Bed bug prevention

Prevent bed bugs before the invade

As difficult as it can be to eradicate bed bugs, it makes great sense to take precautions to avoid them in the first place. Householders should be vigilant when acquiring used furnishings, especially beds and couches. Curbside items should be avoided, and secondhand articles should be examined closely before being brought into the home, and perhaps laundered or placed in a dryer. Avoiding problems with bed bugs is most challenging in apartments, hotels and other places where there are ongoing opportunities for the bugs to be introduced. Preventative inspection by tenants, housekeeping staff, or pest control firms is the best way to uncover infestations in their initial stages when they are easiest to control.

Preventing bed bugs while traveling

Concerned travelers may want to get in the habit of checking their bed for signs of bed bugs, a common practice in the past. This would entail examining the bed sheets and upper and lower seams of the mattress and box spring, especially along the head to the bed. Some professionals also suggest removal and examination behind the headboard, a frequent hiding place for the bugs in hotel rooms. Head boards are heavy and cumbersome, however, and untrained persons should not attempt removal themselves. If bed bugs are discovered, travelers may also want to elevate suitcases off the floor on a luggage stand, tabletop or other hard surface. Should travelers experience itchy welts suggestive of bed bug bites during their stay, it would be prudent upon returning home (before unpacking) to place all clothing in disposable plastic backs and directly into the washer and dryer. Inspecting or vacuuming luggage upon arrival home is less useful since it's hard to spot bed bugs inside a suitcase. The suitcase itself can either be treated or discarded.

Travel Tips - bed bug prevention

Since most bedbugs are carried by travelers through contact with beds and hotel rooms in infected locations, following are some tips for those traveling to hotels that might be at risk.

1. First, examine the room for potential hiding places of bedbugs, such as carpet edges, mattress seams, pillow case linings, bed boards, wall trim or other tiny crevices in which bedbugs might hide.
2. Next, look specifically at the mattress seams for signs of bedbug activity: droppings, eggs, bloodstains or even bedbugs themselves, hiding in tiny folds and seam lines.
3. Keep a flashlight nearby when sleeping, to immediately observe suspected activity during the night without having to get up out of bed, thereby giving bedbugs time to hide in safety.
4. Never leave your clothing lying on the bed, or any location of possible infestation (as mentioned above). Instead, use hangers or hooks capable of keeping all cloth distant from the floor or bed. Suspend new shopping in bags the same way.
5. Close all luggage (suitcase, travel bag etc.) when you're not using it. This way, during the night the bugs may move over the top of your bags and have difficulty getting inside.
6. Elevate your luggage off the floor to luggage stand, tables or chairs. These can also be hiding places, but they are not as likely to be.
7. Keep any bedbug you find (intact if possible) to show the hotel owner.

Pesticides for bed bug prevention

There are many insecticides that are available in both dust and spray applications. Some of the primary ingredients to look for when choosing something prove to combat bed bugs include premetherin, propoxur, chlorpyrifos, cyflutherin, fencalerate, benseneacatate, and resemthrin.

Hydoprene (Gentrol IGR Bed Bug Aerosol Spary or Gentrol IGR Liquid Concentrate) is an insecticide that does not actually kill bed bugs outritght, rather it works to sterilize adult bed bugs. While the process may take a bit longer it tends to ensure th e eventual end of the infestation.

For more organic approach you might consider the use of non- residual pyrethrin (Steri Fab or Rest Easy, Mother Earth D Dust). This form of insect control is derived from the chrysanthemum flower and routinely kills insects on contact.

You must first locate where the bed bugs live. Remember, just because they are called bed bugs, doesn't mean they can't live in other areas of the home. Once the bed bugs are located, there many control methods that may be used to combat the bed bugs.

Management to prevent bed bugs

Management of bed bugs consists mainly of locating and thoroughly cleaning the areas where the bed bugs hide in during the daytime hours. Hiding spots can usually be found by looking for black or brown spots of dried insect fecal matter on various surfaces on which the bed bugs dwell.

Bed Bug eggs, egg shells and shed skins may also be found in dwelling areas. Early on during the infestation bed bugs are likely to be located only around the seams, tufts or crevices of mattresses or bed covers, but later they move to crevices in the bed stead. In a severe infestation bed bugs can be found behind base boards, window and door casings, pictures and picture frames, in sofas and furniture, ripped wallpaper and cracks in drywall. To Treat Bed bug eggs use an IGR product (Gentrol IGR Bed Bug Aerosol Spary, or Gentrol IGR Liquid Concentrate) and spread the surrounding areas. Do not treat area you come into direct contact with such as the mattress, you will be able to transfer by exposed bed bugs coming into contact with the eggs.

Vacuuming all visible bed bugs from the mattresses and box springs and their other known dwellings is an effective removal option. Ensure the vacuum bag is removed, sealed, and disposed of immediately after the vacuuming process. Mattresses and pillows can be cleaned, paying particular attention to the seams and ribbing of the mattress, to kill any remaining bed bugs. Seal the mattress and box springs in Zip It Bug Bed Bug Proof Mattress and Box Spring Encasement to make sure any missed bugs do not attempt to escape. Bed linens and drapes can be dry cleaned or wet washed with a cleaning detergent and bleach in hot water.

Management should focus on cleaning methods such as vacuuming, sealing loose wall surfaces, caulking cracks, and other dwellings. A thorough cleaning may need to be completed more than once because eggs may be missed, or bugs may be well hidden during the initial vacuuming. Vacuum the mattress, paying close attention to tucks and along seams. Be sure to dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag immediately after the cleaning.

After completing the cleaning process be sure the bed is moved away from any walls so that it does not make contact with them. Coating the bed legs for 3 to 5 inches with something to stop bed bugs from crawling up into the bed is typically recommended. Petroleum jelly is often used for this, but be sure to put something under the bed legs to collect any dripping. Remove all dust covers, and keep the bed covers and blankets off of the floor.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Gentrol IGR Bed Bug Aerosol Spary	Gentrol IGR Liquid Concentrate

Zip It Bug Mattress Encasements and Box Spring Encasements

Rest Easy	Steri Fab	Mother Earth D Dust