Bed Bugs?- a horrible nightmare, reproduces with monstrosity. They take over the house like a colonial rule. The worst part? They are too stubborn to go away. Now, you may ask how to dispose of bed bugs. Should you throw away everything that bed bugs have infested?
The answer is ‘No’. Some items can be saved until they go far enough, leaving no other choice but disposing of them.
Recent studies showed that bed bugs have been chowing on blood for at least 115 million years ago. However, bed bug extermination is mandatory once you address them. Otherwise, the situation may go beyond control.
Here’s the complete guide: proven ways to identify, exterminate, and prevent bed bugs down the road.
Bed Bug Infestation: How Would You Know?
Bed bugs are the Ibn Battuta of the pest world. According to the scientists’ estimate, around 90 species of bed bugs are available worldwide. However, the real villain we face in the implicated human environment is two bed bug species called Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus.
First things first: how would you identify bed bugs? Without identification, you can’t inspect for their infestation. Let’s delve into the details-
How to Identify Bed Bugs: Appearance, Habitat, & Signs of Infestation
Bed bugs are often mistaken with other insects such as fleas, ticks, or mites. However, you must know how to spot bed bugs before exterminating them.
Appearance of bed bugs
Bed bugs are horizontally flat. An adult bed bug is around 5-6mm. The eggs are 1mm. They look like an oval brownie red disc. With 6 thick legs, they can easily crawl anywhere, even in vertical spaces. Bed bugs have no wings and can’t fly.
Bed bug habitat
Unlike their namesake, bed bugs may hide and grow outside the beds. They can lurk inside crevices of the walls, photo frames, loose wallpapers, keyboards, laptops, mattresses, skirting boards, plug sockets, and clothes.
Bed bugs are usually prevalent in densely populated areas near blood sources. Sometimes, bed bugs hide in crevices surrounding furniture.
Signs of infestation
Bed bugs leave fewer signs compared to other pests. There can be visible bed bugs or their tiny yellow egg shells/eggs. Sometimes reddish brown clusters, dark spots, or red blood smears can be on the bed or mattress surface.
Why Should You Exterminate Bed Bugs?
The main reason? Bed bugs bite and sucks blood with their sharp trunks. Their bites cause itchiness, swelling, and irritation. Bed bugs are not transmissible.
However, they crawl from one place to another and leave their eggs. Bed bug pest control is required both in residential and commercial areas.
Why in residential areas
In houses, bed bugs often hide in crevices and spread in silence. They suck blood and make the home environment unlivable. You may require throwing off your expensive goods due to a bed bug infestation.
Bed bugs cause red bumps and rashes and may even cause eczema in sensitive cases. They attack at night, leading you to suffer sleepless nights and mental stress. Sometimes, stress from bed bugs can turn into a traumatic disorder.
Why in commercial areas
Businesses must maintain legal requirements, employee wellness, and reputation. Bed bugs not only spoil business reputation but also negatively impact brand value.
Hotels, hospitality, and restaurant businesses lose customers and brand reputation due to bed bugs.
How to Dispose of Bed Bugs?
Opting for a DIY bed bug control can be effective in case of a primary level of infestation. However, improper extermination can cause more trouble.
Throwing away mattresses, furniture, or clothes is not a solution. You can save them by opting for tricky DIY ways or hiring a professional pest control company.
1. DIY bed bugs control
DIY bed bug control is difficult and pretty risky. Moreover, bed bugs are resistant to some insecticides. You must have enough knowledge of bed bugs for a DIY extermination.
Here are some of the practically effective, non-poisonous DIY methods of bed bug control:
i. Heat treatment
Wash everything washable at 60°C and dry properly for 30 minutes under a hot setting. You can keep mattresses, furniture, and other goods in hot sunlight for up to 7 days.
ii. Cold treatment
Pack everything in a plastic bag. Put the bag in the deep freezer and keep it for 3-4 days. You can keep more, but not fewer than 3 days.
iii. Sprinkling diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous Earth is registered and highly effective in killing bed bugs. It is a dust-like element that works as an insecticide. Sprinkle the dust of Diatomaceous Earth in the crevices and hidden corners.
It absorbs fats and oils from the cuticle of the insect’s exoskeleton. Consequently, the pest dries out and dies by dehydration.
iv. Stem Cleaning
Stem cleaners are another option for chemical-free bed bug control. They destroy bed bugs and their eggs with high heat. A steam cleaner typically raises the heat to 120°C.
Ensure you reach more than 50°C to kill bed bugs, as they can tolerate temperatures up to 49°C. Steaming can kill bed bugs effectively, as you can target spots such as crevices, clothes, wall gaps, etc.
2. Professional Bed Bugs Control
Professionals not only kill bed bugs with their eggs, but they also prevent new infestations. They include multiple visits in their package to control bed bugs fully. Often, they spray a liquid form of insecticides.
