There are many ways you can attempt to deal with bed bugs getting into your Raleigh home. If you attempt to use DIY treatment ideas from the internet, you're going to have varying results. Some DIY treatments have zero impact on these insects because they appear to work but really don't. Some DIY treatments have the potential to have a big impact on bed bugs but fail to do so because residents don't know how to properly apply the methods to achieve success. The secret to effective bed bug treatments is often far less about the methods being used and more about the knowledge required to select and apply these treatment methods. This is what we're going to dig into today.
Sprays
Can you kill a bed bug by spraying it with something? Yup. You sure can. There are lots of things that will kill bed bugs. But sprays are topical. They don't get into the cracks, crevices, and voids where bed bugs live. You might get lucky, lift your mattress, and find a group of bed bugs hiding in the tight space between your mattress and box spring. If you quickly spray them with vinegar, rubbing alcohol, or any other desiccant, those bugs will be ancient history. But you're not going to have any success when you spray objects that have bed bugs hiding inside them. Desiccants don't kill bed bugs that come out of hiding. You need a residual product to do that.
Residual Products
If you purchase a product that promises to kill bed bugs, don't count on it working. Many over-the-counter products don't work. Why? There are two primary reasons.
Bed bugs are resistant to conventional treatment products.
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When a bed bug is exposed to a dangerous chemical and survives, it can develop a new skin that is more resistant to the chemical. The old saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," definitely applies to bed bugs.
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Not only can bed bugs develop a resistance to chemicals, they also pass this resistance to their offspring. Some bed bugs are already immune to over-the-counter products.
Bed bugs can go into hiding when they start noticing other bed bugs are dying.
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Professionals use select products that are currently known to effectively exterminate bed bugs.
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Oftentimes, more than one product is used to ensure success.
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Professionals use field-tested strategies that work to corral bed bugs and prevent them from escaping treatment areas.
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The treatment process professionals use includes follow-up inspections to make sure the treatments were successful.
Heat
You may hear that you can exterminate bed bugs with heat. This is true. It is an all-natural solution for bed bugs. But you're not going to exterminate bed bugs by purchasing a few space heaters and placing them around your home. Professionals use industrial-strength, temperature-controlled thermal remediation units to exterminate bed bugs. These industrial heaters, along with strategically placed sensors, work together to elevate the temperature of structures and eliminate all of the bed bugs inside. This is not a treatment you can apply only to your bedroom. The bed bugs will just run from the heat and go into another part of your home. In many cases, where space heaters are used, bed bugs just hide in cold spots within the room. The heat isn't enough to kill them or drive them out. A room needs to be elevated to a temperature above 115 degrees.
Steam Cleaners
Another way to apply heat to kill bed bugs is to use a steam cleaner. Does it work? Yup. It does. But you're going to have a difficult time killing bed bugs with this method if you don't know how to apply it, where to apply it, and what control methods need to be used alongside this method to ensure extermination. Professionals use a multi-pronged treatment strategy that may include steam, but no professional will use steam alone as a treatment method.
Traps
There are traps that can attract bed bugs and kill them. If you purchase traps and catch a few bed bugs, you might think that you've corrected the problem. Unfortunately, this is not likely to be the case. Bed bugs avoid danger and they have defensive behaviors that protect them from allowing their entire population to be wiped out by a trap. Professionals sometimes deploy traps, such as bed bug interceptors, to stop bed bugs from climbing up bed frames and biting people while they sleep, but these products don't arrest an infestation. They're used, along with mattress and box spring encasements, to prevent bites while other treatment methods address the bed bugs hiding in your Raleigh home.
Bed Bug Control In Raleigh
If you live in Raleigh, reach out to Go-Forth Pest Control. Our bed bug treatments are performed by licensed and experienced pest professionals, and we use industry-tested control strategies to make sure no bugs remain. Reach out to us today for immediate assistance.
