It’s perfectly natural to want to eliminate a bed bug infestation without spending a ton of money on professional-grade products or a treatment by a pest control operator. When people discover that they have bed bugs, they often turn to do-it-yourself recommendations from discussions on the Internet. These suggestions might include household items, some of which are recommended more often than others. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular items and how they might be used against bed bugs:
Insecticides are an effective way to eradicate bed bugs, but not the only way. If you or someone in your house is highly sensitive to chemicals, or you’re just not crazy about the idea of spraying chemicals where you sleep, kill the little blood suckers with heat. Temperatures above 120 degrees F kill all stages of bed bugs. Steamers can be used to treat all the same areas where you would have sprayed contact killers. Steamers like the one shown at (top) cost about $150 and are good for many other projects like removing wallpaper, cleaning tile, removing labels, cleaning engine parts and removing wrinkles from fabric.
Don't assume your bites are bedbugs. Bites can be hard to identify, even for doctors. Rule out mosquitoes, fleas, mites, and biting gnats by conducting a visual inspection. It's best to collect and identify bedbugs to confirm bites. Look for the bugs themselves or their bloodstains, especially along the seams of mattresses. Further, look for dark spots of insect waste where bedbugs might crawl into hiding places on furniture, walls, and floors.
Successful control of bed bugs often depends on thorough inspection of the premises believed to be infested. Finding no insects identified as bed bugs does not mean that bed bugs are not present. It can mean that the inspection was inadequate, or that bed bugs are present but so few in number that the inspector missed them. It is not uncommon for even the most diligent and experienced inspectors to fail to find all of the bed bugs present in a structure.
At room temperature, bed bugs can survive for up to 3 months without feeding. So, even if no one is living in the room, bed bugs can still survive, especially if there is enough moisture in the air. However, to get rid of bed bugs effectively, you should not just rely on bed bug sprays for exterminating the pests, you should have an integrated pest control management program. This includes using various methods for bed bug removal.
So wear a face mask and just… bleach the crap out of your bed frame. Cover the mattress, repeatedly super heat your bedding and such, and bleach bleach bleach. MAKE SURE TO CHECK YOUR MATTRESS COVER. I did kill a few trying to hide in the zipper area. I picked out the crawlies with gloves and killed them, then repeatedly did a bleach scrub in case of any eggs. I do recommend the sticky traps a lot because if you keep your bed away from any walls or furniture, then the sticky traps will let you know if the bed bugs are coming from elsewhere.
Reactions to bed bug bites vary among individuals. Many persons show no signs of bites. Others don’t realize they’ve been bitten until redness and swelling appear around the bite, sometimes with intense itching. Some exhibit inflamed swollen spots that may occur in linear series or have a rash-like appearance. Such bite marks, when they appear, may not show for several days after the person is bitten.
