Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 4: Recognizing the Signs of Bed Bugs
• Part 2 of 4: Finding Bed Bugs
• Part 3 of 4: Fighting Bed Bugs
• Part 4 of 4: Preventing Bed Bugs
• Tips
• Warnings

Bed bugs used to be a ubiquitous parasite whose prevalence declined by the middle of the 20th century. However, now, having developed immunity to simple insecticides, bed bugs are returning to active life all over the world .. Bed bugs are adapted travelers who easily move around with luggage, clothes, bedding and furniture. Keep reading and you will learn how to get rid of bed bugs in your home. Otherwise, they can bite you, which can lead to a rash.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Recognizing the Signs of Bed Bugs

1. 1 Look for signs of bed bug bites. Bedbug bites appear as a rash and are similar to mosquitoes. Most often they appear at night, but if there are a lot of bugs, then they can appear during the day. Unlike mosquitoes, bedbug bites usually swell and spread in breadth. They do not appear one by one, but in whole "paths", and cause a burning sensation. Mosquito bite marks usually remain punctate and round.
2. 2 Look for other signs of bed bugs. Look for the bedbugs themselves and the light brown skin left over from the young moult. Dark spots from bed bugs' excrement (blood) often appear along the seams of a mattress or other habitat. It also smells like rotten raspberries or dried blood.
3. 3 Don't be fooled by the name "bed bugs". Bedbugs can be found anywhere people are sitting or lying, as well as nearby. They meet under school desks and sofas in restaurants, on computers in the library, on soft chairs, in beds and curtains in hospitals, and even on walls in stores. The same applies to carpets. Often it is enough just to lean against a wall in a room infested with bugs to bring uninvited guests home. They cling extremely tightly to the fabric. Transport hubs such as airports, train stations, and bus stations are also often hotbeds.
   • Bedbugs can be found on curtain rods, air conditioners, fans and inside electronic devices.
4. 4 Don't believe the stereotype that bed bugs only appear in dirty, poor houses and neighborhoods. Wealthy homes and neighborhoods also have bedbug problems. After all, bed bugs can be brought in from a business trip, from the airport, and even from work.

Part 2 of 4: Finding Bed Bugs

1. 1 Disassemble the bed and place its parts vertically, on the ends. It is necessary to look directly for the bugs themselves and the light brown faded shells of the pupae.In the habitat of bedbugs and the seams of mattresses, dark specks of dried insect excrement can often be found. Often, for inspection and possible disinfestation, you have to remove the gauze cloth at the bottom of the spring block of the mattress. Cracks and crevices in the bed's support frame should be inspected, especially if the frame is made of wood (wood and fabric are more attractive to bed bugs than metal or plastic).
   • It is not easy to carry out a full-fledged disinsection of regular and box-spring mattresses; the affected elements of the bed may have to be disposed of.
   • Alternatively, the mattress can be covered with a bedbug impermeable cover so that the mattress becomes a trap for them to starve to death. This saves you the hassle of buying a new mattress or box spring and makes it easier to control and eliminate bed bugs.
   • Bed bugs can also hide under the bed.
2. 2 Empty bedside tables and dressers. Examine them inside and out, then turn them over to inspect the wooden parts from underneath. Bed bugs often hide in cracks, corners, and grooves.
3. 3 Check upholstered armchairs and sofas. Pay close attention to the seams, edges and crevices under the cushions. Sofas can be the main den for bed bugs if they sleep on them.
4. 4 Check out other prominent spots. These include the edges of floor coverings (especially under beds and furniture), cracks in wood glazing beads (baseboards), and ceiling and wall joints. Bed bugs tend to accumulate in certain places, but it is not uncommon to find individual insects or their eggs here and there.
5. 5 Use a flashlight. Sometimes a pyrethrin-based "repellent" is injected into crevices while searching to locate where the insects are hiding.

