controlling bed bugs in Bakersfield

Controlling Bed Bugs Using Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Controlling bed bugs in Bakersfield takes time and patience for sure. The biology of bed bugs dictates this, since they reproduce very quickly and their eggs are resistant to many methods of pest control, both non-chemical & chemical.

Here is a non chemical was suggested by the epa

Non-Chemical Methods

  • Put bedding and clothing in the dryer at high temperatures for 30 minutes to kill bed bugs (just general washing will most likely not kill bed bugs ).
  • Heat infested things (e.g., sofas, chairs, benches,  furniture, baggage, other items that can’t go in a clothes dryer) and/or areas (i.e., a room in a house or apartment, or a whole house) to at least 120 ºF (approx. 49 ºC) for 90 minutes to ensure that eggs are killed.
    • The higher the temperature, the shorter the time needed to kill bed bugs at all life stages.
    • This is often done using a heat-generating device or in a specially constructed heating unit, some of which are portable.
  • Cold treatments (below 0 ºF (-19 ºC) for at least 4 days) can eliminate some infestations.
    • The cooler the temperature, the less time needed to kill bed bugs.
    • Home freezers may not cold enough to reliably kill bed bugs. Always use a thermometer to measure the temperature.
    • Read more at Using Freezing Conditions to Kill Bed Bugs Exit
  • Use mattress, box spring, and pillow encasements to trap bed bugs and help detect infestations.
  • Use monitoring devices to ensure that the bed bugs have been truly eradicated.
  • See the “do-it-yourself” steps for more details on methods to reduce and control bed bug populations.

Bed bugs, bed-bugs, or bedbugs[2] are parasitic insects of the cimicid family that feed exclusively on blood. Cimex lectularius, the common bed bug, is the best known, as it prefers to feed on human blood. Other Cimex species specialize in other animals, e.g., bat bugs, such as Cimex pipistrelli (Europe), Cimex pilosellus (western US), and Cimex adjunctus (entire eastern US).[3]

The name “bed bug” derives from the preferred habitat of Cimex lectularius: warm houses and especially nearby or inside of beds and bedding or other sleep areas. Bed bugs are mainly active at night, but are not exclusively nocturnal. They usually feed on their hosts without being noticed.[4][5][5][6]

A number of adverse health effects may result from bed bug bites, including skin rashes, psychological effects, and allergic symptoms.[7] They are not known to transmit any pathogens as disease vectors. Certain signs and symptoms suggest the presence of bed bugs; finding the insects confirms the diagnosis.

Bed bugs have been known as human parasites for thousands of years.[8] At a point in the early 1940s, they were mostly eradicated in the developed world, but have increased in prevalence since 1995, likely due to pesticide resistance.[9][10] Because infestation of human habitats has been on the increase, bed bug bites and related conditions have been on the rise as well.[8][11]