Having bed bugs in the apartment can be a nightmare for any homeowner. Getting rid of those bed bugs can often be an ordeal. In this article, we will tell you all about how to prevent bed bugs in an apartment and other related questions you might have in mind.
What kind of bugs can you find in your apartment?
Bed bugs are those tiny bugs which feed off human blood. They can latch on to your skin and suck your blood, causing allergies and even spreading infection along the way. To be able to prevent bed bugs from getting in your home, you need to know the types of bed bugs you can find. The kinds of bed bugs you can find in your apartment are:
- Tropical bed bugs – these bed bugs feed on human blood, and you can usually see them in tropical regions.
- Bat bugs- these bed bugs mostly feed on bats; however, they can also feed on humans if the primary source of food is not present.
Where can you find bed bugs?
Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers! It means that you might not have any bed bugs in your apartment, to begin with, but you can transport them into your apartment via your clothes, shoes, your suitcase or even your body!
In your apartment, you can find bed bugs almost anywhere! However, they are typically hiding in your mattress; hence, the name – bed bugs. They can also be found hiding in small spaces, holes, cracks, and crevices, where they can quickly come out during the night to feed on their host. If you know where bed bugs can hide, you can easily prevent bed bugs from spreading in your home.
Are bed bugs dangerous?
While bed bugs cannot cause diseases to humans through their bites, they can still cause reactions to your body. Some of the most common signs to bed bug bites are:
- Painful, burning sensations
- Small, itchy red bumps
- Blisters or hives
- Larger bumps with a white center
- Allergic reactions
- Popular eruptions
- Flu-like symptoms
- Increased risk of infections due to broken skin
- Sleep deprivation due to constant irritation
How to inspect for bugs in your apartment?
Before you think about bed bug prevention, you need to check if you already have some in your home.
Bed bugs are dependent on you, the human host, so typically, you would find bed bugs in areas where you sleep. Bed bugs mostly live in clusters; however, there can be lone bed bugs found living away from their group as well.
The best way to inspect for bed bugs is to do a thorough search in areas where you sleep. It means that you should look under your mattress, behind the wallpapers, clocks, desks, chairs, shoeboxes, and the cracks of your floors and walls.
You should also inspect your bed sheets. Any dark smears or small blood stains can indicate that bed bugs have been feeding.
Finally, the best way to inspect for bed bugs is to call for a professional inspection. Sometimes, bed bugs can hide in such small crevices that it could be near impossible for you to find them by yourself. A thorough, professional inspection can help you in this matter.
How to prevent bugs in your apartment?
Bed bugs can occur at any time, to any home. However, there are a few things you can do to prevent bed bugs from infecting your apartment. These home remedies are a first solution to avoiding bed bugs in your apartment, after which of course, you should seek professional help if the bed bug problem occurs.
- It is essential to clean your bedding regularly, as bed bugs can exist in between your bed sheets and mattress without you even knowing about it. Vacuum your bed more often, and launder your bed sheets in hot water with a good disinfectant.
- Do not pick out second-hand furniture, as they are more likely to have bed bugs living in the cracks and crevices.
- Bed bugs can crawl into power outlets to avoid extermination. You can cover all your power outlets to prevent them from having a hiding place.
- Identify the early signs of bed bugs and have a treatment plan ready.
- Cut back on any clutter. Bed bugs thrive in messy rooms. Any small spaces they find, they will infest it. Keep all your clutter to a minimum, especially the clutter under your beds. Remove all old shoe boxes and keep your room clean with a disinfectant.
- A bed bug encasement is a large sack with an attached zipper. This large sack is big enough to wrap around mattresses. If you suspect that bed bugs have infested your mattress, you can use this encasement to prevent the bed bugs from escaping till you can find a treatment plan to kill them. The encasement can also be used on a treated mattress to prevent new bed bugs from infesting it.
- Bed bug interceptors are also a great way of catching and preventing bed bugs from climbing up your bed. The interceptor contains two rings. As bed bugs try to climb up your bed from the floors, they will fall into these rings and stay there trapped.
- Seal all cracks and crevices that you can find at home. Bed bugs have a way of hiding so cleverly that you will not be able to locate them.
- If you have pets in the house, it is crucial to inspect their fur and keep your pets clean regularly. Bed bugs can often enter your home via your pets.
- Use an orange peel to repel bugs:
In case you have bed bugs what to do
- Bed bug interceptors are also a great way of catching and preventing bed bugs from climbing up your bed. The interceptor has two rings. As bed bugs try to climb up your bed from the floors, they will fall into these rings.
- You can use a hand steamer to run over your luggage and upholstery to kill any eggs and bed bugs residing there.
- If your walls, furniture, or even beds have any cracks in them, it is important to seal them immediately. By filling up the wall cracks, you will prevent bed bugs from entering and building up colonies.
- Just like heat, cold also works in killing bed bugs at any stage, be it an egg, or an adult stage. You can expose your furniture to cold treatment, and if this does not work in killing all the bugs, it would at least immobilize the insects till you can figure out another treatment plan for them.
