Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have undoubtedly heard that the Nation, and San Francisco, in on bed bug alert. The little vampires have invaded San Francisco’s homes, movie theaters, public transit and more. And killing them is not easy task. If you suspect you have an invasion of bed bugs, it’s always a good idea to call a pest control firm to help you exterminate these pests. Complete eradication is difficult and expensive, but here are a few things that you can use at home to help treat the problem. If you suspect you have bed bugs, but can’t visually identify them, try this: Set up a dry ice trap. Bed bugs are attracted to the CO2 that we emit. Use an inverted dog bowl and set atop a thermos of dry ice, with the thermos open. Place fabric along the perimeter of the bowl so that bed bugs can climb into it and baby powder in the inverted portion of the bowl which will make it too slippery to escape. As the dry ice emits CO2 you’ll be able to determine in the course of one evening if you have bed bugs.
This technique comes with a number of warnings and disclaimers. CO2 can be lethal to humans in large amounts. If you plan on trying to catch bed bugs with dry ice, use the dry ice for no more than 1 hour. Dry ice can cause extensive burns and should be used with extreme caution when handling and around children and pets. If you do have bed bugs, the last thing you want is them getting into your bed. Purchase hypoallergenic covers for your mattress, comforter and pillows to kill any infestation that may be living in them. This is also an excellent preventative measure to do prior to an infestation to prevent bugs from finding a way into your bedding. Bed bugs are resistant to many/most chemicals, but you may want to consider Diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth, also known as DE, diatomite, diahydro, kieselguhr, kieselgur and Celite) is a naturally occurring, soft, chalk-like sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. This powder has an abrasive feel, similar to pumice powder, and is very light, due to its high porosity.
The typical chemical composition of diatomaceous earth is 86% silica, 5% sodium, 3% magnesium and 2% iron. DE can be distributed using a puffer (and while wearing a respirator mask) to slowly kill bed bugs. The dusting remains effective as long as it stays on your floor, so there isn’t a need to reapply. DE is not an instant kill solution — it wears out their outer shell and dehydrates them to death, which takes a few days. This can be a good solution to preventing a re-infestation, but always check with your pest control provider to ensure its not interfering with their own treatment. And remember, DE should not be inhaled. It can cause silicosis, a respiratory disease brought on by inhaling silica. Climb up insect interceptors are another good option. They can be purchased or you can try to make your own. The commercial versions work by luring the bug up into a moat that it cannot escape from (similar to the inverted dog bowl/dry ice idea). Place your bed post in the middle and watch bugs fail to get up the post searching for a meal.
If you make your own, you can place your bed post in a bowl with either soapy water or oil, either of which will kill bugs by drowning. Your best option for eradicating bed bugs is heat. They may be resistant to chemicals and sprays, but they are not resistant to being burned alive. Clothes should be washed in the hottest water your washer can provide (at least 120 degrees) and placed in a hot dryer for at least 40 minutes. Since bed bugs love hiding in couches, beds, under carpets and any tiny crevice they can find, a good dry steamer is indispensable. To kill bed bugs and their eggs on contact the steamer should reach at least 200 degrees at its tip. You can test the heat coming from your steamer using an instant read thermometer under an area you may want to steam. The thermometer must reach at least 180 degrees to kill bugs and eggs on contact. has many more suggestions for on steamers and all of the other treatments listed above. Exercise caution with all of the techniques listed above as some of them can cause bodily harm if administered incorrectly.
And look up, you can beat a bed bug infestation, it just takes time and persistence.Home » Bed Bugs » Learning Center » To perform a proper bed bug treatment yourself you need to prepare the room by removing clutter. Get rid of items that you do not need to keep or do not want toAll other items must be treated in some way. Bag all clothes and linens and Reduce clutter off the floor so that all areas can be thoroughly treated. not to transfer bed bugs from room to room by carrying things throughout theIf the mattress and box spring are in very bad shape or heavily infested, they should be replaced or covered with a Bed bug proof mattress cover, or a Bed bug mattress encasement. We also carry Bed bug box spring encasements. Infested bed sheets and garments should be washed and dried in a household dryer on high heat (the heat will kill bed bugs), or discarded since these items cannot be treated with insecticides. In really bad infestations, where the bugs
may be infesting personal items (stuffed animals, soft toys, blankets, books), you may need to contain the items in an air proof bin and add vapor strips to the bin to eliminate the Bed bugs on these items. Use a bed bug steamer to steam the mattress, box spring and other furniture. Take your time and be thorough. A bed bug or bed bug egg must be directly contacted by the steam to be killed. Steaming is a great option in rooms where using pesticides must be limited due to health or other concerns. We do strongly recommend that you still treat with an insecticide labeled for Bed bugs in areas where it is permissible to do. All steaming should be done prior to encasing mattresses and applying insecticides. Products needed for Step 1 Mattress Safe Stretch Knit... Vapamore MR-100 Primo Steam... Using products that are labeled for each area, thoroughly treat as many cracks, crevices, voids and fabric seams and folds as possible. We recommend using our bed bug kits as these offer the best value for your money and include everything you need for an effective bed bug treatment.
