How To Prevent Bed Bugs

How to Prevent Bed Bugs

How To Prevent Bed Bugs – Vital Tips That You Must Follow

There can be no doubt in anybody’s mind that insects are a nuisance and though they must exist and may be fulfilling a role in Nature’s grand scheme of things, as long as they stay away from us, we are sure to feel more comfortable. Many of us are doing everything possible to get rid of the more visible and pesky cockroaches, mosquitoes and flies, aware as we are about the potential harm they can cause. But not many of us are able to prevent body lice or are aware about how to prevent bed bugs when traveling. The result is that these pests make their way into our homes and we then have to think about ways of how to get rid of bed bugs and how to prevent fleas.

This menace of bed bugs is a phenomenon that has surfaced out of nowhere. It has become pretty intense in the last 5-7 years and people in developed countries are finding it extremely difficult to manage the problem. Though there are regular assurances from health experts about their lack of ability to cause any serious infection or disease, it is the irritation and mental harassment they cause that is becoming difficult to handle. Surely, nobody wants to wake up every morning with red rash on the face or neck and keep scratching away the whole day. More than the intensity of the itching, it is the frustration of not being able to understand how to kill bed bugs quickly that is also causing a lot of emotional distress in families.

What is the reason behind this quandary of how to prevent bed bugs from spreading?

The main reason is lack of awareness about what these bed bugs are and how they look like. The current generation as well as the one before it has not seen these pests as they had been virtually eliminated due to usage of DDT as well as much improved hygiene standards. As compared to the period during and before World War II, when these pests were so common, the next four to five decades saw them getting wiped out from developed countries. The stoppage of DDT coupled with enhanced sanitation and hygiene standards meant that these pests could not survive.

But increased globalization and frequent exchange of tourism along with business travel has led to the comeback of these pests. Travelers staying in the best of hotels and otherwise somehow manage to transport these insects along with their personal belongings back to their countries and since most of them do not subject their personal effects to any vacuuming or steam cleaning after their trip, these bed bugs manage to sneak into their homes.

Mind you, all this is happening without the person even being aware of it. Once inside the house, the pests manage to find suitable gaps and crevices within wood furniture or within the folds of soft furnishing to settle down during the day time.

The story does not end there. At night, these pests come out of their hiding and start feeding off the hosts by sucking their blood. These are pests that cannot fly and can only survive on warm blood of mammals. Human blood is their favorite as they can feast on it every night without any encumbrance. They achieve this due to the special chemical they manage to introduce through their proboscis into the bloodstream of the host, even as he or she is fast asleep. The mild anesthetic in the chemical lulls the person into further sleep and the gentle prick or sucking action is not felt at all by the person. Unlike a mosquito bite which is stingy, the sucking action is not as intense and when combined with the anesthetic effect, there is no way the person will get up.

This takes place night after night till a stage comes when the host notices small red punctures on the skin localized around the neck, face or arms. These punctures are often set in a pattern or cluster and lead to severe itching for some. Others may not even feel it for many days. Those who do notice these punctures may initially choose to ignore them as they are just not aware that they have been caused by bed bugs. Some others who choose to take action on them and show them to their family doctor may get treated for mosquito bites or for some allergy. The awareness of bed bugs and what they can do is still not very widespread.

The only positive aspect of all this is that these are not dangerous and are incapable of causing any serious damage to the person or to other family members. However, the fact that these punctures can develop into bigger blisters upon regular scratching and leave marks is quite disconcerting. Moreover, once you notice them appearing on your skin, it is definitely disturbing to see them first thing in the morning and you would want to immediately know how to get rid of bed bugs.

Steps for how to kill bed bugs

They are as under:

a) A major step is to first know that your house has been infected by bed bugs. Now you can identify the possible places where they are likely to hide during the day time and breed. These are typically the underside of your bed, the crevices within the wood box bed, other wood furniture, wall paper or the folds of curtains.

b) Subject your soft furnishing fabric to intense vacuuming and steam cleaning. These pests would not be able to withstand heat conditions. You may also put your mattress outside to get the warmth of the sun’s rays. Washing fabric with hot water and a mild detergent will also help you prevent fleas and drive away bed bugs.

c) Ensure you plug any holes or gaps within the furniture. The idea is to cut off or prevent access to these pests to places where they can hide. You may also dispose off stuff that is no longer being used in your house so that there is less of clutter.

d) Make use of some of the common bed bug sprays that are available in the market and spray the likely areas of infestation. Do not buy stuff that is not environmentally friendly or not considered organic. They may cause problems to children and elders in your family.

The above measures should help you deal with the problem to some extent. If you still experience their presence, then you need to call for a professional exterminator agency. Though their services may be expensive, it is necessary to engage them if you want to solve this problem. These agencies are well experienced and know how to prevent bed bugs from spreading. They make use of high quality chemicals and have trained manpower who would know exactly what is to be done.

Knowing how to prevent chiggers or how to prevent bed bugs when traveling is not difficult to achieve provided you are aware of them. Thanks to the internet today, you can even look at pictures of bed bugs, bed bug bites and how they look so that you can compare and take appropriate action immediately.

Tags: pesky cockroaches, sucking, bigger blisters, pests, bite <BR/>

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