What to do when you have Bed Bugs?
Ok, so you have Bed Bugs…
Now you need to figure out what to do. Another night of bites from these blood-suckers is not going to be fun.
We highly recommend implementing a professional bed bug treatment plan – DIY bed bug solutions are rarely successful.
That being said, there are some things you can help make life with bed bugs easier:
What Not to do when you have Bed Bugs:
Do not move infested items around the house. For example, if you have a chair in the bedroom that has bed bugs, do not move it to the basement. This will only spread the pests to the basement (and possibly rooms between the bedroom and the basement).
Do not start sleeping in a different room; that will also move them to another part of the home.
If you do want to sleep in a different part of the house to escape their bites, make sure no bed bugs are “hitchhiking” on your body or clothing.
What to do when I Realize I have a Bed Bug Problem?:
Laundry – To help reduce bed bug population, follow these instructions for items that can be laundered:
Place all clothing, bedding, sheets, blankets, pillow cases and other washable fabric items in plastic garbage bags. These items need to be washed and dried at the highest temperature the fabrics can withstand. If it will not damage your items, use hot water and set the dryer on the hottest setting for a minimum of 30 minutes. Do this even if you don’t see bed bugs on these items. Bed bug eggs are very small and hard to see and could still be on the fabric.
Do not un-seal the plastic bags until you are ready to put items in the washer to prevent the bed bugs from escaping. After washing the items, move them immediately to the dryer. Washing does not typically kill all of the bed bugs and you don’t want any to escape.
Discard the trash bag in an outside trash can.
Vacuum – Vacuuming can help reduce the number of bed bugs in areas of infestation. Vacuum carpets in infested rooms to suck up as many bed bugs as possible. Immediately after you are done vacuuming, place the vacuum cleaner bag in a plastic trash bag and seal the trash bag closed. Then, discard it all in a trash can, outside.
If you have a vacuum that does not have a bag, immediately after vacuuming, dump the contents of the canister into a plastic trash bag. Seal this bag and discard in a trash can outside. Also, be sure to wash the vacuum cleaner canister with hot soapy water to kill any remaining bed bugs.
NOTES: Do NOT wash electrical components of the vacuum. Also, vacuums can become infested by bed bugs therefore, all replaceable parts, including filters, should be discarded after the vacuuming is completed.
Bed Bug Proof Mattress Covers –
If your pest control company cannot perform the bed bug treatment right away, you can still purchase and install Bed-Bug proof mattress covers for your beds. These are not typical mattress covers. Bed Bugs can easily crawl through the zipper of a regular mattress cover. Bed Bug proof Mattress Covers have very small zippers and can most often be purchased from most pest control companies.
These mattress covers seal in any bed bugs that are on the mattress. It is also advisable to use these mattress covers on the box spring. As long as the cover is installed correctly, zipped up completely and not torn, any bed bugs on the bed will not get out. These pests can live for up to a year without a meal so it is best to keep the cover on permanently.
These suggestions will not eliminate the bed bugs from your home but they can temporarily lower the population. By lowering the population, your life should be a little more comfortable until your Pest Control Company can perform the service to fully address the situation. Don’t forget to follow some of our prevention tips to help prevent them from entering your home!
You need to contact a Pest Control Company that really understands bed bugs and how to eliminate them. It’s not as simple as it may seem. Bed Bugs are survivors. They can get inside the walls through light switches and electrical outlets. They also hide inside electronic equipment, like computers and TV’s, in the tiniest of cracks in floors, walls, wallpaper, baseboards and folds of fabric making it easy for them to avoid treatments.
If you do attempt to treat the bed bugs yourself, keep in mind that many pesticides will kill some bed bugs but the majority of the population may be resistant to the pesticide you purchase. The surviving bed bugs may scatter and spread to different parts of the building causing a bigger problem. It is also unlikely the material will kill the eggs and, as the eggs hatch, the problems increase. These situations often end up causing a lot of frustration for the residents.
Green Giant guarantees its work and we have never encountered a bed bug infestation we could not successfully handle. Contact us today and get your Bed Bug Control program going A.S.A.P.
Please contact Pest Control by Green Giant for more information.
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