TERMITE CONTROL, ROACH CONTROL, AND BEDBUG TREATMENT SPECIALIST IN MARYLAND

American Pest Control

Bedbug Treatments
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Sleeptight Bedbug Guide
  1. Steam and Heat Treatment

    What it is: Steam and heat maintained at 120 degrees and applied precisely to infested areas. Equipment to sustain these high temperatures should only be used by professionals.

    Why it is problematic: The process needs to be as dry as possible so that items do not get soaked, making them subject to mildew. The steam produced by carpet cleaners or clothing steamers does not reach high enough temperature to kill them. It is expensive, multiple treatments are needed, articles can be damaged by heat, and it has only 80-85% success rate after 2-3 treatments. This targeted treatment works best for small infestations of bedbugs and eggs but leaves no residual to kill the offspring of unhatched eggs or bedbugs coming from other places in the room or the residence.
     

  2. Bedlam

    What it is: Pest control operators may mention a product named Bedlam (access limited to licensed pest control operators). It is an aerosol, and it does kill bedbugs. It has to be applied directly on infested area and is limited to spot treatments in cracks and crevices, tufts, and folds of mattresses.

    Why it is problematic: Multiple treatments are recommended. The label states that you should clean and air out the mattress before the treatment. Based on what we know about how easily eggs are knocked loose, unnecessary movement of furniture and mattresses is not wise, as it can spread the infestation. Bedlam is a limited or targeted treatment-the infestation must hit right on, and the homeowner must hope that there has been little spread of eggs and bedbugs.
     

  3. Fumigation

    What it is: Fumigation involves covering the entire house with a tent and infusing it with a lethal gas.

    Why it is problematic: Consider how intense the gas must be to permeate an entire house and penetrate a mattress and box springs. It is pretty extreme, wildly expensive, and not available in all areas. It is such a dangerous process that few insurers will cover it.
     

  4. Spot Treatment

    What it is: Treating only the room or bed that is known to be infested.

    Why it is problematic: Bedbugs can be in other rooms whose occupant may not be sensitive to bites or does not realize he/she is being bitten. In addition, many materials used to treat bedbugs are repellant, so bedbugs will flee into other rooms where there is no residual protection. It may seem cheaper initially, but spot treatment usually has a limited guarantee, if any, and additional treatments will come at additional cost to you. You could be fighting bedbugs in new rooms and over an extended period of time. A lower initial cost may look tempting, but it will keep adding up. So, ask yourself whether you can tolerate getting bitten over a period of several months.
     

  5. The Bedbug-proof Mattress Cover

    What it is: A removable cover that is supposed to protect your mattress from infestation or keep infestation from exiting the cover.

    Why it is problematic:

    1. We know that throwing away or replacing the mattress does not rid you of infestation, so covering up the problem will not help either. The mattress is only one piece of furniture. There are too many other places where bedbugs can live and hide.

    2. Every mattress cover is not bedbug-proof. The seams and closure have to be very tight because bedbugs easily walk through the seams of the mattress.

    3. Bedbugs can go for long periods without feeding, so you shouldn't take off the mattress cover for a year. And this assumes that there are no crevices or exit points in the mattress cover that a skinny, hungry bedbug couldn't get through in response to repeated exposure to the enticing aroma of your exhalation. The value of mattress cover is that it might restore your sense of cleanliness or newness-after the infestation has been officially eliminated.

For more information about our bedbug treatment, please contact us.
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