Although bed bugs are small in size, they are able to be inspected by naked eyes by humans. When bed bugs infestation start, you will usually not know whether you are dealing with bed bugs or something else. The bite of bed bugs is mistaken by mosquito bite and is ignored by some people. The bitten wound of a bed bug looks reddish, swollen and a punctured spot in the middle of the wound that makes intense itching. But these insects do not transmit any diseases.

Bed bugs are present in places like hotels, apartments, houses, offices, other public places and even in buses and auto rickshaws. Determining the bed bugs can be accomplished by checking all the household articles like furniture, box springs, books, mattresses, cracks and crevices of the walls, behind the mirrors, behind baseboards. A dark region is the better place for these insects to settle in.

Bed bugs feed upon the blood of humans and animals and bite during sleeping hours at night. The bed bug bites appear initially as numerous reddish marks or red rashes which spread evenly on the skin. The bite will be seen in a linear pattern. In serious cases, you can observe the bumps on all over the body with allergic reactions. In some cases, these parasites strike upon the upper half of the body due to the attraction towards carbon dioxide a person emit during rest at night. Bed bug bite can be seen on the neck, arms, shoulders, and back of the body. But if you are having the rashes only on the legs and feet, then you are probably not dealing with the bed bugs.

Bed Bugs

How to stop bed bugs from biting you

The following things not only reduce the chances of getting bitten but also minimize the chances of spreading of bed bugs to other parts of your house.

• De-clutter the items thoroughly and clean the bedding and other areas  to get rid of bed bugs
• As bed bugs are fast movers, throw all the cluttered things away in sealed plastic bags
• Bedding and clothing should be washed in the hottest water possible at least 120 degree Fahrenheit temperature. Hot tumble drier, and direct sunlight is used for drying clothes, mattresses and other bedding
• Clean and light colored sheets are used on bed to detect them easily
• While removing, do not pull the sheets. Just roll them and put it in a plastic bag to collect all the eggs and bugs and dispose them outside
• You can use ClimbUp Inspect Interceptor monitoring system (Insect trapping device) which is an effective barrier to stop bed bugs from biting. This system helps in making the bed bugs to fall to the center well

 

 



Bed Bug Bites

Bed bugs are creatures that belong to group Insecta. They are cosmopolitan in occurrence. They might be present in all the places at homes, and in offices. If you find bed bugs, take the help of a professional assistance to treat them. Treatment of bed bugs is the process of treating them with various alternatives to kill or get rid of them.

How to kill bed bugs by heat treatments?

Most bed bugs feed on human blood while people are asleep. They pierce the skin of its host with two hollow tubes. One tube injects saliva and other one sucks the blood from the host body. Kill the bed bugs by washing everything in hot water and vacuuming your bags inside and out. Vacuum your living space relentlessly including furniture. There are several methods to get rid of bed bugs as listed:

• Seal the entire mattress with encasements for about 6 to 12 months that will cause all bed bugs and their young ones to starve and die inside.
• Wash all the curtains, clothes and bedspreads by immersing in water to kill bed bugs
• Take your mattresses, furniture and other things out into the sun so that the heat from the sun kills the bugs or make them leave
• Use insect aerosol by targeting bed frames and furniture
• Use heat from the steam to kill bed bugs
• Call for professional help if you can afford fees for them

Various Heat Treatments

Heat is a very effective bed bug killer that can be used in various ways to eradicate bed bugs. Steam heat is used in carpets, behind baseboards and furniture. Steaming is a slow, methodical work that takes patience. Steam alone will not eliminate an infestation. Vapor steam cleaners can reach the temperatures of 240 to 360 degrees or high to cause dangerous burns. So be cautious. They are very useful in the fight against bed bugs and many pest companies use this as a best effective tool.

Hot dryers and portable heat chambers can be used to kill bed bugs in infested household items. Professional heating systems can be used to treat entire rooms and structures. Though heat treatment is one of the tools to fight against bed bugs, it has no residual (long lasting) activity. The bed bug may re-infest again. Due to creation of convection currents by powerful fans within the heated room, the whole room bed bugs heat treatments have been very successful. Here the thermal death point of bed bugs will be 113 degree Fahrenheit.

