You don’t need to be a licensed pest management pro to know that
bed bugs are extremely cryptic pests. With the recent resurgence of the bugs, this is one of the things that have become clearly apparent. However, knowing one thing and being able to do something about it are two entirely different things. Given their ability to hide in some of the hardest-to-access locations, you almost need to know how to force these invaders out to eliminate them. With their ability to remain hidden and unseen, a lot of the time, you need to know how to make them come out of hiding just to determine an infestation.
Know The Bug’s Habits And Mentality
As a pest management professional, there are several things we’ll tell you right now. First, when it comes to a
bed bug infestation, you must ensure that you are, in fact, dealing with bed bugs. Mosquitoes, mites, and fleas give off similar symptoms and require different removal treatments. The bites even look similar and give off similar symptoms. Just because you are waking up with red, itchy welts on your ankles and shins, it doesn’t mean bed bugs.
Therefore, it becomes necessary to learn how to distinguish these bugs from other potential threats. One of the best ways to do this is by knowing exactly when and where to look. As far as the when goes, that’ll be when you are sleeping. Most people assume that
bed bugs are nocturnal pests, but this is not the case at all. They only feed when the host sleeps and since most people sleep at night this assumption is made. Unfortunately, this is not the case. These bugs will feed during the day and sleep at night if this coincides with your schedule. Regardless of the situation, this is the time you’ll want to start your search. Searching for the bugs when they are active will make the process all that much easier.
Mimicking The Right Conditions
With the above in mind, it might not be entirely possible for some individuals to perform
searches when they are supposed to be sleeping. Sleep is necessary for a healthy and active lifestyle. Not getting enough or good enough quality sleep can have major negative consequences. Either way, this is something you can avoid if you can properly mimic the sleeping conditions. If the bugs are coming out at night, you can mimic nighttime conditions by
closing the blinds, shutting the doors, and killing the lights.
Mimicking daytime conditions might be a bit more problematic but is still entirely possible with lights and electricity.
Mimicking Heat Detection
One thing that most people don’t know is that bed bugs are attracted to expelled kairomones and heat. These are two things the human body expels naturally when it sleeps. These are also things you can mimic. There are several ways that you can go about doing this. A simple heating pad set to heat and placed in the bed will do the trick. You can use a hairdryer. Sometimes simply cutting the heat on and turning down the temperature in the room is enough.
Strategically Relocating Furniture
Another great tactic is to be the one to dictate how the bugs move. Of course, this will only work for the bugs that haven’t taken up residence in the mattress, but this should count for a good portion. What you’ll you want to do is relocate the beds and bedroom furniture away from the walls. This eliminates the ability of the bugs to crawl up the wall and access the bed. You are virtually forcing them to climb up the feet of the furniture to access you.
When it comes right down to it, this tactic provides you with the advantage of placing traps in the bug’s direct line of travel.
Choosing The Right Traps
With the furniture relocated and knowing the right time to attack, you’ll now be ready to start placing traps. Unfortunately, there will be a variety to choose from. This said if you want to go cheap and effective, utilize the dish device. This is nothing more than a trap designed like a dish. It can be placed in the bug’s direct line of travel and when the bugs enter, they’ll find themselves unable to escape.
As a matter of fact, this is the basic premise for every trap. Most are designed around this basic theory and design. The only differences are they include more features. Some emit CO2 and heat, while others use glue paper instead of the dish design. As for the bugs that have already taken up residence in the mattress, you’ll have to utilize encasements.
These are like big sealable bags that go around your mattresses and box springs, trapping invaders inside. Although there are a variety of traps and methods to trap bed bugs, there are none better than the pro pest management firm. A good pro pest management firm with experience will know exactly where to start and how to attack the situation. We are backed with years of the necessary experience and all our work comes with guarantees. Just give us a call and we’ll get a pro out to the property immediately.
