Bedbugs are small, wingless, parasitic insects. They’re nocturnal predators that feed on the blood of animals and people, causing skin rashes and allergic symptoms. To spread, they hide and attach themselves to objects. Infestations are difficult to treat, requiring multiple phases of non-chemical and chemical treatments to contain or eradicate them. Professional bed bug treatment is usually necessary to handle an outbreak.
Can You Eradicate Bed Bugs On Your Own?
Eradicating bed bugs on your own takes time and effort! It requires freezing, scrubbing, washing, and drying pillows, linens, mattresses, furniture, carpets, curtains, and clothing. Missed specimens reproduce, beginning the process again! It’s wise to use professional bed bug treatment.
Types Of Professional Bed Bug Treatment
Pest control experts use a variety of methods to treat bed bug infestations.
- Heat treatment is commonly used and effective. A pest control expert utilizes portable heat chambers to raise the temperature in infested areas, eradicating all phases and stages of a bed bug (eggs, nymphs, adults).
- Chemical treatment: Insecticides (contact and residual) target the bugs and prevent re-infestation. Multiple treatments are usually necessary, with each treatment taking a few hours.
- Fumigation involves sealing a home or building and filling it with gaseous pesticide. It is undertaken when the infestation is widespread, severe, or unresponsive to other treatment options. Fumigation takes 1 to 3 days and is the most expensive treatment.
- Steam treatment utilizes high-temperature steam chambers, similar to heat treatment, and works in tandem with other options. This treatment is quick (a few hours) and less expensive than fumigation. However, multiple sessions are often required.
- Freezing (cryonite treatment) uses carbon dioxide to freeze bed bugs. It’s non-toxic and efficient, making it perfect for areas where chemical usage is not recommended (schools, hospitals, food processing plants, etc.). Though sessions are short, multiple treatments are often necessary.
- Insect growth regulators interfere with an insect’s ability to develop into an adult. Spray them in crevices and cracks where nymphs reside. However, bugs that survive can mate and reproduce. This method complements other treatment options.
- Plant-based products (such as EcoRaider and Bed Bug Patrol) are less toxic than most insecticides and work well against bedbugs.
- Desiccants (such as CimeXa, Tri-Die, and diatomaceous earth) destroy a bed bug’s protective coating, causing the insect to dry out and die. Using desiccants is a slow process, often taking months to be effective.
Do you have a bed bug problem? Are you interested in professional bed bug treatment? Contact One Man and a Lady Bug. We can help with your dilemma!
