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Jan 11, 2024 · Can the Microwave Kill Bed Bugs? The idea of using a microwave to kill bed bugs may seem strange, but it’s an intriguing and potentially effective method. Times ranging from 20 to 44 seconds were sufficient to eliminate these pests.
- Overview
- Can you get rid of bedbugs on your own?
- Step 1: Identify all infested areas
- Step 2: Contain the infestation
- Step 3: Prep for bedbug treatment
- Step 4: Kill the bedbugs
- Step 5: Evaluate and prevent future bedbugs
- Step 6: Get the pros involved
- Step 7: Keep the bedbugs out
Bedbugs are often tough to get rid of, so you may need to try a few different approaches to kill them all. Once you identify and contain all infested areas, you can combine chemical and non-chemical treatments to kill the bugs.
Bedbugs measure just 5 millimeters across, which is smaller than a pencil eraser. These bugs are smart and tough, and they reproduce quickly. Bedbugs know where to hide to avoid detection and can live for months between meals. A female can lay 500 eggs in her lifetime.
You can get rid of bedbugs. Try to be patient, as removing bedbugs often takes some time and effort. You may have to try a few different chemical and nonchemical approaches, especially if you have a large infestation.
Certain factors can make bedbugs harder to remove. You may have a tougher time ridding your home of them if you have a lot of clutter or you travel often and bring new bedbugs home in your luggage.
If you’ve got bedbugs, you want to find them early before they start to reproduce. It’s much easier and cheaper to treat a small infestation than a big one. But smaller infestations can be harder to detect.
Search for bedbugs yourself or hire a professional to do an inspection. Some inspectors use specially trained dogs to hunt down bedbugs by scent.
Bedbugs’ small and narrow bodies enable them to squeeze into tiny spots, like the seams of a mattress or couch and the folds of curtains.
Also, look for them:
•near the tags of the mattress and box spring
•in cracks in the bed frame and headboard
Once you know you have bedbugs, you need to keep them contained so you can get rid of them. A quick and easy way to trap bedbugs is with your vacuum. Run the vacuum over any possible hiding places.
This includes your:
•bed
•dresser
•carpets
•electronics, like TVs
Before you start treating your home, do a little prep work to maximize your odds of success. Make sure all your linens, carpets, drapes, clothing, and other hiding places have been cleaned or thrown out (see step 2).
Next, get rid of bedbug hiding places:
•Pick up books, magazines, clothes, and anything else that’s lying on your floor and under your bed.
•Throw out whatever you can.
•Do not move items from an infested room to a clean one — you could spread the bugs.
Seal up any open areas:
How to get rid of bedbugs at home
You can first try to remove bedbugs without chemicals. These bugs are pretty easy to kill with high heat at 115°F (46.11°C) or intense cold at 32°F (0°C). Here are a few ways to treat bedbugs using these methods: •Wash bedding and clothes in hot water for 30 minutes. Then put them in a dryer on the highest heat setting for 30 minutes. •Use a steamer on mattresses, couches, and other places where bedbugs hide. •Pack up infested items in black bags and leave them outside on a hot day that reaches 95°F (35°C) or in a closed car. In cooler temperatures, it can take 2 to 5 months to kill sealed-up bugs. •Put bags containing bedbugs in the freezer at 0°F (-17.78°C). Use a thermometer to check the temperature. Leave them in there for at least 4 days. Once you’ve cleaned all visible bedbugs, make the area inhospitable for the rest of them. Place bedbug-proof covers over your mattress and box spring. Zip these covers up all the way. Bugs that are trapped inside will die, and new bugs will not be able to get in. If these methods do not wipe out all the bugs, you may need to try an insecticide.
Nonchemical and chemical treatments
Insecticides can help rid your home of bedbugs. Look for products that are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are specifically marked for use on bedbugs. Here are a few types of insecticides you can try: •Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are the most common chemicals used to kill bedbugs. However, some bedbugs have become resistant to them. •Pyrroles, like chlorfenapyr, kill bedbugs by disrupting their cells. •Neonicotinoids are versions of nicotine. They damage the bugs’ nervous system. This type of chemical works on bedbugs that have become resistant to other pesticides. •Dessicants are substances that destroy the bugs’ protective outer coating. Without this coating, the bugs dry out and die. Two examples of dessicants are silica aerogel (Tri-Die and CimeXa) and diatomaceous earth. The advantage to dessicants is that bedbugs cannot become resistant to them, but they work slowly. These products can take a few months to kill off all the bugs. •Foggers or bug bombs kill bedbugs, but they cannot get into cracks and crevices where these bugs hide. They can also be toxic to humans if you use them incorrectly. Read the label carefully. Leave the room before you set off a fogger. •Plant oil-based products, like EcoRaider and Bed Bug Patrol, are less toxic than chemical insecticides, and they work well against bedbugs.
Bedbugs can take some time to wipe out. Before you can ensure that your treatment has worked, you need proof that the bugs have moved on. Check the infested areas about once every 7 days for signs of activity.
To make surviving bedbugs easier to spot, place bedbug interceptors under each leg of the bed. These devices will trap bedbugs before they can climb up into your bed. You may need to keep checking the interceptors for a full year.
If you cannot wipe out bedbugs on your own, it’s time to get the pros involved.
Pest control companies have the advantage of using chemicals and other treatments that are not available to you. They have insecticides that both kill bugs on contact and that stay inside furniture and cracks to kill bedbugs in the long term.
Pest control companies can also use whole room heat treatments. They bring in special equipment that heats up the room to a temperature between 135 and 145°F (57.22 and 62.78°C) — high enough to kill bedbugs.
Before the pest control company arrives, they should give you instructions for prepping your home. Follow their directions carefully and you’ll have the best chance of wiping out the bugs.
Professional treatments take two to three visits to start working. After each treatment, you may have to stay out of the treated rooms for a few hours until the insecticides have dried.
Keep reading: What’s the difference between flea bites and bedbug bites? »
Once the bedbugs are gone, you’ll want to make sure they stay gone for good:
•Clear up any clutter. Do not leave papers, magazines, clothes, or other items on the floor.
•Cover your mattress and box spring with a bedbug cover and zip it up all the way.
•Vacuum and wash bedding, furniture, curtains, and carpets often.
•Seal cracks around light sockets, baseboards, and electrical outlets so bedbugs cannot sneak in.
•Check for bedbugs in hotel rooms when you travel to avoid bringing them home with you.
Oct 26, 2023 · Vacuum regularly – Pay close attention to cracks and crevices where infestations can go unnoticed. Get a mattress protector – According to Wade, mattress protectors 'reduce the available harbourage space for bedbugs', reducing the chance of an infestation taking hold.
- 43 sec
Oct 9, 2023 · 1. Trap bugs in a vacuum cleaner. One of the easiest ways to trap visible bedbugs is in a vacuum cleaner. Run your vacuum over anywhere the bugs might be hiding, including your mattress, carpets...
- Ruth Hamilton
Jul 3, 2024 · Bed bugs in your home can decrease your quality of life, whether you have a few bed bugs or a full-blown infestation. Our guide provides instructions on how to kill bed bugs effectively with DIY methods and tips on when to call the professionals.
Apr 10, 2017 · Heating infested furniture or the entire apartment to a very high temperature—more than 100 degrees, in most cases—will kill bed bugs. If you have a hand-held steamer, blast cracks and crevices.
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Knowing specifically what you need can be a question with potentially several answers, which is one reason we provide complete packages for killing bed bugs with heat based on space size, with electric, propane, and diesel-indirect bed bug heater options.
