How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs – 5 Quick Removal Methods

Summary: How to get rid of bed bugs? Treating bed bugs involves a number of important steps, starting with proper identification! Finding out what works before attempting any treatments is also critical and there are a number of home remedies for bed bugs that you can use at minimal cost, such as steam and Silica. Lastly, this article will guide you through the prevention process to ensure that they stay away for good!

Bed bugs are a fairly large problem and are a common sight in many parts of the world! If you have dealt with your own bed bug infestation, you would probably agree that they are rather difficult to get rid them effectively, even with the help from exterminators and your public health officers. In addition to finding them in your sheets and under your pillows, you may find them in your bags or even in your clothing, which can often be rather embarrassing. Bed bugs are also annoying and since they can pose a potentially serious health risk, it’s very important to learn how to get rid of bed bugs as quickly as possible. In this article we will explore effective methods that are proven to kill them in your home in the shortest time possible. It’s important to follow each step closely if you want to protect yourself, your family and even your pets from these little bugs that take up residence in your living areas. I hope you enjoy this series of how to articles, published by The Bug Squad. Remember to leave your comment below if you have a question that is not covered and I will try my best to get back to you within a couple hours with you answer. Lets get started!

How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs – Quick Navigation Links:

1. A simple DIY checklist to help you find out if you have bed bugs in your home.
2. Critical bed bug information to review if you think or know you have been bitten.
3. Know your enemy – Fascinating and important facts about bedbugs that you need to know right now.
4. Find your enemy – Possible hiding places that bed bugs are commonly found. This process is fairly critical to a successful removal.
5. 5 simple steps for getting rid of those pesky bed bugs – Only methods that are proven to help kill and control these pests are reviewed.
6. Preventative measures – Step by step method to help you prevent another outbreak of bed bugs in your home
7. A video outlining the steps on getting rid of bed bugs safely and as quick as possible.
8. Conclusion and finishing thoughts on combating bed bugs.

Do You Have Bed Bugs? – How To Check For A Bed Bug Infestation

Firstly, you need to use your basic observation skills! This will be covered in more detail in this article. Look in your bed, under your sheets, on your curtains, under furniture, behind picture frames and even in cracks and electrical plugs in your walls. See the bed bug picture in this post for a close up view of this pest. Secondly, you need to check for any bite marks on your body. They are usually red in appearance but some people do not react as badly as others. For additional information, visit this article about bed bug bites. Thirdly, check your bed for any dark marks as this is often a tell-tale sign that you have bed bugs. I hope you haven’t just finished eaten before reading this because this is fairly gross. These marks are often the after effects of their shed skin, blood and excrement. Make sure that you chuck your linen in the washing machine if you find this! You may even need to use a product to get rid of bed bugs if you have a bad infestation.

Bed Bugs – What Do They Look Like?

Proper Identification is needed before learning how to eradicate bed bugs!

1. Females can lay eggs as soon as they find a suitable place, at a rate of a single egg per day. In their lifespan, they can lay around 200 to 500 eggs. But they have to Bed bugs have to crawl their way to their next meal or nesting place as they do not have wings!
2. If you are infested, it’s possible to have over a couple million bed bugs in your home within a year! It would only take a week for 380 000 of these pests to suck a human completely dry! Imagine the amount of pest control that would be needed in a situation like that!
3. Bed bugs are usually found in the dark. Much like the vampires from Twilight, it seems that they don’t do so well in the sun. They also don’t need much food. They can survive without blood for well over a year! But bed bugs will actively search for blood, which means that they will find you or your pets if you cannot find them!
4. There are also many different species of bed bugs, namely the “Leptocimex Boueti” (which are usually found in hot, dry areas), the Cimex Pilosellus (which are often found feeding on animals, such as rodents, birds or even bats) and the “Cimex Hemipterus” (usually found in hot, humid areas). They are also known as either red coats, chinches or mahogany flats, depending on which part of the world you are from.
5. You won’t find any insecticides that combat bed bugs for your bedding as they are poisonous to humans and animals. Exterminators are known to implement a few natural sprays for effective pest control. However, my weapon of choice is simply steam and we will discuss this!
6. Many wonder how long it takes to get rid of bed bugs. Research shows that it can take anything from a couple days to a few months, depending on your removal strategy. If you want to ensure that it goes as quickly as possible, make sure that you follow all the steps in this article!

