How to Prevent Bed Bugs From Showing Up in Your Home
WouterThe first step to preventing an infestation is to remove any infested furniture and bed coverings from your home. You may be tempted to leave the furniture in its current state, but this can spread the bed bug infestation throughout the home. Using a flashlight, check the furniture for bites and blood spots on the bedding. If you find these signs, you should contact a professional bed bug inspector.
Bed bugs are small brown insects that feed on the blood of humans and other mammals. They hide during the day and only come out to feed at night. The bites typically cause itching and welts. Fortunately, bed bugs are usually not infectious. However, if you are allergic to the bites, they may irritate your skin, causing you to scratch the affected areas.
You can try to clean the affected area by using a stiff brush and vacuum cleaner. When cleaning an infestation, you should also turn over furniture and bed frames to expose more hidden spots. Once you are sure you don’t have any bed bugs, you can call a professional pest control company for a thorough inspection and a targeted plan for eradicating them.
If you have rented an apartment, you should ensure that the landlord or management company is willing to do some bed bug work. It’s important to make sure your landlord or property owner understands about bed bug biology and behavior before hiring a pest management professional. This will save you time and frustration, as well as money, by minimizing the amount of pesticides required.
