Bed Bug Battle

The resurrection of bed bugs has caused more than the creepy little blood suckers to come out of the woodwork. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, encourages you to be cautious when shopping for products related to bed bugs.

Bed Bug Basics

Bed bugs are great hitchhikers, riding into dwellings in and on baggage, furniture, bedding, or clothing. Once inside, the pests like to hide in small cracks and crevices – behind your bed's headboard, in the seams and tufts of your mattress and inside the box along baseboard cracks, and behind wallpaper. The presence of bed bugs has to do with cleanliness, although good hiding places can be provided by litter and make them challenging to treat.

Bed bugs don't transmit diseases, but their bites can become red, itchy welts. Additionally they can resist a broad variety of temperatures from nearly freezing to practically 113 °F.

Adult bed bugs are oval, wingless and have a rusty red colour. They have flat antennae, bodies and small eyes. Check out these photographs. They are visible to the naked eye, but frequently hide in cracks and crevices. So when you clean, journey, or change bedclothes, look for other signs they may present, like:

They're bed bug feces and may bleed on fabric like a felt-tip marker.

•rusty or reddish spots on mattresses or bed sheets caused by bed bugs being squashed.

•bed bug eggs and eggshells, which are miniature (about 1mm) and white.

Bed bugs live, though there are many other bugs which could appear a lot like bed bugs. It's very important to get an expert's identification.

Treating Bed Bug Infestations

Pros concur: Bed bug infestations are hard to restrain, and technique or no one treatment was found to be powerful in all cases. Actually, some populations of bed bugs have acquired resistance to common pesticides, making some sprays unsuccessful. Alternate treatments include heat and steam.

Do-It-Yourself

Select products that are intended for that purpose, if you attempt to control bed bugs on your own with pesticides. The EPA has a bed bug merchandise search tool that can assist you to choose a product that fulfills your needs.

Read the label before you use a pesticide. Never use a pesticide inside that's intended for outside use. Using the pesticide that is wrong or using it incorrectly can make your family, you, and your pets ill. Additionally, it can make your house unsafe to live in. Never spray pesticides in addition to other upholstered furniture, couches, and mattresses, or in areas where there are children or pets.

What about using bug bombs or foggers? Many bed bugs are resistant to the pesticides used in these items. In addition, these products don't reach crevices and cracks where bed bugs live. Thus, while experts concur that foggers and bug bombs can kill bed bugs, they undoubtedly shouldn't be the only control method you use.

Hiring a Professional

• Make sure you actually have bed bugs.

• Use a professional with experience in bed bug control. Bed bugs that are commanding is different than controlling other pests.

• offer a free review and Be cautious. They may use scare tactics to force you into authorizing immediate and costly treatments.

• Deal with a competent and accredited pest management business. Phone your state pest control regulatory agency for advice about the status of pest management firms. In addition, you can check firms out with your state Attorney General, local consumer protection agency, or an internet search engine.

• Ask buddies and neighbors to advocate pest control companies they have used for bed bugs and how satisfied they were with the service. You can do this on-line through neighborhood listserv or a community bulletin board.

• Be cautious of selecting a company based on price alone. Quality control is the most significant factor.

• Before you sign a contract, get the number of visits needed and expected to solve the problem, the planned work plan, and details on the extent of the infestation. Your property will be inspected by a reputable firm before starting any pesticide application or quoting you a cost. The business also should give you a written review report, and a plan for preparing for treatment and preventing further infestation.

• Find out if the pest control company has liability insurance to cover any damage that occurs to your home or furnishings during treatment.

• If you get a written "guarantee," look for what it covers, how long it lasts, what you must do to be sure that it stays in force, and what's demanded for continuing control, prevention, and management.

•Read the EPA's Citizen's Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety, which offers more recommendations on the best way to choose a pest control firm.

Preventing Bed Bug Infestations

The best method to control bed bugs would be to prevent them from entering your house. Here's how:

• Inspect secondhand furniture, beds, and couches for indications of bed bug infestation before bringing them home.

• Enclose mattresses and box springs in covers labeled "allergen rated," "for dust mites," or "for bed bugs." Periodically check for openings or rips and tape up these.

• Reduce litter in your house to reduce hiding places for bed bugs.

• Repair cracks in plaster, repair or remove any loose wallpaper, and tighten light switch covers.

• Use caulk to seal joints and crevices in openings and baseboards on cabinets or shelves.

• Use luggage racks to support your bags when packing and unpacking rather than placing the bed or floor with your luggage.

• Assess the headboard before getting into bed and mattress.

• When you get home, unpack directly into a washing machine. Wash all things showing dry on the maximum setting for at least 20 minutes, and bed bug blots. The bugs are killed by the heat from the drier.

• Scrutinize and then vacuum bags. Empty the vacuum or seal and dispose of its bag beyond your home after each use.

For More Info

Contact the following agencies and organizations to learn how to control household pests.

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)