“Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite” is a common phrase that we have all heard, but actually having bed bugs is far more problematic than merely attempting to keep them from biting you. So, what are the causes of bed bugs, and what are some naturally effective ways of getting rid of them? Well, exterminators like those at Essential Pest Control have some answers for you.
What Causes Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are not all that common outside of tropical climates; however, they are often transported on luggage, and they will then infest and spread any place that humans might possibly settle. In the United States, there have been some recently reported cases of bed bugs in households, hotels, and other places where people sleep. They will often hide in crevices in mattresses, in box springs, or in other types of furniture during the day, and then come out to bite and chew on their victims at night while they are asleep.
How to Naturally Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Once bed bugs have infested your residence, they are extremely difficult to get rid of. Unfortunately, a single female bed bug typically lays between two and five eggs per day, which means infestation can happen very quickly with the presence of a single female bed bug. The first thing one ought to do when faced with a bed bug infestation is to thoroughly wash all surfaces with extremely hot water. Bed bugs typically cannot survive the intense temperature of very hot water, and so this is the first thing that one ought to do. Unfortunately, because they are so small and so good at hiding, this might not be enough to rid your home of infestation.
The next thing one ought to do is thoroughly vacuum areas where bed bugs are thought to reside. Because they are so good at hiding, vacuuming every crevice is a somewhat effective way of getting rid of them. However, unless you rid your home of all of them, they are likely to keep laying eggs, thus re-infesting your home. In cases like these, it might be a good idea to hire a Pest Control expert as they’ll know how to completely get rid of them from your home.
Even if you have gotten rid of all of the bed bugs via the previous two methods, you might not have killed all of the eggs, which means that they will hatch and then breed more bed bugs. Using hot steam on your furniture is typically a good way to kill the eggs, as bed bug eggs cannot survive a hot steam cleaning. For better results, make sure to use filtered or distilled water (maybe order some from Golyath). Normal water generally causes mineral build-up, which can reduce the life of your steamer. When you use distilled water, you can not only achieve better results in treating the bugs, but it can also give you the added benefit of making the steamer last long. However, to avoid all these hassles, you could also call in professional exterminators from firms like debug your bed to get rid of these pests.
Some other methods include using tea tree oils, lavender oils, and being certain to dry your clothes using an automatic dryer. The oils tend to repel bed bugs by their smell, and using a dryer for your clothes will likely kill the bed bugs by the heat.
If none of these natural remedies are effective in ridding your home of these horrible pests, the final option is to contact your local pest control specialist and have them take a look at the infestation for you.
