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July 26, 2019 3 min read
Bed bugs are small insects that feed on humans and furry pets. Generally, they are attracted to body heat, CO2, and body smell. They are creatures of the night, and they usually carry out their feeding activities at night and rest during the day. They often hide in places that are cool and dark, which makes it challenging to find them.
You can protect yourself from bed bugs by learning about them, the signs of their presence and how they look. As soon as you know what to look for, you can utilize the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) method of approach to combat your bed bug infestation. IPM combines both chemical and non-chemical methods to achieve the best results. IPM is a cost-effective method that has little or no impact on human health and the environment at large.
Be conscious of where you sit, and keep your items
Wash your clothing, and beddings regularly with hot water
Thoroughly inspect and clean any secondhand furniture or objects before bringing them into your house.
Have a special section in your home where visitors can keep their personal belongings. Thoroughly clean this place after your visitors leave
Inspect bed, mattress, sofa, and furniture visually
Use interceptors on bed legs, and sofa legs and check them regularly for any sign of bed bugs. Clean the interceptors at regular intervals.
Install interceptors on bed legs and furniture legs
De clutter the house most especially the bedrooms
Keep all clothing and bedding from the floor
Do not allow the bed to come in contact with the wall
Install mattress and box spring encasement
Any infected item should be kept in isolation in a plastic bag
Vacuum the house regularly and adequately dispose of the vacuum bags.
Seal all cracks
Report any bed bug incident to your landlord or property manager.
The combination of Proactive inspection, Early detection, and swift response can help you limit your bed bug problem.
Properly dispose of any heavily infested object
Wash clothing and bed sheets with hot water on a regular basis.
Place infested objects in a freezer of a minimum of 4 days
Vacuum clean/steam clean infested furniture
Use heat chambers for non-washable objects
Other non-chemical methods include; containerized heat treatment and whole house heat treatment
Insect foggers’ are ineffective for bed bugs control
Standard insecticides only work when they are applied on bed bugs directly
Diatomaceous Earth dust is very useful for controlling bed bugs. Apply the dust to places where the bed bugs are located
Monitor the numbers of bed bugs regularly using step 2. If necessary, employ the treatment methods specified above.
They live in clusters
They cannot fly or jump, but they are excellent crawlers and hitchhikers
Adults have a reddish-brown coloration with a flat oval shape
Eggs are tiny and are often in groups
Nymphs start as translucent before becoming rusty red
They can survive without a blood meal for several months.
Fecal stains, blood stains, skin sheds, dark spots, dead bed bugs, and eggs are usually signs of bed bugs.
Victims of bed bugs bites usually have red bite marks, rashes, welts, and bumps on their skin. It should be noted that bite marks alone are not a clear indication of bed bug infestation
Capture a few of the bugs and show to a professional to identify if the bugs are really bed bugs.
Do not skip the above step as it is very crucial. You don’t want to end up treating for bed bugs when in fact you don’t have the infestation in the first place.
Finding and Recognizing Bed Bugs
Most common hiding places for bed bugs
Headboards and bed frames
Seams and piping of mattresses
Pillows, blankets and bed sheets
Seams and folds of sofas
Box springs
Least familiar hiding places for bed bugs
Cracks, under wood moldings, and crevices
Edges of wall-to-wall carpeting, and rugs
Behind picture frames
Under loose wallpapers
Inside electrical outlets or switch plates
The clutter of dirty laundry.
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