 Nobody wants a bed bug infestation in their home. However, most people are far more concerned with how to get rid of bed bugs that have already invaded their home. They don’t spend enough time trying to prevent an infestation from ever happening. In today’s blog post, Bed Bug Heaters will look at five tips for preventing an infestation.
1. Routinely Check and Clean Furniture and Linens It shouldn’t surprise anybody that the most likely place you will find bed bugs is in your bed or linens. If you want to prevent an infestation, it is very important to routinely check, not only your bed and linens, but also other furniture for critters. Even if you don’t find bugs in your sheets or bedding, it’s important to regularly launder them to avoid a future infestation. 2. Reduce Clutter All pests, insects, and bed bugs look for a place to burrow or hide out. A cluttered home is a perfect place to do so. If you eliminate clutter from your home, insects and pests have a much more difficult time finding shelter in your dwelling. 3. Check Your Pets for Bed Bugs If you are a pet owner, the likelihood of insects or pests being brought into your home is higher than people who don’t have a furry friend. Especially if your cat or dog spends a lot of time outside, bed bugs can easily be brought in by your pet. It’s important to regularly check your pets for insects. You should also treat them with anti-pest medications, based on your veterinarian’s recommendations, to keep bugs off of them. 4. Cover Your Mattresses An easy way to prevent bed bugs from getting into your bed and linens is to cover your mattresses. This will protect your mattress from an infestation and extend the life of the mattress itself. These covers are relatively inexpensive and are simple zippered cases that cover the mattress. 5. Be Cautious On The Road While you might protect your home from infestations, that might not be true of hotels or homes you visit. If you are on the road and staying in a different bed, be cautious to not bring any pests back with you. When looking for a hotel, do your research, comb through reviews, and make sure that they don’t have a history with bed bugs. Contact Bed Bug Heaters For More Information The goal of every homeowner should be to prevent an infestation of bed bugs. If you already have an infestation in your home, however, get in touch with Bed Bug Heaters at (937) 506-6940 or contact us online today.
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 When you discover a bed bug infestation, the natural reaction is to want to get rid of them as soon as possible. However, a hasty decision can also lead to a bed bug treatment that is either ineffective or not cost-effective. There are many common mistakes made by homeowners or home renters that can make the problem worse than it already is, and it’s important to avoid these mistakes. In today’s blog post, Bed Bug Heaters will look at three common mistakes made with bed bug treatments.
1. Hasty Usage of Do-It-Yourself Bed Bug Treatments One of the most common mistakes made by homeowners or home renters when it comes to bed bug treatments is jumping the gun on a do-it-yourself (DIY) treatment. There are many DIY treatments that can be beneficial for your home. However, if there is an infestation, a hasty implementation will likely prove to be ineffective and cost you money. Most of the time, DIY solutions make sense with preventative measures or small-scale pest control problems. If there are signs of a major infestation, you should consult with professionals before making a decision. 2. Assuming That Your DIY Solution Killed All Bed Bugs Similarly, if you are bitten by a bed bug, find bed bug remains, or discover a live bed bug, you might think the problem is solved once you get rid of that bed bug. Or, if you locate a spot where bed bugs are hiding and use DIY bed bug treatments to get rid of them, you might think that a potential infestation isn’t a concern. However, just because you killed the bed bugs you see doesn’t mean they are completely gone. If a bed bug sighting goes beyond an isolated event, you should assume there are other pests lingering, even when you don’t see them. 3. Using Unnecessary Chemicals Lastly, one of the most common pest control mistakes is immediately drenching your home and yourself in pesticides. While most of these chemicals aren’t harmful, you don’t want to expose yourself or your home to unnecessary chemicals. Before utilizing chemical bed bug treatments, you should consult the professionals at Bed Bug Heaters to see if a thermal pest control treatment is possible. Contact Bed Bug Heaters For More Information If you suspect that your home has a bed bug problem, Bed Bug Heaters can help. For more information on our bed bug treatments, give us a call at (937) 506-6940 or contact us online today.  If you’re planning to go on a backpacking trip or other adventure where you’ll be staying in hostels, you might be worried about bed bugs. Some people believe that bed bugs are big problems at hostels, but truth be told, they’re much more common in hotels. Nevertheless, you should take some precautions as you travel to limit your exposure to bed bugs. In today’s blog from Bed Bug Heaters, learn ways to protect yourself and your belongings.
