The horror. You've found bed bugs! Now what do you do? Before you do anything, take a moment to look through this list of do's and don'ts to better understand what you're up against.
Don't...
Throw your bed out. You're not likely to fix anything by putting your bed in a dumpster or putting it out on the curb. Bed bugs don't only live in beds. They can live in your upholstered furniture, electronics, wall voids, outlets, and more. If you miss one bug, or even a batch of eggs, you're going to still have an infestation to deal with. Plus, you'll have to buy another bed.
Lay poison down. Are there things that can kill bed bugs on contact? Yup! But when these products are not applied properly, not only can they be hazardous to humans and pets, they could make your problem worse. Worse? How could it be any worse? Bed bugs have a natural defense mechanism. If they sense a threat, they hide from it. This can drive them deep into your walls, and make it impossible for a pest control company to exterminate them without a heat treatment or fumigation.
Do a heat treatment. It is incredibly difficult to raise the temperature of an entire structure to 120 degrees Fahrenheit without industrial-grade equipment and specialized training. Professionals use temperature-regulating heaters, heat sensors, and industrial fans to evenly disperse the heat. They are also trained to remove items that could be damaged or present a fire hazard. Simply opening your oven and putting it on 500 degrees isn't going to do anything to those bugs--other than drive them away from the heat and deep into your walls. Stay safe. Get a professional if you need a heat treatment.
Lay down traps. It doesn't matter what traps you use, there is little chance they will solve your problem by themselves. Professionals don't use traps to kill bed bugs. They use them to monitor for bed bug activity. When properly administered as part of a pest control plan, some traps can be useful but, alone, they do not arrest an infestation.
Do...
Call a professional like Thomas Pest Services. Bed bugs are not easy to get rid of. It requires an education in the entomology of these pests, and training in advanced pest protocols. At Thomas Pest Services, our team is guided by our on-staff board-certified entomologist, and given the training needed to properly corral and destroy bed bugs.
When you're ready to be done with these bugs, reach out to us. Our team of professionals is looking forward to assisting you.