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Welcome to Treatment For Bed Bugs. If you are one of the increasing number of people affected by bed bugs then you have come to the right place! Here you will find all the information you need about detecting, treating and exterminating these blood sucking pests from your life.
These rusty red coloured bugs are similar in size to a lady bug and will thrive in the cracks and crevices in floors and 
walls of your home. You will also find them in the folds and creases of mattresses, sofas, chairs and soft furnishings, as well as more obscure places like electrical sockets, picture frames, smoke alarms – the list is endless. Bed bugs can climb and can cover distances of up to 100ft so when hunting them down you cannot afford to leave anything not checked.
The first sign of a problem is most likely to be the appearance of bites on exposed parts of your body e.g. legs, arms and face when you wake in the morning. These usually take on the appearance of a red rash or welts and are extremely itchy. In some cases where they have been scratched until they bleed they may become infected and require medical attention. A prescription from your doctor can usually sort out such problems. People will react to these bites in different ways – some people have no reaction at all! This may be good for them but, it can mean that a bed bug infestation can go un-noticed for quite some time making treatment more difficult.
Bed Bug Patrol – The 100% NON TOXIC Treatment For Bed Bugs
Treatment for bed bugs can vary but it is essential that swift, immediate action is taken to eliminate the infestation quickly.
Firstly you should determine that you do actually have bed bugs. This is relatively easy to do. Inspect your mattress closely particularly in any creases and folds, around buttons and handles as well as along seam lines. Don’t forget to check the box spring too. Should you have rips or holes in the fabric of your mattress or box spring this potentially will make the bed bug treatment more difficult because they will undoubtedly be living and breeding inside.
Signs of Bugs
During this inspection you are looking for live bugs and also signs of bugs such as dark spots which is faecal matter they have left behind, blood spots on bedding where bugs may have been squashed and skins which growing bugs have cast. Check around walls and floors for small cracks and crevices where the bed bugs can hide out during daylight hours. (Bed bugs are nocturnal creatures.) You will usually find dark faecal marks round such hiding places.
The most common and perhaps once the most effective treatment for bed bugs was to use an insecticide. However, great care should be taken if using these chemicals as they can be extremely toxic and hazardous especially around children and pets. The down side now is that the bed bugs have built up resistance to many of these chemicals making them less efficient.
Good housekeeping and general awareness is essential in the prevention and detection of bed bug infestations. The use of treatments such as non toxic sprays and so on should only be considered once the room has been systematically de-cluttered and thoroughly cleaned to increase the chances of a successful eradication of the bed bugs.
Here are six helpful tips:-
1. Remove all bedding and soft furnishings – you should place these in sealed plastic bags to prevent the spread of bugs to other areas of the building. All items which can be laundered should be laundered at as high a temperature as the fabrics will withstand.
2. Items which cannot be laundered can be put in a tumble dryer on a high setting for around 10 minutes. Any items which are unable to be laundered or put in a tumble dryer such as suits etc. can possibly be steam cleaned. Anything else may have to be sealed in plastic bags and discarded.
Steam Cleaner
3. All furniture should be vacuumed inside and out – this is ideal for getting rid of bed bug eggs and nymphs which are very small and not easily spotted. If possible again use a steam cleaner to kill any remaining eggs etc. Bed bugs cannot withstand heat but it must be instantaneous and somewhere around 450oC – turning the central heating up will not kill these blood suckers off.
4. Clear out any cracks and crevices, at this point a little DIY may be a good idea to seal up these hiding holes for good! Vacuum the reminder of the room -leave no piece of furniture, carpet, curtain, cushion undone! Remember to dispose of the vacuum bag immediately making sure that it is sealed. Then follow the same route in the same rigorous manner using a steam cleaner.
5. When carrying out this cleaning operation don’t forget to clean things such as picture frames and smoke alarms as well. Bed bugs will hide anywhere. Remember to get rid of any news papers, magazines etc. which may be lying around. These too should be bagged and sealed whilst in the infected room and disposed of.