Find Your Enemy Before They Impact Your Life!

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

The easiest way to locate bed bugs is to use an ordinary flashlight. Professional exterminators often use a small device known as a “pyrethrum” flushing unit that is used to reveal the hiding places of these pests but don’t worry, your plain old torch is perfectly fine, provided it’s bright enough. The most common place that bed bugs usually lurk is in your bedding so its recommend that you take your bed apart (if this is possible). But what do they look like? You are looking for a light-brown insect (sometimes a red brown if they have fed on blood) that has a rather flattish appearance and are the size of an Apple seed (about 5mm in size), as displayed in the picture on the left.

Ways That Bed Bugs Get Into Your Home

1. Inside your bed, behind your baseboards, in your pillows or under your linen (sheets, etc.)
2. Inside cracks and crevices in your walls and ceilings.
3. Inside or around your furniture, such as couches and cushioned chairs (this may require you to take these items apart if possible, but trust me, it will be worth the effort).
4. Behind picture frames, electrical plugs and other wall sockets.
5. In your clothing, your cupboards or dressers.
6. Inside or around your couches and cushioned chairs.
7. On your curtains or hiding in the darkest corners of your rooms, especially under furniture.
8. Within any close proximity of common living areas, usually as close as a couple meters in any direction.
9. I have even found a few hiding in the darker corners of the room, often underneath various items that hardly ever get moved. While you are looking for these pests, keep an eye out for any signs of bed bug eggs. They are small and white and although they are hard to see, they also need to be removed as they will be the source of your next infestation!

The Best Bed Bug Remedies – Five Simple Steps To Get Rid Of Those Pests Now!

1. If you are a tenant, it’s always a good idea to let your landlord know about the infestation as he may offer to help with the costs involved in the removal process. After he or she knows about it, make sure that you vacuum ou entire house as this will ensure that you suck up most of the bugs and their unhatched offspring. It’s also recommended that you also vacuum the ends of your curtains. Due to the physical structure of the bed bug legs, they are often difficult to remove from different types of fabrics. You may be required to use a stiff brush to dislodge them from their resting place.


Getting Rid of Bedbugs Fast

2. If you can afford it, consider getting your carpets steamed as bed bugs cannot survive in temperatures above 50 degrees (120 Fahrenheit). If you want to really want to get rid of them fast, can also pick up a fairly cheap hand held steam blower at your nearest hardware store or supermarket or purchase this powder and use it in the areas that were outlined previously in the article. I have had a few people recommend using rubbing alcohol as this apparently is lethal to these pests. However, after some research, it seems that you have to dab each one which seems like way to much effort for me. I would rather just suck them up with my vacuum


Wash Your Clothes
to Kill Bed Bugs!

3. It’s extremely important to wash all your clothes (even stuff that is unused) and use a dryer to kill the bed bugs on them. This also includes your sheets and other bedding. Remember to set it to the hottest possible and for longer than 30 minutes otherwise it’s possible the bed bugs will not be eliminated. It’s also recommended that you repeat your entire wash load twice. While this may take some time (especially if you have a ton of clothes), it will ensure that you get rid of these bed bugs properly without any chance of any surviving. While your clothing and other material is spinning around in your dryer, spend a little time fixing up any cracks in your furniture, ceilings and walls. As previously mentioned, they are often come from these type of places so it’s a good idea to fix them up. Plus I am sure it will improve the overall appearance of your home and perhaps score you a few brownie points with your significant other!


