The Best Way To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs In Your Lake Norman Home

Beds Full Of Bugs

Bed bugs are tiny, flat, reddish-brown insects that are nearly round when unfed and elongated after eating. These bugs are very good at concealing themselves, squeezing in between everything from carpet and rug fibers to kitchen appliances to electronic devices like computers. Because of this, an infestation can fly under the radar for weeks and even months, quietly growing until it’s already well-established by the time you figure out what’s going on.

Common DIY  (Do It Yourself) Treatments

There are a lot of treatments home and business owners can try to get rid of an infestation. However, one thing to remember is it’s important to use these treatments as soon as you see a bed bug. DIY solutions only have a chance of being effective against a small number of bed bugs, and they might help you nip a new infestation in the bud before it grows into a bigger problem. Try treatments like:

• Isopropyl Alcohol: Spraying bed bugs directly with a solution of 90+ percent rubbing alcohol will kill them on contact. The only problem with this is you have to find each bed bug and squirt it. You can’t just spray your mattress down or you might leave a lot of bugs behind.
• High Temperatures: Steam cleaning your mattress and washing and drying your bedding at temperatures above 140 degrees Fahrenheit will kill bed bugs. Just ensure when you’re steaming that you are getting all the folds and creases in your mattress.
• Diatomaceous Earth: Diatomaceous earth (DE) is made of tiny, fossilized algae called diatoms. Insecticidal DE will shred bed bugs and peel off the outer coating on their exoskeletons when they walk over it. Sprinkling a good coating of DE over your mattress and vacuuming it up after 24 hours can kill bed bugs.

The problem with these and other DIY treatments is they’re only effective at getting rid of a few bed bugs in a limited number of spots. You can’t steam clean or sprinkle DE over your whole house. Also, since bed bugs hide everywhere, their numbers are usually a lot higher than you realize. Like roaches, for every bed bug you see, there are probably fifty you don’t. That means when you use DE or alcohol to get the bugs out of your bed, you’re just making room for bugs in other parts of your house to move into your bed. Fortunately, there’s a better way.

A Better Way To Beat Bed Bugs

Because bed bugs hide so well, breed quickly, live a long time and can go months without feeding, bed bug infestations can become endemic throughout your home while you’re none the wiser. What’s worse, bed bugs are becoming more and more resistant to common chemical insecticides that used to kill them, meaning even store-bought bombs and foggers probably won’t work on your infestation. That’s why it’s better to call the pros.

Here at Lake Norman Pest Control, we’ve got over 50 years of experience telling the bed bugs to bug off. Our family-friendly, pet-safe extermination treatments are much more effective than DIY methods at eliminating bed bugs and making sure they stay gone for good. Our Green Pledge also means you can rest assured that our pesticide products are EPA reduced risk and safe for the environment. So give us a call at 704-663-6440 or visit our contact page at Lake Norman Pest Control to schedule your inspection today.