Few words can sour a mood like these two: “bed bugs.”
The discovery of those creepy crawlers in your home, office, or hotel room can throw your entire life into an uproar.
Can you leave your home without worrying about spreading the critters to your friends and neighbors? Will you need to destroy your furniture? What about your clothes? Will you need to find a new place to stay while your property is treated?
Luckily, a good exterminator can put an end to the pests’ reign of terror. But there are a number of options, from bed bug heat treatment to insecticides.
Before treating your home, it’s important to know what each treatment entails.
If you’re dealing with bed bugs and want to know what options you have to get rid of them, read on.
Dangers of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs aren’t just a nuisance. They can also bring a number of other problems.
First, you have an emotional toll. Besides the embarrassment of facing an infestation, there’s the social stigma of having bed bugs.
Also, the anxiety of being bitten in your sleep can actually keep you from sleeping.
On top of all that, bed bugs can also bring more serious health problems. Though rare, some individuals have severe allergic reactions to bed bug bites. Some people have faced respiratory problems and even anemia as a result of bed bugs.
Insecticides
One of the most common treatments for bed bugs is the use of an insecticide. A low-grade product is disseminated into your home, choking or repelling the bugs.
When using an insecticide, it’s important that the active ingredients reach the bugs wherever they are—including all of the hidden cracks and crevices in your home.
While a spray may be enough for all of the exposed surfaces in your home, a dust or powder will is needed to reach into the cracks and crevices where bed bugs may hide.
Because of the danger of the chemicals involved, only a licensed exterminator should use insecticides to treat your home.
It will take between half an hour to two hours per room for each treatment with extensive preparations. After each treatment, you will need to wait until all the sprays have dried before reentering your home.
Unfortunately, a single treatment will not be enough to kill off all of the bed bugs. Most exterminators will need to complete three or four sessions before your home is in the clear, which can take several months because of the pesticide label requirements.
After the treatment, residual insecticide prevents further contamination. However, some residues can cause illness if you — or your children — inadvertently ingest any of it.
Bed Bug Heat Treatment
The best option for bed bug treatment is heat treatment.
For all their seeming immortality, bed bugs perish when exposed to heat. When their bodies reach 113ºF, bed bugs dehydrate and die. This destroys the pests at any stage of their life cycle—eggs and all!
To achieve this, exterminators use specialized equipment to quickly heat each room of your house above the lethal temperature, which is typically around 135º. This temperature is maintained for several hours, during which time you will need to leave your home.
After the treatment, your home will be completely bug-free! One treatment is all it takes, and many companies will even guarantee their services if they treat your entire home.
Unlike insecticide, there is no residual treatment to prevent further contamination. However, unlike insecticide, there is no poisonous residue that poses additional health threats for your family.
Many exterminators will use heat treatment in conjunction with strategic insecticide treatment to offer the best protection.
The heat treatment kills the bugs immediately while the application of insecticide to potential entryways prevents future infestations.
Preparing For Treatment
After you call an exterminator to schedule treatment, there are a number of things you will need to do to prepare your home.
Remove all items that can be damaged by high heat, such as:
- Candles, lipstick, crayons, and other wax items
- Paintings and other delicate decor
- Heat-sensitive media such as CDs, photographs, vinyl records, DVDs, etc.
- House plants
- All pets—including fish
- Musical instruments
- Perishable foods, drinks, medicines, vitamins, etc.
Before the treatment, vacuum your home thoroughly, including the surfaces of furniture.
Remove any clutter—such as piles of laundry—as this can provide protection for the bed bugs. Piles of paper can be scattered by the high powered fans used to spread the hot air, so make sure they are organized before treatment.
Leave all personal items behind. Bed bugs can stow away in backpacks and purses. Taking your bags with you can bring bed bugs along, completely defeating the purpose of hiring an exterminator in the first place.
Unplug all electrical devices and set your thermostat to as hot as it will go one hour before treatment is scheduled to begin.
After treatment, keep in mind that some items may take longer to cool than others. Be careful touching metal door knobs, faucet hardware, and other metal objects for the first few hours after going back home.
Get Free Of Bed Bugs Today!
Bed bugs can throw a wrench into anyone’s life. Once they sink their fangs into your skin, it can feel like they’re there for good.
But you don’t need to let bed bugs take control of your life. Bed bug heat treatment can help you take your life back from the evil pests.
If you need help getting rid of bed bugs, we’re here to help. Contact us today to schedule your treatment.
