Get rid of bed bugs

Eliminating bedbugs can be a tricky procedure. Bedbugs are hard to find let alone getting rid of them. Most times people don't know they have bedbugs until they start experiencing bites, even then they are not sure if the bites are bedbug bites or flea bites or some other kind of bite.
So some signs of a bedbug infestation would include bite marks on the body, blood spots on your sheets, actual bugs. The best place to inspect is behind the head board, the mattress, under the box spring.
Exterminating bedbugs is a job of precision. You must be thorough. Arm yourself with a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment. Bedlam has been proven to kill adults and eggs, and a product called Phantom. These are all professional products and you must use extreme caution and follow the label which is the law. You may also want to pick up a good dust like drione dust. The last product to buy would be enough mattress and box spring covers for all your beds. Protect A Bed is the best product out there to cover your bedding. Now let's begin.
Depending on the level of infestation will depend on how involved the treatment will be. If it is a bad one you will need to consider laundering all your clothing, emptying the drawers to give access for treatment. If you have carpets they will need to be pulled back to reveal the tack boards to treat this area. Treat from top to bottom, all furniture, first using the vacuum to get all visible adult bed bugs. Now treat the cracks and crevices of the room and furniture with a product labeled for this. Be sure to take the electric socket covers and light switch covers off. Dust these voids, using caution. Next take the bed apart and vacuum all live bugs. Take the dust cover of the bottom of the box spring. Treat the bed per the label of whatever product you use. Next let dry. Put the box spring cover on and then the mattress cover on.
Now repeat for each bedroom, then the rest of the house. You will need a friend to help. Some precautions to take would be to put on foot covers, and a tyvek suit. After the treatment be sure to vacuum up some dust and then toss the vacuum bag. This is very important. As you can see eliminating bed bugs is an all day or sometimes a two day process. This is why it is so expensive to hire a pest control company to do it, and it is why to be sure that if you do call in a pro that they don't charge you a small fee and say it should only take an hour or two. These companies have no idea how to help you. SO good luck and hopefully you will have success in eliminating your bedbug problem. Be sure to follow up with a treatment in about 10 days.

Bedbug Monitoring trap

As of now there is only one way I know of to determine if you have bedbugs or not. The use of a bedbug sniffing dog. Even using this method they recommend bringing in a second dog to verify the first one's findings. The human eye just can't beat the nose of a dog. One thing I found out about this week in a Bedbug seminar offered by PCT that I attended was the bedbug monitoring trap that will be coming down the pike soon. You place the device in a room for 24 hours and if there are bedbugs in that room they will be attracted to this device and trapped on a glue board. This is great news. It will let people who have mystery bites know for sure if they are bedbug bites of not, they will tell people who had their homes treated if the treatment worked or not, it will most of all give people piece of mind. Look for soon.

The Future of Bed Bug Control

Bed bug control will soon be as regular and easy as treating for roaches or fleas I believe. This bug affects the multi-billion dollar a year tourist industry and hotel industry and they, along with the pest control industry, will not sit by and be out smarted by bedbugs. I think you will soon be seeing several bed bug monitoring traps come into market, bed bug pheromone traps, bedbug growth regulators like we have for fleas, and a more effective adulticide with a active that works by a different mode of action. We may be behind the eight ball with these critters, but don't count us out yet.

Bedbug Encasements

Bedbug encasement or mattress covers are one of the best ways to battle bedbugs at the source. The mattress cover will prevent bedbugs from entering the cracks and crevices on the mattress or the box spring where they hide and multiply, and the mattress cover will also trap any bedbugs that are already on the mattress or box spring. This encasement allows the homeowner a option other than throwing away their beds. It is much less expensive to buy a mattress cover on a website than it is to toss your bed. Be sure that when you order your mattress covers to get the right size and to buy one for the mattress and one for the box spring. It must zipper and be specific to bed bugs or dust mites. These can be bought on any mattress cover website or most DIY pest control products sites.

Bedbugs and buying a home

It is law that a home can not be sold without a termite inspection...along with termite inspections some real estate agents offer home inspections, radon inspections, mold inspections, home inspections, but why not bed bug inspections? How do you know if the family that is moving out did not or are not experiencing a bed bug infestation? This question is especially important when renting an apartment unit. Apartment complexes are notorious for bed bug problems and there is no way of knowing that the tenants that left were not experiencing a bed bug problem before they moved out. The excitement of your new place can be ruined overnight without looking into this. Literally. Why not ask for a bed bug inspection before you move in. The rental agent or the real estate agent might think you are nuts, but it is your right to know.

Bed Bug Evidence Photos

Do I have bedbugs?

The question of bed bugs or not comes up often and can drive people crazy. People get bumps that can be bed bug bites, flea bites, scabies, bird mites, poison ivy or plant rash, a viral infection. How can you determine if you have bed bugs?
Here is a good bed bug inspection to perform to help pin point the fact of having or not having bed bugs. Use a strong flashlight. You are looking for live bugs, bug casing or pieces, spots or many blood colored or brown spots clustered together, eggs.

1. Take all the bedding, sheets, mattress covers off the bed and look for bugs running first.
2. If none are found then look in the mattress buttons, pull back the tufts around the mattress, cover each inch. Inspect every nook and cranny.
3. Flip mattress over and do the same.
4. Take mattress off the bed and do the same for the box spring.
5. Take the fabric cover off of the bottom of the box spring and look.
6. Inspect the bed frame.
7. Check the bedding, sheets, and blankets for blood spots.

You can see some pictures of this evidence in my post Bed Bug Evidence Photo

If nothing is found and you are still not convinced then the best way to put your mind at ease is to hire a bedbug sniffing dog to come in and inspect. Dogs can be trained to sniff for explosives, termites, mold, and now bed bugs. Happy hunting.