Bed bugs are probably the most irritating insects to infest your home. They breed at dark places. You can find them in any nook and corner, in the folds of your clothes, in your mattresses, or in any other crevice in your home. Bed bugs survive on human blood and their sting may cause skin rashes and blisters. In severe cases, it may cause anxiety, stress, insomnia, and anemia. The trouble about bed bugs is that it cannot be prevented by maintaining hygiene. You can maintain complete hygiene and still have a bed bug infestation at home. Bed bugs multiply fast, so you need to get rid of the infestation as soon as you find it. You can take the help of professional pest exterminators but you can better do it yourself by following some simple steps. Here’s how you should go about killing the bed bugs.
Complexity Level: Moderate
Time Required: 20 minutes
Resources Required:
1. Vacuum cleaner
2. Talcum powder
3. Hot water
4. Rubbing alcohol
5. Insecticide
Instructions:
1. Find out the hiding places of the bug
Check all the nooks and crannies of your home. Find out all the hiding places of bugs. Check the mattresses and pillows from all sides. Also, check any cracks in plaster or wallpaper, switch plates, wall posters and pictures, electrical gadgets and crevices in furniture. Check any other gap that comes to your mind. You have to make sure you are not overlooking any infested site.
2. Cleaning bug-infested bedding
Strip all the bedding and uncover all folds and seams while cleaning them. Wash or dry clean the bedding in high temperature. Also, vacuum the bedding thoroughly. Keep your bedding out in the sun for a few hours so that the heat can kill all the bugs. Also, you can mix a solution of rubbing alcohol and water and spray on the bed bugs. This will eliminate all the bugs. Check the bedding after cleaning for any signs of bugs being left behind.
3. Removing bug infestation from home
Spray the nooks and corners with the alcohol solution. Alternately, use talcum powder to suffocate the bed bugs. You can also seal the crevices wherever possible. Vacuum the carpets and curtains after placing some moth balls in the vacuum cleaner bag or steam-clean them. Check all the folds after vacuum cleaning to make sure that you have gotten rid of all of them. Throw away the bag of vacuum cleaner outside your home. Caulk the cracks and crevices in all the wood furniture. You may also sprinkle diatomaceous soil on the floors, windowsills and edges of the mattresses.
4. Treating a bed bug bite
If you have been bitten by a bed bug, make sure you don’t scratch the affected area. Put calamine lotion over the bite to soothe it. You can also take anti-allergic medicines if the allergy persists. If the symptoms are severe, consult a doctor immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Where do bed bugs come from?
Bed bugs can be picked up while you are traveling or through second-hand furniture. However, you may get bed bugs in your home even if you do not travel or buy second-hand furniture. It is a good idea therefore to check your home for bed bug infestations frequently.
2. How can I prevent a bed bug infestation?
You need to avoid any bed bug infested area if you want to prevent an infestation. Also, remove clutter from your home and vacuum your home frequently. Make sure that there are no gaps, cracks or crevices in your home where the bed bugs can infest.
3. How fast do the bed bugs spread?
Bed bugs spread extremely fast. Female bed bugs can lay around 1-5 eggs every day. Once hatched, bed bugs reach maturity very soon and they can go without food for a year.
4. What are the signs that will tell me I have a bed bug infestation?
You will see stains of blood and feces that bed bugs leave behind. These stains are rusty brown in color and are difficult to remove from clothes and bedding. You may also see dried larvae, dead eggs or skin-shedding left behind by them.
5. How do I kill bed bugs on clothing?
Fill up the washing machine with hot water. You may even add color safe bleach as an extra precaution. Wash the clothes thoroughly. Then dry them, using the highest temperature setting for the dryer. Let the dryer run for 15 minutes. Alternately, you can even hang your clothes in sunlight and dry them. The heat will kill the bed bugs as well as the larvae. The hotter the water and dryer, the more effective will be the killing.
6. When should I use insecticides?
Try never to use an insecticide spray on your own. Even if you have a spray in hand, it is better to take professional help. Insecticide is poisonous and may cause various skin and other health problems.
Quick Tips:
1. Double check to be sure you have found all the bed bug hiding places.
2. Vacuum clean your bedding, mattresses and furnishing at least once a week to prevent bed bugs from infesting again.
3. Steam-clean the carpets and mattresses of your home.
Things To Watch Out For:
1. Make sure you have checked all the nooks and corners and that no site of infestation is overlooked.
2. Do not use insecticide or harsh chemicals on mattresses unless you don’t have any option. These may cause skin infections and allergies.
3. Don’t hesitate to call for professional help if you can’t get rid of the bugs yourself.
4. Deal with the bed bugs as soon as you discover them; the more you delay, the more they will breed.
