Effective bed bug control involves thorough inspection, targeted treatments, and ongoing monitoring. Use professional pest control services for safe and efficient eradication. Combine chemical treatments with non-chemical methods like heat treatments and encasements. Regular cleaning and reducing clutter can help prevent reinfestations, ensuring a bed bug-free environment
Bed bugs typically emerge at night from their hiding places in search of human blood. Although pathogens have been discovered in bed bugs, they do not appear to transmit diseases to humans. Remarkably, bed bugs can survive for more than a year without feeding. Most people have never seen a bed bug. Adult bed bugs are wingless, about one-fourth of an inch long, and have flat bodies, allowing them to fit into cracks and crevices where they hide during the day. Female bed bugs usually lay three to five adhesive eggs per day in these crevices and depressions. Eggs and newly hatched nymphs are translucent and only about one-sixteenth of an inch long. After feeding, nymphs turn bright red. At night, bed bugs leave their hiding places in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, nightstands, curtains, couches, wall voids, baseboards, carpet edges, door and window frames, picture frames, smoke detectors, electrical switches and outlets, and areas with peeling paint and wallpaper to seek out warm hosts.
For most bed bug infestations, pesticides are applied directly into the cracks and crevices where bed bugs hide. Dusts are suitable for areas occupied by electrical equipment and wall voids if bed bugs are infesting these locations. Liquid formulations can be used in more accessible areas. Effective active ingredients include deltamethrin, alphacypermethrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin. Aerosol insecticides are effective for a quick kill. Synthetic pyrethroids, in particular, work well to knock down and kill bed bugs when applied directly. The insecticide should be directed at all identified harborages during the inspection and used according to the manufacturer's instructions. The carpet and underlay should be peeled back, and the wall/floor junction should be treated. Extension nozzles allow for accurate application of insecticide to areas like mattress beading and cracks and crevices in furniture. For wall hangings and delicate or antique furniture, aerosols may be more appropriate than other formulations, following vacuuming. When applying liquid formulations, fan spray nozzles should be used along carpet edges, and pin stream nozzles should be used for cracks and crevices.