Before You Travel Use Permethrin - Before you pack for your trip, treat your clothes, sleeping bag, backpack, and other gear with Permethrin. Treated items effectively kill bed bugs, chiggers, ticks, mosquitoes, spiders, mites, and more than 55 other kinds of insects. The effectiveness lasts for about six to eight weeks, including about six washings. Permethrin is a great preventive measure because it adds so much protection for no added backpacking weight. Be careful when you are spraying the items. Permethrin is toxic to cats until it’s dried. When you're spraying your clothes and gear, do it somewhere the cat doesn't have access to and let them dry thoroughly before you let your cat get near. Check Reviews - It’s also a good idea to check online reviews for recent reports of bed bugs. Check sites like Hostelworld and TripAdvisor, or just Google “Hostel name” + “bed bug”. If there are recent mentions of bed bugs, it’s safest to steer clear. Take Some Precautions While Traveling Keep your Clothes in Baggies - Pack your clothes in large resealable bags to keep the bed bugs out. As an added bonus, this will compact your clothes so you can pack more stuff, and it will keep them organized and waterproof. Limit Your Gear’s Exposure - Try to keep your backpack, outer garments, and other gear off the hostel’s bed and the floor as much as possible. If the items can be stashed on hooks, counters, or tables, they will have less chance of bed bugs getting on them. Some hostels provide lockers for your items, which is even better. Do an Inspection - Bed bugs are dark and small, ranging from sesame seed-sized to apple seed-sized. Although they tend to be most active in the early dawn hours, it doesn’t hurt to do a quick inspection of the mattress, sheets, and surrounding areas prior to jumping into bed. Use Layers - But even if the hostel and bed look clean, you should still take precautions. Layers are your friends, including sleeping in more clothes and using a sleeping liner. This will shield most of your body from these critters getting to your skin. Using your own sleeping bag on top of linens provided by a hostel is a good idea too because it will give you an extra barrier against bed bugs. Permethrin liners will kill bed bugs. What to Do If You Encounter an Infestation If you find a bed bug or have bites, let the hostel management know immediately. If you can, get your deposit back and move somewhere else. Keep in mind that you may not find bites until a day or more after they occurred, so the place you are currently staying may not be at fault. You may have brought them with you. Keep calm and try to deal with the situation tactfully. Understand that the nature of backpackers’ movements makes it very easy for bed bugs to spread, and hostels can’t do much about it. If the hostel’s staff isn’t helping you to your satisfaction, threatening to post about your problem online will usually make them more accommodating. To get rid of the bugs, vacuum all your belongings, paying extra attention to all seams and zippers. Put your gear, backpack, and anything that could have been exposed in a dryer on high heat — over 120 degrees — for at least 30 minutes to kill the bugs and their eggs. If there isn’t a dryer or some items can’t go in one, seal them in a black plastic bag and put the bag in direct sunlight all day. How to Keep The Bed Bugs From Infiltrating Your Home These bugs are great world travelers. They like to hitch a ride on your gear until they can settle into your home. To avoid that, it would be a good idea to vacuum and heat treat the items you’d traveled with as if they were infected. Contact Bed Bug Heaters for Affordable Bed Bug Treatment If you do end up bringing bed bugs home, a heat treatment is the easiest, safest, and often the most affordable way to deal with the problem. To kill bed bugs with heat, the room or container they are in must be higher than 113°F to make sure the sustained heat gets to the bugs no matter where they may be hiding. This can usually only be achieved with special equipment. Bed Bug Heaters has your solution. Bed Bug Heaters has a wide variety of units, so you can find the right one to handle your bed bug problem. For more information, give us a call at (937) 506-6940 or contact us online today.  If you have a bed bug problem, finding the right solution can be incredibly frustrating. Not only is it hard to spot bed bugs, but it’s also very difficult to know if you actually got rid of them when using a do-it-yourself treatment. For that reason, it is crucial to utilize the right treatment to ensure you eliminate all bed bugs from your home. Thermal pest control is one of the many treatment options offered at Bed Bug Heaters that could be right for you. In today’s blog post, we will look at the benefits of thermal pest control.
