How To Prevent and Kill Bed Bugs

First tip is to have patience, perseverance and Faith!

Next you will need the energy to clean everything, EVERYTHING - Bed bugs can hide anywhere, so now is the time to thoroughly clean and de-clutter your home. Clutter is a bed bugs greatest ally. Hold onto stuff you don't really need and you risk losing peace of mind because bed bugs will spread.

DO NOT BUY USED FURNITURE - ESPECIALLY MATTRESSES, BOX SPRINGS, COACHES, CHAIRS - bed bugs can go into wood, metal, plastic furniture, anything that has crevices and they can hide in the furniture until a suitable host (you) comes along.

If you don't have to, don't shop at thrift stores, second hand shops and get free stuff off Craig's List - It is best to err on the side of caution here. Unless you are wash any clothing item immediately (not bring it home and then take it back out a few hours later to the laundromat) or check each nook and cranny and practically take furniture apart - is it worth the risk?

Being too "green" and recycling can get you in trouble - I know we all want to do our part to be green, reuse and recycle but that is one avenue that bed bugs are using to get spread all over the Country. We need to consume less, have less, do with less. You probably have more than you can ever use, so now is the time to cut back and de-clutter.

If you must buy clothing, especially used but even with new clothing, seal it in an air tight bag and wash and (over) dry it thoroughly before wearing or hanging in your closets or putting in your drawers. More and more stores are becoming infested everyday - people buy items and them return them back to the store with bed bugs and/or eggs on them. The infestation spreads to other clothing and you buy something and bring it home and infest your home with your brand new purchase.

Did you know that textile and clothing manufacturers may be transmitting bed bugs? If the factory has them, then the clothing the manufacturer is selling has them. What about the trucks that transport the goods? May sound like a conspiracy theory, but again if you don't have them - you don't want them. Treat everything new and old with caution and do with less.

Don't forget to wash your curtains and check blinds and curtain rods for signs of bugs.

When going to the laundromat with possibly infested articles be careful! Remember to put laundry bag in a plastic bag and tie it closed (an airtight bag with a zip lock seal is even better). Put your laundry bag in the wash and dryer along with your clothing, so that is clean also. When using laundry carts and folding tables remember never put your clothing directly on them (place them on a clean plastic bag). Someone might have placed infested articles there and your cleaned clothes can pick up adults or eggs. When taking your cleaned clothes home in your laundry bag, do not put them in the same plastic bag you brought them in, use a clean plastic bag.

If you have the money invest in a commercial quality steam cleaner. You need a steam cleaner that produces dry vapor at a consistent 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a slow and steady stroke with a brush attachment that has a cloth over it. Using a nozzle attachment can blow eggs and larva away, not what you want to do.

If you can't afford an exterminator or want to try to alleviate the problem yourself first, you must buy a product that is for use on mattresses and box springs - then encase them in bed bug proof plastic covers. This way the insecticide will continue to work on both the mattress and box spring while encased. Remember bed bugs can live up to 18 month without feeding, so do not take encasement cover off. Periodically check encasement for rips, tears and holes. If you get a tear, rip or hole use a heavy duty quality duck tape to repair it or get a new encasement cover.

Use bed bug monitors and traps to catch bugs.

If your bed is infested, do not start sleeping on the coach - beg bugs will just follow you and then your coach will be infested also. Instead consider sleeping on an air mattress.

You may need to use a combination of insecticides that can kill both adults bed bugs and larva and eggs - and IGR or insect Growth Inhibitor will work to prevent future generations from reproducing and eventually kill off the population.

Use food grade diatomaceous earth and dust baseboards, inside drawers, etc. The residual action of the diatomaceous earth will work to break down their shells, dehydrate them and kill them. This takes time and patience. You can buy a puffer and dust baseboards, outlets, switches, furniture, etc. Leave it down for a couple of days and then come back and vacuum (discard bag right away). Then redust and leave down.

Have other tips or tricks to fight bed bugs? Let us know.

You may think you have bed bugs but are not sure. How do you figure out if you do? Usually the most identifiable item is the bites on your skin; mostly legs and arms but can be all over. The bites usually follow a pattern that is called breakfast, lunch and dinner - because they usually show up 3 in a row. Your bite(s) may turn into an extremely itchy welt.

The next way to identify bed bugs is by checking your mattress and box spring. Take the sheets off and any covers or pads and manually check your mattress and box spring thoroughly. The telltale signs of bed bugs is of course live bugs. Before feeding they are flat and have the shape of an apple seed - pointy at the top and oval - wide at the bottom. Once a bed bug has feed, it becomes bloated or fatter because it has ingested a meal of blood. On your mattress or box spring you may see eggs, and larva and bed bug debris. This is debris is from the digested meal of blood and looks like dark brown specs. If you put these specs in water they will appear red - from the blood meal.

When checking your mattress and box spring, also check your headboard and mattress frame as bed bugs can hide in these areas too. If you have them now it is time to get to work at getting rid of them. It is a process but is doable.

When you have bedbugs you want the problem gone immediately. You will do almost anything to get rid of them. Some unscrupulous exterminators are taking advantage of this to charge outrageous fees for services that are not guaranteed. While client compliance is of the utmost importance, skill, experience and the use of the correct chemicals is the responsibility of the exterminator you choose.

Ask for references - they may say that the information is confidential, but press for it. They can call their past clients and ask for permission to use them as a reference. If they have happy, satisfied customers that they have helped eradicate the bed bugs, these people will be more than willing to let other potential clients know this.

Check them out with the Better Business Bureau and do a general search of their service name and exterminators name to see if you can track down any reviews or complaints about them. There is a paid site called "Angie's List" that you can view, to see if there are any reviews or suggestions for professionals in your area.

Are they willing to do followups for free? Yes, there are exterminators that will followup for a couple of months for free after the initial visit.

Are they willing to take payments? Yes, there are exterminators that will allow you to payoff your exterminating bill.

A high service fee does not equal superior service. A company that is successful in dealing with this problem will not have prices that will run you to the poor house - knowing that one treatment may not be enough.

Talk to others and get the names of exterminators that have successfully treated and alleviated their problem.

Don't let panic get the best of you.

If you live in the NYC area, please email me and I can provide you with the name of a reliable service.