Bed bugs are a problem in homes, hotels and other hospitality type businesses and the best option for getting rid of bed bugs is to call in a professional. If you are dealing with bedbugs in your business that is something that can very quickly affect your reputation for a long time so acting quickly and choosing the most effective option is essential. But there are other options if you are dealing with a home infestation and want to try them. There are also things you can that prevent them. Here is a closer look at correctly identifying the pest problem you have and some of those treatment and prevention options.
Identifying the pest
Before you start looking up means of removing bed bugs, you need to make sure that this is the pest you are dealing with. If you have not seen anything but you are dealing with what you think are bed bug bites, you could be mistaking them with flea bites or mosquito bites. After all, because of their nocturnal nature bed bugs are hard to see. During the day they hide in dark places and small cracks close to where they normally feed, usually a bed. Take a look at different bites and see what yours matches.
The first thing you should do is to spot check the bed. Peel back the bed sheets and check the mattress, running your fingers along the upper and lower seams. Make sure to check the mattress tag and plastic around the edges; bed bugs often hide there.
Check for tiny black spots (smaller than the size of poppy seeds) behind the headboard, translucent skins or actual bedbugs. Bed bug spots (fecal matter) are dark brown to black in colour and stick to the surface. If it falls off, then it’s not a bed bug spot. You can also take a wet towel and wipe the spot to see if it smears and if so, then it may be fecal matter.
Check the bedside table or any other furniture or fixtures near the bed. Bedbugs don’t like the light, so they’ll be hiding in areas that are usually dark or have very low light.
Are there shed skins – as the bed bug develops, it sheds the skin which looks like the bug. Also, look for tiny white eggs (like rice) along the edge of the mattress.
During the early stages of infestation (if you or someone just brought one home), the bed bugs usually hide out in the mattress ( and headboard). If this is your home and you’re concerned you might have a few in bed with you, it would be wise to buy a mattress cover; this will seal in the bed bugs and over time, they will die.
Utilise the luggage stand in the hotel room to keep your bags off of the floor where bedbugs can easily get into your things and end up hitching a ride home with you. Never dump your luggage on the bed.
If you see powder in the drawers or on the headboard, it is likely that the room has already been treated for bugs by a bed bug exterminator.
Other signs of bed bugs may include itching or a foul smell. The odour has been described in a number of ways, most say it resembles spoiled raw beef, musty odour or a sweet odour such as fresh red raspberries.
Choose your method of getting rid of bed bugs
As mentioned you have two main options to seek professional help or to try a DIY approach. In most cases, the professional pest control business can do a better job, but of course, you do have to pay for the expertise. Doing it yourself can take longer and you need to keep up all of your efforts. You also need to know the kind of spots bed bugs hide in and how they spread to really have any effect on the infestation.
Home bed bugs treatment
If you do decide to first try treatment efforts yourself here are the kind of steps you need to take. They might help you control the problem but they may not completely eliminate them.
- Make a very careful inspection – While you need to inspect the whole bed, in particular, you should look at the seams of the mattress, the headboard, the bed frame and under the rug or carpet nearby, and any cracks in the walls and in any furniture near to the bed like an armchair, or bedside table for example.
- Wash at a high temperature – When you strip off the bedding you need to wash that at a high temperature for a long cycle. Preferably at least 60℃ for 90 minutes.
- Dry at a high temperature – Once the bedding is washed at a high temperature you should then dry it at a high temperature too for at least 30 minutes.
- Use the vacuum cleaner – You can use a vacuum cleaner on the mattress on all sides of it as well as all around the bed and use it with the hose attachments on walls, skirting boards and such nearby.
- Use over the counter pest control methods – Along with the flooring, edges of the walls and such you can also find some store-bought pest control options that can help.
Choosing a professional pest control service
If you are having problems with bed bug bites whether you are finding them annoying or possibly even distressing if it is your children being bit, then the most effective action is to find expert pest controllers to help. Luckily we are here to help. At Pest Control Heroes, we can find the best pest controller near you for an effective bed bug treatment solution.
So don’t hesitate and contact us today to connect you with one of our experts.