Part 3 of 4: Fighting Bed Bugs

1. 1 Use comprehensive pest control measures. These include various techniques such as preventive measures, pest control using chemicals.
2. 2 Place contaminated items in a bag and wash at a minimum of 50 ° C. Individual items that cannot be washed can be disinfected by heat treatment. They should be wrapped in polyethylene and placed in a hot, sunny place for several days (while the temperature in the bundle should reach at least 50 ° C). Bed bugs also die at low temperatures, but the period of exposure to cold should be at least two weeks. Attempts to clean the house or apartment from bed bugs by changing the room temperature using a thermostat are doomed to failure.
   • Wash and dry your bedding at a high temperature. Collect all bedding, curtains, bags, mattress covers, stuffed animals, clothes, and so on. Wash at a high temperature, taking into account the washing label recommendations to avoid ruining them. Dry in high heat dry. Steam kills bedbugs. Some laundries offer special handling and storage of clean linen while pest control is in progress to prevent bedbugs from entering clean linen.
   • If some items cannot be washed, but it is a pity to throw them away (for example, an expensive leather bag), treat it with a non-toxic bug spray, seal it in a plastic bag and leave it there for a couple of months.
   • If necessary, dry-clean the item to remove the unpleasant odor.
3. 3 Destroy them with the steam. You can purchase a simple steam generator from your local hardware store. You can also turn an ordinary electric kettle into a kind of steam generator by connecting a flexible hose to the kettle. The steam must kill all bed bugs and their eggs. Steam all corners and cracks thoroughly.
4. 4 Vacuum your home. This will get rid of bed bugs and eggs in mattresses, carpets, walls, and other surfaces.Pay particular attention to the folds, seams and edges of mattresses and innerspring beds, as well as the edges of flooring and carpets. After cleaning, remove the contents of the dust container into a garbage bag, which should be sealed with tape. Steaming carpets can help kill bugs and eggs left over from vacuuming.
   • It is especially useful to use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter for this.
5. 5 Remove cracks in the plaster and apply loose wallpaper to eliminate bed bug habitats. If possible, remove wildlife and bird nests in the home.
6. 6 Consider using insecticides. Residual insecticides (most often pyrethroids) are used for local treatment of cracks and crevices in which bed bugs hide. The penetration rate of the insecticide into cracks and crevices can be increased by first removing the accumulated dust and debris with a vacuum cleaner. Many aerosol pesticides can cause bed bugs to scatter, making them harder to kill. Powder preparations can be used to treat voids in walls and mezzanines.
   • Re-spray with insecticide if bed bugs have not disappeared within two weeks of initial dressing. It is very difficult to find all the possible hiding places for bedbugs, so new parasites can emerge from the hidden eggs.
   • Avoid insecticidal products that require reprocessing. These products are often sold at hardware stores; they are very messy and toxic. Among other things, these funds are not very effective and can hit your pocket. Look for other options.
7. 7 Use the services of professional exterminators. Experienced professionals know where to look for bed bugs. Home owners and tenants should assist professionals in their work. It is necessary to provide pest controllers with access to inspect and process the premises, and the premises should be thoroughly cleaned.
8. 8 Get rid of contaminated items. In some cases, the normal or spring blocks will have to be discarded. Since bed bugs can spread throughout the building, it may be necessary to inspect adjacent rooms and / or apartments.
9. 9 Use silica gel. Grind some silica gel and sprinkle it in your bedroom. Sprinkle a little on mattresses, on the floor around the bed, and along the walls. Good silica gel sticks to bed bugs and is held on to them, as a result of which the insects die from dehydration. Avoid breathing silica gel. Alternatively, you can use the natural desiccant diatomite (diatomaceous powder). Diatomaceous earth has the same properties as silica gel, but it is safe to use and does not pose a danger to your children and pets.
   • The effect of diatomaceous earth is similar to silica gel. It can be used around the seams of the mattress and along the spring box rails. Sharp microparticles will bite into soft bed bugs, resulting in their death.
   • If you have a cat, change the cat litter (crystalline silica gel) every 5 days to dry out freshly laid eggs. Repeat the above for five weeks.
10. 10 Use tea tree oil. This oil can be used to kill bed bugs.
    • Do a thorough cleaning of your home.
    • Wash all bedding and items with a few drops of tea tree oil.
    • Vacuum and wash all carpets.
    • Disassemble the beds. Spray the tea tree oil solution on them.
    • Treat the entire house with this solution. To make a spray, mix 0.5 L of water with 18 drops of tea tree oil. Treat the house and objects in it with the resulting solution - carpets, beds and furniture.
    • Use rubbing alcohol to instantly kill bed bugs and their eggs. This is an inexpensive and affordable tool.Fill a spray bottle with alcohol and spray it on the bugs and their nests. On contact with alcohol, bedbugs literally burn out. You can also treat the mattress and box spring.

