In this blog series we answer some of the common questions people have about bed bugs. The main one we start off with is of course: how can you get rid of bed bugs?
Waking up with bed bug bites on your body can be quite a frightening experience. Bed bugs can enter the home by you simply sitting on a bus which has the infestation and a female pregnant bug finding her way into your bag, luggage or your pocket. Other ways of catching bed bugs are through travel - business or pleasure! The reality is we are now using airplanes far more than we used to. Traveling and staying in faraway countries and hotels that have a bed bug problem can mean you bring them home with you. This blog is not trying to put anyone off their food, but to inform you what to do when bed bugs are found. Here is a picture of an example of biting from a heavy night of bed bug activity.
Before undertaking any bed bug pest control it is important that you confirm that you have bed bugs as best as you can. If after a holiday you have a couple of bites when you get home, this may well be the start of the problem. It can be quite difficult to locate the bed bug infestation when it is new. You are looking for spotting much like in the video below I took recently.
This is actually the droppings from the bed bugs but of course new infestations take their time to show these droppings as they have to build up. It means initially the droppings may not be found, but you are still getting bites. If a bug is seen please take a picture of it, we are happy to confirm it, just get in touch.
How to get rid of bed bugs once they’re diagnosed can be done in a few different ways. The first two listed below are professional treatments, and the third is essentially a culmination of the first two that you could attempt by yourself.
In truth, a proper bed bug treatment really needs to be carried out by experts. There are two main reasons for this. The first is bed bugs themselves are not necessarily the issue - it’s more the eggs. Killing the bedbugs themselves is very possible, however, any sprays used will not penetrate the eggs of an unborn bed bug meaning that when they hatch the situation will continue. The second reason a professional treatment is preferable is quite simply the chemicals being used are extremely powerful and in some instances highly toxic. These should never be used without the appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment). It is very surprising really the level of chemicals you can purchase over the Internet that quite simply are not safe to use unless you have the full training.
BED BUG TREATMENT SOLUTIONS
Chemical Bed Bug Treatment
Chemical treatment has primarily been the way to kill bedbugs for many years. The common chemical used is Ficam W. This attacks the nervous system of the bugs. This tried and tested technique does gain good results, however there are three main drawbacks to this approach.
The first is the amount of preparation that is required. For safety reasons there are legal restrictions on where you can apply the spray within a bedroom. This means that all areas, at least within the proximity of the bed, must be empty and all clothes washed at 60°C or put in a dryer for 30 minutes. This can be very time-consuming.
The second of drawback is, as bed bug eggs are waterproof, the chemical simply cannot penetrate the egg. This means that although bed bugs may be killed, soon enough future eggs will hatch causing a re-infestation. Further treatments are then needed to deal with a bed bug problem. The final drawback is that bed bugs may be hiding where it is not possible to get this spray. This means that the room will continually need to be slept in to draw bed bugs out of their hiding places to hopefully be then killed by the chemical.
Bed Bug Heat Treatment
The second option is to use a combination of heat, steam and spray. Each one of these on their own can potentially deal with the problem. Heat treatments are a relatively new way of dealing with bed bugs in the pest control world, but are at the cutting edge of technology and by far the most effective. Scientist discovered that by heating bed bugs and the eggs to the kill zone of between 50-70 degrees, this literally cooks the bugs and eggs. In Scientific terms this is called denaturing the proteins and enzymes essential for that insect to survive or develop.
Exterminators such as Pure Pest Solutions use heat treatments for bed bug pest control. The idea here is that the heat goes straight to the bed bugs where they rest and live, killing them within 15 minutes. This also goes for the eggs as well. A dry steam is used to penetrate harder to reach areas such as within walls. A spray is then applied around skirting boards to catch any stragglers as they dry out. This technique is the gold standard in pest control and generally brings with it a warranty period. This option for bed bugs has many benefits: It only takes one day for the treatment to be effective, so the stress is dealt with quickly. There is very little preparation required compared to the spray, so saves you time. An extremely low level of chemicals is used, so safe for all the family. Pest controllers using Heat treatments for bed bugs do tend to be more expensive, due to the specialist equipment and guarantee, however overall worth considering, considering the benefits.
How to get rid of bed bugs by yourself
The third technique to rid your house of bed bugs would be to use a carpet steamer to all areas of the bed and a residual spray both in and around the infested areas. This approach can be done without the need of a pest controller but will have mixed results.
If you have any questions about bed bugs or how to get rid of them. then please don’t hesitate to get in touch either by phone or email. More details can be found on this site: www.purepest.uk. We are always happy to give advice and talk through your situation.