6. Once you are satisfied that every corner has been cleaned your chosen treatment for bed bugs can be applied be it a spray, fossil shell dust or bed bug traps.
Bed Bug Patrol – The 100% NON TOXIC Treatment For Bed Bugs
If you are at all unsure of applying toxic chemicals yourself or if you have a particularly large infestation it is probably wise to get in professional help in the treatment of bed bugs.
There is a treatment which is completely safe to use in your home without professional pest control companies getting involved, it is non toxic and made from completely natural plant extracts. It will successfully kill bed bugs at all stages of development without staining or damaging your bedding or surfaces.
It’s Name? Bed Bug Patrol. You can even buy a full kit which gives you absolutely everything you need to kill those bed bugs! Included in the complete bed bug system are: 1 gallon of Bed Bug Patrol, 2 x 16oz fossil shell dust, 32oz Benzarid sheet sanitizer, 8 bed bug strips, an electric steam cleaner and a FREE applicator for the fossil shell dust.
kirsty // Nov 10, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Yes bed bugs can be very difficult to control without the correct knowledge its not what you use but how you use it
Nice informative website by the way
admin // Nov 8, 2011 at 10:13 am
Hi Nancy,
You have covered pretty much everything however, the rubbing alcohol you used will not kill any remaining bed bugs – it is only effective if it makes direct contact – because it evaporates very quickly.
All I can suggest is that you remain vigilant, you could put a dusting of fossil shell dust in areas where you luggage has been as a precaution. Keep a close look out for dark marks around small cracks and crevices in walls and floors (bed bug poo)or skins shed by bed bugs or small blood smears on bedding.
There is every possiblity that you have been bitten by some other type of insect. You are right about bed bugs leaving bites in lines but usually in groups of three.
Hope this helps and I hope you really are bed bug free!
Nancy Q // Nov 7, 2011 at 12:36 am
Hi, I recently went on a trip and stayed in a houseboat rental. We stayed there for 5 nights and the last morning I woke up itching my back but didn’t think much of it. We flew home, got home late and went right to sleep. 10 hours later I noticed bites on my back in a straight line which I’ve read is the tell-tale sign of bed bugs. I immediately unpacked everything, washed & dried all clothes, and the sheets/blankets on my bed. I ran to the store to get rubbing alcohol, sprayed it on my empty bags, stuffed them in giant ziploc bags, and stored them outside. I also washed the clothes that were sitting on the floor next to our bags. I then vacuumed the whole apartment and sprayed my mattress with alcohol.
I even opened the windows in my bedroom and turned off the heat in hopes to freeze and bugs overnight (it got down to 36F and I slept in the guest bedroom on the other side of the apartment). We inspected the zippers/folds in our bags and found nothing. I have not seen evidence of bed bugs, other than the bites that I got the last day of our trip. We stored our bags, inside the houseboat, about 25 feet from the bed on the hardwood floor so I’m hoping any bed bugs would not travel that far to be able to be hitchhikers! Have I done everything possible?! Is it possible that I am bed bug free? I’m worried that in the 10 hours of our bags sitting on the bedroom floor that the bugs could have escaped and spread around the apartment. Do PCPs do any preventative treatment for bed bugs? Thanks!!
admin // Oct 1, 2011 at 6:53 am
Hi Jessy,
You will not necessarily spot adult bed bugs – they are really good at hiding! When you check your bed and bed linen the first thing to look for are blood spots on sheets and the mattress. These occur when a bed bug has had its fill of blood then gets popped because you have squished it! The second thing to look for is small dark brown/black marks – these can be in the folds and creases in the mattress, along the bottom of your headboard, around buttons or handles. If you use a damp cloth to wipe these marks and they smear you definitely have bed bug poo, so bed bugs must be somewhere. Next you could check for bed bug skins which have been cast and bed bug eggs which look like grains of rice and will be attached firmly to the areas mentioned above.
