Getting rid of Bedbugs

While at home this past weekend for Thanksgiving I was visiting with a family member who brought up the subject of getting rid of bed bugs. He needed a FREE bed bug inspection for his workplace. He is the director of a large hospital in the upper Midwest and said that they had their first case of Bedbugs this past summer. Bedbugs are here to stay and the likely hood of crossing paths with an infestation is more likely than not. Here in Austin Tx and in the surrounding communities, calls come into pest control companies daily asking questions about getting rid of Bedbugs. Bedbugs are transferred by people and anytime people travel there is going to be a risk of picking up the hitchhikers in dirty cloths, luggage, shopping bags or anything else that may have landed on the floor during travels. Therefor I think my first suggestion as far as getting rid of Bedbugs would be to avoid gettingthem in the first place. Whether traveling for the holidays, school or for work, a little precaution can go a long way. Remember hotels all over the country and even locally including Austin, Round Rock, and the rest of Central Texas, are battling these pests and they typically don’t even realize they have a problem until a guest points it out. Before unpacking anywhere there are measures you can take to protect yourself and loved ones.

1. Place luggage and other belongings in the bath tub
2. With a small flashlight, inspect the mattress, head boards and frames for bedbugs and spotting.
3. Luggage should remain in the tub as much as possible or at least on a table. Never on the floor!
4. Dirty clothes should be placed in a bag that can be sealed until it can be laundered.
5. When you get home these items go straight to the laundry where they can be laundered at the highest possible temperature setting.

If/when you do feel that you have bedbugs at home, contact a pest professionaland get an inspection with a written plan of action. They can be controlled and in most cases eliminated. Remember the first step in control is prevention. I recommend too that you not take a price quote over the phone for these pests. Only a trained professional can identify the severity of the infestation and only by inspecting can the professional prescribe the correct plan of action for elimination. If you have questions please post them here so others can learn from them as well and thanks for following The Bug Master blogs.