What WON’T work
Though these might sound like good ideas, they will not be effective in getting rid of bedbugs and killing the eggs that will bring on more.
- Leaving an infested space unoccupied. Finding another place to sleep while a bed bug infestation is being treated is not a bad idea. But vacating a home without any intervention by a PMP will not reduce a bed bug problem. Bed bugs can lay dormant for up to a year and a half.
- Sticky monitors. Glue traps that are used to snare other insects, like cockroaches, have not been shown to be effective at detecting small to moderate bed bug infestations.
- Fumigation. A fumigation may kill living bed bugs, but will not prevent reinfestation. This process also tends to be impractical, costly and unnecessary.
- ULV, aerosols, foggers. These methods may kill visible bugs, but they are not usually intended to work on bed bugs and won’t be successful at controlling a bed bug population. Check the labels and research any products that you buy in the store or on the Internet to see if it is intended to eradicate bed bugs.
- Raising or lowering a thermostat. Even though heat and cold can kill bed bugs, the extremes that are necessary for that to be effective are not in the range of what a home thermostat can do.
More in this section:
- Cooperate with the exterminator
- Get rid of the bed bugs that you find
- Laundry
- Sealing cracks
- Furniture and uphosltery
- Who pays for extermination?
- What WON’T work
- Don’t give up!