When people come in contact with bed bugs, or any other pest for that matter, the immediate reaction is to throw out any infested items in efforts to eradicate the problem as soon as possible. Although this may be recommended for some common household pests, the protocol to take with bed bugs can be much different. Some common treatments that may work with other pests might actually make the problem worse if used against bed bugs.
When it comes to a bed bug infestation it is highly recommended to hire a professional bed bug exterminator who will advise you of the necessary steps required to rid yourself of this issue. Before you react on impulse and potentially make your problem worse, read these common bed bug mistakes to make sure that you do not fall into this trap.
Relocating to Another Room
The thought of having these tiny critters biting you to feed on your blood while you sleep can be very stressful. It has been known to cause psychological issues, the most common being sleep deprivation. Although it may seem like the best option would be to relocate to another room or sleep on the sofa until you can exterminate them, this can actually work against you making the problem much worse and harder to deal with.
If you move to another room in your home, or decide to sleep on your sofa, the bed bugs will eventually find you causing them to spread further throughout your home. Bed bugs are attracted to the carbon dioxide we release during sleep so when they become hungry they will find you wherever you are in your home and will begin reproducing in the new area you decide to sleep in.
What you should do instead
Instead of relocating to a different room in your home and effectively allowing the bedbugs to also relocate and spread throughout your home, what you should do is try to minimize hiding spots for bed bugs in your current room. Here are some tips for eliminating hiding spots which will effectively minimize bed bug bites while you are coming up with a plan to eradicate them:- Remove clutter from your bedroom – A very common hiding spot for bed bugs is in clutter around your bed. Keep your room as tidy as possible removing any clutter, especially clutter near your bed. This will eliminate attractive hiding spots for bed bugs causing less to attack you and making it easier to spot them as well.
- Setup interception devices – Interception devices are also a great way to minimize bed bug bites. There are various methods available out there such as creating a barrier around your mattress with double sided tape. These devices will capture most bed bugs as they make their way to you at night while you sleep.
Relocating to a Friends House
Similar to relocating to another room in your home, moving into a friends or relatives home until you figure out a solution will only make matters worse, not just for you but for your loved ones as well. Bed bugs are notorious for hitching rides to new homes in unsuspecting places like the seams of your clothing. If you move to a friends home, chances are some of the bed bugs will come along for the ride spreading the infestation to a new home. Even if you manage to move without bringing any bed bugs, the problem will still remain when you return home because bed bugs can survive up to 18 months without a meal.
What you should do instead
Bed bugs are very difficult to treat and usually requires multiple treatment approaches that you would find in an integrated pest management approach. You need to come up with a strategic approach to deal with the problem, part of which includes putting up with them until they are eradicated from your home. The best advice to come up with an effective plan is to hire a professional who has the necessary experience and resources to eliminate these nasty pests.Discarding of Infested Items
A very common error people make when they encounter bed bugs is to dispose of their mattress or any other infested items. This will not only be wasteful and costly since you will need to purchase a new mattress, it will also potentially spread the bed bugs to other rooms of your home while you transfer the mattress to the curb. On top of this, when you buy a new mattress the bed bugs that remained in your home will infest this new mattress.What you should do instead
To save yourself the trouble and cost of throwing out infested items it is recommended to instead quarantine these items. One way of doing this with a mattress, for example, is by using a mattress encasement. The encasement will trap any bed bugs in their which can later be killed or removed during the extermination process.Trying Do-It-Yourself Methods
Although it may be tempting to try a do-it-yourself bed bug treatment, this can prove to be disastrous making your bed bug problem much worse. If you do not know how to properly exterminate bed bugs, you can easily miss some of them causing them to hide in more difficult to reach places. If this happens they will reproduce quickly making your issue much more severe and more difficult to fix.
Smoke bombs are a prime example of a do-it-yourself method that will make matters much worse. This method will not only cause any surviving bed bugs from finding better hiding spots, it will also give some of them higher pesticide resistance making it much more difficult for further extermination efforts to be successful.
