Residents can help to prevent infestations by monitoring daily and cleaning infested rooms. Residents should choose a pest control company that specializes in bed bug management and has licensed professional pesticide applicators. Contact Bed Bug Control Boise for professional help.
Over the counter total-release aerosol foggers have been shown to be ineffective for bed bugs and may also be harmful to residents. Registered pesticides, such as borates and diatomaceous earth, can be applied as dusts in cracks, crevices, and around furniture to provide long term control.
Bed bugs are a persistent pest, and it can take time to completely eradicate them. Infestations can be difficult to find, especially since these insects are so tolerant of heat and can survive for over 400 days without food. If home remedies and other preventative measures don’t work, it’s time to call in the professionals.
A professional can use a special heat treatment machine to raise the temperature in a room to levels that kill these bugs. This method is a relatively safe option, as the temperature used does not get hot enough to cause any damage to furniture or other materials in the room. However, this method can be expensive and can also take several hours to complete, making it inconvenient for a homeowner.
If you decide to go with this treatment, be sure to carefully follow all instructions for using the device. It’s important to move all furniture away from the walls and seal any cracks in order to maximize the effectiveness of this technique.
Other non-chemical methods for eliminating bed bugs include washing infested clothing and sheets in very hot water and drying them on the highest setting. These pests are also sensitive to sunlight and can be killed by placing infested items in a sunlit window for 30 minutes. Finally, some products such as Permethrin or diatomaceous earth can be used to treat the fabric of a mattress or other furniture item.
In addition to these steps, you can help prevent infestations by educating yourself about the biology of these insects and taking precautionary measures. This includes avoiding secondhand furniture, checking travel bags and clothes for signs of the pests and educating staff and residents in multifamily housing about these pests’ behavior.
If you suspect you have a bed bug infestation, be sure to keep records of your efforts to eliminate them. This will be helpful if you have to return to the same location after treatment and need to prove that the pests were not reintroduced. It’s also a good idea to keep up with follow-up inspections of infested areas after each control effort or treatment, so that you can detect any new outbreaks early.
Fumigation
The goal of bed bug control is to kill or restrict the movement of these pests, either through sanitation and habitat modification practices or with the use of insecticides. While there are many home remedies, a serious infestation may require the use of an insecticide to eradicate the bugs and their eggs. The most effective treatments involve both chemical and nonchemical tactics in combination.
Nonchemical control techniques include frequent vacuuming (every day is best) to reduce the number of bed bugs and their eggs. Laundering bedding in hot water and drying in a dryer with a high heat setting can also reduce the population. Keeping all clothing, shoes and other items in plastic bags will help prevent the spread of bed bugs from infested clothes to uninfested ones.
Regular inspections should be done to detect an outbreak early. Infestations are most likely to be found in bedrooms, but can also occur in other rooms. When inspecting, be sure to look in crevices and behind baseboards, light sockets and switches. Look for shed skins and hatched eggs on furniture, mattresses and box springs. Be careful not to contaminate clean areas by moving infested furniture into them.
When preparing for treatment, separate treated from untreated rooms and move infested items away from walls. Sealing cracks and crevices around baseboards, repairing wallpaper and caulking cracks around electrical outlets can reduce hiding sites for the pests.
Insecticides are generally considered only for severe or serious cases of infestation. Only products that have been approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency for bed bugs are acceptable, and even these may not be effective against resistant populations. Professional extermination services usually provide a combination of nonchemical and insecticide tactics in order to have the best chance of eliminating the pests.
Prevention is the most important step in controlling bed bugs. Purchase bed bug-proof covers (also known as encasements) for your mattress and box springs, which are available in home stores or online. These cover the bed bug’s eggs and larvae, preventing them from hatching. Then, place interceptor traps under the bed and furniture legs to catch any pests that try to crawl up the sides of the covers. Keep these traps regularly cleaned and refilled with talcum powder.
