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Do-It-Yourself Bedbug Options

Getting rid of bedbugs yourself can be very difficult for several reasons. Understand that there are no simple solutions to taking back your home, apartment, or other location from bedbugs. Bedbugs require a lot of experience, time, effort and knowhow to be handled successfully.

It is always best to leave it to professionals and their experience when it comes to bedbugs, however, some may not hire a professional for financial reasons.

Financial considerations are always a factor. How bedbug service fees are allotted are based on the individual companies. Some charge based on the number of rooms they are servicing, while others base their fees on an hourly rate for each of the service technicians that are on that job, or may charge per visit for an eradication plan. In any case, the costs can be a significant amount that may be difficult to afford, forcing some individuals to take on the work themselves.

When it comes to eradicating bedbugs, heat treatments are the most effective. While there are pesticides and insecticides that are useful against the nymphs and adult bedbugs, they do not affect the eggs because of their protective shell. Using a chemical treatment may take many treatment cycles for this reason.

There are various products available to help you in your battle against bedbugs but you must know what you are looking for. Products that professionals use can be purchased, except for restricted-only products, but the closer the product is to what professionals use, the more expensive it is.

Always remember that the products only do part of the work needed to get rid of bedbugs and that you must be cautious, some products may state that they kill bedbugs, but may not perform as expected, and will not solve your problem. Great examples of products that may be expected to kill bedbugs, but will not have the desired effects, are total-release aerosols or bug-bomb-type products. Many people believe if they follow the stated directions carefully and release the bug bomb product, their actions will result in a bedbug free home. Unfortunately, this is not the case. When a bug bomb type product is released, nearly all bedbugs remain hidden and inaccessible to the product. While some bedbugs that are out in the open may be killed, those that are hidden in walls and furniture will not be affected, because they never come into contact with the product that is supposed to kill them.

The bedbugs that have found cozy hiding places within your home must be physically removed, or treated by direct application to successfully kill them.

Eradicationg Bedbugs Takes Work

We must warn you that physical ability and willingness to perform the work necessary are major considerations that many do not take into account. It is necessary that you realize the amount of work that is necessary to successfully handle a bedbug problem. Spraying a product around the room, as if it were an air freshener, and leaving it at that is not going to take care of your problem. For their own survival, bedbugs must be stealthy creatures, and because of this they are difficult to find and difficult to kill. We cannot stress enough how much work needs to be done to successfully control bedbugs and eradicate them from your furniture and home. The work necessary includes but is not limited to:

Cleaning and removing clutter.
Properly laundering suspected garment items.
Bagging garments and other items to seal bedbugs out (or in).
Overturning furniture to carefully inspect and treat.
Pulling up wall-to-wall carpeting to inspect and treat.
Complete vacuuming and steaming of all rooms, not just the one you believe is housing bedbugs.
Installation of bedbug proof mattress and box spring encasements.
Installation of bedbug blockers to stop bedbugs from climbing up bed, couch and other such furniture legs.
Installation of suitable bedbug traps or monitoring devices.
Application of suitable bedbug controlling pesticide products.
Treatment of all wall voids and utility penetrations including electrical outlets and telephone jacks.
Treatments with liquid insecticide products.
Treatments with dust insecticide products.
Treatments with aerosol insecticide products.
Follow-up inspections and treatments.
Continued vigilance to prevent re-infestation on an ongoing basis.

Tools of The Trade

To tackle bedbugs successfully, you’re going to need tools, equipment and supplies including but not limited to:

Screw drivers
Electric Drill
Drill bits
Vacuum
Step ladder
Flashlight
Needle Nose Pliers
Sprayer
Duster Magnifying Glass
Putty Knife
Joint Compound
Plastic Trash Bags
Storage Totes Caulk
Mattress Encasements
Dust Mask

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS!

Be forewarned, an appropriate applicator’s license is required to purchase and apply restricted-use pesticide products.

Once you have read as much as you can about bedbugs themselves, the process, and the equipment, as well as gathering all your supplies, you are ready to begin trying to get rid of bedbugs. Sometimes in life, for something to get clean, it must first get dirty; getting rid of bedbugs is one of those times, so we hope you are ready. Through the do-it-yourself process, we are working under very important assumptions and parameters:

It is assumed that you actually have an active bedbug infestation! Assure that you actually do have bedbugs by getting a positive identification from a reliable source.
- If possible, capture a live suspected bedbug. This may be done by using clear tape to trap the bedbug. You can also use a business card or other suitable item to scrape the bedbug into a glass jar. Be sure to place the suspected bedbug into a sealable glass jar or container.
  - If you have any doubts you can bring in the suspected bug, or email a clear picture of it to a pest management professional, country extension agent, health department inspector, or university department of entomology for identification and confirmation.
- If you cannot find a suspected bedbug, it might be in your best interest to have a canine inspection done. This way you are assured you do have bedbugs and not another insect such as carpet beetles before you begin the long process of getting rid of bedbugs.

You are a homeowner that has a bedbug problem and not an experienced pest professional. You are simply an individual looking to solve your own bedbug problem. As such, you will not have access to certain professional equipment or the knowledge and experience of a professional.

It is necessary to keep a well-maintained log to document all bedbug sightings, treatment work and follow-up inspections. This is necessary to assist in monitoring and evaluating the progress of your bedbug control work. This will also be helpful if your treatment plan is unsuccessful and you decide to hire a professional.

Step 1: Problem Assessment

Determine how bad your problem is and what rooms are affected. To do this, consider:

When did this problem begin?
When did you first notice it?
Who is being bitten?
How often do the bites occur?
How many bites occur each time; one, a few or several?

