Bed Bug Control

Most product labels for bed bug control will state that for infested mattresses, remove linens and wash before reuse. Apply product to tufts, seams, folds, and edges until moist. Allow to dry before remaking bed. Apply to bedsprings, box springs, and the interior of bed frames or headboards, including all cracks and joints. When bed bugs are found in upholstered furniture, apply only to the infested tufts, seams, folds and edges, but do not apply to flat surfaces where prolonged human contact will occur. Apply as a crack and crevice treatment to all baseboards, moldings, beneath floor coverings and carpets, closets, shelves, curtains, furniture and picture frames that may provide harborage to bed bugs. Most products can be re-applied every 7 to 10 days, as needed, until the infestation is eliminated. Check product labels for specifics.

Additional Resources- Bed Bug Solution Guide from BASF EPA Website for Bed Bug Control

Bed Bug Characteristics

Adult bed bugs are about 1/4-inch long and reddish-brown, with oval, flattened bodies.

Habitat and Behavior

Female bed bugs lay from 200 to 500 eggs (in batches of 10 to 50) on rough surfaces such as wood or paper. Eggs are covered with a glue and hatch in about 10 days. The entire life cycle from egg to adult requires anywhere from 5 weeks to 4 months, depending on temperature. Bed bugs can go without feeding for 80 to 140 days; older stages can survive longer without feeding than younger ones. Adults have survived without food for as long as 550 days.

Infestations are usually detected by the welts and irritation caused by the bites, and the fecal smears and blood spots visible on pillowcases, sheets and mattresses. Heavy infestations of bed bugs are also accompanied by a distinct odor. Bed bugs are not normally implicated in the transmission of diseases. Their medical significance is usually limited to itching and inflammation from their bites.

Early bed bug protection is critical to the prevention and management of these parasites. The first step to dealing with bed bugs is to locate all of their hiding places. When inspecting for bed bugs, look for the insects themselves as well as the telltale fecal and blood spots indicating that a hiding place is nearby. Inspect areas such as:

Furniture, particularly bedroom furniture must be inspected carefully, even to the point of dismantling the bed for easier inspection and possible treatment.

Check under and behind other pieces of furniture, such as chairs, couches, dressers, etc.

It may be necessary to remove the dust covers on the undersides of chairs and couches.

Pull drawers out of dressers, inspect them carefully and examine the interior of the dresser.

Remove and inspect objects, such as pictures, mirrors, curtains, etc., that are hung or mounted on walls.

Check obvious cracks and crevices along baseboards.

Inspect torn or loose wallpaper and decorative borders.

Check clothing and other item stored in areas where bed bugs have been found.

If you have traveled in the last few months, inspect your luggage as well as the closet/storage area.

Preparing For A Treatment-

Prepare the Bed
Obviously the bed will need to be stripped and the bed frame taken apart. Any sheets and bedding should be carefully bundled, or bagged, for proper launder. Wash in hot water or use the hottest dryer if possible.

Prepare the Room
Belongings that are strewn about the room will give bed bugs more places to hide as well as impede your inspection and treatment. In the rooms where there is activity, remove clothing and other items from the dresser drawers and nightstands and empty the contents into plastic bags. Items can be returned once treatments have been made. Items that cannot be laundered can sometimes be treated by heating for several minutes in a clothes dryer. Other items that can’t be laundered and dried can be bagged and sealed with a Nuvan Prostrip for 48-72 hours. Placing bagged contents out in a hot, sunny location for several days may help eliminate any adults, nymphs, or eggs. Especially if the temperature inside the bag reaches 120 degrees.

Prepare Closets
Clean out floors of closets, so cracks, crevices and baseboards can be treated.

De-clutter your home
Throw out what you don’t need. Take a good look around at your children’s stuffed animals and toys, piles of magazines and newspapers, bags of clothes. Whatever you don’t need, throw it away. Vacuuming with a scraping action with a wand along the infested areas such as seams, bedding, and the perimeter edge of wall to wall carpet may be helpful for killing bed bugs and eggs that have been missed. Make sure to change the vacuum bag immediately after your treatment has been completed.

Remove Pets
If there are any pets or birds, they will need to be out of the house. Fish or turtle aquariums will require special handling as they are very sensitive. You must shut off the air filter and securely cover the tank and any possible openings with plastic.

Nuvan Prostrips For Bed Bugs

Nuvan Prostrips use controlled release technology to slowly diffuse a deep penetrating vapor in enclosed spaces. Containing dichlorvos (DDVP), Nuvan Prostrips go to work immediately with a clean, odorless vapor that leaves no messy residue. Nuvan Prostrips may be used to control crawling bedbug nymphs and adults exposed to product vapors for 48 hours. In difficult to treat areas, a minimum treatment time of 72 hours will provide better results. Nuvan Prostrips may be used to control bed bugs that have entered various items in an infested structure including, but not limited to: electronics, appliances, footwear, art work, collectibles, plush toys, clocks, radios, wall hangings, telephones, computers, printers, mattresses, box springs, books, lamps, furniture and other such items. Place infested items in a suitable plastic bag, poly sheeting, container or room that is closed to contain the Nuvan Prostrips treatment. Plastic bags or poly sheeting should be at least 2 mils thick.

Best Sellers for bed bug control

– These concentrates are mixed with water and used in a compressed hand held sprayer to make your application..

Bed bug control

Bed Bug Characteristics

Habitat and Behavior

Best Sellers for bed bug control

Insecticide Concentrates for Bed Bugs

Aerosols and ready to use products for bed bugs

Dust insecticides for bed bugs

Mattress or box spring encassments

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