The first sign that you have bed bugs is when you wake up with a rash. It will be lots of small red marks on your body. They are likely to be itchy and you may even see specks of red or brown in your bed.
Bed bugs aren’t known to carry any disease but they can be very irritating and will even leave you fearful of going to sleep at night. The fact that they multiply quickly means that if you don’t find pest control near you fast, you’re going to have a lot of bite marks.
Bed bugs come out at night and target you while you sleep. They consume your blood but not in enough quantity to cause you health issues. The problem isn’t just that they multiply fast, they are also small and very good at hiding.
Most people bring bed bugs home after staying in a hotel or somewhere similar, the bugs are adept at hitchhiking and will come to your house on, your clothes or in a bag.
Identifying you have an issue is the first step and you’ll need to get professional help to ensure all of them are eliminated. But, there are some things that kill bedbugs that you can try, alongside professional treatment.
Alcohol
This doesn’t mean buying a bottle of whiskey. You need diluted rubbing alcohol. This type of alcohol evaporates very quickly, making it safer to use. Simply wipe it on all the surfaces where you may have bed bugs.
You can also put the rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray your room. It’s worth paying particular attention to folds and creases in upholstery, especially your bed and any other furniture you have in your room.
Bed bugs will run and hide from the spray.
That’s why it is estimated to be 50% effective at removing bed bugs. But, it is a good starting point.
Essential Oils
Another effective approach, and one that has been used for hundreds of years, is to use essential oils.
They have been shown to effectively kill bed bugs instantly.
You’ll need to choose your preferred essential oil, they all suffocate the bed bugs. It is best to place a few drops of the oil in a spray bottle with water. Again, you’ll want to spray all the areas where bed bugs could be hiding, especially creases and folds.
However, while essential oils and alcohol will kill bedbugs on contact, the problem is that you must make direct contact with the bedbugs. That can be very difficult to achieve as they hide and multiply quickly.
In addition, neither alcohol nor essential oils appear to be effective against bed bugs in the baby stage.
To eliminate all the bed bugs you will need to treat your room daily and keep up the treatment for several weeks until you are sure they have all been eliminated. It is best for your effectiveness and your sanity to get expert help.