Heat chambers

Out of all methods, killing bed bugs with heat is one of the methods to be free from them. Currently there are two heating systems. They are ThermaPureHeat and Temp-Air heat remediation system. These are the effective technologies used.

ThermaPureHeat treatment

ThermaPureHeat is a best solution to prevent bed bugs infestations. This approach is non-toxic, non-chemical that penetrates to all the hidden places like cavities, cracks and under carpets. Applying heat evenly will kill all the stages of the bed bugs along with eggs in a single treatment oftentimes. Unlike many pesticides, ThermaPureHeat will penetrate into all bedbug hiding places and kill bed bugs. This process will force the heat into beds, bedding, mattresses, furniture and wall cavities etc. Raising room temperatures above the thermal death point (a temperature at which the bed bug dies) helps in eliminating bed bug infestation. This temperature is achieved by ThermaPureHeat process.

In this process, electric heaters or propane generated heat is used to heat the air inside the room to a temperature of 135 degree Fahrenheit. This temperature is monitored at all the hiding places from numerous sensors. Once this temperature is reached, the heating process is continued for one hour or more to kill the bed bugs. The determination of thermal death points for bed bugs is done by two things; one is the temperature and second is the exposure time. This process is a simple control methodology to alter the natural environment of the bed bug making it worse to them. As some people are sensitive to chemicals due to many disorders, this process is a practical solution. This is ideal for schools, hospitals and health care centers.

Therma Pure Heat Treatment

Temp-Air heat Remediation System

The Temp-Air heat Remediation System has the same principle compared to ThermaPureHeat method. This process uses large electric heaters placed in the infested room and powered by generator outside. These heaters generate heat and high velocity fans are used to blow the heated air to all corners until the temperature is increased for 120 to 135 degree Fahrenheit. Finally, the sensors monitored and this treatment works for 4 hours or more.

Temp-Air heat Remediation System

Do it yourself (DIY) Heat Chamber

This is one of the methods used for hotel rooms because it is effective, easy to transport and assemble. This heat chamber is made of Polystyrene foam used to treat household items and furniture. Here infested items are placed and heat treated. Rooms with wood or tile floors require extra preparation by placing an insulating foam mat under the chamber. One important point to be noted is that the room itself still needs to be treated with conventional insecticides. In most cases, DIY bed bug treatment is not a great idea.

Portable Heating Device

There is a portable Heating Device called PackTite bed bug heater used for treating items like suitcases, books, CDs, purses and pillows. This product consists of a duffle bag with rack to place your infested items. There is an interior heater and exterior heat monitor where the temperature rises above 120 degree Fahrenheit inside the bag to kill all the life stages of bed bugs. After the treatment, the electrical cord automatically turns the heater off. This product takes several hours to treat infested items but it is completely portable and effective than hot dryer. Before placing the electronic devices inside the PackTite product, check the manual regarding the heat tolerance of electronic instrument.

PackTite Bed bug heater

About Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are the nocturnal, small, wingless insects. They live in dark spaces 1/4“to 1/8“long. They were cosmopolitan before World War II and now again it is back due to ban of DDT pesticide, an increase in the international travel and a developing resistance to pesticides.

Bed bugs are commonly seen in the edges of the furniture, carpets, mattresses, on the bed sheets crawling from one place to other, picture frames, loosened wallpaper and other cracks and crevices. They might be present in the luggage hiding and often they are brought to home by bringing secondhand items. They are seen with their eggs attached to bedding and clothing. They can’t be noticed by anybody as they are very small. It is very difficult to know whether an infestation occurs or not.

Some people are affected by bed bugs very severely that shows the reddish welts and bumps on the skin. Some might get swollen rashes that leads to allergic reactions. Some of them might not get any symptoms. Others may get the symptoms and goes off for long days to return back. Bed bugs do not transmit any infectious diseases. They are resistant to some chemicals.

Bed bugs are the small, oval parasites that are present everywhere at homes, in offices and also in apartments, buildings and higienic environments. If you find bed bugs, try to find the hidden places where they are existing and try to keep them away from that premises by various treatments. Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed on human blood. The hidden spots of bed bugs are:

• Bed,
• Furniture,
• Box springs,
• Carpets
• Behind mirrors and picture frames
• Luggage,
• Clothes,
• Books,
• Under baseboards,
• Sofas,
• cracks and crevices of the walls and other household articles.

