If you’ve woken up in the middle of the night to irritating bites on your body, you probably already know the cause: bedbugs. While a bedbug infestation understandably instills a sense of horror, the pest control technicians at Cox Termite & Pest Control in Savannah, GA, offer extermination services as well as advice to help you combat these pesky infiltrators. 

If You Have Bedbugs, Follow These 3 Steps

1. Stop the Biting

Your first job is to end your immediate discomfort. If bedbugs can’t feed on your blood, they won’t be able to breed.  Start curbing the infestation  by removing all the blankets, sheets, and pillowcases from your bed and securing them in a plastic garbage bag to prevent the bedbugs from spreading to other areas of your home. Wash and dry them on the hottest settings available to kill the bugs and their eggs, then thoroughly vacuum your mattress, box springs, pillows, bed frame, and headboard.  Discard vacuum bag outside of your home.  Follow up by using a steamer to kill any remaining eggs and bugs.  Finally, place your dry mattress and box springs in sealed mattress covers and keep them on for at least 18 months to prevent another outbreak.

2. Steam & Clean

Bedbugs could be lingering in other areas of your home. To prevent them from thriving, clean up and reduce clutter. Clear the floor of books, clothes, and other items susceptible to containing bedbugs and seal them in garbage bags. Wash and dry all your clothes on the highest heat setting and vacuum and steam-clean baseboards, windowsills, carpet edges, shelves, and your closet. Treat items that can’t be washed, such as books, luggage, and shoes, with a bedbug heater; your local pest control professional can help you determine if this is best or whether another option is more feasible.

3. Spray, Protect, & Prevent 

For best results in dealing with bedbugs, call a local pest control service after completing these tasks. They can ensure you killed all the bugs and will devise an effective strategy for keeping them away.  A professional should apply high-quality contact and residual sprays or powders to virtually every surface in your home and reapply them in two weeks.

If you’ve been affected by bedbugs, don’t worry — the insect control experts at Cox Termite & Pest Control will remove all traces of them from your home and keep them from coming back. To learn more about their services for dealing with everything from termite and flea extermination to rodent control, call (912) 236-2503 or visit their website.