No one likes the thought of a bedbug infestation.
Unfortunately for us, the favorite fuel source for these apple seed-sized pests is human blood. They can’t jump or fly so bed bugs hitch rides on passersby’s clothing or common stuff like backpacks, car seats, and luggage.
Once at a destination, they quickly learn where we sleep, waiting until they sense our slumber, by body heat or the carbon dioxide we emit while breathing. Then they sneak onto their human host’s skin and dig in.
Bed bugs multiply quickly—in just three months a single female can infest a home, summer camp or hostel with over 300 adults and 1,000 new eggs.
Given that prolific infestation rate, a few bugs can turn into a full-blown infestation of 12,000 or more and it is imperative to handle the situation as quickly as possible.
Mounting a bed bug defense
Even though bedbugs don’t transmit disease, their bites may lead to skin infections and just knowing they are sharing your bed can cause sleepless nights.
Finding bedbugs in your motel room is bad enough but discovering them in your own home might send you rushing to the hardware store for an arsenal of spray, thinking you can outsmart them with your DIY wits.
But do bed bug sprays actually work?
They’re tough little critters and professionals use integrated pest management to combat bed bugs including heat treatments, monitoring devices, non-chemical pesticides, and conscientious use of chemical pesticides.
Do bed bug sprays work?
The short answer is no. Not only are bedbugs becoming increasingly resistant to insecticides, sprays will reach only the bugs you can see.
They hide in cracks and crevices, creases and folds, and any insecticide released into an area won’t reach the culprits or have any effect on the infestation.
In fact, sprays and bug bombs may actually cause the bugs to flee the area and set up residence in another area. Even worse, though sprays won’t affect or even reach the targeted pests, they impose a serious health threat to people and pets.
Consider that the Center for Disease Control has officially identified over 100 diseases that can be directly linked to bed bug sprays, from mild to serious.
Sprays are ineffective, often only exacerbating the infestation.
The most effective approach involves integrated pest management using a multi-faceted arsenal, best handled by pros. Once the experts have the situation under control, however, the battle is not yet won.
Homeowners and hostel or homeless shelter managers must remain vigilant in monitoring for stubborn bugs intent on future scourge, remove clutter, and eliminate hiding places.
And this can be challenging to say the least.
Urban living and population growth are two reasons for a current resurgence of bedbugs. Global travel is another, allowing the pesky insects to hitchhike worldwide on planes, boats, luggage and people.
The fittest bedbugs even survived the DDT years and their resistant genes were passed along to future generations, contributing to the current explosion.
Save yourself money, time, and aggravation. Leave the bedbug DIY on the shelf and partner with a professional, experienced service.
