|
How to Really Kill Bed Bugs |
PDF
|
| Print |
|
E-mail
|
A tiny and extremely annoying pest plagues modern households. Bed bugs, once believed to frequent only dingy motels, are now surfacing in average homes across North America.
Health experts and authorities claimed that bed bug infestations were eliminated due to DDT use in the 1940s. During the 1990s, however, the problem began to resurface. This reoccurrence has been blamed on a couple of factors. Travelers from across the globe are believed to be the main culprits, and bed bugs can still be found quite regularly in parts of Asia, Africa and Europe.
The Heartbreak of Bed Bugs
Aside from the basic "creepiness" of having bed bugs in the home, there are other discomforts associated with the presence of this household pest. Skin irritation is the main concern for victims of bed bugs. If you happen to wake up one morning with red and swollen areas over your body, chances are you've fallen victim to the nasty bed bug. While you were sleeping, you played an unknowing supper host to a single bed bug, or an entire colony.
Bed bugs are tiny, wingless creatures that make their homes in the cracks and surfaces of furniture, floors, walls and beds. These insects are so small, that it's hard to spot them with the naked eye. Any small crevice, hole or crack in any part of a room provides the ideal hiding spot for a bed bug. Of course, your big, comfy mattress is paradise to these tiny insects, and they will happily thrive in the seams of your mattress and surface contours of your bedspring.
Going in For the Kill
Virtually everyone who has been visited or victimized by bed bugs wants them gone as soon as possible. But killing them is not an easy task. It's impossible to capture these bugs, because you can barely see them. Bed bugs also only come out at night, and tend to hide in waiting until you are safely asleep. That's why killing them is such a difficult, if not impossible, thing to do on your own.
There are a few guidelines that can help you in your fight against bed bugs:
* Obviously, the bugs need to be there if you're going to kill them. Be sure that you actually have bed bugs before you set out on a killing rampage.
* To help prevent an infestation, be sure to clean your room or the household regularly, paying particular attention to suspicious areas. This effort can mean the difference between bed bugs thriving in your home, or moving on to find a more suitable place to live.
* If you're sure that you have bed bugs in your home, begin to inspect every square inch. Check the floor, walls and ceilings for tiny openings, cracks or holes that can serve as a hiding place or breeding ground for these pests. Every piece of furniture in the room must also be checked.
* There are a few insecticides and pesticides on the market that claim to be effective at killing bed bugs. These chemical products are easily accessible, and you can buy them at many hardware stores without any prescription or permit.
* Before using pesticides or insecticides, you need to understand the potential dangers. These are poisonous chemicals that, while really effective in killing bed bugs, can also be damaging or even lethal to you, your family and your pets. Anyone who comes in contact faces the threat of illness.
* Most insecticides that kill bed bugs come in the form of a spray. This method is easiest to use, and is the most effective way of passing the lethal chemicals into the bed bugs' systems.
* Bed bugs are not killed by inhalation of the chemicals. The insects are simply too resilient. Rather, the sprays work by destroying the bed bugs' protective covers or skin. Manufacturers incorporate powdered silicon and glass granules into the spray. When the insecticide is sprayed, some of the white molecules are these dangerous crystallized materials. This is why the sprays pose such a high risk to humans. Imagine the damage that can be caused if you were to inhale these products. Inhalation could lead to internal wounds and minor hemorrhages within your system.
Pest Control Experts
The best way to deal with a bed bug infestation is to call the experts. Pest control professionals know better than you how to effectively kill bed bugs and other household pests. These companies have invested in personnel training, innovative products and specialized equipment to ensure the success of every pest control operation. Many of these products are either not available commercially, or simply too expensive for the average homemaker to purchase. Some of the equipments may even be non-affordable for you.
It's faster, safer and more effective to hire a pest control expert. They know how to properly handle dangerous chemical treatments and pesticides, reducing health risks to you, your family and your neighbors.
If you're plagued by bed bugs and want to know the best way to kill them, call the experts.
|