Are you not able to sleep at night? Is there something that’s bothering you? That unease that creeps in as soon as the sun sets and that weird feeling that something is crawling on you. Well, all of it can be real. And it may be happening because of the bed bugs.
Bed bugs are blood suckers. These are tiny creatures that get active at night and feed off human blood. Although they can be seen, they often go unnoticed because of their small size and stealth attacks. They hide away in the corners and behind the clutter during day time. They’re survivors as they can live up to a year without feeding off human blood. So, once they enter a home, they wait for their prey to come back to them, no matter how long it takes.
Bed Bugs & Diseases
Bed bugs have a close connection in spreading diseases. The general allergic reactions that cause rashes, swelling and itching, are just a little bit of what these nasty creatures can do to you. They transmit blood from one living organism to other. Thus, there’s high possibility that these can act as a carrier of diseases. Although it hasn’t been entirely proved through research that these can transmit blood from animals to humans, scientists haven’t ruled out this possibility. And are you still thinking why am I writing such an elaborate article to help you get rid of bed bugs?
Can they be treated?
Of course, they can be. The easiest way to do that is hiring a pest control service, and they’ll use the most efficient method to remove bed bugs. But wait! You must know a few more things before you decide to deal with these pests.
Bed Bugs prevention
Prevention is better than cure. So, it will be a superb idea just to avoid these creatures in the first place. Here are some tips to prevent the bed bugs from invading your house in large numbers.
1. Inspect the bedding area regularly: Bed bugs are extremely common but still a lot of us fail to detect them until the infestation increases up to an alarming rate. Bed bugs can be spotted very easily and also leave behind stains. So, give no more excuses. Always be on a lookout for these horrible creatures. They like to hide in the clutter. Check there.
2. Keep the area clean: It is too obvious to be said. Bed bugs love the clutter. That’s their hiding place. So, it’s advisable that you keep the area around your bed spotless. Try to keep minimum things around it and make sure you vacuum the area regularly. Read our guide to vacuuming to be more efficient at it.
3. Don’t use bug bombs: Bug bombs come to our minds very naturally when we’re thinking of pest control. As cool as they may sound, they’re not at all effective on bed bugs. Bug bombs can’t reach the small places behind your furniture or under the clutter, and thus, they’ll never reach the bed bugs. Talk about notorious creatures & bed bugs will top the list.
4. Don’t throw away the infected items: A lot of us give into this stupid solution. Bed bugs wouldn’t leave your house with that infected bed or sofa, or even the carpet. They hide away in the corners and then multiply. Moreover, if you throw away the contaminated furniture, you can face legal troubles as you will typically spread this infestation. It’s against the law. If you don’t believe my words for I am not a lawyer, watch an episode of suits in season 1 where the smart Mike Ross does his first Pro bono.
If you’re buying old furniture, always check for bugs: Contrary to the popular belief, you can easily spot the bed bugs. And they mostly enter your house with a piece of old furniture. So, when you buy a new thing, inspect it carefully for bed bugs. I would advise you that you don’t buy that piece of furniture for it’ll be very costly to treat the bed bugs once they enter your house. Buying a bug-free new piece of furniture would be much more economical.
5. Bed bugs hate heat: If you feel that you have come in contact with bed bugs - maybe in the hotel room or while you were staying at your friend’s house, you need to act quickly. They’re probably sitting on your clothes. So, you need to take those quickly off and dip them in hot water for at least 30 minutes. Mostly, bed bugs die with this action. Be careful! Don't let your clothes touch anything - sofa, carpet, bed or curtains. Just enter your home, take them off and put them in hot water.
Bed Bugs treatment
We all make mistakes. What if something happened and you’re just living with bed bugs now. Of course, I know those are not your preferred choice of partners. So, here’s how you can say bye-bye to them.
1. Take an eco-friendly approach: I truly understand how irritating this can be. These creatures can become your worst nightmare and naturally, you would be ready to do anything to get rid of them. But the fact is there are some great eco-friendly bed bugs treatments and they’re as effective as the others. So, why not contribute towards the betterment of the environment when it doesn’t cost you anything extra?
2. Don’t use just any pesticide: If you want to get rid of bed bugs legally, you should use only the pesticides approved by EPA. Such pesticides often come with EPA-approved labels and thus you can easily identify them. At the same time, you shouldn’t buy pesticides for bed bug treatment off the street. Don’t mix the pesticides as they can be dangerous. Also, don’t use the pesticides meant for outdoor use inside your home.
3. Rubbing alcohol can be dangerous: If you look for the exact number of people who have set themselves or their precious belongings on fire while trying to eliminate bed bugs, you’ll be alarmed. There’s this idea that rubbing alcohol will instantly kill bed bugs. People do use rubbing alcohol but then forget how it can easily catch fire. So, I would advise you to try not do this. Rather hire a pest control service to treat the bed bugs. I am sure it will be cheaper than setting your whole house on fire. No?
4. Call a pest control service: It would be a lie to say that you can’t deal with these by yourself. But I would advise not to. Not because you’ll fail but because there’s too much at risk. The treatments pose a significant risk. Like the rubbing alcohol accidents? Some pesticides can be dangerous for you, especially if you have kids or pets. Moreover, if you’re living in a rented apartment, your landlord is usually supposed to pay the bills for the treatment. So, why not?
That’s it for today’s post. I hope you got a good idea about how to prevent and treat bed bugs. Have you ever faced a bed bug situation? How did you deal with it?
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