Bed Bug Epidemic: An old plague is resurfacing. You should be worried.

Have ever given any thought to the popular nighttime sentiment “Sweet dreams, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite”? This phrase is actually thought to have come from colonial times when matresses were laid on ropes and pests were a big problem.
Bed Bugs have been an issue for centuries even in the United States up until the poison DDT was introduced in the 1950s. The use of DDT as a pesticide was banned in the 1970’s and these mighty little bed bugs welcomed the news.
The absence of DDT along with advancing technology causing increased world travel has allowed Bed Bugs to thrive. In the past few years the number of bed bug infestations has been very similar with what was known previous to the mid century mark and it continues to rise.
Bed bug infestations have been so relevant that even famous actors and actress are not immune to the problem. In 2006 Saturday Night Live star Maya Rudolph and her husband movie director Paul Anderson were chewed upon by bed bugs in their $13,500-a-month SoHo luxury condo.
Also in 2006, Bed bugs made a cameo appearance on the popular series The King of Queens episode “Buggie Nights” and the Dateline NBC special “Bedbugs Bite”. Currently there are shows on the Discovery and TLC channels which show the daily life of an exterminator and many of the episodes are filled with bed bug drama.

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How to treat bed bugs depends on the size of the infestation and whether you want to do the work yourself.

The do it yourself approach to bed bug treatment requires several steps and types of products.  Here are some simple steps you can follow and products to purchase in order to get rid of any infestation. Of course if the problems are severe you will have to call in a pest control expert.

Consider buying a kit that contains all of the products you need to treat bed bugs. By clicking the links below you can find some good online sources. A kit will come with a spray, powder, steamer and zippered mattress covers. Some even come with itch cream to help with the bed bug bites.

Do It Yourself Approach to Treat Bed Bugs

1. Clean the Room of the Infestation Thoroughly

When I say thoroughly, I mean it. Bag all the clothes and tie wrap them. Put all shoes, sneakers and what ever you can clean and put them in plastic bags. Do the same with blankets, linens and bed covers. Carry them in the plastic to the washing machine. Wash what you can on the hot setting. Whatever you can't wash, if it will withstand the hottest setting on your dryer for 10 minutes, do that as well. After the clothes and blankets dry, put into new plastic bags for protection. Wipe all surfaces with a rag that contains a disinfectant.

Vacuum every inch of the room. Use the crevice tool that came with your vacuum. Be sure to work under everything, along the edges of the walls, the window frames, everywhere. After you are done, don't remove the vacuum from the room. Take the vacuum bag and seal it in plastic and throw it out, outside of the home. Preferably leave it in the hot sun to kill any bugs or eggs that are alive in the bag.

If you have carpet, use a carpet cleaner and add some disinfectant to treat bed bugs. That should kill any eggs.

Remove all clutter from the room including newspapers and magazines. Throw them out in a plastic bag that you fill and seal in the room.

2. Spray and Use Bed Bug Dust

Buy a non-toxic bed bug spray. Spray around the seams of the bed, and in any crack where you think bugs are hiding. After the mattress has dried, seal it with a zippered cover that specifically states it was made for bed bug problems.

Sprays will kill the bugs on contact. However, the eggs are difficult to find and remove since they stick with a cement like substance. By sprinkling dust, when the young bed bug nymphs are born, the dust should kill them.

3. Steam – A steamer will kill the bed bugs and the eggs. If you buy a bed bug kit it will usually come with one for this purpose. Eggs are usually found on fabric or cardboard surfaces.  Check everywhere including picture frames, box spring and even inside smoke detectors.

If this doesn't work, call a professional that specializes in how to treat bed bugs. YOu can get a recommendation from Angie's list by calling 877-670-3742. A professional will know where to look and can help you with a full bed bug treatment program. Whether you do it yourself or call an exterminator, you may need more than one treatment to get them all.

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Are you an animal lover? If yes, then hurting animals would be the last thing on your mind. But how do you categorize a bed bug? It is a pest which lives on human blood and should be eradicated as soon as possible. But sadly enough many people consider pests like these bugs to be as harmless as a pet and tend to do nothing about them. It should be kept in mind that under dire cases bed bugs can even cause asthma. More and more companies are coming up with bed bug spray to get rid of this pest.

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Knowing how you could get bed bugs is the foundation of an effective bed bug control and prevention strategy. It is also the foundation on which to build public awareness of the problem. Unfortunately there is a stigma associated with having a bed bug problem. People think bed bugs come from being dirty or bad hygiene. This is not the case though.

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