Bed bugs control, or pest control in general, requires a professional’s expertise due to their extreme resilience and fast breeding. Anyone anywhere can find bed bugs in their home; it has nothing to do with cleanliness. Bed bugs rank as some of the most common pests found in America and infect entire cities through their ability to reproduce and travel.
The professionals at Urban Desert Pest Control explain what to do when you have a bed bug infestation and how to eliminate bed bugs from your home. Continue reading to find out what you need to know.
What Are Bed Bugs?
A bed bug is a small, brown, oval insect that feasts on human and animal blood. They live in cracks and crevices of a home or within furniture such as mattresses and couches. While you can see bed bugs with the naked eye, they can be challenging to spot.
They can flatten their bodies and fit anywhere a credit card can fit, including places within picture frames, wooden furniture, or fabric materials. Cleaning proves ineffective since they live solely off blood and can survive in sterilized homes.
They multiply quickly and can live without feeding for over a year. Homeowners find these pests exceptionally difficult to remove without professional help because killing bed bugs is no easy task.
Most people get bed bugs from the following sources:
- Hotels, theaters, offices, public transportation, and anywhere you or your belongings touch furniture
- Thrift store or previously used furniture, clothing, and materials
- Neighboring houses with infestations
- People visiting your home
They prefer to live around humans and cause itchy or painful red bites like mosquitos. However, not everyone reacts to bed bug bites, and you must check for the signs to confirm an infestation.
Signs You Have Bed Bugs
How do you know if you have bed bugs? A single bug can create a colony in a short timeframe, so you must act immediately. Contact a professional if you experience the following:
- Bites anywhere on your body appearing overnight
- A musty smell coming from your furniture or bed
- Small, rust-colored spots on your bedding or mattress
- Tiny black dots on your mattress, furniture, or walls
- Visible bed bugs hiding in the cracks of furniture or the folds of materials
Do not wait to contact a pest control or bed bugs control professional; time is of the essence. The longer you wait to become pest free, the harder it becomes to manage the infestation.
How To Eliminate Bed Bugs
If you want to eliminate bed bugs, search your home for the signs. Start in the rooms with the apparent symptoms, but you should treat the entire house. Bed bugs move quickly; they will not stay in one room if other rooms have inhabitants.
To eradicate your bed bug infestation, follow these steps.
1: Wash Fabrics
Strip all blankets, sheets, clothing, pillows, and curtains from the infected room, and bag them in plastic trash bags. For optimal results, clean the fabric at a laundromat, and use the highest heat setting available. Ensure the materials dry on a high heat setting for over an hour to kill the bed bugs completely.
Every fabric material must go through the dryer at the highest setting possible, including stuffed animals, pet beds, and shoes.
2: Deep Clean Mattresses
Scrub the stripped mattresses with a stiff brush to loosen eggs and nits, and vacuum the entire surface as thoroughly as possible. Pay special attention to seams, corners, and the underneath. Steam clean the mattress after vacuuming for optimal results.
Remember that they likely infested the vacuum, so remove it from the house after use. Before using your vacuum again, thoroughly clean it and change the bag. Keep the vacuum sealed in a trash bag outside for several days to suffocate any remaining bugs.
3: Fill in Cracks and Crevices
Next, you must vacuum all baseboards, carpets, and cracks in furniture. Seal the cracks and crevices using caulk or plaster and remove or reseal wallpaper. Even the smallest hole or gap can hold a bed bug, so ensure a complete seal throughout the house.
4: Declutter the Home
Go through the house and remove all clutter, including books, papers, unused furniture, old toys, and unused clothes. Bed bugs prefer a cold, dry area to breed, so try to remove any objects in areas without moisture or warmth.
Disassemble furniture that’s screwed or nailed together and clean each piece if you cannot toss it.
5: Apply Insecticides and Desiccants
Use a bed bug-specific solution because bed bugs have immunity to common insecticide chemicals. Spray throughout the home, but keep in mind that bed bugs are resilient and may require multiple solution types and brands. Consider using a desiccant around where the bed bugs prefer to live and along the baseboards if they show resistance to treatment.
6: Inspect
Inspect your home for signs periodically, ensuring complete eradication. Be careful when traveling, allowing others into your home, and buying furniture to prevent a future infestation. Preventative measures and constant surveillance offer the best way to remain pest free.
Call Our Team for Pest Control in Phoenix
You must do everything in your power to remove these pests completely, so do not skip any of the above steps. If you need professional help with bed bugs control or pest control, contact Urban Desert Pest Control at (602) 399-9629 and request an inspection in Phoenix, AZ.
