What you can do to help eliminate bed bugs

Remove Clutter – Clutter provides bed bugs limitless hiding places and makes finding and treating them a nightmare. If clutter is not eliminated, treatment is sometimes impossible.

Remove things from under bed – Items stored under a bed provide great hiding places for bed bugs that are close to their source of food, you.

Wash bedding – Wash bedding regularly in hot water and dry on a hot cycle to kill any bed bugs or eggs. Eggs are very difficult to detect, and females deposit them as they roam.

Vacuum – Vacuum bed bugs as you see them. Every bed bug you kill helps eliminate the population. Vacuuming also gives you an opportunity to inspect the mattress and box spring, as well as baseboards and carpet, couches, furniture, and all other infested areas. Bed bugs may survive a ride in a vacuum, so be sure to immediately dump contents of the vacuum into a bag, seal the bag, and take it outside.

Wash clothing – Wash any clothes that may be infested or stored in infested dressers in hot water and dry on a hot cycle. Do not store clean clothes with clothes that have not been laundered and may be infested.

Kill bed bugs when found – Squish bed bugs as you see them. Be careful as this may stain some surfaces. Picking them up and squishing them in a paper towel works well.

Install proper mattress encasement – Install mattress encasements that are labeled to protect against bed bugs. Not all bed bug encasements are built the same and they must be escape proof to work so cheap encasements may not be a wise investment. Proper encasements will trap bed bugs inside mattresses and will allow for easy inspection on the outside of the encasement.

Do not change where you sleep or leave your home – This is a very hard thing to do when you are being bit, but if you change where you are sleeping, the bed bugs will follow. They can travel across a home for a blood meal. This will only spread the infestation to other areas of the home and might make treatment more difficult and more costly. If you leave home, you run a very high risk of bringing the bed bugs with you on your belongings.

Contact a professional – Do not try and treat for bed bugs by yourself. Most health risks from pesticides are caused by homeowners over-applying their own chemicals. Chemicals can be very dangerous if not applied correctly. Professional pest control technicians go through tests and constant training to make sure they properly know their chemicals and where to treat. Also, you can drive the bed bugs deep into hiding or spread the problem making it harder to eliminate the bed bugs. Bed bugs are very difficult to treat and should be left to an experienced professional.

How to choose a professional for bed bug control

• A pest control company should be able to answer all your questions on bed bugs.
• They should spend several hours inspecting the home or use a bed bug detection canine along with visual inspection.
• They should have a strict protocol on what will be done during treatment and have a plan for follow-up treatments.
• They should have clear communication with you on what they are doing and what the future plan is.
• They should use a variety of treatment techniques and chemicals including steam, heat, vacuuming, encasements, and insecticides. If they are using one product, be concerned.
• Treatment should take several hours. Every last bed bug must be found and killed or treatments will not yield the results you are hoping for.