WHY YOU CANNOT TRUST DIY BED BUG CONTROL

The Case For Professional Bed Bug Extermination

We live in the do-it-yourself age. There are instructional videos on pretty much everything, and those videos are just a few clicks away. If you want to build a chair from scratch, no problem! If you want to figure out how to weld the leaky pipes in your basement, you can. And if you want to know how to get rid of bed bugs, you have only to ask the Great and All-Knowing Internet for the answer. But this can come with a few pitfalls. Let's take a look at them.

Everyone's An Expert

It is hard to know who to trust when you go to the internet for bed bug treatment options. You may have some success if you look for technical papers written by college students and faculty but, most of the time, what do we do? We look for the simple page that gives us all the answers we want, in a quick and digestible format. The problem with those pages is that they are designed by people who know how to organize information. They're not pest control experts. And even a URL that has an .edu at the end isn't a promise of reliable information. Just because someone can dissect a bed bug and tell you all its parts doesn't mean they know anything about exterminating them.

Some Bed Bug Treatments Don't Work

There are a few bed bug tips given by bed bug "experts" that don't work at all. This is actually what makes bed bug DIY so frustrating. But here are a few that might fit this category:

• Moth Balls: If you're hoping that the smell of mothballs will drive bed bugs out of your home, you might want to think again. Bed bugs don't live in the wild. They live almost exclusively with humans.
• Ultrasonic Devices: It might seem like a good idea to drive bugs away with an irritating sound, but this has the same issue as mothballs. If the sound drives bed bugs away, the most you're going to accomplish is to drive them deep into your walls--only to have them return later to bite you.
• Bed Bug Poisons: There are many things that kill bed bugs. Some of them are even considered least-toxic for humans. But killing bed bugs doesn't stop an infestation. These insects learn where danger is and find ways to avoid it.
• Cleaning: While bed bugs are not drawn to filthy environments, they are able to thrive in clutter. If you reduce clutter in your home, it will make it easier for you to figure out where these bugs are living, but it will do little to nothing to stop your infestation.  

Even The Stuff That Works Doesn't Work

There are many treatment options that work to exterminate bed bugs such as pesticides, heat, steam, mattress encasements, bed bug interceptors, fumigation, and more. When applied by a trained and experienced professional, they can be used to stop a bed bug infestation within a structure. When applied by an untrained individual, a wide range of issues can arise. At best, the bed bugs will elude the treatments and the infestation will continue. At worst, DIY treatments can lead to sickness, a loss of property, and a loss of human life.

Why do bed bugs evade the treatments? These insects have been living with us since the dawn of time. They're really good at avoiding our attempts to kill them. And, if your efforts have any success at all, you may just drive the bugs to go deep into your walls and wait to come back out. A bed bug can go months without a blood meal. There is little or no chance you're going to beat them at this game.

Professionals know how to locate these bugs using state-of-the-art resources like K9 Inspectors. This makes it possible for mattress and box spring encasements and the targeted use of EPA-registered products to completely rid a structure of bed bugs.

When bed bugs appear, call a professional. Bed bugs are tormenting and pernicious pests. If you're in our South Carolina service area, let Aiken Pest Control help. We use industry-leading pest control products and methods to ensure the complete extermination of bed bugs and other household pests. Reach out to us today for a free inspection.