How to get rid of bed bugs

Bed bugs can be quite stubborn to get rid of. They reproduce very fast and can hide very well. Add to it the pesticide and heat resistance, these bloodsuckers can be really persistent and difficult to eradicate completely. For effective eradication of bed bugs, you need a good strategy, some time and lots of patience.

Check the extent of bed bugs and limit them

• If bed bugs are growing and breeding in one furniture, don't move that furniture to another room. You will worsen the condition by doing this. Even if you have to move it for some reason, place it in a sealed plastic box and get it treated as soon as possible.
• Clean the vacuum cleaner frequently and seal the bag properly before disposing of in a trash bin.
• If a piece of furniture or item is severely infested and can't be saved, ditch it responsibly. Destroy and dump it in such a way that it becomes non-usable for anyone or mark it with paint mentioning “bed bugs”.
• If you are living in a rented house, inform the landlord about it. They will also help you with the eradication.

 Eliminate all hiding places of bed bugs

• Remove old newspapers, magazines and cartoons, they can be a very comfortable home for bed bugs.
• Don't keep any clothing items on the floor. Fold them properly and put them on racks.
• Discard all cardboard boxes and replace them with plastic boxes.
• Repair any damages in furniture or walls. If you have wallpapers in any room, ensure that they are closely stuck to the wall.

Isolate the bed

• Move the bed at least 6 inches away from the walls.
• Keep scanning the bed for bed bugs and their eggs until you are sure that they are completely removed from the bed. You can vacuum or brush your bed for this.
• Encase the mattress with a thick, hard, tear-resistant clear plastic cover with zipping. This will ensure that no new bugs enter inside and the ones that remained inside starve to death.
• Make sure that bedsheets and other bedding items should not touch the floor.
• Don’t keep anything under your bed. Any clutter may just add to the hiding places for bed bugs.
• You can also make use of interceptors under each leg of the bed. Interceptors are a sort of sticky traps that are easily available in the stores as well as online. They can be very useful as they trap any bedbugs trying to climb the bed. This will also help you to evaluate their number and severity day by day.

Clean all the items present in that room

• If you notice bed bugs in a room, it is best to wash all the clothing items of that room separately with hot water and dry them at high temperature for at least 30 minutes. Mere washing your laundry won’t kill the bed bugs.
• Heat treat all bedding items regularly and check them frequently for bed bugs.

A pest management technique is usually needed in case of severe infestation and usually comprises of two different procedures. That is:

• Chemical (pesticides)
• Non-chemical (high heat and cold treatment)

More often than not they are not effective when used alone. However, a combination of the two can help to get rid of bed bugs successfully as well as permanently. This combination approach is called integrated pest management (IPM).

And the best part is that IPM does not have any harmful effect on the environment or health. For removal of bed bugs, IPM takes advantage of the usual bed bug management options along with rational use of pesticides to kill the infesting pest. Most of these procedures use specialised devices, so you may have to call in a professional after all.

Non-chemical methods for getting rid of bed bugs

• Heat treatment: Heat treatment not only kills the adult bugs but also eliminates bed bug eggs. For complete eradication of this pest, it is important to treat all the furniture, clothing and walls in the infested room. Here is how you can do it:

1. Put all your linen in the dryer for about half an hour.
2. Items like furniture, bags, trolleys and areas like a room, apartment or whole house should be heated to at least 49°C for 90 minutes to make sure all the bedbugs and their eggs are killed. As you increase the temperature, it takes lesser time to kill all stages of bedbugs.

• Cold treatment: As per the EPA, freezer temperatures are not enough to clear bed bug infestation. Only with a cold treatment below 19°C for at least 4 days can they be eliminated effectively. The lower the temperature the less time it takes to kill the bugs.

Chemical methods for getting rid of bed bugs

• You need to be very cautious while using pesticides for bed bugs as they are harmful and toxic. If you have children in your house, make sure they don't touch the sprayed articles. It would be better if you isolate the room completely for a while or until the treatment is complete.
• Pesticides alone won’t get rid of bed bugs as effectively. Always combine chemical methods with non-chemical methods.
• If you are trying to use pesticides on your own, it is best to ensure that they are made from approved chemicals. In case of doubt always buy from trusted brands. Some pesticides can be used without professional assistance however a lot of them are only approved to be used by trained professionals.
• If you notice any specific pesticide spray is not effective, switch to some other group of pesticide.
• Each of the chemical groups has a different mode of action against bed bugs. Using pesticides from multiple groups reduces the chance of developing resistance.
• You can also buy a spray that has a combination of 2 or 3 chemical groups, this makes them more effective.

(Read more: Organophosphate poisoning)