Encasement
An encasement is something that completely surrounds or envelops an object. For example, a mattress encasement protects the bed from dust mites, bed bugs and spills. It can also help prevent stains, wear and tear and even odors. Encasements are available from several manufacturers.
While encasements can be effective, they can’t provide the same level of protection as other treatment methods such as heat or fumigation. However, they do offer a viable alternative to those who can’t afford or prefer not to use chemical sprays in their homes.
According to a survey by pest control professionals, single-family homes are the most common place where bed bug infestations occur. However, they can also be found in apartment complexes, hotels and motels, nursing homes, day care centers, schools, college dorms and other public areas where people sleep.
Bed bugs are blood-sucking insects of the order Hemiptera. They feed on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded hosts. In addition to being a nuisance, they can cause allergic reactions and secondary bacterial infections (such as impetigo, ecthyma and lymphangitis).
The first step in controlling a bed bug infestation is to thoroughly inspect the sleeping area. This includes the mattress and box spring, the bed frame, headboard and footboard, and all furniture near the bed including dressers, nightstands and armoires. It’s important to check all crevices and corners of these pieces, as well as the cracks around the head and foot of the bed. Inspecting doors and windows, along with the frames and trim, is also critical. Lastly, be sure to check clocks, smoke detectors, picture frames and wall hangings, since these can serve as hiding spaces for bed bugs.
Vacuuming the bedding, mattresses and floors regularly is an important part of a bed bug control plan. It helps remove nymphs, shed skins and dead bed bugs from the surfaces of mattresses and other items, as well as reducing allergens in the home. Vacuuming is most effective when done at least once a day.
Other bed bug control techniques include the use of interceptor traps. These traps are placed under the legs of beds and other furniture, and are designed to ensnare and kill bed bugs that try to climb them. They can be purchased commercially or made at home with two clean containers, one slightly larger than the other (a cleaned and repurposed deli or take-out food container works well). The smaller container is placed inside the larger, and the tops of the containers are sealed with masking tape.
Pesticides
A variety of pesticides can help control a bed bug infestation. These chemicals must be applied carefully and with good precision to work well. Some over-the-counter products are available to the public, while stronger professional pesticides may be required for heavy or widespread infestations. Before selecting a product, consult a knowledgeable source for advice on the most effective active ingredient and formulation to use against bed bugs (such as university extension specialists or pest control professionals). Factors that influence a product’s effectiveness include the severity of the infestation, environmental factors, the presence of children and/or pets, and local, state or national laws.
Residual sprays or dusts are most common for controlling bed bugs, and there are many commercial and professionally approved options for this purpose. However, resistance to certain chemicals, the difficulty of targeting all cracks and crevices where bed bugs hide, and the tendency for these insects to cling to surfaces make it important to combine chemical treatments with other strategies.
Infested items that cannot be washed or heat treated can be sealed in airtight plastic bags and stored away until the infestation is under control. Vacuuming infested items (including mattresses, box springs and frames, beds and other furniture), steaming, heating and freezing are also effective at killing or disrupting the spread of bed bugs.
Foggers are a type of aerosol insecticide that can be used to treat furniture and other large areas, but they can’t reach small spaces where bed bugs often hide. Foggers can also spread a wide area of pesticide throughout living space, which can be problematic if young children and/or pets are present.
Low toxicity contact sprays that kill the pests on contact, such as SteriFab and Bedlam, are useful. But they only kill exposed adults and not eggs, and repeat treatments are typically needed. A plant oil-based insecticide that received high marks in a Rutgers University study is neem oil, which can be applied with a fine mist and can also penetrate cracks and crevices to kill eggs.
Other residual pesticides for the control of bed bugs include pyrroles (chlorfenapyr) and a class of neonicotinoids (imidacloprid) that mimic the action of natural nicotine on the nicotinic receptors in nerve cells, causing them to fire continually and kill the bugs. These newer chemical classes can be especially useful against bed bugs that have developed resistance to other pesticides.