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As you sleep lying peacefully, something else is crawling on your bed. These small insects are known as bedbugs.
Although bed bugs are not dangerous, they are extremely annoying, and bite from these bugs can cause an allergic reaction and in a worst-case scenario, the allergic reaction can spread to your whole body from one single bite.
That is why it is essential to know if your house is being infested with bedbugs and how you can prevent them from getting out of control.
What Are Bedbugs?
Bed Bugs are small brown-colored insects and can be at least 2 to 3 centimeters in length. They are wingless, but are extremely fast crawlers and can move from one place to another at a rapid pace.
They are mostly seen in colder climates and are very common in Europe, North America, and Australia.
How Do Bed Bugs Infest In Your House
There are many ways bed bugs can infest your house. The most common way of infestation is through various objects. They latch themselves on people or any item held by the people such as bags, luggage, purse, mattress, and pillows.
They can also travel short distances, so in large apartments, they can travel from one room to another, or from one floor to another.
They do not reproduce as fast as other insects, but that does not mean you should leave them be. You need to get rid of them as fast as possible to prevent any health issues.
The Health Issues Caused By Bedbugs
As we said, bedbugs do not necessarily cause any life-threatening diseases, but sometimes bad allergic reactions can result from their bite.
In some rare cases, a bite from a bed bug could cause anaphylaxis, which is an allergic reaction to the whole body.
Apart from allergic reactions, it can also cause skin infections like impetigo, or lymphangitis. These are only the physical issues caused by bedbugs. There are mental health issues as well.
If people are aware of the bedbugs in their house, they often show signs of anxiety and insomnia.
How To Get Rid Of Bedbug Infestation
Bedbugs may infest your house without you even noticing it. This is why at the first signs of bed bugs, you need to take preventive measures immediately.
As the name suggests the bugs are commonly found in your bed. Just to be on the safe side, you can use a bed bug mattress cover to seal the mattress and stay safe
Bedbugs are clingy insects, so you might not be able to get rid of them at once. But following the steps listed below, you can reduce the rate of infestation or completely exterminate every last bedbug from your house-
1. Identify Infected Area
Before you start your eradication operation, you need to identify where these bed bugs have their nest. It can be on your pillows, on the corner of your bed, carpet, couch, wardrobe, and similar places. Although they are tiny insects, they leave a distinguishable mark, making it much easier to spot them.
If you have them in your beds, you will see blood marks on your pillows. If you have black excrement on sheets, mattresses, and carpets, then that shows bed bugs have infested those areas.
2. Maintain A High quality Of Cleanliness
If you regularly clean your bed sheets and pillow covers, then you do not need to worry about bed bugs infesting your beds. Bed bugs cannot sustain in warm or freezing temperatures.
So washing the bedsheets in warm water for 30 minutes is a good way to get rid of the bugs.
As for items that cannot be washed at home, such as large mattresses, couches, and carpets, you can use steamers or iron on them. The heat from the iron and steamer is enough to get rid of the infestation.
3. Use Insecticides To Kill later
It might not always be possible to kill bedbugs with just steamers or irons. Sometimes you might need the help of chemical insecticides. Here are a few insecticides that are perfect for killing bed bugs-
Pyrethrins and pyrethroids
The most commonly used insecticides for killing bedbugs. But they cannot give you a 100% guarantee. Some resilient bed bugs might survive.
Pyrroles
These insecticides are deadly for bed bugs as it stops the growth of cells in the bedbug’s body, thus killing it from the inside.
Plant oil-based insecticides
If you are sensitive to the toxins of chemical insecticides, then use natural insecticides that are less toxic, but can kill bed bugs effectively.
4. Vacuum Cleaners Can Be An Easy Solution
Vacuum cleaners are also quite effective in eradicating bed bugs. They do not kill bedbugs, but instead; they suck the bedbugs into their trash container, and you can throw away the container.
Make sure the trash container is tightly sealed so that the bugs do not escape. If the day is particularly hot outside, then the increased heat inside the trash bag will be enough to kill all the bedbugs.
5. Regularly Monitor The Infected Areas
Bedbugs can be quite resilient. So even if you use some chemicals or vacuum them away, they can crawl away and hide in the deepest corner. This is why you need to regularly monitor the affected areas. Generally, you need to check the affected areas once a week.
See if you find any excrement or any other marks left by the bed bugs. If there is no sign, it shows all the bedbugs have been removed. If not, then repeat the cleaning process again.
6. Call In The Professionals
Although various DIY solutions are available, they often fail to provide a long-term solution due to the bugs’ ability to hide in hard-to-reach places. For this reason, seeking professional bed bug control services is paramount. By employing the expertise of these professionals, not only can the current infestation be addressed, but preventive measures can also be taken to ensure they don’t return.
Typically, pest and insect exterminators offer affordable solutions when dealing with a single type of insect infestation. Therefore, if you are having issues with bed bugs, it’s advisable to enlist the services of a seasoned exterminator to eliminate them without any complications.
Final Thoughts
In our daily lives, we live with all kinds of insects. While some bugs live on their own without interfering in human lives, the others will cause us trouble. One such trouble-making insect is the bedbugs. Their bites can be very severe, although not life-threatening. With the help of this article, you know how you can get rid of these annoying insects.
Image link:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-8-legged-insect-on-black-surface-35804/
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