Thermal Pest Control Doesn’t Require Chemicals One of the biggest reservations people have about pest control is the idea of utilizing a chemical treatment option. While there are chemical treatments available that are safe and effective, the optimal situation would be to get rid of the bed bug infestation without using chemicals in your home. Arguably, the biggest benefit of thermal pest control is that it doesn’t require the use of any chemicals. A thermal treatment uses only heat to eradicate bed bugs. You Will Only Need One Treatment Many chemical bed bug treatments require several treatment attempts. But thermal pest control is a single, one-time treatment that gets rid of all bed bugs in the treated area. Unless you have a high-level infestation, we will be able to kill all of the bed bugs in your home in one treatment. Better yet, it won’t require a large-scale evacuation of your home like you might have to do with a chemical treatment. Bed Bugs Won’t Be Able to Hide With chemical treatments, bed bugs can, in theory, make an escape. Bed bugs are quick. In the event of a chemical treatment, they could attempt to flee the treated area. They might make it into the walls only to re-emerge later. With a thermal pest control solution, you will be able to reach difficult areas that chemical treatments might not be able to reach. A heater destroys bed bugs that are difficult to get to. On top of that, due to the slow heating of the impacted rooms, bed bugs will have little reason to flee before the treatment takes full effect. Contact Bed Bug Heaters for More Information If you are looking for a bed bug treatment that avoids the use of chemicals, Bed Bug Heaters has your solution. For more information on thermal pest control, get in touch with us at (937) 506-6940 or contact us online today.  Before you buy a used piece of furniture, remember that just because it’s cheap and looks good doesn’t mean it’s a great deal. It’s best to scrutinize used furniture so you won’t need to deal with bed bug removal later. Bed Bug Heaters advises you to take some precautions so that your used furniture purchase won’t become more than you bargained for.
Take Some Precautions Do a thorough inspection of any used furniture before you buy it. Bringing used furniture with bed bugs into your home for just a few minutes can be the beginning of a bed bug infestation that will cost you money, time, and possibly even some of your sanity. Follow these steps to guard against bed bug infestation: Step 1. Ask Questions & Use Common Sense Don’t be afraid to ask the furniture owners directly if they currently have or have ever had a problem with bed bugs. Then thoroughly inspect it for bed bugs yourself. This could offend some people, but it’s better than having to deal with bed bug treatment later. You should never take used furniture in dumps or left by the side of the road. Furniture like this is usually thrown away for good reason, and bed bugs are often why. Step 2. Inspect the Item When you’re shopping for used furniture, bring a flashlight, some white latex gloves, a magnifying glass, and an inexpensive white sheet with you to inspect the furniture. Spread out the white sheet on a flat surface and place the furniture on it. The white sheet will help you see bed bugs or signs of bed bugs. Check for signs of bed bugs on the sheet or your gloves. Signs can include dark red stains or bed bugs themselves. Inspect anything remotely questionable with the magnifying glass. Use the edge of a rigid piece of plastic, such as a credit card, to run over the furniture’s surface. Then run it through any grooves, creases, or cracks in the furniture. Remember, bed bugs like to hide in small tight spaces, so running the card through these areas is crucial to performing a thorough inspection. Inspect any hidden or dark areas of the furniture with the flashlight. If you see any signs of bed bugs, do not bring the furniture home. Do other potential buyers a favor and tactfully point out the problem to the seller. Step 3. Do A Precautionary Pre-Treatment Once you’ve done a thorough inspection, and haven’t found any signs of bed bugs, you may want to do a precautionary bed bug treatment before you bring your purchase into your home. If the furniture is a couch or chair with removable covers, remove them and place them in a sealed plastic bag, put it in the dryer and rip it open. Keep the covers in the dryer and put the bag in an outside trash can. Run the covers in your dryer on high heat for at least half an hour. Then run the dryer again for another 30 minutes. Thoroughly vacuum the furniture, including all seems, crevices, and folds. Remove