Bed Bug Treatment

ed bug treatments can vary depending on the severity of your bed bug infestation. From using steam to chemicals, different treatments can have different results and it is always best to consult with a professional about your particular situation.

Pesticides:

The EPA has registered more than 300 products for use against bed bugs. Most of these can be used by consumers, but a few are registered for use only by specially trained professionals.

The 300 registered products fall into seven chemical classes of pesticides that are currently registered and widely used for bed bug control:

• pyrethrins,
• pyrethroids
• desiccants,
• biochemicals,
• pyrroles,
• neonicotinoids, and
• insect growth regulators.

Each chemical class kills bed bugs using a different ways. It can be helpful to use pesticides that differ in their mode of action because it can reduce the likelihood that the bugs will develop resistance.

Because of the different types of pesticides and the experience needed to use them effectively, calling a bed bug exterminator is usually your best option if other methods like steam or vacuuming haven’t proven successful.

Steamers:

Steamers are pretty good at killing bed bugs because the just can’t stand the heat. Steamers can also be used by most people without too many problems and are good for hard to treat areas like curtains, sofas or cloth covered chairs. With a high temperature steamer you can kill adults as well as eggs in some of the tough to reach places including baseboards and walls. If you use a steamer yourself, be sure to hold it over the area for 3 to 5 seconds at a distance of 4 to 6 inches. Be sure to be careful with delicate fabrics and do not use around children to avoid accidents.

The one downside to steamers is that unless you get all affected areas then you may have killed many of the colony, leaving a few behind will not completely solve your problem.

Vacuuming:

Vacuuming can be effective to remove major infestations at the base of mattresses, the box spring, and in the carpet or hard wood floors. Most professionals will use a combination of all of these treatments in order to exterminate any bed bugs living in your home or apartment. The most important part of using a vacuum is to make sure to keep any vents closed as well as use a vacuum with a bag and then empty the bag outside immediately after using it to clean up bed bugs. Leaving the bag in the vacuum can just spread the bed bugs since they do not die in the vacuum and can crawl back out and if left indoors can rebuild their colony.