Bed bugs can invade your home at any time. They might ride in on guests or on items you bring home from the store. When you notice these bugs in your home, it's good to take quick action to eliminate them. You may even want to call in a bed bug exterminator if you think you have bed bugs but aren't sure. If you don't get rid of the bugs early, they will multiply and make your life miserable with their bites. Here are some options for eliminating the pests that a bed bug exterminator might consider.
1. Insecticide Sprays And Powders
The exterminator has to consider the severity of your infestation and all the places the bugs have spread when deciding on a good way to eliminate them. The exterminator may also need to consider the cost if you need to spend the least amount of money.
One option to think about is insecticide. The pests have built up a tolerance to many kinds of pesticides, so you may want to think carefully about this option. The exterminator might use a spray that leaves a poison residue behind, or they might use powder that dehydrates the bugs that touch it.
2. Freezing With Dry Ice
Both extremely cold and extremely hot temperatures will kill off the bugs and their eggs. However, dry ice is applied from a canister, so the area treated is limited. If the freezing temperature doesn't reach the bugs, some might survive. The exterminator may use dry ice to treat a beginning infestation where most of the bugs can be eliminated by spraying down the bed frame and area around the bed.
Since the cold fog has to reach the bugs, the exterminator may want you to declutter your bedroom so the bugs have fewer places to hide from the treatment. If so, you'll need to follow the exterminator's instructions on treating clothing, linens, and items in your bedroom yourself so bugs on them are killed and not spread around your home.
3. Tents For Whole-House Fumigation
The bed bug exterminator might recommend tenting your home so the entire house can be fumigated. This might be necessary if you have a heavy infestation of the bugs. This treatment involves enclosing your home in a tent and filling your house with insecticide fog. The fog seeps in hidden places and behind walls so all the bugs are killed even if they are out of sight.
4. Heat That Makes Your Entire House Hot
A popular and effective way to deal with a bed bug infestation is to bring in commercial heaters and fans that spread hot air all through your house. The temperature of your house is brought high enough to kill the bugs and eggs, so the infestation can be killed with a single treatment. If your infestation is small, you can also use the heat from a clothes dryer or hair dryer to kill bugs, but commercial heaters are the best way to kill bugs that might be hidden behind walls or other places that are difficult to reach.
Having pests in your home is more than just annoying. Many of the common pests that invade homes are actually dangerous. Rats can bite young children, spreading serious diseases like leptospirosis and salmonella. Cockroaches can spread E. coli, and many people are allergic to proteins in their bodies. Regardless of which pest is bothering you, it is important to get rid of it as soon as possible. Pest control companies can do a lot of this work, but it is also important to be informed. After all, you are the one who lives in your home and needs to take preventative measures against pests every day. Learn the basics here on this blog, and put them to use.