When you have a bed bug infestation, it’s important to hire an exterminator who specializes in this pest. They can detect these blood-sucking parasites by looking for their fecal stains and molted skin.
They will also be able to determine the best treatment plan for you. This could include a chemical spray, heat treatment, or fumigation. Contact Bed Bug Exterminator Tampa now!
Infestations spotted early can be treated and eradicated much more easily than an infestation that is allowed to grow. If you suspect bed bugs in your home–whether you’re developing itchy skin or find signs like blood stains on the sheets or furniture or rusty-colored feces–call your local pest control company immediately for a professional inspection and treatment.
While you wait for your exterminator to arrive, it’s a good idea to examine your home and belongings for the insects. Look for them in areas they’re most likely to hide, including the seams of mattresses and pillowcases, the tufts and folds of couches and reclining chairs, the cracks around bed frames, the baseboards and the edges of wall/floor junctions. You can also use a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment to inspect the surface of the mattress and box springs (be sure to double-bag and throw the bag out, outside in a trash can or dumpster) and examine furniture for bed bug feces, shed skins, and eggs.
As populations increase, they tend to move out of their normal hiding places and spread to other areas. Be especially careful to check behind and underneath furniture, such as end tables or dressers; in the crevices of baseboards and carpet edges; and behind electrical outlets and wall switches.
Be sure to examine your clothes and bags for feces, eggshells, and shed skins, as well. These little critters are also known for being excellent hitchhikers, and they’ll often make their way to other rooms or even vehicles in your house or car.
Some homeowners choose to use passive pitfall traps that utilize the insect’s behavior and tendency to climb vertical coarse surfaces. These are more effective than visual inspections alone and can detect very low numbers of bed bugs. You can also purchase and use specialized traps that employ a chemical called pyrethrin, which is highly effective at killing the pests at any stage of life.
Treatment
The best way to treat bed bugs is with a combination of methods:
Using a vacuum cleaner with a special attachment for crevices and seams, remove all items from an infested room. Put them in plastic bags and double-bag them to protect against contamination from items you want to keep. Items with nooks and crannies that need to be treated can be placed in a kill chamber (a large bin taped shut) with a contact pesticide strip attached, such as Nuvan ProStrips. The strips release a poison that will cause the bugs to suffocate. Then the bin can be sealed for a couple days or however long the strip instructions recommend. Vacuuming will help remove some of the bed bugs, but a lot will still be hiding in places where you can’t reach them.
After treatment, seal cracks and crevices where they could hide with silicon caulking. Make sure to remove animal nests and bat roosts, as these may be the source of your infestation. Check and clean regularly until the infestation is gone.
Bed bugs are very persistent, and it can be a few weeks or even a year before you get them completely under control. To prevent them from returning, keep records of everything you do. Write down the dates you cleaned, inspected and treated rooms, and note the location of each item that was infested so you can pinpoint which areas to focus on when cleaning and inspecting.
To minimize your risk of re-infestation, perform regular cleaning and inspections after a bed bug treatment, and make sure to do a full inspection before bringing in new furniture. Do this every time you bring in a guest, and at least weekly for a while after your bed bug exterminator leaves. Also, make a habit of carefully checking your mattress for signs of bed bugs on a daily basis and washing your linens often (at least once a week). This should keep the population at bay until you have successfully eliminated them from all areas of your home or apartment. Finally, remember to always use a certified pest-control company for your extermination services!
Prevention
The most effective way to prevent bed bugs is to keep them from entering your home in the first place. This includes avoiding giving away or accepting anything that may have been infested by these pests, such as clothing, books, toys, electronics, or other items.
Whenever you have doubts about an item, double bag it and put it in a safe location until you can examine or clean it thoroughly. It’s a good idea to use clear bags so that you can see what’s inside.
If you’re worried about someone else bringing in bed bug pests on their clothes, ask them to wear a jacket or robe and hang it in the coat closet. Then, you can be confident that they won’t accidentally transport these insects on their body to your bedroom and bed.
Once you have a confirmed bed bug infestation, it’s important to act quickly. The longer that these pests are in your house, the more difficult it will be to get rid of them.
One of the most effective ways to treat a bed bug infestation is by using liquid pesticides. This treatment is very effective at killing both adult bugs and their eggs. It is also very safe for the environment and your family, but it can be disruptive since you’ll need to temporarily evacuate your house while the insecticide is working.
Aside from using insecticides, there are several other things you can do to help prevent a bed bug infestation from occurring in your home. For instance, vacuuming your house every day is a good way to remove any stray bed bugs that have landed on your furniture or bedding. Make sure to vacuum thoroughly, especially in the corners and crevices of rooms.
You should also wash your clothing, bedding, and curtains regularly. Put these items in a hot dryer (at least 120 degrees) to kill any bed bugs or their eggs that might be living on them. If you have any items that can’t be washed, such as stuffed animals or shoes, you should heat treat them in a chest freezer at least for 30 minutes to kill the pests and their eggs.
Recommendations
When choosing a bed bug exterminator, ask about their certification and licensing. Any reputable company will be able to provide you with this information immediately. Licensing is a good indicator of the level of expertise that a company offers, and it ensures that they will be following all applicable laws and regulations.
Also, be sure to ask about their treatment methods. This is an important question because bed bugs are resistant to many types of treatment. The best way to eliminate these pests is through a combination of treatments and prevention measures.
For example, you should use silicon caulk to seal cracks in the walls and baseboards, as well as around furniture. This will prevent bed bugs from hiding in these spaces. You should also wash all of your linens and curtains in hot water to kill any existing bed bugs. You should also remove clutter from the infested room and vacuum the area. This will help remove the nymphs and eggs that are currently infesting the space.
Then, you should cover your mattress and box spring with a bug-proof mattress protector. This will keep the pests from getting inside and spreading to other areas of your home. You should also place a bug-proof pillowcase on your bed, and use a bug-proof zippered mattress bag for storage.
Aside from these protective measures, you should also vacuum your infested rooms frequently. This will remove the nymphs and eggs from the surfaces of your home, which will make it more difficult for them to reproduce. You should also use a steam cleaner on your mattresses and box springs. This will also kill the insects and their nymphs.
Finally, you should also inform your neighbors of the problem so that they can take precautionary measures as well. If you live in an apartment complex, this is especially important, as bed bugs can travel from unit to unit.
Lastly, you should choose an exterminator that uses non-toxic methods of pest control. This is the best way to protect your family’s health, as well as the environment. A non-toxic treatment will also cause less disruption to your daily life.