Dealing with bed bugs is an exasperating experience. It disrupts the comfort and peace of the home and makes people feel restless especially during bedtime. Bed bugs are nuisances that are not easy to get rid of for they move very discreetly and breed fast. With their minute size, they can easily hide themselves in tiny cracks or spaces surrounding the bed so they can have quick and easy access to their host at night. Like little vampires, they depend on human blood to survive and sneak their attack typically during people’s sleeping hours.
Spotting bed bugs early on is less likely and only when the infestation has become overblown that people begin to sense their presence. If you have bed bugs, you may notice initial signs like tiny red bite marks that are usually too itchy to bear. Although being bitten by bed bugs is often not considered serious because these ectoparasites do not carry viruses, their bites are enough to give people anxiety and discomfort.
Eliminating these pesky critters as soon as possible is therefore necessary but also quite challenging. Some people use natural home remedies and DIY bed bug removal methods while others get the help of professional bed bug exterminators.
Ways to Effectively Eliminate Bed Bugs
The common methods you can apply to keep bed bugs at bay include the following:
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Clean up and remove bed bug haven.
If you wish to get rid of bed bugs for good, you need to remove their potential hiding spots such as clutter. Bed bugs may take refuge in items like empty boxes, old magazines, and other unused objects. Do away with clutter and make your home less attractive to bed bugs. You must also check and clean your beddings, linens, wardrobe, book shelves, and spaces that bed bugs typically dwell in. A very effective method to clean up and remove bed bugs is vacuum cleaning especially on a regular basis. As you do so, focus vacuuming on crevices or gaps and dark zones including your mattresses, carpets, walls, and floors. To ensure the pests do not escape from the vacuum bag, dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag immediately. Place it inside a plastic trash bag and throw it out into a garbage bin far away from your home or property.
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Expose the bugs to extreme temperatures.
Bed bugs are not built to last in either an extremely hot or extremely cold environment. Hence, to exterminate bed bugs living in your belongings, you can wash the items in hot water or place them in the freezer. When washing items like clothes, beddings, and linens, use hot water. After washing, use the dryer to dry the items. This method will surely kill bed bug including their larvae. Other items infested by bed bugs may also be treated using the cold technique, wherein they are placed in the freezer for at least 24 hours.
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Apply diatomaceous earth.
Diatomaceous earth is a chemical-free powdery substance that effectively dehydrates and kills bed bug. You simply have to sprinkle DE on areas such as cracks or holes, drawers, headboards, bookshelves, carpet, and other zones that serve as potential hideouts for bed bug. DE consists of tiny shards that can tear apart the bugs’ fragile bodies. When using DE, just make sure to avoid inhaling the substance as it may be harmful to the lungs.
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Use appropriate bed bug treatment.
Besides home remedies, other bed bug removal options include heat treatment and chemical treatment. However, using these procedures require expertise and only bed bug professionals are licensed to conduct the methods. Heat treatment involves heating the infected zone using specialized heaters and maintaining a room temperature of not lower than 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Chemical treatment, on the other hand, entails application of pesticides containing pyrethrins and pyrethroids.
The bottom-line is that whatever treatment methods you use, make sure you secure advice from a pest control expert. Also, you have to get your home or property thoroughly assessed by pest control professionals so you have an exact diagnosis of the problem. Most of all, you need to learn about the signs of bed bug infestation so you can help detect the problem and take action immediately.