Bed bugs, tiny blood-sucking bugs that are very common in the northeast United States, infest increasing numbers of homes every year. Once an infestation begins, it is difficult to remove the pests without professional help. This is why preventative efforts are so important, and why everyone should learn how to keep them away.
Learn to Spot Bed Bugs
To avoid an infestation of bed bugs, you need to know what they look like. A bed bug is about 1/4 of an inch in length, and brownish-red in color. It is oval shaped, with a flat body. At Fillmore Termite & Pest Control, we are trained in locating and identifying bed bugs, and will find them if they are in your home.
Don’t Bring Them Home
When you travel, bed bugs will hop onto luggage or clothing, and ride through the front door into your home. To ensure that this does not happen when you stay anywhere other than your home, inspect the bed and the room for bed bugs. If you find even one bug, leave the room immediately without unpacking any of your belongings.
Here is a list of possible items that you can carry bed bugs inside on:
- Clothing
- Blankets
- Suitcases
- Shoes
- Pets
- Bags
- Moving Boxes
- Mattresses
Place all clothing into a plastic bag during trips, and immediately wash the clothing on the highest heat setting when you arrive home. This will eliminate any bugs that rode in on your clothing.
Carefully inspect any other items that you intend to bring into your Staten Island, NY home. If you see a bed bug on any item, do not bring it inside to avoid starting an infestation. Bed bugs are common in Staten Island due to travelers who carry them into their homes, and then bring them into neighboring homes.
Keep Bed Bugs Off Your Bed
Keeping bed bugs off your bed is a two-step process. First, move your bed away from walls and remove bedding that hangs from the bed onto the floor. This leaves the bugs no way to climb into the bed, other than the legs of the bed frame.
Next, purchase climb-up interceptor traps to catch bed bugs that attempt to climb into your bed. Since they are unable to fly, this effectively prevents them from to getting onto the bed. This could possibly eliminate the need for your local Staten Island exterminator to come out to treat them at all.
Vacuum Often
One of the most effective ways to eliminate bed bugs is to vacuum your bed, your floors, and other linens or upholstery around your house on a weekly basis. The vacuum cleaner will pick up bed bugs and their eggs, enabling you to remove them from your home. When finished vacuuming, empty your vacuum canister or bag into a garbage bag, seal it shut, and take it out of the house.
Use a Bed Cover
A bed cover seals existing bed bugs in, keeping them away from your skin. It also makes it much easier to spot bed bugs that may be hiding in the creases of the mattress. Use a vinyl bed cover, sealing any openings with duct tape to keep the bugs from getting in or out.
We can help eliminate your bed bug infestation. All of our exterminators are thoroughly trained in the proper and effective treatment of bed bugs. We will remove them from your home completely.