Part 4 of 4: Preventing Bed Bugs

1. 1 Fight illegal garbage dump. Bedbugs love to hide in the trash, so if thrown around your house, they can get into the house as well. Besides, the landfill is always ugly and smells terrible.
2. 2 Use home precautions. Leave plastic wrap on new mattresses. Buy special mattress covers to protect against bedbugs. Look for quality, sturdy zippers and durable fabric that won't tear any time soon. Don't buy cheap mattress covers - they are too thin and bugs can bite through them.
3. 3 Avoid buying used beds, bedding, and furniture. Before you bring such objects into the house, you need to at least carefully examine them.
4. 4 When traveling overnight, inspect beds and their headboards for signs of bed bugs.
5. 5 Lift your luggage off the floor.
6. 6 Be carefull. Warehouses, storerooms, trucks, and railroad cars can become contaminated, so bed bugs can enter homes by hiding inside new furniture stored in or delivered from similar locations. Awareness will help you avoid parasite infestation, or at least reach out to professionals as early as possible.

Tips

• Bed bugs are often found in the corners of mattresses. Examine these areas carefully.
• Some people have a low susceptibility to bites, and they will not immediately realize that they have been bitten by bedbugs, other people will notice bite marks on their skin after a few hours.
• Bedbugs may appear dead when you see them in their hiding places, but they are not. They usually do not move until you have given them the proper steam. Steam them until they stop moving, now forever.
• Treat bed bug bites with witch hazel to prevent itching.
• Watch for new bites. This will help avoid possible consequences.
• Bed bugs are rarely seen in daylight. They leave their hideouts at night.
• If the bed cannot be thrown away and the bugs are still present, you can wrap the mattress and spring mattress in a cover (allergy companies sell bed covers with clasps to prevent dust mites from entering). Cleaning with a vacuum cleaner and brush will allow you to remove insects and their eggs from mattresses and box springs that cannot be simply thrown away. Some pest control companies also treat beds with portable steam machines. This method is very effective, but it does not kill the insects and their eggs that are hidden inside the mattress.
• The careful processing of a home, hotel room or apartment can take from a few hours to several days.
• There are restrictions on the treatment of beds with pesticides. Some pest controllers will clean the seams, stitches and crevices of the bed elements, but they will not spray mattresses, sheets, blankets or upholstery. Therefore, insect control firms often recommend getting rid of infected beds.
• Place the box spring and regular mattress on the bed support frame to avoid contact with the floor, and place the legs in a container of any oil. This will prevent insects from crawling into and out of your bed. Do not let the sheets and blankets hang from the bed to the floor until you are free of the parasites.
• Insecticides are not intended for use on bedding or linen. Such items should be dry cleaned or washed in hot water and then baked. Use a specially formulated insecticide to treat the seams and folds of mattresses.Do not spray insecticide on the surface of the mattress you will be laying on.
• Bed bugs drown. Completely soaking the affected clothing can kill many mites, but can also speed up the hatching of new mites. Dry your clothes in a high heat dryer and discard all fabric-covered furniture. You will immediately notice a significant drop in the number of bedbugs and their bites.
• 3mm plastic wrap will help create a barrier between bedding and contaminated furniture. Insects will not be able to penetrate this barrier and will die of hunger after a while.
• To avoid contamination with bed bugs: When you come home from a public place (cinema, restaurant, public transport), take off all your clothes and put them in a laundry bag or directly into the washing machine. If you are back from vacation, do not bring your luggage home. Transfer all items to a laundry bag and wash as soon as possible. Do the same with your clothes. Bedbugs are very small creatures and can hide anywhere, so prevention is the key to success. Also, never throw used clothing on the bed.
• When buying bed bed sheets, carefully measure the size of the bed, as the mattress may have non-standard sizes.

Warnings

• After numerous bed bug bites, human skin can become sensitive to insect saliva; further bites can cause an allergic reaction with itching and inflammation. Do not comb the red bites, as they can get infected. If you think you've been bitten by bed bugs, see your doctor. Your doctor may be able to prescribe antibiotics or antiseptic creams to protect you from infection, or corticosteroids along with antihistamines to treat allergic reactions.
• Bed bugs can travel long distances and survive in suitcases, clothing, cars, airplanes, cruise ships, and other forms of transport.
• Bedbugs are not always able to be destroyed the first time. It will take persistence to get rid of them forever. It may take four to five treatments.
• Bed bugs can hide in their shelters, without food (blood), for a year or longer.
• Don't be a bug carrier. Sleep only in your own bed. If you are going to travel, buy a new bag and pack it outside the house (for example, in the car), use only thoroughly washed items and check them for bed bugs.