Although bed bugs are active year-round, the fall does see a spike in activity. As the cooler months roll in people, start to spend more time inside, including children going back to school. Because bed bugs are indoor pests, they spread easily and get picked up by people inside different public spaces. This especially includes schools, theaters, and public transportation. As fall approaches, you should know how to prevent and eradicate a bed bug infestation in your Indianapolis home.
Bed Bug Prevention Tips
Because bed bugs are brought into a home on items or in bags, the best way to prevent them from happening is by understanding what to do when you are traveling or out in public. One of the most common ways bed bugs get into a home is through second-hand items. The best bed bug prevention tips include:
Keep Belongings Off The Floor In:
- Movie theaters
- Carpeted places such as restaurants, waiting rooms, schools, and more
- Hotels and motels
- On public transportation
Inspect Hotel And Motel Rooms:
- Bedding, sheets, and mattress
- Curtains
- Luggage rack (always use a luggage rack)
Inspect Second-hand Items:
- Appliances
- Inside screw-heads
- Seams of curtains, clothing, and upholstered furniture
- Cracks and crevices of furniture
Along with the tips listed above, you should also encourage your children to keep their belongings off the floor when they are at school and inspect their bags when they arrive home. If you practice these tips, you can help prevent bed bugs from infesting your home. However, if you live in a multi-unit building such as an apartment, condo, or townhouse, you should be aware that bed bugs can travel between units. This means you can do your best to prevent this pest, but you are still susceptible if your neighbors don’t practice prevention. Because of this, you should understand what methods work to get rid of them.
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Bed Bug Removal
You suspect bed bugs in your home, so you inspect common hotspots like your mattress, bedding, and furniture and confirm you have an infestation. What do you do? Most people might start to panic when they see these tiny parasites in their homes. They might start throwing away all of their belonging and spend hundreds of dollars on over-the-counter treatments, but the infestation isn’t going away entirely. This is not an uncommon experience because bed bugs are almost impossible to get rid of with DIY methods.
Common DIY bed bug control methods can be either chemical or non-chemical. Chemical treatments include store-bought products, while non-chemical include freezing temperatures and high heat to kill bed bugs. Non-chemical methods can look like:
- Using a steamer with a temperature of 130º F or higher
- Placing items in a sealed bag in a hot car for several days
- Using high heat on items in a dryer
- Placing items in a sealed back in a freezer of 0º F for several days
While some DIY methods will be necessary to help you remove the entire infestation, it needs to happen in cohesion with professional treatment. Commingling your efforts with the experts will make handling bed bugs easier.
Professional Bed Bug Control
Action Pest Control offers the perfect solution to eliminate a bed bug infestation of any shape and size. We offer the most effective bed bug control treatments to get rid of this parasitic pest for Indianapolis residents and homeowners. With our available bed bug warranties, you can ensure that your home is protected against this pest. If you have a bed bug infestation or want to ensure that your home is guarded, contact us at Action Pest Control.