Category: Pest Control

Bed bugs can be found in upholstered furniture other than beds; in closets; in dressers; behind wallpaper or loose wall hangings; and in rooms adjoining host sleeping areas. A heavy infestation may emit a foul odor.

To prevent or reduce an infestation, keep clutter to a minimum and regularly vacuum and launder bedding, pillows, sheets and clothing. Apply diatomaceous earth (DE) to new harborages during follow-up inspections. Connect with Bed Bug Control Boise for reliable help.

85% of bed bug infestations are found in beds, so thorough inspections and treatment of these areas should be the first step. Bed bugs are very small and can easily hide in crevices, cracks, and folds, so a careful inspection should include examining the seams of mattresses and box springs, under baseboards, in carpets, and behind wallpaper. Bed bugs also live in upholstered furniture other than beds, especially chairs and sofas. It’s important to regularly vacuum these pieces as well as inspect the seams and corners and to wash or heat-treat them when they are infested.

Other prevention measures include avoiding second-hand items, washing bedding and clothing at high temperatures, encasing mattresses and box springs, treating upholstered furniture with steam or chemical pesticides, and using interceptors. These nonchemical strategies must be combined with a rigorous cleaning and sanitation program, a continuous monitoring/detection program, and ongoing treatment of infested areas.

Professional pest control services are necessary to address serious infestations and to ensure that the problem has been eradicated. Trained pest management professionals have access to effective insecticides that aren’t available over the counter and have the experience to apply them correctly. For example, over-the-counter total-release aerosol foggers aren’t suitable for use against bed bugs because they can spread the insects and their eggs around the home, not kill them.

A bed bug infestation can be extremely difficult to eradicate once it has taken hold. Infestations of this severity often require several professional pest control treatments and the cooperation of a client. Infestations in hotels, furnished apartments, dormitories, homeless shelters, and other institutions must be managed aggressively to prevent the spread of the pests to other rooms or to off-site locations.

Regular inspections and treatment of bed bug harborage sites will help to reduce the size of an infestation, but the nocturnal nature of these insects means they can quickly repopulate after treatment. The key to long-term success is combining pesticide applications with a comprehensive program of infestation prevention, including regular cleaning and decluttering, and sealing up hiding places. In some cases, a heat chamber is an option for furniture that can’t be treated with steam or chemicals because of its design and construction.

Detecting Infestations

Bed bugs are defenseless insects and do not fly or jump, but they can crawl a long way to get from room to room. They prefer to live close to their feeding area, which is why they tend to be found around mattresses and beds. They can also hide in dressers and nightstands, under rugs and carpeting, in cracks and crevices in baseboards and walls, and under couches and reclining chairs.

The best way to find these insects is to regularly check areas where they tend to spend their time. This will give you the best chance of detecting an infestation early, before it becomes widespread. Look for shed skins and dark red stains on bedding, pillows, mattress covers, and sheets. These are all signs of a bed bug infestation.

While you’re inspecting, take note of any suspicious odors in the area. In some cases, bed bugs can produce a foul smell that’s similar to rotting flesh. If you notice this odor, it may be time to call your pest control company.

Once you’ve detected an infestation, you need to make your home inhospitable for the bugs. You should purchase protective covers that completely seal your mattresses and box springs. This will prevent the bugs from escaping and it will also keep new ones from entering. You should also place interceptor traps under the legs of infested furniture. These traps will catch the bugs as they try to escape and kill them.

You should also make sure to vacuum thoroughly, starting in areas around the beds and then moving on to other parts of the house. Use a nozzle attachment and carefully search along seams, creases, folds, and tufts of the mattress. Then, carefully vacuum all other areas, such as the nooks and crannies of your bed frame, headboard, and baseboards. You should also carefully vacuum upholstered furniture, especially the cushions and seams of couches and reclining chairs.

Don’t resort to “bug bombs” or other total release foggers for pest control. These chemicals can be toxic and pose serious health risks. For best results, always consult your professional pest control company for advice on how to treat an infestation and what items can and can’t be treated.

Treating Infestations

If bed bugs are found, the best approach to dealing with them is to engage a professional pest control company for treatment. These companies are the best-equipped to thoroughly check, treat and follow up after a treatment.

Before the treatment, remove as much of the clutter from the rooms where bed bug infestations are suspected. This includes books, magazines, clothing and other items that are often found in these places.

Vacuum the area thoroughly, paying special attention to mattress seams and cracks. Make sure to remove the vacuum bag and dispose of it in a garbage receptacle outside. Also, make sure to vacuum any furniture that is close to the bed, especially if it has a crack.

Wash all bedding, clothing and other fabrics that can be washed in hot water or dried in a high heat setting (such as a household dryer at the highest setting for 30 minutes). Be sure to dry any sheets, pillowcases, comforters, etc. immediately after washing in order to kill any surviving bed bugs and eggs.