Natural Silica Bed Bug
Repellent

4. Purchase some Silica gel (sometimes called “Flower Drying Crystals, “Silica Dioxide”, “Bed Bug Dust”, “Silicone Dioxide” or “Diatomaceous Earth”) and after grinding it up (it needs to be in powder form), spread a small amount around your house, focusing on areas you feel that bed bugs may be hiding. (It’s only toxic if inhaled for an extended amount of time). If you are going to use it in busy areas of your home or where you sleep, make sure that you get something like “Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade” as this is completely non-toxic and safe for your family. Most of these substances work by dehydrating the bed bugs as they have a low vapor pressure and thus can gets rid of moisture fairly quickly. To give you can idea, 1.5lbs of the stuff can dry up to 100 roses. Depending on what you use, this will easily kill bed bugs and is a great, fairly natural option to bed bug elimination.


Bed Bug Exterminators

5. Your last option should be to use insecticides or to call in an experienced pest control professional. However, most insecticides cannot simply be sprayed everywhere (especially your bed) as they are often dangerous to humans and animals. These poisons (best would be a synthetic Pyrethroids based insecticide such as PyGanic or D-Force) can be used to treat specific areas (such as under furniture, in cracks, under rugs, etc.) and while they can be effective, I prefer to avoid them when possible. If I am determined to use chemicals in my home, I would rather hire an exterminator as they are in the use of chemicals for pest control. Just make sure that they are certified to perform the job otherwise they could just end up making it worse. Also keep in mind that return visits may be necessary, especially with bed bug infestations so weigh up the cost factor carefully. As an alternative, you can also purchase an IGR (Insect Growth Regulator) spray which will effectively stop the bed bug life cycle. This won’t kill bed bugs that are already in your home, but at least you won’t have another swarm to deal with in a couple weeks. [UPDATE: I have been told by a number of sources that a natural bug spray called Bug Patrol and KleenGreen are fairly effective, however I cannot vouch for them myself as I have not personally used them] As previously mentioned, Diatomaceous is a very useful for bed bug treatment.

Preventative Measures That Really Work!

When it comes to things, like beds and pillows, try your very best to purchase them new, instead of second hand as statistics show that this is the most common way of getting a bed bug problem, even if you have a clean, well-kept home. If you borrow something of this nature from a friend or a family member, make sure that you check it for things like bed bugs and other nasty insects that could make your life miserable, not to mention potentially painful. For more information, check this Science Daily Article.

Bed Bug Prevention Method

After I had a fairly bad infestation of these insects, I simply opted to throw away my mattress and start over. While this may be a bit of a shotgun approach, it’s sometimes the quickest and cheapest way of doing it, especially if you are thinking of hiring an exterminator. Even if you are not a frequent traveler, it’s highly likely that you have encountered bed bugs in hotels and other places when you were on holiday or business. Unfortunately, you cannot personally control these sort of situations and thus, here are a few quick tips to prevent yourself:

1. Consider attaching double sided tape around the bottom of your bed as shown in the picture. While this is not a permanent solution, if you thoroughly check your bed for bed bugs and use this method, you can rest easy knowing that if those pests try and sneak up on you during the night, they will get stuck and have to spend the night looking rather foolish as they try to escape without success.
2. Alternatively, you can also cover your beds with plastic, zip locked bed cover to ensure that don’t donate any blood to hotel bed bugs.
3. Lastly, when you get home from your trip, it’s a good idea to immediately put your clothing and other material items in the washing machine and into a hot dryer as this will ensure that you do not bring any into your clean house.

In conclusion, dealing with a bed bug infestation is really not that bad if you take the necessary pest control steps outlined in this article. And once you have got rid of these bugs, simply take proactive measures to ensure that they do not return with a vengeance. Always remember that’s it’s a good idea to first try natural methods that you can perfect yourself before going the paid or chemical route. However, if you do have a bed bug problem that you feel is out of control, The Bug Squad recommends that you consult a professional exterminator as your health and well-being is worth the relief it will bring. If you enjoyed the information presented, please consider sharing this post on FB, Twitter or your social media platform of choice. You can also find me on Google+. Thanks for taking the time to read my article on how to get rid of bed bugs and I invite you to leave your comments below.