If the repellent product does not list bed bugs on the label, you should first check with your state pesticide regulatory agency to see if these repellents are allowed to be used for protection against bed bugs. Commercial insect repellents containing DEET for repelling ticks and biting insects are also helpful for preventing bed bugs when applied to outer surface of clothing (Figure 8). DEET treated fabric is repellent to bed bugs (Wang et al. Preventing bed bugs is a primary concern for those who need to visit bed bug-infested homes. Be careful - steam may damage finished furniture surfaces and some fabrics such as microfiber. Reapply steam every few days until no bed bugs are found based on a combination of visual bed bug trap inspections. Apply steam directly under the furniture to kill bed bugs that fell to the floor after treating the furniture. Move the steamer slowly when bed bugs are hiding in cracks or behind fabric. A towel may be placed on the steamer head if there is concern that bed bugs may be blown away by the steam. Apply steam along sofa seams, crevices and corners on bed frame, mattress edges, and corners where bed bugs may hide. If frequent use or treatment of large areas is needed, a high capacity steamer that costs between $100–$1,300 is recommended. A small steam machine (such as HAAN steam cleaning sanitizer) only costs about $75 (Figure 5). A recent study shows both consumer-grade and professional-grade steamers can effectively kill bed bugs (Wang et al. The high temperature of steam (near 212☏ or 100☌) will kill bed bugs instantly. Left: HAAN HS-20R handheld steam cleaner Right: Applying steam to a sofa. These items usually cannot be treated with insecticides.įigure 5. Frequent washing or hot dyring is essential for eradicating bed bugs that are hiding in clothing, bed sheets, pillow cases, blankets, and other washable fabric materials. Drying cycles alone or in combination with washing with a hot water cycle are effective in killing bed bug eggs and mobile stages (Naylor and Boase 2010). Inspect the traps every 1–2 weeks to determine if bed bugs are still present and where they are distributed. Placement of traps away from beds and furniture along the room perimeters and at the corners of rooms is also helpful in reducing bed bug infestations. A recent study shows traps alone detected 95% of the infestations in a building-wide bed bug inspection (Cooper et al. Traps can be placed beside the upholstered furniture if no furniture legs are present or the furniture legs are too large. Placing traps under the furniture legs is more effective than visual inspection for detecting bed bugs. A one-bedroom apartment may need about 8–12 traps. Pitfall style traps such as shown in Figure 3 have been shown to be a cost-effective tool for detecting bed bugs and reducing bed bug bites while the infestation is being treated. Many bed bug traps are available to help detect bed bugs.
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