Tips To Get Rid Of Pesky Bed Bugs Once And For All

Bed bugs are those blood sucking little critters which love to feed on animals, or us, to get their fix of blood every five to ten days or so. They live in mattresses and pillows, often brought in accidentally from another place like a hotel, and take up residence in the bedroom or living room couch etc. Bed bug treatment is a little difficult since they are often not spotted until there is a rather serious infestation and this is why it is sometimes best left to the professionals to get the job done.

These creatures have great survival skills and if the food source is missing, they can last up to five months without eating anything at all. They also have the ability to produce about five eggs per day and this is why just one creature can cause havoc in the home. Indeed, just a few can colonize a home in quick time and it is only apparent when everyone starts to feel the bites from their feeding frenzy.

Because they are hard to see with the naked eye, people should look for bite marks, particularly on kids, or spots of dried blood on bedclothes. They only come out to feed just before dawn and this is usually when we are in deep sleep. If they are disturbed by movement, they will retire to their hiding places and leave it until the following day. Bites can range from the odd one or two to literally hundreds on one person alone. The unsightly rash and incessant itching is normally enough to get people into the 'kill' mode quite quickly.

Professionals have several ways of ridding the home of these hardy creatures. Once they have done their inspection of the home, checking out every nook and cranny for signs of life, they will then consider which chemicals to use. These are highly toxic so they do not spray all over the place. Rather, they spray down cracks and crevices where these creatures are known to hide. If the infestation is severe, they will also use high- powered vacuum cleaners to clean rugs and carpets to such up any that are hiding in the pile. They could also suggest steam cleaning carpets and furnishings to kill off any eggs or adults too and this should be considered.

Householders can also help in the fight by washing all linens and pillow cases in very hot water. The mattresses can be wrapped in black plastic bags and left out in the sun for a while, not forgetting to turn the whole thing over after some time. Before the mattresses come back into the house, vacuum them thoroughly, not forgetting the seams in particular, to suck up any critters hiding there.

All surfaces should be washed with hot water and bleach too to make sure that there is no debris hanging around. However, if all else fails, the householder may have to consider spraying the whole house but this will mean some disruption to the household routine for several days later.


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Stewart Wrighter is researching bed bugs. He is interested in bed bug treatment options that are available for commercial locations.