4 Tips To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs
December 5, 2017
"Don't let the bed bugs bite" used to be a nice platitude that didn't have any meaning to people living in the modern U.S. Times have changed, and now bed bugs are a real problem. At Champion Termite & Pest Control in St. Augustine, FL, we have seen infestations that are scary. Fortunately, bed bugs don't spread disease. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to get rid of them, and they can make people very uncomfortable. Here are the steps to ridding your home of bed bugs.
1. Remove Items
To start with bed bug pest control, it is important to target the room where the bed bugs are most concentrated — usually, this is a bedroom. Mattresses and box springs will need to be covered with bed bug proof covers. These covers trap the bed bugs in the mattress and don't let them get to you. Leave these covers on for a year or longer.
Clothes, sheets and pillowcases should be treated with heat higher than 120 degrees. Put anything that can't be treated with heat in a plastic bin with vapor strips to kill the bed bugs. Pictures, frames, and everything else in the room are going to need to be removed and treated. Be sure to inspect them thoroughly so you don't transport bugs from one room to another. Wrap them in plastic to be extra secure. Do the same for any rooms next to the infected rooms.
2. The In-Between
Steam or bed bug insecticide can kill bed bugs. These usually only work on contact. Be sure to get the cracks in the wall, near the corners where the rug contacts the wall and other small places. Bed bugs are tiny enough to be able to travel through electric plugs from room to room.
3. Kill Visible Bed Bugs
Use a contact spray; bugs die within 10 minutes. Bugs usually hide in the seams of beds and under the mattress. Steam can work here as well, but may not be as effective as an insecticide.
4. Repeat The Process
You will need to repeat these steps every week until no one is being bitten. Bed bug remediation in St Augustine isn't easy to do, but if you have them, you need to get rid of them. Hiring a professional could make the job easier depending on what type of services they offer. Otherwise, having vigilance when going to motels and knowing what to look for in them can help you avoid getting bed bugs. Once they are gone, you'll be able to sleep tight.
Schedule pest control service with Champion Termite & Pest Control today! We service St. Augustine, Palatka, Green Cove Springs, and surrounding areas.
