Learning About Natural Pest Control

What To Do If You Suspect You Have Bed Bugs

24 October 2017 by Norah Slieker

Finding out that your home has been invaded by pests can be frightening. When those pests are bed bugs, removing them from your property completely can be challenging. Many homeowners live in fear of finding a bed bug in their home, but there are some simple actions you can take to help move the bed bug treatment process along.

Here are three things you should do if you suspect you have bed bugs in your home.

1. Make sure you are actually dealing with bed bugs.

Before you can take any action to remove pests from your home, you must accurately identify the type of infestation you are dealing with. Bed bugs are a part of the Cimicidae family of the insect order Hemiptera.

This family of insects also encompasses fleas and ticks, which can closely resemble bed bugs to the untrained eye. Consult online classification charts or contact a reputable exterminator to help you determine if you are actually dealing with bed bugs so that you can take appropriate action.

2. Clean up your clutter.

Once you have determined that you are actually dealing with bed bugs, you should take immediate action to clean up any clutter that exists in your home. Bed bugs can easily hide out in piles of laundry, stacks of books, and other types of clutter, making it difficult to completely remove these pests from your home.

Taking the time to organize your home's interior and remove any clutter prior to beginning the extermination process will help you ensure that your attempts to eradicate bed bugs from your home are successful.

3. Destroy any items that you throw out.

If you decide to throw out your bedding, mattresses, and other items in an effort to get your home's bed bug infestation under control, you should destroy these items before tossing them in the dumpster.

Bed bugs can easily spread from one home to another, and you don't want to create a problem for other homeowners who might see your discarded items as freebies. Destroying anything you throw away ensures that no one will be tempted to bring the items, along with the bed bugs they may be carrying, into their own homes in the future.

Taking immediate action once you suspect your home is infested with bed bugs will help you better eradicate these pests from your property. Be sure to accurately identify the bed bugs, clean up any clutter, and destroy discarded items to keep bed bug populations in check.

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