Bed bugs are persistent and annoying pests that can infest your Buffalo Grove home. Such tiny, blood-sucking pets are great at hiding, making them hard to detect and eliminate. If you suspect a bed bug infestation in your house, know how to make such creatures come out of hiding to ensure effective elimination. Pointe Pest Control has experts who can help you address a bed bug infestation, regardless of its severity.
Reasons Bed Bugs Keep Out of Sight
Bed bugs are nocturnal pests that want to stay hidden during the day. Typically, they hide in small cracks, fabric folds, and crevices near their hosts. They usually hide in mattresses and box springs, couches and upholstered furniture, carpets and baseboards, bed frames and headboards, and even electrical outlets and behind wallpaper. These pests emerge at night to feed on human blood, making them hard to spot.
Steps to Make Bed Bugs Come Out of Hiding
To effectively detect and eliminate bed bugs, you must make them out of hiding. Here’s what you can do:
- Use heat. Bed bugs are sensitive to temperature changes. They are attracted to body heat, thus, you can trick them into coming out by stimulating human heat. This can be done by using a hairdryer on low heat near suspected hiding spots, placing heat-producing traps near infested areas, or raising the temperature of a room to 80-90°F with a space heater. Keep in mind that although heat can lure bed bugs out, a temperature of over 120°F will kill them. If you are considering using heat to eliminate bed bugs, consider professional heat treatment.
- Use carbon dioxide traps. Bed bugs detect the carbon dioxide exhaled by humans. They use this to find their next meal. To lure them out, mimic human breathing by buying carbon dioxide bed bug traps that work by slowly releasing carbon dioxide to capture the bugs’ attention. Some people make DIY carbon dioxide with dry ice in a container; however, this must be done with caution because of safety risks.
- Use bed bug pheromone traps. Some commercial bed bug traps have synthetic pheromones that attract bed bugs out of where they have been hiding. This works by placing the lures near suspected hiding spots and checking the traps regularly. This method can effectively detect an infestation before treatment starts.
- Take advantage of darkness. Bed bugs like dark environments. That is the reason they are most active at night. You can leverage this by creating darkness and suddenly exposing the bugs to light, forcing them out.
- Spreading talcum powder or diatomaceous earth. Talcum powder makes it more difficult for bed bugs to move, forcing them out of hiding. Diatomaceous earth dehydrates and kills bed bugs upon contact.
Getting Rid of Bed Bugs
After you have drawn bed bugs out of hiding, it’s time to focus on elimination. To eliminate bed bugs, here are steps you can take:
- Wash and heat-treat the bedding. Bed bugs die when exposed to extreme heat. You can kill them instantly by washing sheets, blankets, and pillowcases in at least 120°F hot water for 30 minutes or more. Also, you can steam-clean mattresses, furniture, and carpets to kill bed bugs.
- Use bed bug sprays and insecticides. You can find several bed bug-killing sprays in stores; however, they are not equally effective. Look for pyrethroid-based sprays, insect growth regulators, and neonicotinoid regulators.
- Vacuum and dispose of infested items. A vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter can get rid of bed bugs from crevices and cracks. Dispose of the vacuum bag in a sealed plastic bag right away.
- Hire pest control services. If you are dealing with a serious bed bug infestation, contact a licensed bed bug exterminator. A lot of pest control services provide heat treatments, chemical treatments, and ongoing monitoring to prevent future infestations.