If you find any of these signs it is important you start treatment ASAP. Read my article How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs – DIY
Good Luck!
jessy // Sep 30, 2011 at 8:29 am
hello, my and my husband have been getting some bug bites for about a week or 2 now and its definitely when we go to bed! i have checked our mattress and cannot seem to spot any bugs! what could this be? its so frustrating!
admin // Sep 29, 2011 at 9:38 am
Hi Hasan,
Bed bugs can be a real bugger to get rid of. You say you put all your furniture on your balcony and cleaned the house did you also clean and treat your sofa, bed etc.
The best thing to do is once again clean EVERYTHING by this I mean your mattress, sofa, bed linen, soft furnishings.
Launder everything possible at as high a temperature as the fabrics will allow, use the tumble drier on a high setting for anything which cannot be laundered. Anything you don’t need bag up in sealed plastic bags and dispose of it.
I think your problem has been that using Raid powder you have been no doubt killing the adult bugs but not the eggs so, more bugs are coming out for food. The best and least toxic way to tackle bed bugs at all levels of development is to follow these steps.
1. Vacuum everything, carpets, mattress, sofa (if your sofa has covers which unzip and come off it might be worth doing this and either laundering or putting in a hot tumble drier) make sure you get into any cracks and crevices in walls and floors. Check all the obscure places you can think of – picture frames, smoke alarms, telephones, electrical sockets etc. Be sure to empty your vacuum as soon as you finish into a plastic bag, seal in and bin it.
2. Use a good steam cleaner and repeat the whole process (if you don’t want to buy a steam cleaner you can rent one) in a methodical way. Steam is the one thing you can be sure will kill bed bug eggs. Make sure you get one which reached high temperatures quickly.
3. If you feel the need to you can always use something like fossil shell dust or a non toxic bed bug spray as an added insurance policy.
This whole process is time consuming and you may still have to carry it out more than once but it does work. Honest!
Hasan Ali // Sep 28, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Thanx for sharing. A one month ago one of mine close friend visited my home with his laptop, and he spent an whole night at my place, as the next day I found an bed bug doing jogging at my sofa seat. So I knew that its an bed bug, I wrapped the bugs in tissue and threw away, so I didn’t care much about this. Next week again the same friend visited with his laptop at my house and he spend an whole night at my place, after an few days I feel like something biting me as my whole night went terribble, I didn’t slept whole night, so I have kept my all sofa, my bed, mattress kept at my balcony, and cleaned my whole house I follow these step twice and thrice and sprayed Raid Powder every where at my house. But seem to be nothing working for me, Today its more than one months as I m facing this monster, I tried everything but I didn’t got an rid from this bloody bugs, I spend around 25 bucks on insecticide, nothing working for me. Please help me out with this situation. Sorry my comment went too long.
admin // Sep 12, 2011 at 8:39 am
Hi Yessica,
Sorry you are having such a rotten time with bed bugs.
Did the pest control company treat the whole house/apartment?
If they only did your bedroom I suspect that the bed bugs may have spread to your living room also.
If you can, get the pest control experts back but if you did not move all the books you mention you have in the bedroom before the treatment there is every possibility that they did not get all the eggs, nymphs and adult bugs.
You are going to have to totally de-clutter, my only suggestion for the books would be to try wrapping them in sealed plastic bags. Alternatively, they will have to leave the comfort of your books to eat so you might want to put a dusting of fossil shell dust on the floor.
If I were you I would clear the room (bagging and sealing everything tightly as you go) then vacuum everything, launder everything you can at as high a temperature as you can, then steam clean the whole room using a steam cleaner. You can use a non toxic bed bug spray as well as a sort of insurance policy. I would not stop at the bedroom either, systematically work through the whole house – remember to be extremely careful not to transfer bugs from one room to another.
Yessica // Sep 12, 2011 at 7:27 am
Hi,
. i brought the RAID same day and sprayed on my bed and we both slept on our living room. we still got bitten by bed bugs. So we got a professional help from a company last thrusday and today is Saturday and we still get a bite .. IS that normal? we have dryied all our cloth amd put in a plastic bags and kept in living room. does it gonna get infected? we have piles of book in our bed room we cannot throw them my fiance need it.. what shud i do with those books?
