How To Get Rid of Bed Bugs

"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." This common goodnight verse may be truer than you think. Bed bugs are worldwide travelers, notorious for latching on to luggage items and stowing away to a new destination. When you consider all of the travelers and the hotels and motels all over the world, it is easy to understand why bed bugs seem to be making a comeback.

1. Bed Bugs- A bed bug is typically a brownish colored, wingless insect between one fourth and a half inch long. Bed bugs can survive for up to a year without feeding on a blood source. These parasites are able to hide in small cracks and crevices, are difficult to find, and even harder to eradicate. Females can lay up to 300 eggs, which hatch within ten days, thus creating an ever-growing population.

2. Bed Bug Bites-A bed bug's main source of nutrition is blood, and they bite using their beaklike mouths, piercing the skin. Different people react to bed bug bites in different ways. Some may never know they've been bitten, while others may experience severe inflammation and possible infection. Most of the bites are so small that they can't be felt. However, a typical sign of a bed bug bite is a small, swollen, white welt that forms at the bite location. Many people who have been bitten by bed bugs experience pronounced itching in the bite area.
3. Finding Bed Bugs-Bed bugs are good at hiding. In fact, you really have to search and know what you are looking for before you may find a bed bug. In many instances, evidence of a bed bug is discovered rather than the actual bug itself. Rusty spots on sheets and mattresses caused by a crushed bug or a bug's fecal matter may be the first indication that a bed bug infestation has occurred, along with eggshells and shed skin. Most bed bugs can be found in the crevices and cracks of mattresses, chairs, and sofas. They are often found between the headboard and a wall as well. Because bed bugs prefer wood and fabric over plastic and metal, bed bugs mostly dwell in the more lived-in areas of a home or building, such as a bedroom or hotel room.
4. Getting Rid of Bed Bugs-Once an infestation has occurred, patience and persistence is the key to ridding the area of bed bugs. It isn't enough to clean the mattresses and launder the sheets. Furniture should be overturned and cleaned. Carpeting, wood molding, door jambs, picture frames, and closets should be inspected as well. Bed bugs can hide behind loose wallpaper, in the crevices between carpets and walls, behind outlet covers, and inside light fixtures, smoke detectors, and even clocks. Removable, washable items can be laundered in very hot water. For those areas or items which can not be laundered, smaller items can be wrapped in plastic and set in a hot place or in direct sunlight. The key is to raise the temperature to at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours to kill the eggs and the bugs. Vacuuming and steam cleaning may also be done, but any bags or canisters should be thrown away or emptied outside of the area immediately to prevent another infestation. The best method of removing bed bugs, however, is through a professionally handled treatment.
5. Don't Try These Methods-Finally, there are several methods that are totally useless and shouldn't even be considered. Bug bombs and aerosol pesticides will not rid an area of bed bugs. While extreme hot and cold temperatures may affect the infestation, below freezing temperatures will only work if those temperatures remain below freezing for over two weeks.