Throughout the past six years we have seen
just about every possible crazy myth or
mistake done while addressing bed bugs.
From bed bug bombs that cause the spread of
them deeper into cracks and sometimes cause
fires, to snowdrifts of Diatomaceous Earth spread over furniture and throughout homes.
It certainly has been a huge learning curve for many who thought they could handle bed bugs
themselves or did not have the monies for a professional. Although years have passed since bed bugs
first started to rear their ugly heads, there still are people who have never thought they would be the
Although years have passed since bed bugs first started to rear their ugly heads, there still are
people who have never thought they would be the ones to get bed bugs and often repeat the same
mistakes. Made up home remedies accompanied with panic – not only do not get rid of bed bugs but
, because of the lack of understanding bed bugs’ nature, have caused the spreading of them as well.
Because of this, we want to go over some of the best prevention strategies to help people learn what
not to do and what proper things to do when they suspect or encounter bed bugs:
1. For everyone – learn as much as you can about bed bugs
a. Understanding the life cycle of the bed bug helps you identify the different stages of bed bugs
(eggs, nymphs or adults)
b. Understanding where bed bugs hide helps you to be more aware of where you need to
be searching for them
c. Understanding where you are at risk of picking bed bugs up can help you to avoid certain situations
2. Share the education with others who don’t know about bed bugs
a. Family members and friends can fall risk to bed bugs just as easily as you can and can
bring them to your home during visits
b. Bed bugs are often found in work and school environments which go unnoticed
c. Some people have vocations that are more prone to or susceptible to bed bugs
3. Do regular inspections – vacuum often and clean up clutter – changed sheets weekly
a. Clutter can be your worst nightmare when it comes to bed bugs because it gives them
a multitude of places outside of the normal to hide which can cause complete failure of
treatments
b. Regular inspection of your bedding – mattress edges – headboards will help notice signs
of bed bugs earlier which means easier and less costly treatment
4. If you’re getting bit regularly and don’t find evidence bring in an inspection dog
a. Many times bed bugs can be in nymph stages or so well hidden that they are hard to
find or visualize even for a professional – do not wait!
b. Bed bug detection dogs can find and target the places where the bed bugs are hiding
better during early or little physical signs or evidence
c. These detections dogs are great for post treatment to make sure all the bed bugs have
been eliminated
5. If you own multi-unit properties educate all your staff, maintenance and tenants
a. Educating your staff helps when they have a new lessor sitting in front of them and
helps best address phone calls that come in from tenants
b. Your maintenance staff goes out to apartments on a regular basis where they can either
find signs of or fall victim to bed bugs – they also can be the ones bringing them in
c. Working collectively and having all tenants educated will help address bed bugs issues
before they have time to spread to adjacent units
6. Have regular scheduled inspections
a. Have regular scheduled dog inspections helps to keep “infestations” from building up
b. Finding bed bugs in early introduction helps keep treatment costs down to a minimum
c. Having these regular dog inspections helps find bed bugs in units where people don’t
react to bed bug bites
7. Do not purchase items from a secondhand store without complete inspection or treatment
a. Buying secondhand furniture is one of the biggest reasons for bed bug infestations being
introduced
b. Many people donate their bed bug infested items to Goodwill and Salvation Army
c. Treat all clothing items purchased from secondhand stores by placing them into a hot
dryer for a minimum of 40 minutes before hanging them up or wearing them
8. Properly discard any bed bug infested items
a. If you should find bed bugs and make the decision to get rid of the item; wrap and seal
the item properly and completely and boldly mark it bed bugs before you discard it
b. Never drag or carry bed bug infested items through your home or stairways – bed bugs
can fall off and infest areas that do not have bed bugs
9. Always follow pest control and management instructions
a. If you find a bed bug or evidence of one, place it in a sealed plastic bag and take it to
management
b. When a treatment is scheduled, success is only possible through a coordinated bed bug
control effort by and with all involved – that means YOU!
c. Treat the day of elimination seriously like it were a day of work – the better people work
together – the quicker you get rid of bed bugs and the more efficient the treatment
results will be
10. Travel with common sense
a. Check on the place you will be staying online and certainly ask plenty of questions
b. Packing properly wi
th bed bugs in mind before a trip will help protect your belongings
so you do not pick up bed bug hitchhikers
c. Inspect your room before you bring in your luggage – keep personal items in the
bathroom, closet and away from under the beds or on the floor
d. Protect your outside of your luggage with plastic bags that are sealed so bed bugs
cannot crawl on to them
e. Inspect everything thoroughly when you get home in a garage or bathtub as you unpack
It is going to take some time before we are all on the same page when it comes to bed bugs but if
this collective change of spirit happened, less of these bugs would find their way into homes,
businesses, apartments and most importantly, our lives.