To check the presence of bed bug, check on the walls or the bed with the help of magnifying glass as these insects are very small to see with the naked eyes. You can find the blood stains on bed sheets, black colored fecal matter of the bed bugs, eggs and shed skins. Sometimes you observe the bed bugs crawling on the bed sheets. They are nocturnal insects and bite any exposed areas of skin while an individual is sleeping. The most effective inspections are done by experienced and qualified pest control professionals to give a positive identification. As these insects have secretive lifestyle, they might go unnoticed even if they are present.

What to do if you think you may have bed bugs?

If you suspect that there are bed bugs in your sleeping areas, don’t go to another bed or sofa for sleeping. Do not go to stay with someone else as these may spread unknowingly. This causes them to get infested. During the treatment, stay in your home and in your own bed to kill bed bugs.

Prevention tips for travelers: If you are travelling, it is a good idea to inspect your hotel room for bed bugs as soon as you first enter the room. The hidden place might be behind the headboard or other locations like mattresses and bedding. Don’t bring your bags into the room until proper bed bug inspection is done. Do not place your luggage on the floor near the head of the bed as these insects might infest your luggage. It is a good idea to have a small flashlight when you travel, since the bed bugs might hide in darkest crevices of the room. An LED keychain makes a great bed bug inspection tool to find the hidden spots.

After finding the hidden spots, measures to treat bed bugs

If a room has bed bugs, clean the room and do not clutter like piles of toys, magazines or clothes as this cluttering gives more spaces for the bed bugs to hide. Wash and dry your bedding to kill bed bugs. Take extra care like vacuuming the bed bug areas like mattress, furniture, box springs, area where carpet meets the wall especially near the bed. Once you have completed vacuuming, take the vacuum cleaner bag immediately to a dumpster. You can use hand-held steamer to clean the mattresses and other things to kill bed bugs.

Recommended Inspection tool kit for finding hidden spots

A thorough inspection is important to detect bed bugs in the hidden spots, to determine the infestation of bed bug widely and to manage them in a best way. During inspection, move slowly without disturbing hiding bed bugs so they don’t scatter.

Inspection Tool Kit

The recommended bed bug inspection tool kit used for checking hidden spots includes:

• a lighted magnifying glass,
• strong flashlight,
• plastic bags with zip-top for collection of specimens,
• screwdrivers for removing light switches or electrical plates,
• cotton swabs for checking stains in crevices,
• credit card tool for checking narrow spaces and pyrethrin or compressed air for flushing bedbugs from cracks and crevices.

10 Bed bug infestation hidden spots

• Public Libraries
• Retail Stores
• Movie theatres
• Planes, trains and buses
• Day cares, schools and colleges
• Place of worship
• Business offices
• Laundry facilities
• Hospitals and nursing homes
• Consignment, thrift shops and yard sales

About Bed Bug

Information kit about bed bug symptoms
You feel pain and itching sensation, after these bed bug insects bite and rashes start appearing on the skin which is often misdiagnosed as allergic rash. So it is essential to confirm the cause and identify the bed bug bite symptoms. Small, red colored bumps or spots on the neck, hand, legs and face along with swelling are the most common sign. However, if there is severe itching then you must consult a doctor immediately. Bed bug bites may be neglected and go unnoticed for mosquito bites or other types of rash or skin conditions, as they are difficult to distinguish from other bites.

Information regarding bed bug stains ; 5 steps to get rid of bed bug stains on the hidden spots

• After the discovery of blood stains, bed bug stains and fecal matter stains, blot the spots with cold water immediately as warm water sets stains
• Lift the stains out of your mattresses, sheets, pillows cases and comforters with the help of hydrogen peroxide and dab the stains. It even works on walls, carpets and floors
• Use dry wash cloth to pull the moisture spots out of the mattresses fabric
• Put your pillow cases and sheets in the washer for 30 minute wash cycle to get rid of bed bug stains
• If you have damp mattress from all of that cleaning, you can dry it off with a hair dryer on low heat