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Manage bed bug problems with safe, non-toxic pest solutions

 

by JB Bardot
See other articles by JB Bardot

(The Best Years in Life) Bed bug infestations are a serious health threat and occur where people live in close quarters. It can take up to 18 months to eradicate a bed bugs problem. Individual efforts to get rid of bed bugs often fail due to the larvae's hardiness and lifespan. It is often necessary to bring in bed bug exterminators to do the job; however, there are some safe, non-toxic, natural solutions you can use to protect yourself from a bed bug infestation before having to resort to an exterminator for bed bugs. Prevention is the first line defense for bed bug control.

How do you know if you have bed bugs?

Look carefully at mattresses, suitcases, upholstered furniture and in crevices along walls and floors for signs of bedbugs. If you're traveling, pay special attention to your hotel room. Bedbugs look like tiny brown specs about 1/8 inch long. They often leave brown, rust-like stains on furniture and especially on mattresses, which are blood stains.

Can you die from bed bugs?

Being bitten by bed bugs will not kill you, but the bites can be very irritating and possibly trigger an allergic reaction.

Bedbug bites appear as itchy, small red welts forming in a line along the skin. They are most often visible in the morning after sleeping if the bed and mattress are infested.

Bedbug bites can cause a rash over the entire body including the scalp and face. In some instances, a person may be allergic to bedbug venom and have an allergic reaction such as swelling of the lips, mouth, tongue and throat. This is cause for immediate medical attention.

Preventing Bedbug Infestation

·Examine all items of used furniture purchased before bringing them home. Check seams and cracks for living bugs and the husks of their shells.

·Look in suitcases before bringing them home from a vacation or business trip.

·Always examine mattresses in hotels along the seams and tufts for evidence of bed bugs before you unpack. Pull back the sheets and check for dark spots which indicate blood stains from crushed bedbugs. If you find evidence of a bed bug infestation in a hotel room, don't unpack and leave the room immediately.

·Sprinkle food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) on furniture and mattresses to eradicate the infestation. If you sprinkle DE on a mattress, cover the mattress with a heavy plastic cover to contain the bugs as they are dying and protect yourself against inhaling the DE.

·Sprinkle boric acid powder on furniture that is infested and vacuum up after a day. Repeat weekly for a month to exterminate bedbugs. Do not use boric acid on the bed or if pets live in the house. It is poisonous.

 

Bedbug extermination prevention and clean out

If you find bedbugs in your home, a total clean out is necessary. Sanitation of the entire area is a must.

·Replace the mattress if possible. Encase the entire mattress in a plastic cover which confines the bed ·bugs and eventually suffocates them.

·Wash all clothing and bedding in hot water and dry on high.

·Check cracks along baseboards and sprinkle diatomaceous earth or boric acid powder. Use a bulb dispenser with a pointed tip to apply powder behind wall plugs and into cracks.

·Clean out piles of books and papers where bedbugs can hide.

·Steam clean carpets and upholstered furniture if possible.

It is not wise to under-react to a bed bugs problem. They multiply quickly and can cause major health problems in a home.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.squidoo.com/natural-sugar-substitute-artificial-sweetener
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/best-sugar-substitutes
http://health.kaboose.com/nutritionist/natural-sweeteners.html

Copyright 2013 Jean JB Bardot, all rights reserved worldwide. Permission is granted to copy the title and first one hundred words with the provision that the author's name be included and a link to the original article be added.

About the author:

JB Bardot is trained in herbal medicine and homeopathy, and has a post graduate degree in holistic nutrition. Bardot cares for both people and animals, using alternative approaches to health care and lifestyle. She writes about wellness, green living, alternative medicine, holistic nutrition, homeopathy, herbs and naturopathic medicine.

See other articles by the author here:

The JB Bardot Archives: http://www.jbbardot.com
Natural News: http://www.naturalnews.com/Author1686.html
AlignLife: http://alignlife.com/author/bardotj/
Real Health Talk: http://www.realhealthtalk.com/JB_Bardot_Published_Articles.html

 

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