You’ve come to the right site if you’re looking for information on how exterminators are able to get rid of one of the most challenging household pests we have to deal with.
We’ll go through the three primary steps an exterminator would take to get rid of bed bugs from your home in this article. Additionally, you’ll discover how bed bug treatment has evolved over the past 50 years. Some of the bed bug eradication knowledge you previously believed you had may be incorrect.
In our concluding article, we’ll discuss the three vital steps a qualified exterminator will take before beginning the bed bug control procedure. Knowledge is the real key to power. Therefore, let’s get you moving so you can effectively fend off these unpleasant, humiliating, and incredibly resilient little parasites.
Keep in mind that we can also assist you if you need Cincinnati bed bug extermination.
3 Common Methods for Bug Removal
There are numerous bed bug treatments available. On YouTube and in forums devoted to pest control, you can find discussions about mattress covers, furniture interceptors, vacuuming, and steaming.
Customers frequently inquire about them to determine if they are wise decisions. the quick response?
Every one of them has a place. We almost certainly mix a few of these techniques when helping a client get rid of their bed bugs. But none of them is powerful enough to affect change on their own.
The only effective bed bug treatments are chemical, cold, or heat ones. In this piece, we’ll go into greater detail about these three bed bug remedies.
Chemical Treatment
It’s understandable and rather typical to need quick fixes. Ask the vast majority of patients if they would rather undergo a series of physical therapies or a single medicine for treatment. The medicine will be used by nine out of 10 people for obvious reasons.
The same is true for pest control.
Let’s start with a quick lesson on history. In the past, a pesticide that was regularly sprayed during fumigation was used to get rid of bed bugs. We have relied on a wide range of dangerous compounds during the last century, from sulfur to mercury chloride.
Don’t worry, it was followed by dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, which we also can’t say. DDT has an impact on every element. Now that we have a solution, we could eliminate future generations of bugs in addition to your existing issue. Bed bugs can be eliminated at every point of their life cycles, from eggs to fully grown adults, thanks to this remarkable material.
Therefore, it is reasonable to inquire: Why aren’t we now utilizing this as our default solution?
Insecticide resistance, in two words.
We believed bed bugs were almost eliminated in the US in the 1960s. However, there is currently a significant outbreak taking place.
Anxiety is the primary issue.
Bed bugs that are DDT-resistant are spreading more widely. Lindane, chlordane, and diazinon were a few of the DDT substitutes that were developed by science, but they eventually all lost their ability to keep up with the insects.
Bed bugs have a wide range of behavioral, morphological, and biochemical resistance against chemical treatments because they are highly adaptive animals.
Or to put it another way, they continued getting stronger.
They become more chemically resistant the more chemicals we apply to them.
Given this background, it should be evident why, despite the fact that we currently utilize chemicals to combat the issue, they aren’t always the best way to completely get rid of a bed bug infestation. They are useful. However, in order to eradicate bed bugs, we needed improved tools.
When employing chemicals, the need for multiple treatments almost invariably results in additional damage to your home and greater overall costs.
Cold Treatment
Exterminators needed to create a new strategy once the full degree of chemical resistance was known.
We came up with the notion of using cold treatment.
There isn’t really much to explain, in reality. The exterminator’s objective is to instantaneously snap-freeze and kill all bed bugs and bed bug eggs on a treated surface using a device that disperses frozen carbon dioxide.
Cold therapy totally avoids the issue of chemical resistance and considerably lowers the probability of bed bugs establishing biological resistance because it focuses on extreme environmental change.
The use of cold instead of chemicals is supported by the fact that it is a non-toxic treatment. The performance of the environment as a whole will be significantly improved by the elimination of residues and dangerous contaminants.
Do you anticipate a “but” following this?
The main drawbacks of employing cold therapies are as follows: Bed bugs are inherently quite resistant to the cold, even though they might not be able to adapt to it the same way they have to chemicals over time.
Have we already said how difficult these jobs are?
Simply said, using cold to eliminate bed bugs is not the most efficient strategy. Bed bugs may survive in environments as cold as – 15 degrees Fahrenheit. It will take a few days of temperatures in that range before you can say with certainty that the population has been wiped out.
You are 100 percent correct that it would be challenging to see that through.
Are you aware that bed bugs can be hidden in the crevices and crannies of pillows, mattresses, bed frames, clothing, and other items? All of that is insulation, by the way. It is harder to expose an insect to a fatal cold the deeper it is buried. Most bed bugs, which ought to irritate you the most, are unaffected.
Not cool at all, or not cool enough.
The crucial issue is that although cold slightly expands our possibilities, it is not a foolproof solution.
Heat Treatment
Heat comes next. Once more, you won’t require a complex scenario to comprehend how this elimination method operates.
Fans are used in conjunction with a strategically placed battery of extremely strong heaters to circulate hot air within a damaged residence.
