Bed bugs may live anywhere close to their blood hosts. Keeping your house clean doesn’t protect your home from bed bug invasion. A stable, comfortable room temperature and an access to the meal source are all what they really need. Bed bug removal in the case of infestation is the only solution for the pest control.
Adult bed bugs are light brown to reddish brown in color. They are oval-shaped and flattened. The bed bug lifespan includes 5 immature nymth stages and a final mature adult stage. They consume at least one blood meal to complete each of the six moults before becoming fertile bed bugs. Thus, they leave their shelter to suck blood once per 5-7 days.
Bed bugs may be mistaken for other indoor insects. Tiny cockroaches, booklice, carpet beetles have much common in appearance with them.
Bed bugs have other informal names, such as chilly billies, mahogany flat, chinche bug, wall louse, redcoat, and crimson rambler.
What are the Signs of bed bugs’ Presence?
The main signs of bed bugs’ infestation are bites with no red spots, cognac odor, dark or blood spots on the bedsheets, apple-seed-like insects under the mattresses and in the cracks.
CO2, warmth, sweat and chemicals released by a host attract the bed bugs. They prefer exposed skin on the face, neck and arms. Bed bugs can live without meal for long periods of time. At temperatures below 61° F they semihibernate and can survive longer.
Female bed bugs may generate up to 500 eggs per oviposition. So, if only one pregnant bug, that survived during the pest eradication, may produce new generations and re-infest the bedding items in a few weeks. Thus, it is better to call a professional pest control company for bed bug removal. Moreover, if you live in an appartment building, it is obligatory to eradicate the redcoats in all infested rooms and indoor space at the same time.
Chains of tiny red Bites on Skin
The first evidence is the bed bug bites on the homeowners’ bodies. They look like a ”path” of mosquito bites. Bed bugs live in large clusters and their bites are numerous. Each bed bug hunts at night and pierces the skin several times per feeding. 3 bites in average are enough for a bedbug to eat to repletion. If you observe 3-7 swellings arranged in chains in the morning, be sure that bed bugs have attacked your home. How to treat bed bug bites read here.
Smell of Cognac or Rotting Raspberries in Rooms
The second evidence of bed bugs’ presence is an odor that is very similar to the smell of rotting raspberries or spoilt cognac. If the bed bugs’ infestation is severe, you will scent it in all rooms. At first, you may detect the characteristic smell emitted from your bedding. Moreover, they release the same disagreeable odor when crushed. Besides, there are trained bed bug detection dogs that can pinpoint the infested areas.
Dark and Blood Spots on Bedding
The next of the signs of bed bugs is the presence of tiny blood and dark fecal spots on the sheets. They are the traces of insect vital activities.
Presence of tiny Bugs that Resemble Apple-seeds
If you suspect bed bugs’ infestation, try to inspect your bedding items and mattresses thoroughly. If you observe tiny brown insects that look like apple seeds, be sure that they are bed bugs. At times, you can detect empty chitinous carapaces near your bed or on the bedding. Light-colored bed bug nymths shed their outer exoskeletons during the molting.
The Ways of Bed bug Removal
Bed bugs’ treatment involves the complete elimination of the blood-sucking insects and their eggs and preventive measures. It is important to get rid of bed bugs thoroughly and properly to provide safe and tight sleep at night. There several methods of bed bug removal indoors.
Chemical Treatment
The first method to get rid of bed bugs is chemical treatment. Insecticides against these home pests are the most effective. Pest control companies apply professional products that can’t be purchased without a license.
If you are going to exterminate bed bugs on your own, buy insecticides that are EPA-registered and recommended for domestic use. There is a great range of available products for application at home: sprays, powders, microcapsules and concentrated solutions. Apply chemicals only as directed in the label.
In fact, λ-cyhalothrin, bifenthrin, carbaryl are the most effective for bed bug removal. Moreover, homeowners use imidacloprid, fipronil, permethrin and Silica gel to eliminate the mattress pests.
Thermal Treatment
The second way of getting rid of bed bugs’ infestation is a thermal treatment. In other words, it is an application of high or low temperatures in order to eliminate the home pests. In addition, it is an environmentally-friendly method of pest extermination. Bed bugs are unable to withstand temperatures higher 120°F and lower -0.4°F. In fact, 15 minutes under -26°F or 5 days under 14°F are enough for bed bugs to die.
Commercial and residential freezers reach low temperatures enough to kill bed bugs. Heat extermination with steam-generator is available only for spot or localized treatment at home. If you live in regions with frosty winters, you may take a piece of infested furniture out for several days.
If you have severe bed bugs’ infestation, seek professional pest control help. They will perform the whole-house thermal treatment with heat guns, forced air heaters or liquid nitrogen.
Mechanical bed bugs’ Treatment
Methods of mechanical treatment are less effective in bed bug extermination. Some homeowners vacuum the clusters of the blood-feeding insects from all cracks, crevices and holes. Others make home improvements and dispose all the infested items. Then, they use zippered bed bug-proof mattress covers and bed-leg moat devices as a preventive measure. In fact, mechanical treatment won’t exterminate bedbugs completely. Though, it will reduce the number of insects at home.
Biological Treatment
Homeowners use the fungus Beauveria bassiana as an outdoor organic insecticide for years. The fungus spores sprayed on cotton fabric kill bed bugs within 5 days and exterminate their colonies. The infected bugs carry the spores back to their mates. However, some people with compromised immune systems may react negatively to the concentrated presence of the fungus Beauveria bassiana. 1
Home remedies for bed bug infestations
Sometimes, homeowners treat the blood-sucking pests on their own. They use vinegar, boric acid, boiled water, wormwood or tansy brew, bean leaves and essential oils for getting rid of bed bugs. Though, these products are less effective. Moreover, they do not exterminate the indoor insects completely. Home remedies can simply repel the bed bugs and nothing more.
Professional Treatment for Bed bug Removal
The most effective and quick method for bed bug removal is professional treatment. They use the highly effective insecticides of new generation which are restricted only for professional application.
Moreover, the historically effective insecticides that include malathion, dichlorvos, and pyrethroids became non-working. As bed bugs have already adapted pesticide resistance. Boric acid is an eco-safe and the least toxic insecticide for indoor use. Boracides eradicate termites, roaches and ants. Though, borates are not effective against “redcoats” as the bugs don’t groom. The US EPA hasn’t approved the carbamate pesticide (Propoxur or Baygon) for indoor application due to its potential toxicity to kids after chronic exposure.
Of course, professional treatment is expensive. Though, it worths the cost. Pest control specialists have all the required equipment as well. They use fog generators for whole-house chemical fumigation and forced air heaters for home thermal treatment.
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