Have you been waking up in the morning itching, thinking you have been bitten by mosquitoes? You may want to peel back those bedsheets and search your mattress for bed bugs Fort Myers. These tiny creatures turn red after feeding on your blood, and they tend to multiply in record numbers.
Signs of Infestation
First of all, if you wake up with itchy red bumps that you didn’t have before you went to sleep, that is one indication that you may have bed bugs. This may be particularly true if you acquired a used bed or couch around the time that this itchiness began.
Look for blood stains on your pillowcases or sheets, as well as rusty-looking spots on your walls and pajamas. Keep an eye out for shed skins or eggshells in areas where bed bugs may hide. You also may notice a musty odor.
If you suspect an infestation, take the dust cover off the box springs and inspect the wood frame carefully. Also, examine any objects in the area around the bed, such as books and radios.
Treatments for Bedbugs
To get rid of bed bugs, you need to clean up the places where they live. You may want to throw out your mattress and get a new one. However, unless you get rid of bed bugs in the rest of the home, they will infest your new mattress too.
Everything from your bedding, curtains, linens and clothing should be washed in hot water and then dried on the highest setting. Vacuum your bed and the area around it often. After you are finished vacuuming, immediately put the vacuum bag in a plastic sack and place it outside in the garbage can.
You should carefully put your box spring and mattress into an insect-proof zippered bag to prevent bedbugs from entering or escaping. Be sure to keep the mattress cover on for at least a year because bed bugs can survive this long without feeding. Eliminate any clutter around your bed.
Extermination of Bedbugs
This process is helpful in controlling bed bugs but not eliminating them. To get rid of them for good, you need professional chemical treatments. Since it can be harmful to treat your bedroom area with insecticides, it is best to leave this procedure up to the experts. A mattress and bedding should not be cared for with any chemical unless the label indicates that it can specifically be used on bedding.