There can be nothing worse than having your bedroom infested with bed bugs. These are insects that are minuscule but which can turn your sleep into a complete nightmare if they are not dealt with right at the very outset of their entry into your room. The bites of bed bugs are often itchy and at times may be poisonous for you too, especially if you are prone to allergic reactions.

How to detect a bed bug infestation

A bed bug is tiny and is often invisible to the naked eye. It is also commonly able to hide in any crack or crevice, thus making it somewhat difficult for you to detect it in the first place. However, signs of any bed bug infestation may be found in bedding and mattresses. A bed bug usually tends to leave small clusters of black or dark brown very dry excrements over the areas that it infests. The insect is also known to exude a musty, sweet and subtle odor at the time of its presence in the room.

If you are wondering what bed bugs look like, then you need to remember that these insects have flat, oval-shaped and small bodies and are usually wingless. An adult bed bug can, of course, have some vestiges of wings known as wing pads but these don’t develop fully into any functional wings. The adult bed bug is also an insect that is brown, and its body tends to become very red right after feeding.

Bed bug bites tend to have a zigzag pattern and appear to be small raised or flat areas that later become very red due to pain and inflammation. The bites have a high concentration of anticoagulant that determines how a person responds to such a bite. When you search for pictures, bed bug bites photos are available online that can better provide you with an idea of how such bites look like.

How can a bed bug infestation be prevented

The following measures can help you in preventing an infestation.

Clean and examine second-hand furniture

You should avoid using second-hand furniture and inspect these if you already have them in your home, for bed bug infestation. You should clean such furniture using disinfectants to keep them free from bed bug infestation.

Declutter

Try to keep your house as clutter free as possible. The less the clutter, the less will be the space for any bed bug to hide and infest that area.

Hire the services of a pest management professional

Getting a pest management control professional to come and control the infestation of bed bugs in your home can turn out to be quite effective. Such professionals have the expertise needed to root out bed bugs from your home permanently and often use eco-friendly chemicals and other substances to do their work.

Apply heat treatment

You could heat infested clothing or bedding articles or furniture items that are being attacked by bed bugs for at least an hour or more with the temperature kept to around 113 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature needs to be kept as high as possible for the bed bug to be killed quickly and easily.

Use cold treatment

You can also use many cold treatments to reduce bed bug infestation in your room. The bed sheets, pillows and other articles infested with bed bugs has to be placed in a room where the temperature is kept at below zero degrees Fahrenheit and that too for at least four days. Again, the colder the temperature in the room, the less will be the time required to kill the bed bugs.

Take recourse to chemical control

Opting for chemical control can turn out to be rather effective for combating bed bug infestation in your room. Most pesticides available for pest termination are registered by the EPA and are safe to use. There are specific pesticides that are available for controlling bed bug infestations on mattresses, on floors, and on bed sheets, so you need to take your pick accordingly.

Remove bed bugs physically

It is possible to remove any bed bug from your room physically by cleaning out all the pieces of furniture that are infested with bugs and getting the bed linen and pillows washed quite rigorously. Using hot or cold water during the cleaning process can be a good idea as extreme temperatures are seen to quite detrimental to the existence of any bed bug.

A bed bug infestation can be quite problematic and at times even menacing. By keeping your bedroom clean and clutter free, by being vigilant concerning the appearance of any bed bug and by using efficient chemical and nonchemical solutions for its extermination you can keep your bedroom from being infested by bed bugs at any time.