What really kills bedbugs?

What was the procedure that you used? Two years????

2 years? I have never seen a home remedy work, you must call in the pros.

I have a friend that has had the same issue and they just don't die, she has had exterminator out there several times , cleared her house out and washed everything serveral time in very very hot water and they still reappear, I hear the best and only way to rid your house of them is by using the heat treatment, and although it is expensive it is truly the only way to kill them

Ridding a home from bed bugs takes contacting a professional.

They are the worst bugs on the planete. They can go up to 3 years without food and lay in wait until a warm bloodded creature happens by. If you own your own home call the pros. It is expensive and not full proof. After the pros you will need to be very vigilant. Extreme heat will do away with them but it will take a long time and we are talking about heat over 250F. You will have to empty every box, drawer, closet and cupboard and wash everything in super hot water. Check your vehicle as they hitch hike from house to whereever you go. Good luck! Keep us posted.

Professional control

It is highly recommended that you seek assistance from a professional pest control company (exterminator).

Controlling an infestation requires very detailed work, moving furniture and taking it apart, and specialty equipment. Careful inspections must be completed along with non-chemical controls such as heat treatments, vacuuming and steam treatments, and insecticide treatments.

The insecticides used are commercial products requiring special equipment and training. Over-the-counter insecticides and home remedies are not effective in controlling bed bugs.

Pest control services use heat treatment, which requires specialized equipment to raise the temperatures in target areas to 118°F and then maintain that temperature for at least 70 minutes. All stages of bed bugs are killed when this is done properly. While very effective, heat treatment does not prevent bed bugs from being brought back into a home and reinfesting it.

It is important to cooperate with a pest control service. However, it should not be necessary to move or throw away your furniture and your belongings, especially from an apartment or condominium. Sometimes furniture is removed and heat treated in a container but it would be rare to actually need to throw items away.

For additional information about control measures, see Bed bug control in residences on the U of M bed bug site.

To find a professional belonging to the National Pest Management Association, go to the Pest World website and type in your zip code in the search box under "Find a Professional."

What a resident can do to help control an infestation:

When working with a pest management company, there are some additional things you may be asked to do to help get rid of bed bugs.

Using heat

You can use your washing machine and dryer to kill bed bugs infesting clothes and other washable items. Clothes laundered in hot water and/or dried in temperatures hotter than 122°F for 20 minutes will kill all stages of bed bugs. This is typically the medium-high setting. If you are not sure what temperature your drier can reach, ask a professional to test it for you. You can also heat curtains and other fabrics, rugs, shoes, backpacks, stuffed animals, toys and similar objects by drying them at medium-high for about 30 minutes for a full load.

Using cold

Cold temperatures can kill bed bugs if they are exposed to it long enough and at temperatures that are cold enough. All stages of bed bugs will be killed on objects left in a freezer at 0°F for 3 days.

Putting infested furniture outdoors during winter when it is cold may kill some bed bugs, but there is no guarantee that you will kill all of them.

Although there is no guarantee that outside freezing temperatures will kill all of the bed bugs infesting an object, you can use the cold treatment to immobilize bed bugs until you decide what to do with the object.

For more information, see Using freezing conditions to kill bed bugs.

Encasements

An encasement is a fabric covering that looks like a very large sack with a zipper and that completely fits around a mattress or box spring, creating a barrier to prevent bed bugs from escaping. Although the encasement can become infested itself, the infestation is easier to detect and contain.

They are useful when you want to protect a mattress you know is free of bed bugs (it has been heat treated or you have purchased a new mattress). You can also use encasements on infested mattresses and box springs to trap the bed bugs inside them; you can keep using your bed as long as the encasements are not ripped or torn.

Make sure you buy encasements that are specifically designed for protecting against bed bugs. You can buy encasements from professional pest control services or retail stores.

Bed bug interceptor

Bed bug interceptors are small plastic trays with an inner and outer ring. You place them under the bed legs. Bed bugs that attempt to climb up from the floor to the bed become trapped in the outer well. Any bed bugs that try to climb down will become trapped in the center well.

Bed bug interceptors not only help to reduce the number of bed bugs that can reach the bed but also act as a monitoring tool to help determine whether bed bugs are present.

You can buy bed bug interceptors online, from pest management companies, or from retail stores.

The insecticides available in over-the-counter products are not effective in controlling bed bugs.

Bug bombs, also known as total release foggers, are not effective when treating bed bugs. These products throw insecticide into the air and very little, if any, comes in contact with bed bugs hiding in cracks and behind and under objects. Unfortunately, it is easy for people to misuse or overuse bug bombs, which can result in unnecessary pesticide exposure. Bug bombs are potentially flammable if used incorrectly.

In the 'old' days..... they painted kerosene around the mattress seams using a feather as a paint brush. They also learned something interesting ...... bird nests under the eaves of house are "full" of lice ..... aka. bed bugs. We always knock down swallow nests ...... or we get bedbugs.