Having bed bugs can be a traumatic experience.
Not only do they cause mental stress, but they can also leave unpleasant bites across you and your family’s bodies.
If you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of finding bed bugs in your home, there are a few things you can do to ensure the problem is dealt with quickly and effectively.
What is a Bed Bug?
Bed bugs are flat, oval-shaped, reddish-brown insects that live on the blood of animals or humans.
They can be found in beds, box springs, bed frames, crevices in upholstered chairs and couches or any area where it has direct contact with animal or human skin.
They feed every 5-10 days, and an adult female can lay 500 eggs during its lifetime (about 3 months).
A newborn nymph is about 1 mm long, and they grow in size to become adults.
A bed bug can live up to a year without feeding on a host.
Bed bugs do not have nests like ants or bees but maybe generally found within 100 meters of where people sleep.
These insects are an annoyance for many reasons, but they can be a health risk as their saliva causes itching and possible skin rashes if scratched by contaminated fingernails.
The most common signs of an infestation are:
- Red bite marks on the body: When bed bugs take a larger amount of blood, it causes more swelling and itching.
- Black dots from crushed bed bugs in the area where they were spotted.
- Small red spots that appear when bites occur along a blood vessel.
- Dark brown or black feces (insect droppings).
- Tiny yellow eggs, which look like dust or dried skin flakes.
- Spots from crushed bed bugs in the area where they were spotted.
How Are Bed Bugs Spread?
Bed bugs are spread by human activity, such as: when people travel, when people visit each other’s houses or hotels, and when used furniture is bought.
Bed Bug Control
When people want to control the bed bugs in their homes, they have several different options for doing so.
Many companies are set up to come into your house for you and do everything necessary to get rid of them.
If you are looking for a DIY option many stores sell solutions that will either kill the bugs or keep them from coming in again if they are repellants such as hotshot or raid sprayers.
You should make sure to read reviews about any products before deciding where to spend your money.
How to Kill Bed Bugs Instantly
There are several ways to kill bed bugs quickly, such as using Raid or Hot Shot. The other way is by using natural remedies that you can make on your own. Some simple alternatives are:
Steam Cleaning
Steam cleaning is an excellent way to remove those bugs quickly.
This is a process where you use hot water and steam in order to kill the bed bugs, their eggs and even the bacteria they carry around with them.
“The higher temperature will be more effective than any other cleaners on your market.”
The steam method works especially well because it gets into all of the tiny cracks and crevices that are found in mattresses as well as box springs so that you can kill not only the bugs themselves but also the eggs they have laid, or any of the waste products they leave behind (which might include blood).
The heat from the steam fills the air in your house, and when the bugs breathe that hot air, it will kill them quickly and efficiently, all while avoiding the use of chemicals.
Diatomaceous Earth
This substance can be purchased online or at a local store where gardening supplies are available.
It comes in powder form and you should sprinkle it all around on your bedding after cleaning everything as best you can with water and soap (or another cleaner).
The DE acts like tiny knives that cut into the hard outer shell of the bedbug’s bodies, killing them quickly and without causing much pain or suffering.
The downside to this method is that it takes quite a bit of time to get rid of them all, and you also have to be very careful not to inhale any because it can irritate your lungs.
Whether you want to get rid of the bed bugs yourself or hire someone else, it’s crucial that you do something before they take over your home and cause risk to your physical and mental health!
