In recent years, the U.S. has experienced a resurgence of bed bug cases after nearly half a century. Although they tend to concentrate around urban areas (New York and Philadelphia in particular), bed bugs have also been spotted in Ohio and New Jersey. The main cause has been attributed to a resistance of common pesticides used against bed bugs, which encourages them to grow and spread, harming humans and pets with their itchy bites.
Homeowners are forever looking for ways on how to kill bed bugs at home without resorting to toxic chemicals like propoxur, which in 2009, was considered the only chemical effective enough to kill bed bugs. The Environmental Protection Agency has yet to approve the use of the chemical indoors, as it has been considered a probable carcinogen and banned since 2007. However, when the situation gets desperate, people will start turning to anything that can help them figure out how to kill bed bugs at home. Here are a few tips on how to get rid of bed bugs without compromising the safety of your home.
Heat Control
Bed bugs hate the heat. While the heat itself doesn’t rid of every single bed bug, it does draw them out from their hiding places for easy identification. Closing the windows and turning up the thermostat to over 90 degrees isn’t something some homeowners would subject themselves to (especially during the summer!) but it can be considered a last resort in bed bug control. Concentrating heating lamps as well as steamers over a particular spot can also draw out the bed bugs and even kill most of them on the spot.
Furniture Fumigation
Despite their name, bed bugs are not partial to beds; they can nest in sofa cushions and pillows, especially between the cracks. While some homeowners would simply prefer to get rid of the infected furniture altogether, some will try fumigating it to see if they can get rid of the bed bugs while salvaging the piece. Fumigation uses pyrethrin, a type of insecticide that can be “bombed” to fog certain areas and kill any pest that comes into contact with it. It does require quite a bit of set up and some hefty expenses to execute, but again, it is another option in pest control against bed bugs.
Ultimately, however, professional pest control agents have the best knowledge on how to kill bed bugs at home, so before initiating an attack plan on your own, consult with a professional to get a solid and well-informed start.