What degree of heat are we referring to?
The objective is to raise the air’s temperature over 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to the findings, a bed bug population will begin to fall at roughly 110 degrees. The biological threshold at which bed bugs start to almost instantly die is 120.
A good response is now finally within reach.
Heat appears to be bed bugs’ biggest—and possibly only—vulnerability that can be successfully used against them despite their resistance.
Another advantage is that heat is easier to access than cold.
130 degrees Fahrenheit feels a little warm right now. Please understand that we do not advocate spending time outside in such a heat wave. The ambient temperature in a residence can be raised to this level of warmth far more easily than it can be lowered to – 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
Did you also know that bed bugs typically live in insulation? It can handle cold better than heat, but not by much. Heat can reach places where chemicals and cold are less likely to infiltrate.
Everything that has been said thus far raises a query. Is the simplest way to get rid of bed bugs to boil them to death? Is it the solution that we have all been seeking?
I suppose there are two options.
Management of a bed bug infestation is still challenging. When it comes to creativity, tenacity, and spreadability, bed bugs top the list of insects.
However, one of the best remedies we have for focusing on the little irritants where they are most exposed is heat.
Chemical remedies are used in the great majority of cases and are part of the answer. But according to our considerable expertise, the most effective method for getting rid of bed bugs is heat. Every bed bug removal plan needs to incorporate it even though it isn’t a complete remedy.
Think of some basic logistics as well. Heat therapy is:
- Chemical use results in less disruption.
- Simpler to put into practice than cold therapy.
- The most cost-effective and secure choice on the market.
How to Pick a Reputable Exterminator
You now know more about bed bugs and the approaches we can use to eradicate them. The individuals who are expelling the pests are a crucial additional component of the bed bug issue.
How do you choose a decent person?
This is a really significant query.
Despite the fact that many people claim to offer professional services, it can be difficult to tell who is being genuine. The real deal is typically represented by companies that have state-of-the-art equipment, years of combined extermination experience, and a strong commitment to entomology.
Before doing anything else, it’s important to know what a capable exterminator isn’t.
3 Essential Facts About Pest Control
No, only removal is carried out by a certified exterminator. Killing is insufficient.
A capable exterminator’s main objective is to stop the entire bug life cycle, beginning with reproduction. The only method to prevent bed bugs from infiltrating your home, not just tomorrow but also in six months, is to take that precaution.
#1: An exterminator’s best tool is a comprehensive understanding of pests.
An expert exterminator will employ just one technique:
There is a saying that goes, “This guy’s great because he has all the nasty, deadly chemicals.” Chemicals are a contributing component to the issue, but they are not the sole one for the reasons we described above.
Rarely does one bed bug elimination technique work well all by itself. But a skilled exterminator would focus on integrated pest management, which skillfully combines a number of eradication tactics to combat pests from several angles.
#2: A dual treatment-control procedure is often the most successful strategy.
A skilled exterminator almost never employs the “nuclear” strategy. Many of our clients think that we will show up at their house equipped with biohazard gear and weapons-grade toxins.
Some people find this idea unnerving. Some people find it comforting.
However, the repulsive chemical bed bug treatments are no longer used. It is unsuccessful. Environmental damage results from it. Additionally, didn’t we say that it is a total failure? There are considerably more efficient ways to get rid of bed bugs (like our pal heat therapy).
#3: Greater effectiveness does not automatically entail greater harm.
Extermination that is effective entails:
- Questions – Please provide locations where you have discovered bug proof. Do you currently own any used furniture? What transpired in your house prior to your becoming aware of their presence? Are you even slightly? Do you own any animals? Allergies? The answers to these questions will have a big impact on what kind of treatment plan will work best for you.
- Investigations – When you think of Sherlock Holmes, consider an investigation! An experienced exterminator will do a forensic inspection of your house to determine the precise nature of the issue you’re experiencing.
- Combinations – Heat treatment should be an element of every bed bug extermination strategy, as years of experience (and a sizable amount of great study) have consistently shown. A skilled bed bug exterminator will know how to properly apply additional chemical treatments in addition to the heat treatment.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, then. The brief version (too long, didn’t read) is as follows:
The techniques used to get rid of bed bugs have undergone a significant change throughout time. The industry standard at the moment is heat treatment. Knowing that, it also has the advantages of being more cost-effective and safe than pharmacological therapy alone.
To get rid of these revolting little gremlins from your home, make sure the exterminator you employ makes inquiries, does investigations, and collaborates. You’ll be well on your way to a home free of pests (and bug bites!) if you keep these recommendations in mind.
Want to know more? Visit our in-depth guidance if you’re wondering whether to treat bed bugs with heat or insecticides. If you reside in California and are having issues with a bed bug infestation, send us an email or give us a call.
