How to get rid of bed bugs?

Bed bugs  feed exclusively on blood. Cimex lectularius, the common bed bug, is the best known, as it prefers to feed on human blood.

Getting rid of bed bugs is NOT an easy job and cannot be done 1-2-3.   According to the EPA, bed bugs are challenging pests to get rid of, since they hide so well and reproduce so quickly. Plus, the egg stage is resistant to many forms of treatment, so a single attempt may not be sufficient to complete the job.   It can take weeks to a month to get the situation under control.

First, you need to investigate and find out the extent of the bed bugs.  Collect one and make sure you are indeed dealing with bed bugs.  If it is positive call someone who is trained in this type of procedure.  If you live in an apartment, call your landlord right away.

Second, keep the Bed Bugs from spreading.  What this means is remove everything from the room and place in a sealed plastic bag to be treated.  Items that cannot be treated should still be placed in a sealed bag and left for a period of time.   If you cannot treat your furniture, discard and destroy it right away so no one will bring it home.  Rip covers/remove stuffing, etc. and call the garbage company right away to pick up.

 

Killing Bed Begs – Always make sure your  methods are safe.  Heat treatment using a clothes dryer on high heat or cold treatment can also be succesful.  Leave the itmes in the freezer for four days. Reducing the number of bed beds is a given but getting rid entirely is unlikely.

Look for EPA registered pesticides.