What To Do If You Have Bed Bugs

Now, we have talked quite a bit about the bed bug but what you want and need to know is
what to do if you have discovered that you have bed bugs in your home .

We spent that time talking about it so that you would fully understand what these creatures
do, how they live and how they affect you. Knowledge is power and in this case, it can help
you to get rid of bed bugs once and for all.

The Steps To Getting Them Out

We will provide you with a step by step approach to methods that can help you to get rid of
bed bugs once and for all . If one method does not work, move on to the next one. The
goal here is to determine what the best method for your infestation is.

Step One: Identification

The first and most important step in treating bed bugs is to determine that the bed bug is
actually a bed bug. As we mentioned, bed bugs are commonly mistaken for other
creatures.

The problem here is if you treat them as you would other creatures you will have no success
with treatment.

Likewise, if you treat another animal with the treatments recommended for bed bugs, you
are likely to have few results as well. A flea will not respond to the treatment of a bed bug.
And a bed bug will not respond to the treatment of a flea.

Step Two: Determine Method Of Treatment

The next thing that you need to do is to consider if you plan to treat the bed bugs yourself
or if you plan to call in a professional to handle the situation.

If you have a serious infestation of bed bugs, it is likely that you do need to use a
professional to handle the infestation if you will have any chance of getting rid of them in
the long term.

Let's take a look at the options when it comes to each of these treatments.

Do it Yourself Treatments

You do have some options here. One method that can be effective is to use a mixture of
pyrethrums and fresh water diatomaceous earth. These products will work to provide you
with a natural solution to getting rid of bed bugs.

It will cause damage to the nervous system of the bed bugs in the form of a mechanical
action . Then, the bed bug will die .

It is essential for you to not use these types of products that are salt water diatomaceous
earth as this can be quite dangerous. In fact, any animal that inhales it, pets and humans
alike, can have lung damage .

In addition to this, this product has been found to cause cancer in mammals of all types.

If you plan to use this type of product, there are some manufacturers that do provide an
insecticide mixture like this for you to use. If you purchase it, you will want to insure it is
used with the utmost respect for the directions provided with it.

Another option for the self treatment of bed bugs is to use fruit and vegetable insecticides.
These will do the same as above but will also provide the necessary safety to other animals
including humans.

These products are made of canola oil and pyrethins.

A Mistaken Self Treatment Approach

One treatment of bed bugs that you may have heard about is using extreme levels of heat
and cold to kill them . As you have learned, bed bugs do prefer a specific heat range. They
like the temperature to be above 65 degrees but below 86 degrees as well.

Yet, there is scientific proof that disproves the theory that bed bugs will in fact be killed by
these extremes of temperature. The main problem is that there is not enough time to keep
them in this state.

Th e product needs to remain very cold or very hot for a long period of time. This is just too
hard to do, in most cases.

On top of this, there is no real way to do this to treat mattresses or other large bedding
items . Therefore it is recommended that this method of removing bed bugs not be used .

Professional Help

Those that have bed bugs may not even want to do anything but call on a professional to
come out and help them to get rid of the pests.

When you call on an exterminator to handle your bed bug problem, it is very important that
you take the time necessary to seek out one that truly knows what he is doing.

You need to insure that he knows how to handle and has been effective at the treatment of
bed bugs, not just any type of insect . They require special treatment options.

You may find that there is a problem with doing this. If you live in North America, the near
extinction of bed bugs in this area has caused there to be very few people available that do
know how to treat this condition.

As bed bugs begin to re-infest this area, though, it is a sure thing that there will likely be
additional individuals to call on

Another problem that may arise when calling a professional to handle the bed bug problems
you are having is the fact that many of the techniques used to treat bed bugs when they
were everywhere before the 1940's are no longer allowed to be used.

For example, Cyan gas was used to fumigate areas that had infestations. It was quite a
powerful insecticide and it did work to destroy them . But, the risks that it presented to pets
and the human population (not to mention the environment) have caused this substance to
be no longer in use.

Fumigation may be the only way to go, but it is also costly and may be banned in some
areas. You will need to insure that the exterminator that handles bed bugs in your area is
well aware of these problems.

Finding a skilled, experienced bed bug exterminator is an essential part to getting rid of the
bed bugs.

Now, we will say that you do decide to ca li on a professional to handle your extermination.
This is recommended as it is the most effective.

But, don 't worry, there is more that you can do to handle this situation.

Step Three: Treatment Needs

You should know from the start that bed bugs are not usually going to be gone in the blink
of an eye . In fact, they can take several treatments in order to be effective. Often times, it
is necessary that there are three or more treatments necessary.

The more invasive the infestation is, t he more necessary it will be for them to do more
treatments . The size of your home or location to be exterminated also should be taken into
consideration here .

Things like having a skilled exterminator and having an extensive treatment procedure done
can help you to get the most out of the treatments.