Its been a month that we went for vacation to San Francisco. unfortunetly , me and and my fiance brought stupid bed bug with us. Before that we both have never expericened or seen bed bugs. we couldn’t sleep all night due to the bites all this time we thought that we have some kind of allergies. After 2 weeks i found a small bug running on my blanket. we did research and found that it was a bed bug
Sorry its a long comments but i am so stressed out.. I am a full time student and server.. I am so so worried abt this bed bugs ruining my sleeps..
thanks plz help me out
admin // Sep 6, 2011 at 8:50 am
Hi Maria,
It certainly looks like you have brought some unwelcome guests home with you. You could certainly try wrapping the chair in plastic and putting it outside in the sun alternatively you might consider using a steam cleaner (if you don’t want to buy one of these you should be able to hire one fairly cheaply) Completely de-clutter your room and get rid of anything you don’t need or want then vacuum EVERYTHING then use a steam cleaner following the same route then as an insurance policy spray with a good non toxic bed bug spray. You could also try fossil shell dust, a light dusting of this on carpets etc. will kill any bugs you might have missed.
To be on the safe side I would treat the whole house again and remain vigilant.
Did you check any items you had with you other than your clothes? Make sure you check purses, bags etc. as well.
Good
Maria // Sep 5, 2011 at 12:00 pm
I clean condos and just found bedbugs in one of them. We threw out all the bedding, and they are having the unit professionally heat treated. When I came home I threw my clothes straight in the drier in case any hitch hikers came with me. I had to go back to let the exterminator in for an estimate and I didn’t touch anything, so when came home it didn’t cross my mind to put the clothes in the drier right away. I sat in my recliner chair all evening. I hardly slept because I kept waking up paranoid there were bugs crawling on me. The next day I vacuumed the recliner chair and the whole house out of paranoia. All day I felt like things were crawling on me, but was sure it was just paranoia. That night I was sitting in the recliner and again felt something crawling and when I looked there was a bite. Tonight same thing and 2 more bites. So now I am afraid I really did bring one home with me! I have inspected the chair over and over and can’t find anything but there are lots of places to hide in a recliner. So saying there really is a bed bug(s) in the chair, if I put it outside wrapped in black trash bags will it really get hot enough to kill them? The avg temp here is in the mid 80′s, with very strong direct sunlight. What else should I do to prevent them from spreading (if it hasn’t already in 2 days). The chair sits on carpet. Sorry this comment was so long, but I am freaking out that they will spread and infest everything and I can’t afford that heat treatment. Thanks!!
admin // Aug 22, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Hi Rachel,
If you have visually checked your son’s mattress and there were no signs of bed bugs you should be OK. As a precaution you could vacuum the mattress thoroughly and then use a steam cleaner on it which will kill off bed bugs at all stages of development, (you don’t want to use chemicals around babies) I’m also pretty sure that you can buy mattress covers to fit this size. Make sure you clean and treat everything you are taking to your new home thoroughly before you take it into your new place. I would also have a good look round any cracks and crevices etc. in your new place – just as an insurance policy!
The bed bugs you have now probably have not come from your mattress if it has been sealed for a couple of years because they will only survive for a year without food.
I hope you will be happy and bed bug free in your new home!
rachel // Aug 19, 2011 at 9:09 am
Hi, im moving soon n i was planning on throwing my mattress away since a couple of yrs ago i had bedbugs n the exterminators sealed my mattress but with time the plastic sealed ripped now i have bedbugs again i threw my mattress out but i want 2 save my sons cribb i checked 4 any bug poop n there isnt any but i kno they multiply fast n hide well is it safe 2 take the cribb? i kno the clothes can b washed im just worried about my cribb n tables please help
admin // Aug 18, 2011 at 3:33 pm
I’m sorry, I don’t really know which tablets you are referring to.
