Bedbugs:(

I Found Bed Bugs in My Home, What Should I Do Next?

 

So you just made the horrifying realization that bed bugs are in your home. You don’t know how many there are or how far they’ve spread, but you know for sure that you won’t be sleeping comfortably until they’re gone.

 

Here’s what to do next.

 

FIRST, Call your pest control provider.

 

Let me make one thing clear: you can’t handle bed bugs on your own. They are one of the most difficult to remove pests homeowners can face, and no amount of cleaning or DIY products are sufficient to get rid of them.

 

But why is this?

 

Bed bugs are survivalists:

 

Bed bugs have incredible tenacity. They can go months without food, survive extreme temperature changes, and reproduce rapidly.

 

The population in your home will be hardy. Even if you remove any access they have to food (in this case, warm-blooded hosts), they will most likely hibernate until a new food source is available.

 

Bed bugs are reclusive:

 

Bed bugs are not daylight pests by any means. They stay in hiding throughout the day, hiding in cracks and gaps in furniture or other dark, enclosed spaces.

 

When night falls, they emerge from hiding to seek out food sources. While bed bugs have a preference for human blood, they will feed on warm-blooded pets as well.

 

They usually feed only when their target is sleeping, which is why it is difficult to detect bed bugs until you start seeing bites.

 

This is disturbing information, but the good news is coming up.

 

Bed bug treatment plans:

 

So you’ve called a pest control expert, but what does their treatment entail?

 

Typically, bed bug treatment must cover the entire home. The rapid reproductive rate of bed bugs makes even a small population a potential threat, so you want the treatment to be comprehensive.

 

To ensure that the professional treatment has the best effect, here are a few steps you should take before your pest control provider arrives.

 

1- Move beds away from the wall and clear anything in the way of treatment.

 

You want the technician to have easy access to every nook and cranny of the home. This ensures that treatment is applied comprehensively and also gets rid of potential hiding places for bed bugs.

 

While the focus of this is typically on the bedroom, don’t forget that bed bugs can also hide in other secluded spaces. Your linen closet and luggage are also worth inspecting.

 

2- Clean carpets and wash sheets and bedding.

 

Bed bugs leave their eggs behind in carpets and bedding. These eggs are nearly invisible to the naked eye, so you want to be thorough with your cleaning.

 

You will probably want to get the house professionally cleaned once the bed bugs are removed, but it’s a good start to vacuum and scrub them before the treatment.

 

Sheets, bedding, and other linens should be washed at a high temperature. This will render the eggs harmless and reduce the risk of spreading the infestation.

 

That said, none of these methods are foolproof and shouldn’t be viewed as a replacement for treatment.

 

3- Let the pros go to work.

 

The initial treatment of your home will handle the majority of the bed bugs. That said, some of the population will most likely survive through a combination of hibernation and reproduction.

 

Because of this, additional treatments are often required before the entire population is destroyed.

 

This can be frustrating, especially if the entire treatment process takes months, but it is necessary to ensure that the bed bugs don’t return.

 

Bed bugs aren’t an easy problem to solve, but with the right expertise, no infestation is unbeatable.

 

If you are dealing with bed bugs or any other pests, give us a call TODAY at 770-479-1598!

 

-Tim, President