kill any bugs that crawl over it.

One product that is a favorite of mine because it is safe for both people and pets is diatomaceous earth.  While bedbugs may crawl around some of the other chemicals they tend to crawl through DE.

Diatomaceous Earth is great, it’s made of crushed shells.  It works by ripping holes in the abdomen of the bed bugs which dries them out and eventually kills them without using any chemicals.  

It also will last as long as there is some on the areas that you have treated unlike some other products that will dissipate over time.

Fifth:

This last step is one of the most important things that you should remember.

The fact is that most treatments that you can do yourself usually don’t kill the BedBugs eggs.   So make sure that you retreat in about 10 days to kill everything that has hatched.

You should retreat a couple times to make sure that you get all the bugs that are hatching.  But this is the only way to make sure that you kill all the bed bugs.

Although fighting bed bugs might be a whole lot easier using a professional that has experience with killing bed bugs.  An experienced person will know what chemicals to use and where to treat.

Or you can treat your home yourself and save the cost and hassle of having a stranger in your home.

When To Start Treatments

I also get asked a lot about when the best time is to treat your home if you think that you have an infestation  This answer is easy – as soon as you notice any signs that there are bedbugs in your home.

You might be able to find many of the products that you need locally.  But the best one stop shop is going to be on-line at the links that I have given throughout this article.

They have great products, quick delivery, and everything that you are going to need to treat the problem yourself and be successful at it!

The sooner the better because an infestation will only grow larger given more time to lay and hatch eggs.

It’s also harder to treat and kill a larger infestation than a smaller one so definitely – start treating as soon as you can.

Conclusion To Fighting Bed Bugs

Fighting bed bugs isn’t easy no matter how you decide to approach the problem.  

These bugs are able to hide in the smallest cracks and along the edges of your carpet.  You’ll find them in the seams and minute rips of your mattresses.  Even behind pictures hanging on your walls.

They will crawl or be carried into your home from far distances, in suitcases, or by coming from a neighbor’s home.

They have been around for years.  But they continue to evolve and become more resistant to the chemicals that are used to try and kill them.

They can resist temperature fluctuations and go for long periods without eating.  Just waiting for a new meal to come along and start an infestation again.

Because it is so expensive to totally kill them many apartment managers prefer instead to try and control them.  This just keeps them from infesting new apartments.  

But any new resident that moves in can easily start an infestation all over again. All they need do is bring in a box or some piece of furniture that is infested.

Fighting bed bugs is a tough job but with a good plan you can get rid of them and keep them out of your life.