A Simple Guide To Combating Bed Bugs
A lot of people lose some sleep because of bed bugs, though majority of them might not possibly realize that they have these annoying animals in their house in any way. Why? These insects are very small, that lest you notice them bite you, you would think you have been attacked by a different form of tick. And though they are not considered to be animals that carry diseases, you should not just disregard them because apart from making you lose hours of sleep, but can also make you lose a lot of money.
What are bed bugs?
A Bed bug is a type of bug that lives by sucking the blood of its prey, which are generally humans. It is so tiny, with flat, oval shaped-abdomen. It is nocturnal, which denote that it is mainly active at night, while folks at home are surely asleep. Since bed bugs are small in size, they could conceal themselves at any location, even in tiny cracks or openings so it would not be easy to see one during day time. These insects are considered as bed bugs since their desired feeding grounds is the bedroom or other areas that people choose to sleep.
Symptoms of bed bug infestation
As mentioned above, bed bugs are hard to detect. They are so small, so it would not be easy to look for them inside the house. However, even if you don’t spot them, that does not mean your house is free from bed bugs. Bed bugs are creatures that feed on blood, so questionable skin bite marks which are itchy and reddish in color may be a sign that you have been victimized by these bugs. But, not every person has exactly the same reaction to bed bug bites. Other people gets rashes, while there are those who get red swelling on the skin. But there are those who don’t show any external body changes. It is not reliable to rely on skin rashes or red marks to say that there are bed bug infestations since bite marks by other insects likewise have similar characteristics.
That is why to be certain that your dwelling place is infested by bed bugs you should also look for several other signs, like:Dark spots on sheets and mattresses, which are really droppings of bed bugs.Blood or rusty stains on your bedding, which take place when an engorged bed bug is flattened.Cast skin of bed bugs; these pests shed their skins every time they get bigger as a consequence of molting.
Getting rid of bed bugs
If you suspect that your home contains a lot of bed bugs, you should not waste time and take immediate action. Bed bugs reproduce astronomically for a short time. Unless you do something to get rid of them, they will just continue to grow in numbers. What must you do? Of course, you may hire professional exterminators. However, their help is not cheap. If you have limited resources though, you can always try to do the job yourself.
Because bed bugs remain on places where humans take a rest to sleep, you have to pay extra attention when cleaning the bedrooms. To clean the bedding or any cloth that is infected by bed bugs, use hot water. Also, clean the mattress by hard rubbing before using the vacuum to ensure that destroyed all the bed bugs and their eggs.
After cleaning the house using the vacuum cleaner put the wastes in the garbage can outside the house. You don’t like the bed bugs to get inside the house, right? fix the cracks in wooden moldings, especially the tiny crevices in the bed frames where bed bugs could stay and hide. Make sure you close those small holes; or else you would not be able to get rid of these pests.
Preventing bed bugs
Eliminating bed bugs takes much effort. If you don’t want to manually fix the problem about bed bugs, the only other choice is to hire professional exterminators, and for that you will have to spend so much. To make sure that your house doesn’t get infected by bed bugs again, you should try to develop some habits to prevent further attack. Clean your beds and sprinkle some diatomaceous earth in bed bug in cracks and crevices around the room, but make sure it is food grade (safe for human and pet consumption but deadly to bugs). Use clean sheets and wash used ones right away. Do not allow uncleaned bed sheets to remain unwashed for a long time. If you have extra money, you can also buy a mattress protector since it can protect your mattress from the pests. Also, you can wash the mattress protector when it has become dirty with use. It would also contribute a lot if you maintain your room bright by opening the windows so light and air can freely flow in. Bed bugs don’t like light and fresh air.Also, if you are the person who travels a lot, make sure that when you come home after your trip you don’t bring a horde of bed bugs with you. Check your luggage for any sign of bed bugs.