How to Get Rid of Bedbugs

Bedbugs are common worldwide. These small, brown insects are almost everywhere largely due to their ability to travel in clothes and furniture.

Bedbugs feed on human and animal blood. Young bed bugs (also called nymphs) shed their skins up to five times before maturity and this process requires blood each time. Although they do not transmit diseases, they can be a nuisance. Controlling a bedbug infestation may take weeks or months depending on its extent. Take these steps by lamudi to get rid of bedbugs.

Bedroom. Image credit: Wikipedia

Prepare the infested area

Clean up the affected area. Be careful as you move items to avoid transferring the bugs to other parts of your place. Disassemble you bed and pull your bed frames from the wall and turn all your furniture over to examine all hiding spots.

Start getting rid of the bugs

Scrub infested area with warm water and detergent to remove the eggs logged on surfaces. For the hidden eggs, you will need insecticide sprays and possibly ducts to treat every crack in the affected area. Also treat the bed frame with insecticides.

A note of caution on insecticides:

• Since insecticides can be hazardous, you will need to follow directions for usage.
• Commercial insecticides are a lot safer than homemade ones.  
• Do not use insecticides on baby cribs or toys.
• Do not use insecticides on people or mattresses unless the label explicitly says so.
• Normally, insecticides registered for use on bed frames are not intended for use on mattresses.
• If you are in Nigeria, only use insecticides registered by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration (NAFDAC).

Soak infested garment or bed spreads in hot water (about 50 degrees Celsius) for about 30 minutes, then wash and dry. Store clean, dry items in a light-colored plastic bag.

Vacuum the mattress. After vacuuming, take the vacuum cleaner outside and dispose of the vacuum cleaner’s bag.

Buy good quality bedbug-proof encasement's for your mattress. They look like sacks with zippers made out of fabric.

After encasing the mattress, the next step is to isolate the bed from all parts of the house. If you sleep on your mattress without a bed, buy a frame to lift your mattress from the floor. Bedbug interceptors should now be used under the leg of each bed frame to prevent the bedbugs from climbing in your bed while you sleep. Interceptors are like cups that trap bedbugs climbing up or down the bed. Putting small objects in the freezer is also used by some. However freezing must be prolonged (up to four days) at about -19 degrees Celsius and may not kill all the bed bugs.

Non-washable items that are not of immediate use can be isolated in clear plastic bags placing them in direct sunlight at about 35 degrees Celsius. This is one of the most effective methods used during the harmattan months in Nigeria.

Every seven days after completion of the initial control procedures, carefully observe for evidence of bedbugs. If you still see any bedbugs, that means the clean-up missed some bugs or eggs. In that case re-treating the affected area is necessary. For re-treatment, insecticides usually prove more effective.

Desiccants (drying agents) work by destroying the waxy protective outer coating on the bedbugs. With the outer coating destroyed, the bedbugs will solely dehydrate and die. Desiccants are very helpful in bedbug control. Since this drying agent works in a physical mode, the bedbugs cannot resist them as they do other pesticides. Diatomaceous earth and boric acid are good examples of this powerful insecticide.

However, it is important to use desiccants that are duly registered and labelled for bedbug control. Desiccants meant for other uses such as swimming pools, will be hazardous to your health.

How to prevent bedbug infestation

• If you are planning to buy used or second hand furniture, be sure to inspect them before moving them into the house.
• When you travel, inspect the bed in your new room for bedbugs and when you return home also inspect and vacuum your luggage.
• Clean up your home regularly to prevent hiding spots for bedbugs.