Is It Hard To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs?

Bed bug Active Guard liner. Prevents bed bug infestations.

Learn how to kill bed bugs on your own, or in conjunction with a good exterminator. Most importantly, education is the key to successful bed bug control. So do not rush into the elimination process. By doing so, you might make things worse. Treating your home for these nasty parasites is an extremely detailed process. If you are not willing to properly educate yourself before taking action; then we recommend that you contact our bed bug exterminators immediately. Click here to read more about how our services can help you.

As an initial gut reaction to this pest, many people do things that are not recommended. Eradicating a bed bug infestation takes more than just throwing your bed to the curb. Likewise, setting off bug bombs will do you little good. People commonly make these types of mistakes right after they find an infestation. The best thing to do immediately after finding one bug, is to call an exterminating company. By doing so, results can be quickly achieved and overall cost can be minimized. Not everyone thinks in this fashion, and many people can’t afford a professional pest control treatment. So take the time to read this. Hope it helps!

When trying to kill bed bugs on your own, prepare your home before applying any pesticide. This is so beneficial- especially when doing it yourself. You will spend a lot of time and effort to do the prep work. Do not fool yourself into thinking that you will get control by taking 15 minutes spraying something from the hardware store. Seriously consider taking the time to do the prep work. Click to download our bed bug preparation guidelines.

Beyond Preparation: How To Start Killing Bed Bugs

A bed bugs feeding habits naturally place them within 5 feet of their resting host. As a result, focus your treatments in these areas. Also keep in mind that these soft-bodied insects are really good at hiding. They do so in order to protect themselves from being squished. Since they sandwich themselves between two objects, bug bombs are not going to reach them. On top of that, the use of this type of product can supposedly move them into odd locations. Keep these critters undisturbed until you are ready to do a thorough treatment.

Performing a bed bug treatment is a physical job. Not only do you have to disassemble everything; you have to treat every seam, crack, and crevice. Most customers struggle through the preparation portion. It is a rather daunting task to do it yourself from start to finish. Beds will need to be disassembled, drawers pulled out from dressers, couches flipped over, carpet pulled up, and other such tasks. Our average time to treat a single bedroom is over an hour. While treating you must visually scan everything with precision. This takes patience and diligence.

Important Note About Pesticides:

Pesticides kill insects and are therefore inherently toxic. Using them improperly can affect your health and the health those exposed to it. If you choose to apply pesticides for any reason, disregard anything that is written, spoken, or implied by Lakewood Exterminating. Strictly follow the Label directions for the specific pesticide product that you are applying. Every product is different so read the Label in its entirety before application. The Label is the Law.

The Decision To Do It Yourself

Getting rid of bed bugs is not about finding the right product(s) to use. Education is the key to any successful bed bug control plan. Before deciding to go about performing your own bed bug treatment, you must learn not only about the treatment process, but about the pest itself. Bed bugs hitchhike from one place to another. Your flawless treatment won’t get you anywhere if you keep reintroducing them into your home from other locations. Teach yourself about where bed bugs can be picked up, and how to prevent introducing them into your home.

Also learn their life cycle. Figure out how to identify the eggs, nymphs, and adults. Learn everything you can about bed bugs and their control before deciding to treat them on your own.

Note From The Owner:

With bed bugs, the right way to do it is to hire a professional. Understandably so, not everyone can afford to do that. Therefore the following information is provided to assist those struggling with bed bugs. Before practicing any of following; seriously consider the material written above. Also understand that the information provided on this page is not a complete guide to bed bug control. Following any of the recommendations below, does not guarantee control. But they may be useful as a tool in an integrated approach to bed bug control. And remember to always use pesticides according to their Label. Shawn Payne- Owner

Top 6 Ways To Kill Bed Bugs

1. Encase your mattress

We recommend using Protect-A-Bed Allerzip Mattress Encasements. Doing this eliminates potential hiding places. They make your bed really easy to inspect and treat. You can simply wipe any bug off without much detail.

Another benefit is that any bed bugs or eggs are trapped inside. Bed bugs live around one year. So make sure the encasement remains intact for a minimum of one year.