We strongly recommend that you use a variety of methods and products to insure bed bugs are eliminated from infested areas. Using only one product or method will usually NOT be enough to completely eliminate a bed bug infestation as bed bugs can become resistant to products and it is also possible for them to avoid areas that have been treated with certain products. Products needed for Step 2 Bed Bug Kit #1 Bed Bug Kit #2 Bed Bug Kit #3 New York Bed Bug Kit Bed Bug Kit Commercial Emergency Bed Bug Kit Pyrethroid Resistant Bed Bug... Measure and mix the bed bug spray concentrate as recommended on the product label and apply around baseboards, doors frames, window frames, around bed frames, and under furniture. Allow the treated area to dry before moving on. Bed and furniture legs - Inspect wheels, casters, posts, and legs of all furniture as bed bugs may be harboring there. Wall fixtures, lamps and table-top lamps - remove fixtures from walls and treat behind.
Treat under table-top lamps and standing floor lamps. Wall-to-wall carpets - Inspect and spray along the very edges of carpets and along the wall baseboard. Door frames, window frames - Inspect and spray around all door frames, window frames and thresholds Pro TipBed bug traps, like the Climb-Up Insect Inteceptor traps can be used to place the posts or feet of a bed or sofa in to trap bed bugs before they gain access to the furniture and can also help monitor the infestation. Products needed for Step 2A Cyzmic CS - 0.4 oz Chapin 1 Gallon Pump Sprayer... Now that the area is dry you can use the aerosol insecticide. Take the time to use the straw applicator on the aerosol and treat the very fine cracks and crevices on and in furniture around the entire room. Don't forget drawers, picture frames, bed frames, and any other crack or crevice you can see. Once again you want to allow this part of the treatment to dry before moving on. Upholstered furniture - Inspect and treat any furniture in the bedroom in a way very similar to the mattress and box spring.
Pay careful attention to underneath the cushions, along the seams, folds, legs and dust liner on the underside of the furniture. Baseboards - treat any cracks in the baseboard and then treat underneath the baseboard to prevent bed bugs from crawling underneath and accessing adjacent rooms in the house. Treat the whole bed - Mattress, Box spring and bed frame. Treat along the corners, folds and seams of the mattress. Treat the undersides, corners, seams and under stapled dust cover and even the internal areas of box springs. Also spray the cracks, crevices, voids and screw holes of the bed frame. Pictures and wall hangings - remove from the wall and treat cracks and crevices of picture frames and behind pictures and wall hangings. Pro TipAfter spraying the mattress and box spring for Bed bugs, it is highly recommended to encase each piece in a bed bug proof encasement cover. This will prevent the mattress and boxspring from getting re-infested and will also make future inspections and treatments easier
Products needed for Step 2B Next is the dust insecticide. Bed bug dust can be applied using a hand duster to the underside of baseboards, between mattresses and boxsprings and behind drawers in dressers and under furniture, and behind light switches and electrical outlets. Dusts, while a bit messy, are a great choice for use in places that are less accessible because they last for several months while sprays and aerosols only last for a few days. This means dusts can be applied to areas that are hard to access since you only have to apply them every few months. Electrical faceplates - Remove faceplates and use a dust to dust inside of wall voids. Headboard - Remove headboards from the wall or dismantle to allow thorough treatment of the cracks, crevices and voids located on or behind them. Drawers and furniture - Remove drawers and treat the cracks and crevices and inside corners and edges of the interior of the cabinet, as well as the tracks and support of the drawers.
Don't forget to treat the undersides of the cabinets and furniture. Wall fixtures, lamps and table-top lamps - remove fixtures from walls and treat behind each one. Products needed for Step 2C We recommend spraying Sterifab in areas where you can actually see live bed bugs. Sterifab acts as a contact kill on bed bugs and other insects using a combination of a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide and isopropyl alcohol. Sterifab also acts as a bactericide, fungicide, sanitizer, virucide, mildewcide, germicide, deodorant, bacteriostatic, and fungistatic. Because Sterifab does not leave any residual, it can be applied virtually anywhere. Simply shake well, then apply to desired treatment areas. Insect mortality is imminent for those contacted with Sterifab spray. Disinfection generally occurs within 10 minutes of spraying. Products needed for Step 2D Wash and dry all clothing and linens before they are returned to the room after there has been no evidence of bedbugs for 30 days.