Place a bed bug interceptor under each leg of the bed (available in home stores and online). These are small plastic traps designed to capture any bed bugs that try to crawl up the legs of the bed. Inspect and clean the interceptors daily, replacing them as necessary.

Use a spray, powder or insecticide that is registered for use on bed bugs and labeled accordingly. The EPA provides a search tool to help locate a registered product. In general, the least toxic methods are preferred to avoid exposing family members to harmful chemicals.

Infestations that cannot be treated with the above measures may need to be removed and disposed of. Heavily infested mattresses, for instance, are typically not salvageable and must be discarded. Similarly, heavily infested furniture should be wrapped in trash bags and marked so that other people are not likely to pick it up and bring the bugs into their homes. This is particularly important since bed bugs are skilled at hitchhiking from one home to another. To avoid this, do not take used furniture from a store or from someone else’s house.

Post-Treatment Maintenance

Identifying bed bugs and arranging for treatment are just the beginning of managing these tenacious pests. Proper post-treatment maintenance is vital to long-term control and prevention of recurrence.

The first step in post-treatment maintenance is to carefully examine the treatment area. The inspection should be conducted using a hand-magnifying lens to better detect bugs and their eggs. Look for dark spots of dried bug excrement, light-colored shed skins (which can be easily mistaken for dust) and aggregations of hatched bed bug eggs. Also, note the presence of a foul, rotting or bloody odor that can be indicative of a serious infestation.

Once an infestation has been identified, the suspected area should be quarantined in order to prevent unintended spread. This should include blocking off access to the infested room, bedroom or home. It should also include limiting access to other rooms or areas of the property, as well as limiting the number of people allowed to visit the affected areas. This will help to prevent the unintentional movement of infested furniture, bedding or clothing to other locations.

Prior to the day of treatment, declutter and organize the living areas to make them less attractive hiding places for the pests. Remove items from closets, under beds, in drawers and other hidden areas and double bag them (remembering to keep the bags closed until the contents can be carefully treated, cleaned or inspected). Clear surfaces will allow the pest control technicians to reach all areas of the home during treatment and will reduce the amount of time needed for the treatment to be completed.

Be sure to carefully read and follow all pesticide label safety directions. It is important that everyone in the home understands and follows these directions to minimize exposure to chemicals. It is also crucial to not attempt DIY treatments, as these can have the opposite effect and actually exacerbate the problem.

Vacate the premises during treatment and stay away for 4 hours or more, depending on the type of pesticide being used. If you need to take children or pets out of the treatment area, plan for them to stay at a friend’s house during this time. Finally, be sure to properly dispose of any infested furniture or second-hand goods that are being removed from your home. These should be placed in a dumpster or clearly marked as infested so that others will not unknowingly bring them into their homes.

Pests can damage plants, crops, and property and affect human health. Control methods include prevention, suppression, and eradication.

Natural enemies and barriers can also help control pest populations. In some situations, releasing biological agents to control pests can be an effective and economical method of Pest Control. Contact Pest Control Columbia MO now!

Preventing pests before they damage plants is the most desirable and environmentally sound approach to managing pest problems. This requires learning about the specific pest, its behavior, and control options before any attempt is made to eliminate it. It also means keeping an eye out for early warning signs, such as new insect activity or the appearance of dead twigs in a shrub.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices are designed to reduce the use of pesticides and other chemical controls. They focus on long-term prevention of pests and their damage through habitat manipulation, cultural change, and resistant plant varieties. Less than 1 percent of all insect species are considered harmful, and most insects provide useful services such as pollination, decomposition of organic matter and food for predators.

Most pests have natural enemies that help keep their populations in check. These include predators(link is external) and parasitoids(link is external). Predators are insects that hunt and kill other organisms, including pests; for example, lady beetles eat aphids. Parasitoids are insects that lay eggs into the bodies of other insects, such as caterpillars, killing them from within. Many pathogens – bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses – suppress the populations of pest insects by attacking their tissues or internal systems.

Another way to reduce pest populations is through the use of biological control agents(link is external). These are microorganisms, such as nematodes, bacteria and fungi, that attack and kill pests without harming people or pets. Many are designed to target a particular type of insect. Bacillus thuringiensis, for example, manages caterpillars by producing a toxin that destroys the insect’s midgut. Biological management agents are usually applied when caterpillars are young, in the early summer.

Clutter provides places for pests to breed and hide. Regularly cleaning and repairing the outside of your home, removing stacks of wood and other debris that can harbor pests, is an important preventive measure. You can also seal up cracks and crevices, caulk around window frames and doors, and repair leaky plumbing to keep pests out of your house. Keep in mind that most pests aren’t just annoying; they can cause health, safety and property damage. Some pests carry diseases such as hantavirus, leptospirosis and Salmonella.

