When most people think about bed bugs, their minds focus on unkempt rooms in squalid living conditions. Unfortunately, bed bugs are not that particular as to where they live. Any home – no matter the level of cleanliness – can be a haven for bed bugs. Bed bug control in Des Moines is
not something a homeowner can tackle with a can of bug spray from a big box store. These pests require professional eradication from a company like Pro-Staff.
How do you know you have bed bugs in your home?
Bed bugs are problematic because they cause sores, itching, and great irritation. On a positive note, they do not spread disease. Most homes become infested with bed bugs after a family member returns from a trip. Bed bugs hitch rides on clothing, on the outside of suitcases, or on
any surface where they can burrow. Because they are only 5mm in length (about the size and color of an apple seed), they are difficult to see. Eggs are even more difficult to detect since they are clear or white and the size of a pinhead. Most people recognize the presence of bed bugs when they have unexplained patches of irritated skin when they wake in the morning.
Eliminating bed bugs
Many professional companies are touting heat treatment to stop bed bugs. This works to treat adults, nymphs, and eggs. A follow-up treatment is necessary, but it’s often not offered. Pro Staff has the experience to find where bed bugs hide and treat those areas with a specific treatment program for each home.
Bed bug treatment has remained unchanged for decades, and these pests have grown resistant to many pesticides. Pro-Staff utilizes Apprehend, a natural, non-toxic, commercial grade insecticide along with heat, steam, and/or vacuum treatments. Your home’s level of infestation along with its size will determine the course of action.
How does heat kill bed bugs?
The narrow range of temperatures for bed bugs to thrive gives a non-toxic treatment program such as heat or steam the advantage of eradicating these pests without chemicals. Professional treatment companies such as Pro-Staff will give homeowners instructions on what to remove from the house (family members and pets) and how long the house needs to be evacuated. Usually, family members are able to return after 4 hours.
Once areas have been heated, steamed, and/or vacuumed, it will still require a pesticide treatment since heat has no residual effects. Treatment generally includes a contact insecticide for surfaces, a residual insecticide for out of sight areas (beneath furniture, under mattresses, between floors and walls), and a dust insecticide for tiny crevices and outlets.
This initial treatment will kill the majority of bed bugs, but most infestations require multiple treatments.
Why can’t I kill bed bugs myself?
The insecticides used to kill bed bugs are potent. Many states will not sell these chemicals to anyone other than trained pest control professionals.
Finding the source of the infestation is extremely difficult since bed bugs are tiny and hide in wall outlets, behind wallpaper, in tiny cracks, or in the wood on your bed’s headboard. Female bed bugs are prolific egg layers, so missing one bed bug in your home extermination project leads to another infestation.
The bed bug treatments available in many stores are too ineffective to eradicate most infestations. You need the professionals at Pro-Staff to eliminate all your bed bugs. Contact the bed bug control in Des Moines team at 515 279-PEST (7378).
