Self Treatment for Getting Rid of Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are a vicious breed of insect that are parasitic in nature. They invade the home of unsuspecting prey and feed on them as they sleep. Bed bugs leave behind rows of welts and bite marks on the skin of their victims, which are the many places where they had fed the night before. Fortunately, there are methods to get rid of bed bugs that can be done on your own.

Identification

The first hurdle in dealing with bed bugs is identifying them and ensuring that it is bed bugs that are the problem, not a bat bug or other bug that is similar to bed bugs. Bed bugs are brown or slightly reddish with flat, oval-shaped bodies that can be anywhere from 3/16 to 1/5 inch long. The body of a bed bug becomes longer and swollen after it has feasted. The eggs of bed bugs are about 1/32 inch long and white.

Habits

Bed bugs are mostly nocturnal insects, meaning they come out mostly at night. During the day and after they have fed, bed bugs will find small, dark places to hide, like cracks in walls, crevices in mattresses or baseboards. The bed bug will climb onto its victim during the night and pierce her skin to drink her blood. An adult bed bug can take up to 15 minutes to engorge itself with blood, usually biting many different spots to get all of the blood it desires.

Prevention

Prevention is usually the strongest weapon against bed bug infestations. Bed bugs hide in clothing, furniture, luggage, mattresses and bedding. When bringing any new or used furniture or bedding into the home, make sure to thoroughly inspect it for bed bugs to avoid bringing more into the home. Keep all bedding and laundry clean and off the floor. Make sure to wash everything in hot water and dry it on hot, because the heat will kill the bed bugs. Finally, make sure to caulk any crevices leading in to the house.

Sanitation

Thoroughly cleaning the home and all things in it will greatly reduce the number of bed bugs. Make sure that you not only vacuum the floor, but also all the little nooks and crannies in the mattress itself. When you are finished vacuuming, immediately dispose of the vacuum bag in a plastic bag to prevent captured bugs from escaping. Scrubbing the mattress seams with a stiff brush will remove any bed bugs and their eggs hiding there.

Trapping

Trapping bed bugs can be an effective means of treatment, though the effectiveness of sticky traps has not been well documented. When you have finished cleaning the mattress you can enclose it in a zippered mattress cover, like the ones that are used against dust mites. Make sure that you leave the cover on the mattress for at least a year, because bed bugs can live an incredibly long time without feeding.

References

• Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet: Entomology Bed Bugs