bed bugs are becoming a real problem with all the travel that people do these days. Here are some precautions.
The first step to dealing with bed bugs is to locate all of their hiding places:
Furniture, particularly bedroom furniture must be inspected carefully, even to the point of dismantling the bed for easier inspection and possible treatment. Check the mattress and boxspring carefully, particularly the seams and dust cover on the underside of the boxspring.
Check under and behind other pieces of furniture, such as chairs, couches, dressers, etc. It may be necessary to remove the dust covers on the undersides of chairs and couches. Pull drawers out of dressers, inspect them carefully and examine the interior of the dresser. Check under lamps on nightstands.
Remove and inspect objects, such as pictures, mirrors, curtains, etc., that are hung or mounted on walls.
Check obvious cracks and crevices along the baseboards, particularly the back framing pieces.
Inspect torn or loose wallpaper and decorative borders.
Check clothing and other item stored in areas where bed bugs have been found.
If you have traveled recently, even in the last few months, carefully check your luggage as well as the closet/storage area where luggage is kept.
Check attics, eaves and roof overhangs for signs of bat or bird activity. Remove old nesting material. If you have bats roosting in your attic, contact a pest control company or wildlife damage control company in your area for assistance.
The next step is to treat the possible daytime hiding places of bed bugs. Such applications are best done as a "crack and crevice" treatments to gaps around baseboards and other such items. Insecticidal dust formulations provide long residual in these locations. Pesticide applications to furniture, particularly mattresses, should be limited (and perhaps done by a pest control professional). Use products that are labeled for application to carpeting and furniture. Many times the first application does not seem to give complete or immediate control. Additional treatments may be necessary in 1 to 2 days. Examples of such pesticides can be found in the NC Agricultural Chemicals Manual . Always read the label and follow directions and safety precautions.
Wash bed linen in hot soapy water and dry in a clothes dryer set to the highest settingthat will not damage the items.
If you're concerned about stuffed toys concealing bed bugs, they can be put in the clothes dryer for 30-45 minutes. Do not apply pesticides to children's toys.
For infested mattresses and boxsprings, a possible non-chemical alternative is to have the mattress sanitized. Contact your county health department office to find out if there is a certified mattress sanitizer located in your vicinity.
Keep bed headboards away from the wall.
Don't allow bed linen and covers touch the floor providing bed bugs with additional access points to the bed.
Put double-side adhesive tape or a one-inch band of petroleum jelly around the legs of beds (about 2" up). These barriers will help trap bed bugs that might crawl up the bed legs from nearby areas and may indicate that you need to do further investigation of nearby areas.
If you decide to discard your mattress, wrap it in plastic first so you can prevent bed bugs from crawling onto you while you carry it. Take the mattress and boxspring to a landfill or make sure that they are picked up quickly by your trash collection service. Mattress sets that are left besides dumpsters or out on lawns to be picked up may actually be picked up by someone else who then inherits your problem.