Why throw out your bed when you can encase it? New beds cost hundreds of dollars. For that much money, you might as well hire an exterminator. Bed bug encasements can get pricey, especially for larger sized beds. But the money can be well worth it. The time you save not having to treat your mattress and boxsprings can be worth the cost of the encasement. Also it is possible to trap an early bed bug introduction inside the encasement. This product makes treating for bed bugs so much easier. It would be silly not to use them.

2. The Pantyhose And Vacuum Trick

Some infestations are so early that you literally will not see a single bed bug the entire time. Other times you plenty of them. They form clusters or hide out alone. What better way to get rid of them than with a vacuum?

While you might not be able to suck up all of them, you can quickly make a dent. Short of spending 30 grand on a heat injector system, the vacuum is the next best tool in our opinion.

The secret is to insert a pantyhose into the hose and secure the open end with a crack and crevice attachment. When you finish sucking bugs, simply pull the pantyhose out and dispose of it in a sealed container.

3. Eco-Raider Botanical Insecticide

You will likely have to purchase Eco Raider online. It is a specially formulated blend of essential oils that kills bed bugs on contact. It also leaves a residual that keeps killing even after it dries. Not many other natural products provide effective residual control against bed bugs.

It is generally considered safe for use around children and pets, As with most essential oil based pesticides, the active ingredients may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

This stuff does leave a strong odor. Some people like it, some do not. Some people think it is too expensive. One 32 oz spray bottle can treat a one bedroom apartment. In our opinion it works as good, if not better, than any other bed bug spray.

4. Cimexa Dust

Cimexa Dust works wonders to treat wall voids and other such crevices. Use it during initial treatments in areas that spray won’t reach. Apply it very lightly in a dust applicator. This also works well during follow-up treatments to treat areas that were sprayed initially. A paint brush can be used to work it into couch crevices, dresser seams and other such places.

The key is to apply it into cracks and crevices where it will stay put. If you can see the white- you applied too much. This product acts as a desiccant that dries out pests. It’ll dry out your nose too. Wear a dust mask during application and keep it from going airborne. Use very minimal amounts applied according to Label directions.

5. Pest Strips and Banana Bags Trick

Many exterminators use pest strips to treat couches, lamps, and other hard to treat items. If you choose to use this method, only do so if the Label allows such use. The pest strips we are describing contain the active ingredient DDVP, otherwise known as dichlorvos.

Secure items to be treated in Banana Bags, or similar container, that will remain sealed air tight. Alternatively it might be possible to seal off a closet containing bed bug infested items.

Place items inside your chosen container so that there is open airspace between them. Apply the correct amount of pest strips in with the items. Seal the container so that it is airtight and that it will remain that way throughout the treatment process.

The active ingredient, DDVP, gives off a vapor that kills bed bugs and their eggs. When the product is used not according to its Label, the vapors have the potential to cause a serious health risk. When used properly, adults will die in around 3 days. All life stages of bed bugs can be eliminated in about 3 weeks.

6. Install ActiveGuard Liners

ActiveGuard Liners are probably the most undervalued bed bug control tool on the market. When placed on a bed, they can prevent introductions from becoming infestations for over one year. Therefore you can use them even if you don’t have bed bugs. This is a great tool for hotels, or for individuals who are subject to exposure through their occupation. The Ohio State University is planning on using this as their main control tool in their protocol for management of bed bugs in low income housing.

ActiveGuard liners are like a fitted sheet that can be placed any which way on the mattress or boxsprings. We apply them on the underside of boxsprings to minimize potential skin contact to those using the bed. The active ingredient is Permethrin. It is embedded into the fabric. This low rate of pesticide does not kill on contact. It is just enough to mess up their body functions and reproduction, which soon leads to death.

We recommend that you use this method when the current bed bug population has been reduced to a very minimal amount. It can be used in those situations where you don’t see them but keep getting bit. Or if they randomly keep appearing weeks after a treatment. How ever you decide to use it, we highly recommend that you do.