How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

Step-by-step

If you seriously want know how to get rid of bed bugs, read this article. The following step-by-step instructions are used by professionals and will help you succeed in your fight for a comfortable night's rest!

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1.  Do Some Bed Bug Investigative Work

The first step in how to get rid of bed bugs is to do some investigative work. Pay close attention to where people have sat or slept for long periods of time. Bed Bugs are visible to the eye. The adult bed bug is brown to reddish-brown, oval-shaped, flattened, and about 1/4 to 5/8 inch long. Be prepared to inspect all areas of the room using a bright flashlight and a magnifying glass if you have one available. Bed Bugs can leave reddish- brown spots on mattresses and have a distinct smell. Remember that the bed bug's flat shape and small body enable it to hide easily in cracks and crevices. Bed bugs, eggs and fecal deposits will go unnoticed with just a casual inspection.

You should leave nothing unturned when doing your inspection for bed bugs and no site should be ignored that may be a bed bug harborage. Bed Bugs could be hiding anywhere! Examples are: wall sconces, behind electrical switch plates, behind wall posters, between books and magazines on shelves and in racks. Be prepared to inspect all the places near sleeping areas, which may mean taking the bed frames apart!

2. Prepare The Area

A thorough cleaning of the premises will make bed bug control efforts much more effective. all beds down to the bare sleeping surface. Bedding (sheets, blankets, comforters, covers, and shams) should be washed in very hot water. Very hot water is lethal to bed bugs. Personal items (stuffed animals, soft toys, blankets) should be removed and cleaned. Clutter should be removed from furniture tops and bed stands. Open up the clock radio and phone (that's right, Bed Bugs may be hiding in there too!). Tap the open ends into a bag or on sticky tape so the bed bugs can’t jump and hide.

In severe infestations, clothing should be removed from dressers and chests. Utilize a crack & crevice tool to remove bed bugs from deep harborage such as: under baseboards; under carpet edges (pull up along the tack ); around switch plates (you may have to remove the plate first); from the bed frame; inside box springs; inside furniture; and from floor cracks.

Use a hand-brush attachment to vacuum up most of the bed bugs. Vacuum mattresses and box springs (especially along seams and folds); upholstered furniture; and behind drapes. Also vacuum the floor completely. After vacuuming, remove the bag from the vacuum, tie it tightly, and remove it from the premises.

3. Attack the Bed Bugs Where They're Hiding

To get rid of bed bugs effectively, you've got to hit them where they're hiding--in cracks and crevices. Place Drione dust in wall voids and under basebaords and in cracks and crevices. Follow the each product label's instructions for bed bugs. Use a 8 oz. hand duster for safe and easy application of the Drione dust.

Dust may also be applied more easily along baseboards by pulling the carpet up from the tack and then putting it back into place. DO NOT spread dust over the carpets or under the carpets. Dusts are only for cracks and crevices, in wall voids and under baseboards, not in open spaces where people or animals travel. Concentrate most of your efforts on crack and crevice treatments. These are the areas where bed bugs hide.

Certain liquid insecticides are also excellent for bed bug control. These insecticides provide quick knock-down and long residual control of bed bugs. Liquid residuals, such as Suspend SC and Demand CS work well. Make sure that you follow the product label's directions for bed bug control before spraying.

An additional treatment option is the Gentrol IGR products. These come in a concentrate or aerosol. The Gentrol IGR is an Insect Growth Regulator. It will stop the bed bug from maturing and reproducing and will be a great aid in stopping the bed bug infestation. The concentrate comes in a small 1-ounce vile which can be added to one gallon of water in a pressurized sprayer and applied to all areas of the room. For a double dose spray, apply the vile directly to a diluted gallon of Suspend SC , Demand CS or other liquid insecticide concentrate. The Gentrol IGR Aerosol can be used for bed bugs if you don’t want to use Gentrol concentrate in the sprayer. The aerosol comes out of the can as a foam and is easily absorbed into the carpet and other areas. The area is safe once the insecticide dries. When spraying for bed bugs, wear gloves and a face mask if possible. Spray the room for bed bugs according to the product label directions.

4. Treat the Bed

The bed area needs to be treated next. Look carefully at the folds and seams of the mattress, the headboard, foot board (if present), box spring/support platform, frame, etc. You will be able to see the bed bugs with the visible eye or the aid of a small magnifying glass. All cracks and crevices of the bed structure should be treated for bed bugs with a light application of residual such as Suspend SC, Demand CS , or a light application of an aerosol such as D-force HPX or Intruder HPX. Apply the spray on the tufts, folds and seams of the mattress. The underside of the box spring may be sprayed with liquid insecticides as well, or spot-treated with labeled aerosols.

TIP: After treating the bedding for bed bugs and after it has dried thoroughly, cover the mattress with a plastic or allergy-proof cover.

5. Treat the Furniture (Night Stand, Chests, Dressers, Couches and Chairs)

The last step in bed bug elimination is to do a very thorough crack and crevice treatment of the furniture in the room. For wooden furniture pieces, you cannot miss any cracks. Apply liquid residuals Suspend SC or Demand CS, or aerosol residual sprays such as CB D-Force HPX or CB Intruder HPX . For upholstered furniture, use a similar treatment as the mattress and box spring. Always turn bed bug infested furniture over and treat from the bottom. Look carefully underneath all the legs of the furniture! Bed Bugs love to hide in the most unlikely places! Some furniture may have hollow metal framing (children’s bunk beds are an example). Treat inside the metal tubing with dusts, aerosols or liquids as discussed in the bedding paragraph above.

6. Follow-up in 2 weeks!

Getting rid of bed bugs is not easy. Inspect the treated room again in two weeks. Do a thorough inspection (especially cracks and crevices) and treat any area where bed bugs are persisting or where they have moved. You may be-able to avoid reusing the insecticide concentrates and just use a contact spray with pyrethrins such as 565 Plus XLO or CB80 extra. Your wall voids will not need to be re-dusted. If you treated your bedding properly and covered it in plastic, you may just need to retreat spot areas of the room.

TIP: Heavy bed bug infestations may need more than a second treatment. Be persistent!

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