How to get rid of Bed Bugs fast

Once bed bugs have settled into your home they can be fairly difficult to get rid of. It’s hard to know how to get rid of bed bugs fast. Like any infestation, the best way to prevent them is to be able to understand how they got into your home in the first place.

Often bed bugs appear in your home after having hitched a ride in your luggage or clothing when you’ve been on holiday somewhere. Even if you are certain that you didn’t encounter bed bugs during your holiday, it is always best to:

1. Place your clothes on a hot wash, then dry them on a hot setting.
2. Be sure to scrub your luggage down, particularly zippers and crevices, then you should vacuum the luggage bag thoroughly.
3. Do the same with any bedding.
4. Place your clothes on a hot wash, then also dry them on a hot setting.

What is the Lifecycle of bed bugs?

Bed bugs are well known to be fast breeders which aid in the difficulty of getting rid of them. Females can lay around five eggs per day throughout their adult lives, which lasts between 6-12 months. So unfortunately for us, this means that a single female bed bug could end up laying about 900 eggs!

The eggs take around 4-12 days to hatch into a nymph. There are five different stages in a bed bug’s life that require regular blood meals before every malt. Only after they have finished the malting process will they then be onto the next stage of their lifecycle.

Each bed bug takes around 5-10 minutes to feed and like mosquitos, their saliva has a small amount of anesthetic, which numbs the area they are feeding on leaving you none the wiser until the anesthetic wears off.

Identify the beg bug infestation

Firstly you will have to find the bed bugs as early as possible before they get the chance to reproduce. Although small infestations are harder to identify, it is always easier to have to treat a smaller area, rather than a larger one.

It is best to have a professional identify the infestation because they have a trained eye and know exactly what to look for, rather than trying to figure it out yourself. Because of the size of them and the spaces they like to occupy, it is incredibly hard to find them if you aren’t sure what to look for.

The areas professional exterminators will be checking are:

• Near the tags of the mattress and box spring
• In cracks in the bed frame and headboard
• In baseboards
• Between couch cushions
• In furniture joints
• Inside electrical outlets
• Under loose wallpaper
• Underneath paintings and posters on the walls
• In the seam where the wallpaper and ceiling meet

Prep for bed bug treatment

Whether you have chosen to get a professional to deal with the infestation, or you are going to give it a shot yourself, it is always best to prep before treatment so you can maximise your success. Make sure all your bedding, carpets, curtains, clothing and other hiding places have been either thoroughly cleaned or thrown away.

Never move items from an infested room into a clean one, it risks the spread of bed bugs. Try and deal with the items within the infested room.

Bed bug extermination methods

Bed bugs are easy enough to kill with high heat around 43 degrees or intense cold less than 0 degrees. Here are some methods using this technique:

• Wash bedding and clothes in hot water for 30 minutes. Then put them in a dryer on the highest heat setting for 30 minutes.
• Use a steamer on mattresses, couches, and other places where bedbugs hide.
• Pack up infested items in black bags and leave them outside on a hot day or in a closed car. In cooler temperatures, it can take two to five months to kill sealed-up bugs.
• Put bags containing bedbugs in the freezer at -17°C. Use a thermometer to check the temperature. Leave them in there for at least four days.

Once you have removed all visible bedbugs you must create an environment that is inhospitable to any bedbugs left. Placing bedbug-proof covers on your bed are an excellent way to have them trapped, they will die within the covers and other bugs won’t be able to get in.

If all else fails

Unfortunately due to the difficulty of removing bed bugs most home remedy methods aren’t effective. It is best to get a professional to handle the situation, as they have extensive knowledge and have a large range of solutions at their disposal.

At YourLocal our team are all well trained in what it takes to get rid of your bed bug problem for good. Our extermination methods are thorough and long-lasting. Don’t hesitate to get in contact with us to discuss how we can help you.