Ways to treat bed bugs
There are several ways to treat bed bugs, you can use powders, sprays, steam, and there is even a new method call Cryonite®. Probably the best way is to let a professional do the job. Bed bugs are terribly hard to get rid of taking several treatments to fully get rid of them. The bed bugs egg is the reason it takes so many treatments to get rid of the bed bugs.
Female bedbugs will lay 200-500 eggs in a lifetime. Bedbug eggs are about 1 mm long and are
cream colored and look similar to miniature pieces of rice. The female lays these eggs after mating into cracks an crevices of night stands, headboards, bed seams, cracks in walls, baseboards etc. The eggs will hatch in six to ten days and the bed bug nymphs that emerge will seek a blood meal. They must molt (shed outer skin) about four times to become an adult and must feed before each molt.
The eggs are not susceptible to sprays or powders, however steam or freezing will kill them. It is hard to get heat or cold to the eggs since they are laid in cracks and crevices. This is the point of multiple treatments, you must get the new bed bugs each time they hatch. Vacuuming can help to get rid of some of the eggs but unless you have an extremely strong vacuum getting into some of the cracks and crevices can still be hard.
The key to treat bed bugs is the initial cleaning of the area. All bedding and cloths should be washed at a high temperature and sealed in a bag until treatment is complete. All furnishings must be pulled away from baseboards. Nightstand and dressers should have all drawers emptied and contents checked for bed bugs, then cleaned. Once all this is completed carpets drapes mattresses and upholstery should be vacuumed. Cracks and crevices of all furniture should also be vacuumed.
At this point you have a choice to either call a professional or continue with treatment yourself. Having red the preceding you should know that it could take up to four treatments a week apart to get rid of the bed bugs. If you do decide on a professional check references to ensure that he knows how to treat bed bugs.
Don’t forget that bedbugs will die if exposed to temperatures under 10 degrees and over 120 degrees for several hours. Bed bugs will die in minutes at temperatures over 140 degrees. Bed bugs can survive for months without feeding. What ever method you use to get rid of the bugs it must be continued for at least three months beyond the last observed bed bug or bite. Regardless of how you decide to treat bed bugs it is going to take persistence on your part to get rid of them and then prevent them returning.