Treating A Bedbug Problem In Your Home

If you have noticed family members waking with small red welts on their body, there could very well be a bedbug problem within your home. Bedbugs hide during daylight hours and they will not come out until it is dark. They need blood to survive, so they will bite humans and pets to live. If you suspect that you have a bedbug infestation in your home, you will need to take aggressive steps in removing them completely. Here are some tips you can use to help rid your home of bedbugs.

Where Are Bedbugs Located?

Anyone can have a bedbug problem. Bedbugs are usually located in urban, populated areas and they are often found in apartment complexes where it is easy for them to hide and move from apartment to apartment. You could contract a bedbug problem simply from having someone with a bedbug on their bag or their jacket brush against yours. The bedbug would then lay eggs in your home and the problem would begin. If you suspect your apartment complex has a bedbug infestation, you will want to let your landlord know right away so treatment can be administered.

How Are Bedbugs Removed?

The fastest and most efficient way to remove bedbugs is to hire a professional exterminator (such as one from Paramount Exterminating Co). They would have the proper equipment and pesticides needed to get rid of the problem completely. If you do not have the funds to hire a professional, you could try to remove the problem yourself, but you will need to be extremely thorough in order to have the problem disappear. 

Do It Yourself Bedbug Removal

Vacuuming will remove adult bedbugs, but larvae and eggs will be left behind. You will need to buy covers for your mattress and box spring made especially for bedbug problems. They are airtight, killing any leftover eggs so they do not grow. They will also keep any new bedbugs from getting back into the crevices in the fabric. These can be specially ordered or found in the bedding section of a home goods store.

You will need to wash all of your bedding in hot water, and dry it at a high temperature in a dryer. Do this a few times to ensure that all bedbugs are removed. You will need to spray all of the surfaces of your bed, including the headboard and the frame with a pesticide meant to kill bedbugs. Every nook and cranny must be treated, as they can hide in small crevices.

You can place shallow plastic cups made to capture bedbugs underneath each leg of your bed. These will keep bedbugs from being able to crawl onto your bed, as they are slippery. If you find any after you have treated your bed, the infestation is in other parts of your home. You should call a professional at this point because it is almost impossible to remove them on your own.