Bed Bugs – Coming to a Bed Near You

Learn About Bed Bugs Infestations and DIY Removal Solutions

Small, wingless and harmless-looking and with the size of about 2 grains of salt, bed bugs are parasites that feed on the blood of humans. They are nocturnal, which means that their activities are usually felt at night.

Bed bugs hide in beds, nooks and crannies in mattresses and linen, furniture and any crevice or nook that is dark and provides easy access to food. They have highly-developed mouth parts for sucking blood.

While bites are painless, they can be itchy, which could also result to redness and swelling. Bedbugs are resilient creatures, with the ability to live up to 18 months without feeding.

Signs of a Bedbug Infestation

Bed bugs may be hard to identify at first. Common signs include:

• Bed bug bites, which are raised, red welts
• Bed bug skins on the boxsprings, behind headboards, and on the floors
• Bed bug eggs, which look like 1 mm grains of rice
• Strong characteristic scent of bed bug oils

Prevalence

Bed bugs are prevalent in Australia. The warm weather and the fact that these pests can hitch a ride on luggage, bags, and clothing means that bedbugs can spread pretty quickly from one person to another, contaminating that persons’s entire belongings and home the moment she arrives there.

In fact, there’s a resurgence in bedbug infestations in Australia which were formerly only common in backpacker-friendly hostels and even high-end hotels, especially in areas frequented by travelers.

However, while a resurgence in infestations is clear to see, lack of up-to-date data in specific areas makes a precise knowledge of bedbug infestations and populations hard to pinpoint.

Dangers to Health and Property

While bed bugs carry different parasites and may be harbor diseases, transmission to humans is very rare and highly unlikely. Bedbugs are generally harmless, unless a person is hypersensitive and allergic reactions may require emergency treatments.

However, many people who suffer through bites, itching and skin irritations often become distressed especially if the infestation lasts for weeks and months. In some cases, the infestation may be so widespread that it affects all the belongings in the house.

In severe infestations, throwing everything out and starting from scratch may be a better choice than going through the process of getting of bugs from every piece of clothing, books, bedding’s and other items in the house.

Prevention and Management

Keeping a clean house, while not enough to prevent contamination, is helpful in keeping infestations at a minimum which may help reveal the presence of bed bugs at an early stage. Other preventive measures include thorough washing and vacuuming of high-risk surfaces such as bedding’s, washing and drying bedding’s, linens.

Other high-risk items with hot water, leaving furniture and mattresses out in the sun to kill the bugs, steam-cleaning carpets, and spraying common hiding spots with user-friendly pesticides.

DIY Solutions

There are a number of DIY bed bug solutions that have proven helpful for many sufferers. One of the most common is diatomaceous earth which is a chemical-free and natural substance that causes dehydration when the bed bugs come in contact with it. Although this is commonly used in the United States it is also available in Australia. For any one interested you can compare prices for diatomaceous earth in Google shopping. (Please note we are not an affiliate for this product)

It is also available in most hardware’s (like Bunnings) or garden shops. The substance is very cheap and can be placed in different areas, such as under the mattress, along the baseboards, under the bed and bed-frames and under the furniture.

Neem oil is another effective DIY solution that can be sprayed directly onto the bedsheets. It has an odor that is irritating to bed bugs and will keep them away from fresh and clean linens. Other DIY solutions that may be worth a try include:

• Duct tape
• Dryer sheets
• Baking soda
• Lavender oil
• Mint leaves

Hiring a Professional

A pest expert is probably your best solution against the bed bugs in your home and against future infestation. These professionals use a mixture of steam treatment and insecticides, most commonly solutions that contain d-Penothrin which acts as a stomach poison. Your exterminator usually applies the solution as a mist, thermal fog or as an aerosol.

Steam treatments are generally effective but they may not be able to get rid of all bedbugs, which means that your exterminator may advise that is be followed by a pesticide spray. Other treatment options include heat treatments, cold treatment using Cryonite which is carbon dioxide snow, and smoke treatment that contains permethrin synthetic pyrethriod insecticide.

Cold treatment is probably the safest since it basically causes the insect’s inside to freeze. Because no chemical is involved, it is non-toxic and will not require evacuation during the treatment.

Final Verdict

Bedbugs can easily move from place to another and they may be difficult to remove unless you have effective DIY solutions on hand. For effective results work with a professional exterminator who knows the best removal method for bed bugs.