Check out by article How to Kill Bed Bugs – 5 Simple Steps
Hope this helps
admin // Aug 18, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Firstly, if it was only one bed bug there may not be any need to panic. Certainly putting clothing in a tumble dryer on a high heat will kill off any other bugs.
Check bags and suitcases carefully – preferably not in the house clean them (if at all possible) using disinfectant then spray them with a bed bug killer or wrap them in plastic and sit them out doors if it is a hot day. The second place you need to check carefully is the room where the bags were unpacked and the laundry area.
Vacuum regularly getting into every crack and crevice, inspect your bedding and mattress too look for small blood smears or tiny brownish marks which smear when wiped with a damp cloth (this is bed bug poo). You might want to consider using a dusting of fossil shell dust on floors etc as an insurance policy as this will kill bed bugs on contact.
Vigilance is your best option right now – you might never see another bed bug – lets hope
anand // Aug 18, 2011 at 11:15 am
Recently two month back, high dose tablets were kept for killing bed bugs with fully sealed. for 24 hrs. Though i found bed bugs in my home. any other solution please suggest?
Amanda // Aug 17, 2011 at 4:24 pm
My boyfriend’s son just came back from camp. We just did his laundry and when we were folding it at home. We saw a bed bug! We had just wash and dried everything. I guess we need to at least dry everything on high again and inspect the house. My son’s mother is freaking out saying she wants us to buy all new luggage. I hope that is not necessary. What do you recommend? Thanks!
admin // Aug 17, 2011 at 6:10 am
Hi Amanda,
Yes, rubbing alcohol will kill bed bugs on contact however, it will evaporate quickly so will not remain on the surface for long to kill additional bugs. If you are going to use alcohol you will have to re-re-apply continually. Best to launder everything you can at as high a temperature as you can, de-clutter and dispose of unwanted items in sealed plastic bags then systematically vacuum the whole apartment – I mean beds, furniture, soft furniture along baseboards, get into every corner! (be sure to get rid of the vacuum bag immediately and seal it in a plastic bag) Then if you can repeat the whole process using a good high temperature, low vapor steam cleaner (if you don’t want to buy one I’m sure you could hire one) then as an insurance policy use a good non toxic bed bug spray or some fossil shell dust.
Amanda Fagundo // Aug 16, 2011 at 11:09 pm
My little sister has welt size bites on her arms and legs. I have sprayed my whole apartment with alcohol. Will this help a little bit??
admin // Aug 5, 2011 at 6:11 am
There is always the possibility that there will be the odd adult bed bug or even the odd bed bug egg (which will hatch) left behind by any extermination. You could get something like fossil shell dust which you can sprinkle around any cracks and crevices, along your bed frame etc. If your mattress is not in such good condition it can be difficult to treat bed bugs inside it so maybe a mattress encasement would work, or just have a good bed bug spray at the ready. However, due to the fact that you have paid good money to have your infestation sorted call the company and insist they come back if you continue to be bitten!
Hope this is helpful!
irena // Aug 4, 2011 at 11:41 am
Had the professionals come Monday and treat ,.. I have three new bites on Wednesday??? What should I do?
admin // Aug 2, 2011 at 5:20 am
Thanks for sharing!
andrea // Aug 2, 2011 at 2:58 am
yes yes bed bugs do go in hair( pillows and beds
go togother right! anyways went to the hospital for some unknown infection for 9days with
104 fever 2 blood sugar 4 days later the doctor
suggested I used NIX cream rinse brought over the count er used it ,blow dryed my hair and 6 to
7 fell in the bathroom sink died they were about
7days old the doctor confirmed it sorry to tell you buy the NIX CREME RINSE at the pramacy
admin // Jul 31, 2011 at 7:44 am
Hi Lori,
Sorry to hear your child is suffering so much at the hands of bed bugs.
Your plan might just do the trick. What about the child’s mattress? – you said you had gotten rid of yours.
