Bed bug is one of the most difficult pests to control. To completely get rid of them is an almost impossible task largely because of their vast numbers and insanely fast reproduction cycle, plus, they are everywhere! The worst part is, when they are in larval form, they are immune to numerous kinds of treatment. To effectively control them will require a number of endeavors and it can take weeks and even months to see the result, depending on the extent of the infestation; ergo, a one-time treatment job will not do them justice.
For better control of bed bugs, we must first identify and inspect the infestation area. Necessary treatment will be carried out upon detection of the infested area (What sort of treatment are we talking about here? We’ll come to that later below). Items that are infested with bed bugs but cannot be treated must be isolated and placed in a sealed plastic bag until the bed bugs in it are dead (well, the period of time it takes for such isolation and the demise of the bugs varies and can take up to a year!). An alternative is to dispose of the infested things (if they are not so valuable to you), seal them up and place them in the trash can.
There are few methods to treat bed bugs:
(i) Non-chemical treatment – “Expose” the bed bugs to high degree of heat or extreme cold temperature at 0o F. Seal the items infested with bed bugs in a black plastic bag and place the bag under direct sunlight or place it in a fridge for 4 days; if the temperature of your refrigerator is not set to 0o F, it will have no effect in killing the bed bugs. Such methods won’t be able to help you to totally eliminate the bed bugs but their numbers can be reduced.
(ii) Chemical treatment – Engage a pest control professional who will use different kinds of chemical to properly control the bed bug infestation. However, treating bed bugs is a long-term monitoring process which will require cooperation between both parties, i.e. the customer and the pest controller, and each must do his or her part in properly controlling the infestation of bed bugs.
(iii) Gadget – Place bed bug interceptors under the legs of furniture for catching bed bugs and preventing them from climbing up to the furniture as well.
References:
http://www2.epa.gov/bedbugs/do-it-yourself-bed-bug-control#identify
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/picture-of-bedbugs (image source only)
http://www2.epa.gov/bedbugs/bed-bugs-appearance-and-life-cycle (image source only)