Are you waking up covered in red, itchy bites? If you are the chances are that you have bed bugs and need pest control right away. Despite many people thinking bedbugs are a thing of the past due to poor hygiene and lack of mod cons for laundering bed clothes, there’s been a steady increase in the number of bedbugs in recent years. The reason for this is due to a number of factors, which include:
- The ban of DDT (as it’s harmful to human health).
- The increase in foreign travel.
- The rise in electricity costs.
- Low temperature washing.
- Lack of regular laundering of bed clothes.
- Broad spectrum bug sprays and powders use for other home pests don’t reach the places where bed bugs live.
- Their resistance to pesticides.
Getting rid of bedbugs:
There’s lots of information available online about getting rid of bedbugs, some of it is useful and good guidance. However, much of the ‘advice’ is purely myths that won’t solve the problem.
Effective treatments and preventive pest control measures include:
- Regular checks of your bedding and mattress, paying particular attention to the seams and under the buttons. Red or brown spots are signs of bedbugs – the red is blood (possibly yours where you’ve been bitten, the brown is the dropping of the bedbug).
- Hoover your mattress and headboard thoroughly. These tiny critters will run and hide in the most awkward of places.
- Launder sheets and bedding regularly and occasionally on a high temperature wash if the fabric allows.
- Take your duvet and pillows to the cleaners at least once a year. Alternatively, if you have an outside washing line put them out to air on a hot and breezy day.
- When you shake your duvet make sure your hoover the flooring afterwards to collect up any fallen droppings and/or bugs.
- Use a protector to encase your mattress. This can help prevent the bugs from setting up home and if they’re already in your mattress it will trap them and they’ll eventually die.
- If your mattress is torn either use a protector or buy a new mattress, as the chances are you’ll already have bedbugs.
- When in hotels don’t leave your suitcase open on the floor as the bugs will take any opportunity they can for a lift to a fresh new home. The same goes for your clothes, don’t throw them on the floor, put them away in your suitcase and shut the lid.
- Steam clean carpets and furniture.
Bedbugs are resilient creatures. They can survive a surprisingly long time without a blood meal (you!), but don’t think you can starve them out completely because it been known for them to lay dormant for over a year, silently awaiting their next host.
The most effective method of getting rid of bedbugs is to call professional pest controllers. They’ll get rid of the little blighters for you and give you helpful tips and advice on how to prevent them from making your bed their home and your body their next meal.
Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite by calling Safeguard Pest Control on 0800 328 493.