If it is in good condition I would buy a bed bug proof mattress encasement which will prevent more bugs getting in and keep any bugs which are inside from biting and they will eventually die. I would still be very careful when you come to remove your belongings from the storage unit – in case there are bed bug eggs which have been left unaffected by your bug bomb and may hatch in your new place.
Vacuum everything thoroughly and launder all your clothing at as high a temperature as fabrics will withstand. If possible use a steam cleaner once you have vacuumed all of your remaining soft furnishings, I would also use a good bed bug spray as an insurance policy. As for your child’s toys – hard plastic items will be fine – I’d give them a wash with disinfectant – but soft, cuddly toys may not be. If you can launder these I would do it – if not try a steam cleaner otherwise it may be safest to discard them.
Hope this helps!
lori // Jul 31, 2011 at 5:34 am
i have a bed bug problem at my apt complex which is “being treated” but my 2 year old is still getting bites head to toe!! i am going to just move but i want to know what i should and should’nt bring with … i have already thrown away my bed and couches, and i got a storage unit which is out doors and living in phoenix it gets really hot so i am going to leave everything else in there for a few weeks with the heat and throw some bed bug bombs i got from wal-mart in there too….do you think this will get rid of whatever might be in the rest of my belongings??? like my children’s toys and stuff?? errrrr this is driving me nuts!!
admin // Jul 26, 2011 at 6:29 am
Just be careful not to end up with an infestation in your car!
TJ // Jul 26, 2011 at 3:35 am
Woodrow,
Before bringing luggage home, I would keepit in a car for a day or two. Try to park the car in sunny spots so temperature gets really high. Wash clothes in hot water and dry at high temp. For rest of items bag them and keep in a car for a few days, or inspect very well before bringing inside. I hope this helps.
admin // Jul 19, 2011 at 10:51 am
Firstly she should check EVERYTHING carefully before leaving the hotel and if possible place it in sealed plastic bags. On arrival it is probably best not to take baggage into the house until it has been thoroughly checked and treated with a bed bug killer.
Take the sealed plastic bags to the laundry area and launder everything at as high a temperature as fabrics will allow. For items which cannot be laundered put them in a tumble dryer on a high setting for around 10 minutes or use a steam cleaner on them. Make sure you clean and disinfect all surfaces after you are done – it only takes one stray bed bug to cause an infestation.
It may help to read my article Bed Bugs In Hotels – Travellers Beware!
admin // Jul 19, 2011 at 10:44 am
Hi Allisha,
Hopefully you have caught this infestation early. Firstly talk to your boyfriends landlord – he may get professional exterminators in who will assess the extent of the infestation and treat accordingly. If not read my article Bed Bug Extermination – Do It Yourself which will explain what you need to do and give you some idea of the products available.
As for not taking them home with you, check every item of clothing, bags, purses etc carefully whilst at the flat. Place all clothing in sealed plastic bags and do not re-open them until you get home and can launder them at as high a temperature as fabrics will allow.
I honestly haven’t heard of bed bugs living in hair but they do climb and travel so placing your belongings on a high shelf really might not do much good , particularly in it is in a dark closet where bed bugs might hide out during daylight hours.
Fumigation is usually a last resort of the infestation is major and would undoubtedly mean your boyfriend leaving his flat for a few days.
I hope this helps.
Allisha // Jul 19, 2011 at 8:07 am
Hi there, I suspect bedbugs in my boyfriends apartment. I spotted the first one crawling across me about a week ago while I was sitting in a chair in his livingroom. (GROSS!) We squished it thinking it was something else and it had blood inside it. Then we found the second one tonight crawling across the bed. Ontop of the sheet. Which I think may have been transferd from me laying on the couch. We trapped it inside a container and are showing it to his landlord tomorrow. I haven’t noticed any bites yet, I am worried about my clothing and belongings getting infested so I have hidden them up ontop of a high shelf far from the ground. What should I do to prevent myself from bringing these back home to my house? Can Bed Bugs live in hair? I cannot sleep now because I am so paranoid of something crawling on me in the night. How long does it take to fully fumigate an apartment? Please help!!