the vacuum bag as soon as you’re done, then place it in a tied plastic trash bag in an outside trash can. You may want to spray the furniture with Permethrin. Permethrin sprayed fabric will kill bed bugs and a single application of Permethrin lasts for six weeks. You’ll want to do this spraying outside and be sure you keep all pets away, especially cats (it's toxic to them until it’s dry). Make sure all areas of the piece are covered and it is completely dry before you bring it into the house. Used Mattresses And Box Springs Are High-Risk You should usually avoid buying used mattresses and box springs. If you’ve found a deal that’s too hard to resist, do a thorough inspection and pretreat, following the steps above. Bed bugs usually infest box springs first, so be especially thorough when you’re checking them. You should also shy away from nightstands. Keep in mind that bed bugs can hibernate for over a year without a meal. A couple of items that could protect you from bed bugs are Permethrin treated liners and mattress and box springs encasements. The liners will kill bed bugs on contact. The encasements will prevent bed bugs from entering and exiting. If you’re going to use encasements, you should pad any parts of the frame that could tear the encasement. You shouldn’t steam the mattress or box springs if you plan to encase them because the moisture may develop into mold when it’s trapped inside the encasement. Use Heat for Bed Bug Treatment Even after you’ve taken all these precautions, you may still end up with bed bug hitchhikers. If that happens, heat treatments are the safest, easiest, and usually the most affordable way to do bed bug treatment. Bed Bug Heaters can help you find the best unit to address your problem. Contact us to learn about your options. When you rent a heater from us, you can pick it up for free. Otherwise, we can deliver it if you want to do the bed bug treatment yourself, or we can do the work so you’re sure it’s done in the most effective manner possible. Call us at (937) 506-6940 for more information.  Once you’ve determined that you need to contact Bed Bug Heaters for a bed bug heat treatment, there are a few steps you need to take to ensure your belongings are kept safe and that the procedure will be effective. Here’s what you’ll need to do.
Remove Any Items Sensitive to High HeatWhen you are preparing for a bed bug heat treatment, you should keep in mind that the area will reach temperatures of up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. So, you should remove anything that those high temperatures would harm. Those items would include plants, aquariums, pets, crayons, deodorant, and some cosmetics. Other Items That May Need Special AttentionYou can store paint in the garage if that area won’t need to be treated. Any food items that would melt or combust — like soda — should be removed from the treatment area. Plastic and wood blinds may warp, so close them and place them on a flat surface. Remove all batteries from toys and remote controls but leave those items in the treatment area. Place medicine in the refrigerator. You’ll want to remove vinyl records and VHS tapes, but leave their cases in the treatment area. Pictures should be removed from the walls and placed on a flat surface. Consult your exterminator about oil or acrylic paintings and collectible items like comic books and stamp collections. Alternative treatments may be required for those. Musical instruments should be removed after inspecting to be sure they aren’t infested. Leave their cases in the treatment area. Be sure to leave all books that could have been infested in the treatment area. This is especially important for any books that you have read in bed. Clothing piles should be no more than three inches deep. Be sure to remove any clothing from luggage and keep them and the luggage in the treatment area. Stand the luggage up and open. You should eliminate clutter, but when you are organizing, take precautions so that you won’t spread any bedbugs occupying that area. Discard items in tight garbage bags and seal them up before moving them from the area. Items that you need to protect from the heat treatment should be stored in sealed totes. Contact Bed Bug Heaters for Bed Bug Heat TreatmentBed Bug Heaters has a wide variety of units, so we will be able to get you the best one to handle your situation. We can help guide you through the process, even if you decide to do it yourself. For more information, give us a call at (937) 506-6940 or contact us online today. |
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October 2019
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