Professionals ensure a complete extermination with their skills and years of experience. For a severe bed bug infestation, you must hire a professional pest control company.
You must maintain some basic rules if you hire professionals. For example, you can’t vacuum or wash your carpet and spray items for at least two weeks. Otherwise, pests may reinfest from leftover eggs.
When Should You Dispose of Bed Bug-Infested Items?
Bed bugs infest too fast to control them completely. They can burrow in narrow spaces and deep inside crevices, which may be hard to reach. If your furniture or a mattress has a severe infestation of bed bugs, you’re left with no choice but to throw it out.
It’s time to dispose of those items when you see visible live or colonies of bed bugs. The relieving part? You don’t need to dispose of all the goods. Only selective ones with uncontrollable infestation.
How to dispose of bed bug-infested items?
Planning to throw away bed bugs-infested items outside? That’s a sensitive task. If you dispose of it incorrectly, it can become a problem for the entire community.
Let’s assess how to dispose of the infested items step by step:
i. Wear gloves and old clothes
Before wrapping your items, wear thick gloves and old clothes to protect yourself from roaming bed bugs. Once you dispose of them, remember to throw away those gloves and clothes, too.
ii. Wrap the items
Prepare your items by wrapping them before disposal. Fasten the item in a bin liner or wrap it with durable plastic. For mattresses, you can use a mattress bag. Wrap carefully.
Ensure that bed bugs can’t escape while packaging. If any of them skips, it can crawl back to another item.
iii. Attach a label
When disposing of the items, you must attach a label with the word ‘bed bugs infested’. If you skip the step, someone can take the item into another house and unknowingly face a bed bug infestation.
iv. Dispose of properly
You can’t just throw the items in a trash bin, leaving bed bugs to crawl into your neighbouring houses. Contacting a local waste management company would be a wise decision.
However, you can also dispose of the items in a waste dumping area that accepts pest-infested items.
What to do With the Less Infested Items?
Once you dump severely infested items, it’s time to focus on the leftover, less infested items. They can pave a new way for bed bugs to infest severely. Before they can, you should start treating these items.
Vacuum/steam clean the soft and mattresses. You should hot-wash other fabric covers, curtains, cushion covers, and clothes at 60°C.
Soak your furniture in the high heat of sunlight. If these ways don’t work, hiring a bed bug control service would be a great alternative to disposal.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs?
Preventing bed bugs is pretty challenging. You should stop their chances of reinfestation. Once you have suffered the bed bug trauma, it’s your vigilance to prevent them carefully.
Here are some practical ideas for preventing bed bugs:
- Recheck your belongings before moving or leaving any place.
- Avoid keeping your luggage on the bed or near bedding.
- Inspect closely before bringing any second-hand item into your home.
- Use bed bugs cover for your mattresses, sofa covers, and pillows.
- Keep your house clean. Vacuum regularly and wash bedding properly.
Final Thoughts
Bed bug disposal is sensitive and requires intensive attention. A simple mistake can bring bed bugs back to your house, so dispose of them carefully. You can also hire professionals to exterminate bed bugs.
Disposing of all the bed bugs might be tough. But the best part? You can still eliminate them with proper steps and strategy. Don’t worry about how to dispose of bed bugs anymore.
Eliminate bed bugs using heat treatment, Diatomaceous Earth, or insecticides, and get a peaceful nap. For professional help, feel free to contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on How to Dispose of Bed Bugs
1. Can you ever get rid of bed bugs completely?
Yes, bed bugs can be eliminated. You should hire a professional pest control company near you to exterminate them completely.
2. Do you have to throw away everything after bed bugs?
No, you don’t have to throw away all your bedding or belongings for a bed bug infestation. You can salvage most of the items by eliminating bed bugs from them.
3. What do the professionals use to get rid of bed bugs?
Professionals use heat treatment, insecticides, desiccants, insect growth regulators, and other methods to exterminate bed bugs. They inspect everything in the area and offer multiple visits to completely eliminate the infestation.
4. What smell do bed bugs hate?
Bed bugs hate the smells of peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, lavender oil, tea tree oil, cinnamon oil, lemon juice, rubbing alcohol, etc. They are likely to be repelled by these smells.
5. Can bed bugs live on carpet?
Yes, they can. Bed bugs can hide under the carpet, and they like its dark warmth. However, they primarily live in environments with carpeted surfaces.
6. How long can bed bugs live in a sealed plastic bag?
Bed bugs can live in a sealed plastic bag for several months to a year. They can live without water and food for these extended periods.
7. What smells attract bed bugs?
The smells of carbon dioxide and human body oil attract bed bugs. Sometimes, human body heat also attracts them.