You Won’t Believe How Far Some Will Go to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Discovering a bed bug infestation in your house is one of the most stressful experiences a homeowner can have. Bed bugs are tiny, brown, oval-shaped insects that bite you and feed on your blood while you’re sleeping. Since they are often too small to be seen, they can take up residence in bed frames or mattresses, and can even hide inside the walls of your home. Bed bugs often hitch a ride into homes on the luggage or clothes of travelers.
The reason these insects are so stress-inducing is because they often cause people to lose sleep. While their bites aren’t usually painful enough to be felt, they do leave a tell-tale line of itchy bites. Since bed bugs typically come out at night (while you’re in bed) to feed, the idea of them creeping and crawling around keeps many people awake all night. Additionally, bed bugs can go months without feeding and often breed uncontrollably, causing infestations to quickly spiral out of control. For this reason, many people have been reported to go to some extreme lengths to get rid of bed bugs. Here are four of the biggest DIY bed bug treatment fails.
Fail #1 – Only Killing Bed Bugs You Can See
Bed bugs are very very small. As such they often hide in cracks in your bed frame or even in your walls, coming out at night to feed. Usually they will leave brown or black waste spots near their hiding spots, however even if you treat every area where you see these spots, it is very easy to miss other spots where bed bugs may be hiding. As such, it is best to hire a professional to treat the entire home properly.
Fail #2 – Using the Wrong Treatment or Dosage
You’re destined to fail at bed bug control when you rely on do-it-yourself methods and over-the-counter products. Bed bugs, like roaches and other resilient pests, resist certain chemical compounds over time. Homeowners who try to treat their own bed bug infestations often fail to use enough product, which in turn just makes the insects more resistant to that same treatment in the future. Using ineffective bed bug treatments prolongs the infestation and causes worse problems down the road, such as increased bed bug populations in other parts of your home.
Fail #3 – Not Taking Preventative Measures to Keep Bed Bugs Out
Failing at pest control starts when you don’t think ahead. You can knock out an infestation, but it will come back if you fail to treat your home preventatively. You should inspect your home before and after a bed bug treatment, making sure to identify problem areas and potential hiding spots. Preventative maintenance is one of the most effective ways to keep infestations from reoccurring after you’ve treated your home.
Fail #4 – Kill it with Fire? Better Think Again
One woman was so frustrated with a bed bug infestation in her apartment building that she attempted to poison the insects with alcohol. A nearby open flame caused the alcohol to ignite, resulting in the entire apartment building to burn down and leaving 10 people without a home. In yet another story, a man attempted to burn an infested couch in his back yard and inadvertently set fire to his home. While these may seem extreme, if you’ve ever had bed bugs you might can relate to the extreme efforts some will go to get rid of bed bugs.
Professional Bed Bug Control
Want a better way to get rid of bed bugs in your home? Contact us directly to request a quote on our bed bug services. Bed bugs are resilient pests and require professional elimination for their complete eradication. Before you set fire to your house or use inferior store-bought products, let us inspect your home for bed bugs and use effective strategies to remove them for good.
