STEPS TO ELIMINATE BEDBUGS
Inspection:
Try to use a bright flashlight and possibly magnification tools, Bed bugs, eggs, and fecal deposits are very small and may go unnoticed with a casual inspection. No potential harborage sights should be ignored. Bed bugs can infest: Wall sconces, behind electrical switch plates, behind wall posters, books and magazines on shelves and in racks. When inspecting bed, make sure you inspect the entire structure of the bed system. (ie make sure you flip bed over and check any little openings for evidence. treat these areas later)
Preparation
Thoroughly cleaning, vacuuming and or steaming is extremely helpful. Prior to treating for bed bugs with chemicals, strip your bed down to the bare sleeping surface. Bedding (sheets, blankets, comforters, shams, etc) should be cleaned before they are reintroduced back to the bed. It’s also a good idea to keep all things not necessary off your bed until the problem is over (example: dust ruffle) Stuffed animals, soft toys, blankets should be thoroughly vacuumed or cleaned and kept out of the living area until the problem is over. Clutter must be removed from furniture tops and bed stands. Clothing should be removed from dresser and chests.
Treatment
The first step is to treat the wall voids of the room. Removing switch plates and wall fixtures for access to voids. A strong residual like INTRUDER or D-FORCE should be used in these areas and allows for at least a month of residual protection. If there are carpets, try to pull the carpets up for treatment and replace it back immediately. Treat bed areas next. Bed bugs are most often found close to the bed so focus on headboard, footboard, box spring, support platform and frame. All cracks and crevices of the bed structure should be treated with D-FORCE or INTRUDER. Mattresses may be treated with labeled NON residual contact killers such as STERI-FAB, BEDLAM or PERMACIDE P1. Box spring tops should be treated similar to Mattresses. The underside of the box spring however may be sprayed with a residual. After treatment you should cover the mattress with a zippered mattress cover will help prevent further infestation. Next treat furniture (Night stand, Chests, Dressers, couches, and chairs. A very thorough crack & crevice treatment to all furniture in the room is next. For wooden furniture, do not miss any cracks. Apply D-FORCE or INTRUDER. For upholstered furniture like sofas, use a similar treatment as the mattress and box spring top. Always turn furniture over and treat from the bottom. Some furniture may have hollow metal framing (ie children’s bunk beds). Treat inside the metal tubing with D-Force, INTRUDER or MOTHER EARTH D dust.
Intruder HPX |
D-Force |
Mother Earth D |
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DO IT YOURSELF CONTROL
Do It Yourself Control
for bed bugs Is very difficult to achieve without the services of a good professional company, but not impossible. It involves hard work, going through your apartment with a “fine toothed comb”. Professional strength products available include residuals, dusts, exclusion items (Mattress Covers, Ziplock Bags, Climb up interceptor,etc), and strong contact killers that only last as little as a few hours and can be used on mattresses, box springs, couches, fabrics, etc. Bed bugs might be the oldest insect pest associated with human misery. Within recent years Bed bugs in New York City and the rest of the world have returned with a vengeance.
About Mattress Covers
A good mattress and box spring cover is a great way to totally eliminate your mattress and or box spring from the equation from any bed bug infestation. Most professional pest control companies recommend always getting a mattress cover when someone has a bed bug infestation. It’s also a great way to slow any new infestation that may occur.
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Why a Mattress Cover Matters
The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) typically infests mattresses, box springs, and bed frames. This experiment aims to discover whether mattress
encasements could be used as part of a bed bug exclusion or inclusion process. In theory, an encased mattress or box spring would exclude bed bugs from infesting them and protect against the resultant damage associated with such
an infestation.
In addition, bed bugs trapped in an encasement would be
subject to starvation. Mattress Safe has concluded via independent testing that the laminate material used to manufacture their encasements will prevent stains on the fabric of a mattress. Their waterproof design ensures that bed bug fecal matter (blood) will not bleed through and damage the mattress.
The success of an encasement protecting a mattress from bed bug related damage relies on its ability to prevent bed bugs from penetrating inside it.
What to do if your Mattress is infested with bed bugs
It would be advantageous to encase an infested box spring or mattress as part of an elimination procedure. Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eliminate from box springs as they contain ample harbourage spaces that are often inaccessible to pest control treatment. Mattresses and box springs could be encased subjecting trapped bed bugs
to starvation and preventing them from spreading. |
