Expert Advice On Bedbugs

Bedbugs have resurged as pests to many people, including British residents, but Steve Anderson, owner of SDA Pest Control, has advice for dealing with the problematic insects.

Bedbugs are flat, oval, wingless insects about a quarter of an inch long. They feed by sucking blood from a number of mammals and even birds, but their primary hosts are humans.

The common bedbug is usually nocturnal. During the day, the bugs hide in cracks in walls, under baseboards, in mattresses, under curled wallpaper and similar places. Their flatness allows them to hide in very small crevices.

Bedbugs can be transported from place to place on infested animals, furniture and luggage and occasionally on clothing. They also can establish themselves within a structure because of their behaviour of hiding and their ability to go long periods without feeding.

Females can lay 100 to 250 eggs, usually in cracks. Development to the adult stage requires about two months in warm weather.

Bedbugs are becoming more and more common every year in the UK.

The method of bedbug control depends on the situation. Control in a single-family home will be different than control in a multi-family building. It is a process that usually takes several weeks to several months to work well. It is not a "one-shot deal" and it is difficult for the average homeowner to control bedbugs without help from a pest management professional.

A thorough inspection is needed for control. Usually, a professional pest control operator is needed for proper inspection and control. Careful inspection usually requires time, a good torch and probing tools to inspect the many cracks or crevices where bedbugs can hide. For beds, where bedbugs often live, the bed should be dismantled for good inspection and treatment if necessary. Other inspection areas would include nearby furniture, walls, picture frames, the wall and floor interface, nap of carpets, baseboards, bedside clocks, phones, pictures, and other areas where bedbugs might hide.

Eliminating bedbugs completely from a mattress, box spring or bed frame can be a challenge. If a bed is not worth much, it might be best discarded. Beds that can't be thrown away, however, can be vacuumed and steamed cleaned. In addition, certain techniques involve machinery to freeze bedbugs on the mattress or special heating containers to kill bedbugs in beds and furniture.

Vacuuming and steam-cleaning carpets also are good ideas. Thorough cleaning and drying of infested linens or other fabrics should help kill bedbugs present on those items.

Insecticide sprays labeled for bedbug control will probably be needed. In most cases, a professional pest control technician would be the best candidate to inspect, select the best product, and treat cracks and crevices for bedbugs. In general, store-bought foggers provide poor control for established bedbug infestations.

If the cracks and crevices of bed areas are treated, the treatment should be allowed to thoroughly dry before being used again. A repeated treatment may be needed a few weeks or even a few months after the initial treatment for complete control.

Whichever treatment is employed, all label directions for any insecticides used should be followed carefully.

Article provided by SDA Pest Control