It’s natural to be startled once you spot bed bugs ransacking your home. These bugs might be small in size, but they’re notorious for disrupting lives if they aren’t dealt with immediately and appropriately. The longer you wait to get rid of a bed bug infestation, the harder it is to exterminate these creepy crawlers. Fortunately, you can eradicate these bed bugs in a flash using these insightful tips sponsored by Moxie, an exterminator that offers pest control in Riverside CA.
Identify all bed bug-infested areas
You’ll want to identify all the bedbug-infested areas early before these pests begin to reproduce. Experts report that it’s cheaper and easier to resolve minor bed bug infestations than more widespread cases. Unfortunately, detecting small-scale infestations is easier said than done.
To spot an infestation before it escalates, start by searching for bed bugs visually, or you could turn to a professional inspector. Should you opt for a DIY approach, inspect for bed bugs in cracks, joints, between cushions, under loose wallpaper, or inside electrical outlets. Use a flashlight or magnifying glasses to search for these bugs.
Prevent the spread of the infestation
Once you’ve identified all the infested areas, you’ll need to keep them contained to prevent further spread. You could run your vacuum cleaner over the suspected hiding places to pick up any roaming bed bugs. Empty the vacuumed contents into a plastic bag, seal it properly, and dispose of them. Then, pack all your affected linens, bed sheets, pillows, pillowcases, and clothes in plastic bags and seal them for washing later. You could also run these linens through the dryer for 30 minutes, as bed bugs are known to perish under high heat or intensely cold temperatures.
Prepare your home for treatment.
Before you begin the treatment process, you might want to prepare your home to optimize your odds of success. Throw out or clean all your lines, clothing, curtains, carpets, and other infested items in your home. Seal up any cracks and open places that could harbor bed bugs. As a final precaution, clean out as much clutter as you can to eliminate possible hiding spots.
Eliminate the bedbugs with home remedies
Heat
Bed bugs are relatively easy to eradicate with high heat temperatures of about 46°C or incredibly low temperatures of less than 0°C. Wash your infected clothes in hot water, and then transfer them to a dryer for 30 minutes, set on the highest heat setting. Finally, steam the mattresses and cushions.
Items that you can’t wash can be placed in the freezer for at least four days to kill bed bugs effectively. Homeowners might want to repeat these processes after a week to eliminate any newly-hatched bed bugs that you may have missed in your initial sweep.
Insecticides
Professionals fumigate houses using industry-grade insecticides to eradicate existing bed bug colonies. If you wish to use insecticides to eliminate bed bugs, purchase products specifically marked for exterminating bed bugs. You could look into insecticides such as pyrethroids, bug bombs, pyrroles, desiccants, or neonicotinoids.
Retreat if necessary
Some bed bug infestations are more challenging to resolve than others. In these cases, professional exterminators will recommend repeating the treatment process after about two weeks to eliminate the surviving bugs and restore your home to its original condition pre-infestation.