Generally speaking, bedbug bites appear as small, circular, raised reddened welts that can be very itchy. However, different people react differently to bedbug bites, ranging from a severe reaction, to no reaction whatsoever.

The longer the determined time span and the more bites being experienced, the more bedbugs you are likely to have due to their quick reproduction cycles. You will need to inspect carefully and thoroughly to see where your bedbugs are hiding:

Using a high-quality flashlight, carefully inspect areas where bedbugs commonly hide, including box springs and mattresses, head boards, couches and chairs, dressers, picture frames and even wheelchairs and walkers.
If you find bedbugs throughout your inspection, try hard not to disturb them to prevent having them move, and you needing to start the process all over again.

Inspecting the mattress and box spring usually confirms the presence of bedbugs. Vacuuming can help by removing many of the bedbugs that are present, but does not account for those that are hiding. Like the bug bomb, bedbugs that are hiding and do not come into contact with the vacuum will not be affected. Also, you must have a plan for the bedbugs you vacuum up. They can stay alive for weeks or even months without feeding, and in that time, may find a way to escape and make their way back into your home and furniture.

Step 2: Treatment and Other Work

You will need to treat and apply insecticides to all places where bedbugs hide. These places include the aforementioned furniture, as well as behind outlet covers, in the walls, underneath carpeting and baseboards, and in any crack or crevice that their apple seed-sized bodies can get through. When applying the insecticide, it is imperative that you read and follow pesticide label directions. When applying pesticides and insecticides, avoid making applications to surfaces that will be directly contacted by humans or pets, for example, DO NOT treat a mattress directly with residual insecticide products.

Treat the following areas:

The complete bed frame, including all cracks, crevices, and screw holes where bedbugs may hide.
Carefully place each mattress and box spring in a bedbug proof encasement. Most encasements will not kill bedbugs or their eggs, but will keep them in.
You will need to completely open and empty all furniture where bedbugs may hide including nightstands, dressers, bureaus and other furniture. After emptying this furniture, you will need to overturn it in order to treat completely.
Remove outlet covers, switch plate covers and open all utility penetrations for treatment. These areas provide access into wall voids where bedbugs may hide and travel.
In a heavy infestation, it is recommended that all wall voids are drilled and treated with a dust application. These holes may be sealed using caulk or joint compound after treatment. If you are not the owner, but are instead renting the home or apartment, this may not be a viable option for you, depending upon what your lease states about creating holes in the walls.

Getting rid of bedbugs requires a lot of work for an extended period of time. Beds and furniture need to be disassembled, opened and emptied for inspection and treatment. It takes at least two people to successfully move and reposition large furniture items to properly inspect and treat.

In addition to treatment applications with insecticides you will also need to do the following treatment work:

Because bedbugs are great hiders and can move from place to place without attracting attention, it would be in your best interest to treat all items that may be harboring bedbugs, whether you suspect them or not, or face the potential for a re-infestation.
Carefully seal all garments into plastic bags or suitable storage containers for transport to laundry machines. We advise that you only use your own laundry units to prevent the risk of contaminating other areas with bedbugs, and being held liable.
All clothing should be laundered and run through a hot dryer to kill hidden bedbugs and their eggs.
Discard all used plastic bags that may have held infested items by sealing these used bags into another plastic bag. Do not reuse plastic bags that may have contained bedbug infested items.

Thoroughly inspect plastic storage containers for signs of bedbugs that may have contained or stored infested items.

Plastic storage containers may be treated to be rendered bedbug free for reuse.
Plastic storage containers may be treated in a number of ways.
- Heat treatments are most effective against bedbugs because the heat kills both the live bedbugs and their eggs. When using heat, make sure that the container you are treating can withstand the high temperatures.
After laundering, seal bedbug free garments into fresh plastic bags or storage containers. Do not put the bedbug free garments back into furniture until you are sure that the treatment has been successful.
Treat non-launderable items such as foot wear, plush toys, purses, pocketbooks, electronics, etc., using alternative treatment measures.

Bedbugs hide in the wooden frame work within couches, upholstered chairs, box springs and other furniture. It will be necessary to remove the dust cover to allow access for inspection and treatment of such items.

Bedbugs can enter and hide in tiny places. You must open all outlet boxes and utility penetrations to inspect and treat. You can use a variety of products, with varying degrees of effectiveness, on these areas.

To provide immediate relief from bedbug bites, take steps to insulate beds from bedbugs:

Move beds away from walls and assure that none of the bedding contacts the floor or other furniture.
Place all bed legs in Climb Up Interceptors or use other bedbug blocking methods to prevent bedbugs from climbing up onto your treated bed.
It is important that you also install bedbug proof mattress and box spring encasements.
Install bedbug proof furniture covers on couches, loveseats and upholstered furniture if bedbugs are suspected.

Step 3: Monitoring and Follow Up Work

It will be necessary to continue monitoring for bedbug activity and conduct follow up treatments to assure that your bedbug problem has been eliminated.

This work includes:

Placing bedbug traps to check on additional bedbug activity.
Create and place a CO2 (carbon dioxide) trap within ten feet of a bed where bedbug activity is suspected.
Place and check your CO2 bedbug traps at least once per week.
Place BDS (Bedbug Detection System) monitors as directed by package information.
Conduct a follow-up inspection for signs of continued bedbug activity at least once per week.
Conduct a follow-up treatment, which includes Step 1 and Step 2, if additional bedbug activity is discovered during your follow up inspection.

Excerpt From: Paul J. Bello. “The Bed Bug Combat Manual.”