Additionally, it is also beneficial if you have an exterminator that will remove nesting areas
from the home and help you to determine where the infestation came from .

When all of these factors are taken into consideration, the bed bug infestation can be
treated faster.

You should take the time to determine the extent of what the exterminator will provide for
you, in writing before you move forward with their service.

Step Four: Pre Treating Your Home

Once you have an exterminator in place, he should help you to follow the needs provided
here. But, you will need to handle the preparations for the extermination yourself.

If this is not done right, the whole chemical treatment that you get will be comp romised.

So, let's take a look at what you can do to protect your home and prepare it for
extermination of the bed bugs.

• Packing up the home. The first thing that you need to do is to pack up the home.
  This will include moving your furniture away from the baseboards and walls. You will
  then need to open up anything that is potentiall y a hiding place for t he bed bugs to
  expose it to be sprayed.

  You should empty out desks and drawers . Bookshelves should be emptied too.
  Anything that you pack up should be cleaned and treated for bed bugs . The last
  thing you need is to re-infest your home with bed bugs once you clean them out.

• Washing. The next thing that you need to do is to launder anything that can be
  washed. This is no easy task of course. You will want to make sure that the
  laundering will include things like your clothing, your rugs and even any stuffed
  animals that you have.

  To make this effective, wash and immediately place all items into a plastic bag and
  seal them. They should be removed from the house until after the treatment has
  been done .

  If you will be using a dry cleaner, tell them of the situation and provide all laundry in
  sealed bags to them.

  The most important part of the laundering of these products is that you allow them
  to dry in the drier for at least 20 to 30 minutes on high to medium heat. Th is should
  kill all bed bugs at all stages of their life cycle.

  You do not even have to wash the clothing, although most will want to just to feel
  better about wearing them again.

• Vacuuming Them Up. This too is an important step in getting rid of bed bugs.
  Here, you need a high powered vacuum and you need to do a very detailed job of
  cleaning.

  It will help to lower the number of bed bugs from the home, making the chemical
  treatment that much better for you.

  You should use attachments to get into the crevices, the walls, the baseboards and
  virtually any place that the bed bugs are lurking. You can also use this on your
  mattress and bed frame as we ll.

  Get behind pictures, under furniture and throughout the furniture to get up as much
  as you can. Remember all the places we said they liked to hide? Use that page of
  the book to help you to vacuum them up .

  Finally, make sure that you take the filter and vacuum outdoors and empty it right
  into the trash. You do not want to give them any chance to escape on you .

• Steaming. Steaming can be done, but it will not necessarily work magic on your
  furniture, your mattresses or your bedding. Sometimes it can work well, especially if

  you do not want these items to be treated chemically, but in the long term, it is
  more effective to allow chemical treatment if the product will handle it.

• The Bed. One of the biggest decisions that you wil l need to make is what to do with
  the bed. If you r bed has been infested , especially if it is a heavy infestation, you
  may want to consider getting rid of it. But, it can be treated, in most cases .

  In most cases, local treatments using insecticide products will be effective . If the
  box spring is compromised, though, this can be hard to treat as there are many
  places for them to hide.

  The decision is yours . If you feel that you will feel better about it and can afford to,
  dispose of your mattress.

  Insure that you mark the mattress with its condition and do not allow mattress
  deliveries to pick up the old one as this can contaminate others.

  Place them inside of plastic and mark them before transporting them to keep from
  spreading the bed bugs around.

  Finally, you will want to wait on having new mattresses delivered to your home until
  after the chemical treatment is completed.

Step Six: Treatment At Last

When the exterminator does come to your home, he will take the time necessary to go
through the entire thing and treat it. At least, he should do this . He will use two types of
products .

One is called an instant kill. This pesticide will kill the bed bugs as he finds them . He may
also use this product in large hiding spots that he finds.

The second product that the exterminator will use is that of a barrier. When the product is
placed around the home, in and near hiding places, the bed bugs will cross over the barrier
and die because of it.

This product can last up to 60 days although it is most effective the first two weeks.

It is important for the professional to do a thorough job in the home. Th is is what will
determine how effective the treatment is.

After the treatment is done, you may stilinotice one or two bed bugs around. This is
common and as long as their numbers are low, you can assume that the treatment is
working . It can take up to two weeks to fully kill off the bed bugs.

During this time, monitor them . If you notice additional bed bugs, you can have an
additional treatment done.

You should not vacuum the area in which the treatment, Especially in the bedroom, has been done. This can remove the too soon. Your professional will give you a proper timeline here.

Lastly, it is important to note that sometimes we may feel that we see, fell and notice bed bugs when they are not around. as we mentioned before, bed bugs can cause us to be delusional. Some even feel as if the bugs are following them from place to place.

With proper treatment of the home. you can safely remove bed bugs from the home altogether.