Knowing you have bed bugs in your home is a distressing and frustrating experience. And while you may be tempted to deal with the infestation yourself, it’s best to call in a professional exterminator right away. With this article, we’ll dive into why hiring a professional bed bug exterminator makes a lot more sense than trying (and failing) at DIY insect control.
What Causes Bed Bugs to Infest a Home?
Understanding what causes bed bugs to invade a home is important before looking into ways to remove them. Most issues begin with accidentally transporting bed bugs from one location to another. This could be from your luggage after a vacation, bringing a secondhand mattress into your home, or from an infested public area such as movie theaters or libraries. Bed bugs are also very hardy and resilient creatures, so if there is even a small opening or crack in your walls or furniture, they can also find their way into your home.
Once inside, these insects quickly reproduce and begin to spread across the house without any warning signs until you notice bites, fecal spots, and other signs of an infestation. To protect yourself from this common but troublesome problem, hiring a certified professional exterminator is important to get rid of those pesky bed bugs before they worsen the situation.
The Dangers of DIY Bed Bug Treatments vs Hiring A Professional Bed Bug Exterminator
We get it—professional bed bug extermination can be expensive, laborious, and overwhelming. DIY treatments may sound like a more appealing option. After all, countless bed bug products are available in home improvement stores and online, promising an easy solution to your bed bug problem.
But here’s the thing: DIY solutions provide no guarantee of success and in some cases, can even make the problem worse. For example, some do-it-yourself pest control products may only kill adult bed bugs. But if their eggs have already been laid, they won’t make any difference to the existing infestation since the eggs will survive and hatch later on—hence why it’s so important to get an experienced professional exterminator involved right away.
Not only that, but some DIY treatments don’t target bed bugs at all! Home insect repellants or sprays are meant for other pests, such as mosquitoes or spiders but have been mislabelled as being a one-size-fits-all solution for any bug infestation. Plus, they mask the problem rather than truly rid your home of these critters.
Reasons to Hire a Professional Bed Bug Exterminator
When it comes to bed bug extermination, you want the job done quickly and thoroughly—and that’s why hiring a professional may be a good idea. Here are a few reasons why:
Expertise & Experience
- Bed bugs are tricky critters and can be hard to get rid of. That’s why an experienced professional exterminator is the best choice for bed bug infestations. Exterminators know exactly where to look for bed bugs and have the expertise to apply treatments that target your specific type of infestation. They also come prepared with specialized equipment and products to efficiently eliminate unwanted visitors.
Safety
- Another great reason to hire a professional exterminator is safety—they’ll take all the necessary precautions to ensure that any treatments used won’t harm your family or pets. Additionally, they have access to treatments that are unavailable over the counter, so they’ll be able to effectively target the issue with as little disruption as possible.
Convenience
- Finally, professional exterminators can make life easier for you by taking care of all aspects of the extermination process—from inspection and identification to treatment and follow-up visits. This can save you time searching for DIY solutions or navigating over-the-counter chemical treatments that might not even work!
What to Expect From a Professional Bed Bug Exterminator
When you hire a professional bed bug exterminator, you can expect top-notch service. But what does that mean?
Dedicated People
- Professionals know what to look for and how to think like a bed bug—they know their habits and behaviors, so they’re better equipped to find those bugs before they do too much damage. A professional will take the time to get to know the problem and develop a plan of attack tailored specifically to your home.
The Right Tools
- Not only are professional exterminators experienced, but they also have access to the right tools and equipment to tackle the job. From proper protective clothing, steamers, vacuums, and insecticides, they have all the necessary tools to get rid of bed bugs from your home efficiently.
Quick Results
- Bed bug infestations can be tricky business and require a certain level of expertise for efficient extermination. Professionals not only know about methods for getting rid of them but also how long it will take for those methods to work—so you can trust them when they say it will take four weeks or whatever time frame they give you—you’ll know it’s accurate!
When you hire a professional exterminator, they have the know-how to use more effective treatments than DIY methods.
Treatments Used by Professional Bed Bug Exterminator
Heat Treatment
- For one, professionals will often use heat treatments that can reach every nook and cranny of your home. This works by applying penetrative heat to kill bed bugs without using chemicals. The heat will also reach mattress seams and electronic devices, targeting hidden bed bugs where they hide.
Chemical Treatments
- Another type of treatment used by professional exterminators is chemical treatments such as steam and liquid pesticides. These are designed to penetrate furniture and walls, targeting bed bug eggs that may not be exposed to the surface. Professional exterminators know how to use these products safely while ensuring they meet EPA safety standards.
Prevention Tips for Keeping Bed Bugs Away
One of the best things you can do to keep bed bugs away is to be aware of prevention tips. A professional exterminator will be able to offer valuable advice, such as:
- Vacuum and steam clean your mattress, box spring, and other furniture regularly
- Check secondhand furniture before bringing it into your home
- Store all clothes and linens in sealed plastic bags
- Inspect beds and surrounding furniture for signs of bed bugs
- Dispose of all infested items immediately
Following these recommendations can drastically reduce the chances of getting a bed bug infestation. Furthermore, a professional exterminator will also use specialized equipment and products designed specifically to completely eradicate bed bugs from your home.
Conclusion
In conclusion, bed bug infestations can be a tremendous burden if you don’t have the right resources to manage them and are unsure what you’re dealing with. A professional, experienced bed bug exterminator can help you get rid of bed bugs most efficiently and safely.
