The Best Way To Deal With Bed Bugs In Your Ventura County Home

Bed bugs are a growing problem in Ventura County—as they are in the rest of the United States. When these irritating pests appear, it drives many residents to take matters into their own hands. Some of the strategies they use don't work because they don't go far enough. We're going to give you a few examples today and show you the best way to deal with bed bugs when you see them.

Heat

There is no doubt that heat can kill bed bugs. If you put a dryer-safe item in the dryer for 30 minutes, it will kill any bed bugs or eggs in the item. Heat is also used on a grand scale. There are many licensed professionals that use heat to exterminate bed bugs within houses and businesses. But it isn't easy to do. You can't just put a space heater in your bedroom and expect to kill bed bugs. Here are a few reasons why:

• Bed bugs live in cracks, gaps, and compressed spaces. If you don't apply enough heat, you may not be able to kill all the bed bugs in the room.

• Bed bugs can move quickly. If bed bugs sense a rise in temperature, they can move to another part of the room or use wall voids to go into another room of your home.

• Heat must be sustained to kill bed bugs. Some heat treatments just don't go on long enough to get the job done.

While heat is an eco-friendly way to get rid of bed bugs, it is far from safe when you don't use professional-grade, temperature-controlled units and heat sensors. There are far too many cases of heat treatments going wrong, resulting in a loss of property and human life. We recommend having a professional administer this form of bed bug remediation. A professional will use appropriate equipment and follow established safety guidelines.

Chemicals

There is a current trend that is leading residents away from using synthetic insecticides to eliminate pests, but bed bugs have the ability to drive people to do things they wouldn't normally do. Unfortunately, using insecticides can fail in many ways. Here are a few examples;

• Bed bugs can develop a resistance to chemicals found in the places they explore. If they come in contact with a product and survive, they can develop a new skin that is more resistant and also pass this new resistance to their offspring.

• Many insecticides are topical. They don't get deep enough to eliminate bed bugs in the places they hide, and bed bugs avoid them when they emerge from hiding.

• Many insecticides are not for use in sensitive locations, such as your bed. If you don't know what products to use and where to apply them, you'll have little success preventing bed bug bites.

A pest professional uses knowledge shared in the pest control industry to determine what is currently working to eliminate bed bugs and will apply these EPA-approved products in appropriate locations to ensure the elimination of bed bugs. When used as a part of a comprehensive bed bug control strategy, these products can be effective.

Various Control Products

There are a lot of products available for bed bug control and they each have some merit. You can use mattress and box spring encasements to prevent bed bugs from getting in, or to seal them in and starve them. You can put traps at the base of your bed legs to prevent bed bugs from crawling up and feeding on you at night. But these and other products have limitations that are not often understood by consumers. If you were to use the products we just described, you could still get bed bug bites if the bed bugs are hiding in your bed frame. They don't have to come out of your mattress or box spring or climb up your bed frame from the floor to bite you. It is also possible for bed bugs to bite you while you're fully awake. They can establish themselves in chairs, couches, and in other furniture you sit or lounge on.

A pest professional may use these products in a comprehensive control strategy, but will also apply inspections and monitoring techniques to ensure the complete control of these insects.

The Best Way To Deal With Bed Bugs In Ventura County

Can you go after bed bugs on your own? Sure. But it is likely to only lengthen your misery. If you live in Ventura County, let the pest professionals here at Ventura Pest Control locate and eliminate the bed bugs in your home. We know what products and strategies work and why they work. Reach out to us today for immediate assistance. Don't let the bed bugs bite.