How To Get Rid Of Bedbugs In My Home

Bed bugs are sneaky household pests. They hide in areas like cracks in floors, carpets, beds, and upholstered furniture, and these tiny nocturnal wingless insects will happily feast on your blood as you sleep.
They also multiply fast. You might think that the odd bedbug is a problem that can be easily eradicated, but if it's a female that typically lays between one and five eggs each day, you can see how you could easily end up with an infestation in your home. That's why finding and eradicating them all before that happens is so important.
So how do you get rid of bed bugs in your home? Here's our handy guide.
How do they get in?
First things first, you need to know how these sneaky pests get in to your home. Unlike fleas, bed bugs usually travel into homes on people and prefer to feed on human hosts rather than on pets.
Bed bugs usually get in on personal belongings like:
Luggage
Handbags
Gym bags
They can also hitch a ride on your clothing.
If you're struggling to think of where you might have picked them up, it may be hard to narrow it down, because bed bugs can infest pretty much anywhere from offices to hotels and more.
Breeding cycles
So as we mentioned, seeing the odd bed bug in your home might not feel like a huge cause for concern, but because they breed so fast, you can have an infestation on your hands before you know it.
Female bed bugs lay between one and five eggs per day and these hatch in as little as two weeks. The young bed bugs that emerge are called nymphs, and they are yellowish-white in colour, and take five weeks to reach maturity. When they become adults, bed bugs take on a brownish hue which becomes red due to the blood they take in when they feed. Adults tend to feed once per week and their life span is around four to six months. A female bed bug can lay 500 eggs in its lifetime, which can result in your home becoming infested with thousands of offspring.
Problems associated with bed bugs being in the home
The main problem with bed bugs is that they bite, and infections or allergic reactions can occur, especially in children, older people, and those with weaker immune systems. Even if you don't experience any serious problems from bites, they can be very itchy and the skin can become irritated.
Do I really need to get rid of bed bugs?
Okay, so you see a bed bug, or maybe a few bed bugs in your home. You might consider:
A) Googling how to get rid of bed bugs and buying a few products to try and get rid of them yourself.
B) Contacting a pest control company to come and get rid of them for you.
C) Hoping that those one or two bed bugs won't become a problem and doing nothing.
Take it from us, C is not an option. If you spot one bug, it's likely that there are more in your home. Because a female can lay up to 5 eggs per day, that means in just three months, you'd have a possible infestation of 100 bedbugs and more than 1000 nymphs and eggs.
Solutions
The DIY route
While it is possible to get rid of bedbugs with DIY options, it's definitely not easy, and you need to be prepared for weeks and weeks of spraying chemicals, as well as constant checking, vacuuming, and washing bedding and clothing.
You also need to make sure that when it comes to choosing products, you choose one that specifically targets bedbugs and is maybe non-toxic if you're going to be using it in areas where you and your family sleep. Check out Contego Home Shield for professional standard non-toxic products that will help you tackle your bed bug problem.
The professional route
Of course, the most effective way to bring an infestation under control is to use the services of a professional pest control company. They'll inspect your home for signs of infestation and check whether it's actually bed bugs you are dealing with, then recommend an appropriate treatment.
Cost of DIY vs professional service
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