Suppression

Pests can damage plants, crops and ornamentals in gardens and homes as well as in commercial or agricultural settings. A number of pest control practices aim to keep pest populations below what is considered an unacceptable level. They do this by preventing or controlling the growth and reproduction of the unwanted organism. These practices include scouting and monitoring, using physical barriers to prevent pest entry, changing the environment of the pest, releasing natural enemies or applying chemical control agents.

Observing and monitoring pests is a good way to determine the extent of the problem. This is known as threshold-based decision making and involves assessing whether the pests are doing enough damage to warrant action. For example, a few wasps visiting your garden may not warrant any pest control. But if you find that they are nesting in your home or on your vegetable patch, it is time to take action.

Some pests are very difficult to control by means of scouting and monitoring alone, and in these cases chemical pesticides may be used. Often, chemical pest control practices are applied in combination with physical or biological controls to maximize effectiveness and minimize exposure to people and pets.

Preventative pest control practices reduce the number of pests in a garden, yard or greenhouse by keeping them away from the plants they want to destroy. Some of these preventive measures include removing any plant material that the pests could use for shelter or breeding, and sealing any cracks or crevices where they could enter. Keeping the area free of clutter also helps, since pests can hide in it or underneath it.

Biological control agents or natural enemies, are insects and other organisms that feed on or parasitize pests to reduce their numbers. These organisms are generally not affected by the same environmental factors as the pests they target and are effective against specific species of pests. For example, the predatory mite Amblysieus swirskii feeds on several different mite pests in orchards and greenhouses, and the parasitic nematode Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki kills harmful soil grubs and greenhouse whiteflies.

Eradication

The goal of eradication is the permanent removal of a pest from an environment. It can be achieved through preventative measures, but also through physical barriers and trapping, chemical treatments and removing infested plant material. Eradication is most commonly attempted in outdoor settings, such as crops, but can also be pursued in enclosed areas, such as houses and schools. It is difficult to achieve and is often expensive, but it can be a necessary step if a pest poses an immediate threat to human health or the viability of a crop.

Pesticides are the most common way to eliminate unwanted insects, but they are not without risk. Repeated use of a pesticide can lead to the evolution of resistant populations. Rotating pesticides, using non-chemical controls when possible, and employing preventive practices can help reduce the development of resistance.

Chemicals may also be used in combination with biological or cultural methods to improve their effectiveness. Microbial control agents, such as the natural bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), can be an effective, eco-friendly option for killing insects. These organisms occur naturally in soil and can be developed into strains that target specific types of insects, including beetles, flies, and mosquitoes.

Parasitic nematodes are another organic option for controlling pests, as they are small roundworms that live inside unwanted insects and feed on their internal organs. This method is also more environmentally friendly than other pesticides, as the parasite does not affect other species and it does not leave a toxic residue.

Biological control involves the introduction of natural predators, parasites and pathogens to a pest population, reducing it by attacking or infecting it. The best-known example of this is the release of sterile males to eradicate fruit flies, but there are many other examples.

Physical control methods aim to change a pest’s environment by making it unsuitable or inhospitable. This can be done through obstructive landscaping, planting crops that deter pests, or creating diversionary elements such as a wood pile that draws pests away from crops. It can also include physical exclusion, such as sealing cracks and holes that allow pests to enter a structure or building.

Controlling Natural Forces

Pests are unwanted organisms (insects, weeds, bacteria, nematodes, viruses, or vertebrate animals) that damage crops, trees, forests, lawns, food stores, buildings, or other structures and degrade terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Pests also negatively affect human health, cause economic losses, and displace desirable plant and animal species.

Pest control methods include preventing, suppressing, and eliminating pests. Prevention is based on reducing or eliminating environmental factors that encourage pest infestations. Suppression relies on using control tactics while pest numbers are low to reduce pest damage. Eradication is the complete destruction of an established pest population. Preventive and suppression strategies are more commonly used in outdoor pest situations. In indoor pest situations, eradication is the goal.

Natural enemies of insects and other pests injure, consume, or parasitize pests to control their populations. Natural enemies also alter the environment to make it unsuitable for pests. For example, soil nematodes can decrease the number of insect pests by eating them. Water, sunlight, and weather can have a direct influence on the size of some pest populations. For example, a mountain range or a large body of water can restrict the movement of many pests.

Physical or mechanical controls kill pests directly or block them from a location. Traps, screens, fences, nets, radiation, heat, and electricity all can be used to kill or keep pests from an area. Cultural practices and environmental modifications also can be used to reduce or prevent pests. For example, mulches help control weeds and steam sterilization can control diseases in some crops.

Threshold-based decision-making involves assessing the severity of pest problems and determining when to initiate control efforts. This involves examining the pests, the damage they are doing, and the environmental conditions that encouraged their growth. For example, noticing a few Japanese beetles flying around doesn’t necessarily warrant action; however, if the same pests are continually present in increasing numbers and causing significant damage, a trap crop or spraying may be appropriate. In addition, it’s important to consider whether the pests are continuous (nearly always present) or sporadic and migratory.