Methods For Killing Off A Bed Bug Infestation In Your Home
Posted on: 5 November 2017
A bed bug infestation is much easier to eradicate when there are only a few bugs in your house. You could possibly get rid of them by thoroughly vacuuming, decluttering, using a steam cleaner, and applying desiccant around your bedroom. Once the bugs multiply and spread through your home, it is much more difficult to get rid of them because they can hide in tiny cracks and even inside of your electronic equipment. You'll need to hire an exterminator to help. Here are some methods that can be used to exterminate a bed bug infestation that has taken over your entire home.
Kill The Bugs With Temperature Extremes
A bed bug exterminator can use freezing temperatures or very hot temperatures to kill bed bugs. A portable steam wand can be used on furniture and other belongings in a laborious job that involves killing the bugs through direct contact with heat. The exterminator can use dry ice instead to instantly freeze and kill the bugs. Dry ice has the advantage of evaporating quickly so your belongings are not damp or damaged during the process.
Before the exterminator can apply these methods, you'll have to declutter your home so it is easier to find and kill the bugs on contact. Your belongings may be turned upside down to ensure as many bugs as possible are killed in the initial treatment. The steam or ice fog can penetrate into cracks, but bugs hiding behind walls might escape. You might need additional treatments to get rid of the bugs for good and you may need to live out of trash bags during that time so all your bug-free clothes and belongings stay that way until all the bugs are killed.
Another way to kill bed bugs with heat is to heat up your entire home at once. This method kills the bugs wherever they hide as long as heat can reach them. So, bugs won't survive if they are behind walls or hidden in your alarm clock. Treating the whole house at once saves you from a lot of work treating all the clothes in your closet and freezing or heating all your individual belongings. Special equipment is required and you will need to leave your home during the treatment period.
Use Tent Fumigation To Kill The Bed Bugs
You've probably seen homes tented to kill termites. The same treatment can be used for killing bed bugs. This type of treatment has several advantages. Like heating your entire home, tenting and fumigating your home kills all bugs present, even when they are in deep hiding places. The gas wafts through the entire structure from the attic to the foundation and floats through cracks and gets inside all of your belongings. The gas kills bed bugs that are resistant to pesticides. The side benefit is that it kills all other bugs in your home too. The nice thing about fumigation is that your home is not toxic once the tent is removed and your home has aired out. You won't have to worry about the surfaces of your home being contaminated since the gas breaks down and evaporates once treatment is complete.
If you have bed bugs or think you do, the first step is to call in an expert to inspect your home and recommend treatment. You may not need an expensive whole-house type of treatment if the bugs are still confined to your bedroom. Once they've taken over your home, you'll need expert help since pesticides you buy from a home improvement store can be dangerous to humans and pets while being ineffective against bed bugs. To learn more, contact a company like Bisaillon's Rid All Termite & Pest Solutions.
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