How to Prevent Bed Bugs from Infesting Your Home

From bedding, mattresses, carpets, furniture, luggage, and curtains, bed bugs are elusive pests with a natural ability to infest a wide range of surfaces. While living in Florida —being ranked in the top states that have cities with a lot of bug infestations — you might be wondering how to prevent bed bugs.

That is why we’ve decided to break down some proactive measures to assist you in bed bug control.

What are Bed Bugs?

Before jumping onto the main question of “ how to prevent bed bugs,” it’s critical to understand what they really are. Bed bugs are oval-shaped, elusive pests that feed on human blood. They hitchhike on surfaces like furniture, luggage, and clothing to spread from one space to another.

Bed bugs are resilient in nature as they can survive for several months without feeding. Primarily, they are nocturnally active, while they tend to be out of sight by hiding in tight spaces like cracks during the day.

A minimum of 27 agents that cause human disease, including bacteria, viruses, and protozoa, have been detected within bed bugs. There’s no evidence that the disease-causing agents get transferred into humans from bed bugs. However, heavy feeding on human blood can lead to severe problems like anemia and malnutrition.

Proactive Measures to Get Rid of Bed Bug Infestations

According to the University of Florida, bed bug infestations have surged significantly in the past few years. So, knowing how to prevent bed bugs before they turn your peaceful haven into a nightmare is vital.

Our comprehensive guide will unleash some reliable methods for bed bug treatment and control methods. So without any further due, let’s begin.

Learn to Identify

The most basic yet crucial step about how to prevent bed bugs is acquiring knowledge about the indications of bed bugs. If you know about their signs and behavior, you can proactively detect them before the issue escalates.

Primary signs of indications comprise discolored stains, minor dark marks similar to fecal spotting, and shedded skin in the form of translucent empty shells.

Additionally, keep an eye on tight spaces like wall and floor cracks. Bed bugs are skilled at playing hide and seek in tight spaces. So, regularly inspecting such areas will assist in maintaining an environment free of bed bugs.

Travel Precautions

Hotel and motel rooms might not be as clean as they seem. Though it’s not likely that you would bring bed bugs home after traveling. However, there are prevented precautions you’ll want to take just in case.

Before settling in:

1. Inspect the bed, mattress, furniture, baseboards, and wall hangings.
2. Never put your luggage on the bed or floor, as the bed bugs will effortlessly hitchhike into your luggage from such surfaces.
3. Avoid unpacking if possible, and keep your clothes zipped up in your suitcase.

Upon returning home, inspect the luggage thoroughly and wash all clothes to the highest possible temperature recommended for fabrics. This way, the bed bugs will get killed if they have infested your clothing items.

Inspection of Used

The next important precautionary measure how to prevent bed bugs is the inspection of used furniture. If you are bringing used furniture to your home, it might already be infested with bed bugs.

Inspect the furniture inside out to make sure there are no signs of bed bugs. Pay close attention to potential cracks or crevices within the furniture. When it comes to tight spots, illuminate them with a flashlight for better vision.

Still, if you’re unsure whether or not the furniture is infested with bed bugs, you can carry out bed bug treatment to kill them. You might already be wondering what kills bed bugs instantly. Well, subjecting the furniture to heat will do the job, as heat is a natural bed bug killer.

Organize your Space

Organizing the space is a vital proactive measure for answering the query of how to prevent bed bugs from spreading. Clutter is the favorite habitat of elusive pests as it creates potential hiding spots for bed bugs.

Regular decluttering and organizing the space significantly minimize the probability of bed bug infestations.

Hygiene Maintenance

One cannot neglect the importance of hygiene maintenance when it comes to prevention from bed bugs. Perform vacuuming frequently with close attention towards carpets, mattresses, and other hiding places.

Dispose of vacuum bags after securing them in sealed plastic bags. Otherwise, they might end up escaping the vacuum bags and infiltrating your space.

Bed Bug Treatment

You might be wondering what if, despite taking all the precautionary measures, my house still gets infested by bed bugs. Queries like what kills bed bugs instantly, what smells bed bugs hate, or what kills bed bugs permanently might already pop up in your head.

Well, high temperature is the ultimate bed bug treatment, as it immediately kills bed bugs. You can use steam at a high temperature of 212°F to eliminate bed bugs along with their eggs. Additionally, scents of essential oils, rubbing alcohol, and peppermint aid in repelling and killing bed bugs. But, most DIY bed bug treatments don’t give desired results, so it’s always recommended to take assistance from a bed bug control company or experts.

Conclusion

All things considered, a proactive approach and a combination of precautionary measures can aid in preventing bed bug infestation. By following the strategies mentioned above, you can preserve your well-being and maintain a peaceful environment at home free of elusive pests. It’s always desirable to consult pest control experts to inspect your place and proceed proactively.

Unfortunately, suppose bed bug infestation occurs, and you don’t want the situation to escalate. In that case, consulting a reliable bed bug company like Gregory’s Pest Control will be effective for complete bed bug eradication. Our modern pest control solutions and strategies will never let you down.