how to get rid of bed bugs ?

how to get rid of bed bugs with chemical sprayor hire a pest control services

What are bed bugs?

Bed bugs are unfortunately more prevalent now than ever before, partly because of an increase in foreign travel, making it easy for them to move from country to country within luggage or on clothing and shoes. These little parasitic pests hide in the daytime, only making an appearance and being active at night when they come out to feed on human blood. If you wake up scratching and find one at night, do not kill it, however tempting!

Try to capture and seal it in a clear plastic bag for identification by a reliable pest control service like Akkad Pest Control. Bed bugs are not very easy to identify without experience. The adults have flat, dark red oval-shaped bodies, with no wings. They cannot fly, and do not jump like fleas do. Bed bugs are about the same size as apple pips, and move at roughly the same speed as an ant does with a crawling motion. When they feed, their bodies swell up and their colouring becomes brighter. Baby bed bugs are a pale yellow colour, and as tiny as a poppy seed, so are very tricky to find. The eggs are white and adhere tightly to surfaces making them hard to remove.

Where will I find bed bugs?

Bedbugs are found in all major cities worldwide from London to Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. As their name suggests, bed bugs enjoy inhabiting the little crevices within your mattress or the frame of your bed, but can also live happily behind the skirting boards, in your sofa, carpets or in any other soft furnishings. They are not a sign that your home is unclean: there are many ways they can travel into your home, through luggage, purses, shoes and clothing for example. Bed bugs can survive for many months without feeding, even for up to a year.

How do I know if I have an infestation?

A bite from a bed bug can be itchy as well as unpleasant to look at, and can leave scars, but it is generally accepted that bed bugs do not carry diseases. A few people suffer from severe allergic reactions to the bites, or can develop eczema if they are repeatedly bitten. You should see your GP if you suffer an adverse reaction to a bite. Other insects like fleas and mosquitoes can also bite, so a bite alone is not enough to prove you have an infestation of bed bugs. A torch for checking in dark crevices or a powerful magnifying glass is a useful tool to have. If you look carefully you might also spot small amounts of blood on your bedding or tiny dark spots, which are droppings. You may also find the dried remains of their skins. The best proof of an infestation, however horrible, is to find and identify an alive and mobile bed bug!

How do I get rid of bed bugs?

Thoroughly search your home and see if you can identify any insects to put in a clear bag for identification by a pest controller. Eradicating an infestation takes time and effort, and usually the services of a professional pest control company. Avoid "bug bombs" as these are dangerous if used incorrectly and spread pesticides through your home.

You should not attempt to use pesticides yourself, as general pesticides are ineffective at treating bed bugs and many only encourage them to move to somewhere else within your home. Before the pest controllers come to your home, clean up any visible bed bugs with a wet cloth and crush them. It is important to tidy away any clutter that is lying around and to keep the floor clean. You will need to hoover floors, bedding, furniture and carpets paying extra attention to small corners and cracks.

When emptying the hoover bag, take care to seal it within another bag in case any bed bugs attempt to escape! You should wash all your clothes and fabrics on a hot setting. Dry cleaning will kill bed bugs, but of course not all dry cleaners will accept infested items. When you have cleaned the mattress, you can cover it with a bed bug proof mattress bag which you can buy online. Finally, when you dispose of any infested items, make them unusable by destroying them, to prevent further spread.

Do I really need a pesticide treatment?

Bed bugs are one of the hardest pests to eradicate. Natural methods are usually not effective enough to control a population of bed bugs, but there are several treatments that do not involve chemicals. These include removing clutter, safely sealing infested garments in bags, cleaning thoroughly with soap and water, washing clothing in hot water or dry cleaning, thorough vacuuming and modern steam treatments.

These can be administered by a pest control company with a machine that blasts a super hot jet of steam that kills both bugs and larvae instantly. This avoids the use of any toxic substances. It is better to enlist the help of a reliable expert in the field like Akkad Pest Control than to attempt to unsuccessfully deal with bed bugs yourself.