Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to detect.
It is often the case that once people notice the common signs, bites on their legs and feet, red pin prick-like stains on their sheets, the bed bugs have reached a stage of severe infestation.
But how do you catch on to bed bugs before the infestation gets too big?
The simplest and most effective way to catch an infestation in its earliest stages is to use a mattress encasement.
Mattress encasements save time during an inspection by preventing bed bugs from burrowing into the depths of a mattress, keeping their movements on the outside where they are easier to detect.
Be sure to check along the seam of the encasement, as bed bugs look for the darkest places when searching for hiding places.
Encasements also help to prevent a found infestation from reaching the mattress or box spring where bed bugs are much more difficult to exterminate.
If you don’t want to wrap your mattresses and box springs, another option is to use an interception device.
An interception device is a trap designed to intercept bed bugs on their way from their hiding place to the bed, where they feed. The simplest traps are generally placed under the legs of a bed or other furniture and allow bed bugs to climb the exterior of the device, before falling into a slippery interior that they cannot climb back out of.
The bed bugs are instantly visible inside the trap and you will know right away that you have a problem.
In order for interception devices to be most effective, the bed or furniture piece they are under should be placed away from the walls or anything else the bed bugs could climb on. this will force the bugs to pass through the interception device and trap them.
Studies vary on the success rate of these devices, with some registering up to an 80 per cent detection rate in the first two weeks of use.
There are some higher-tech options that have also become available as bed bug infestations have become more common. However, very few models are available for commercial use. These devices use carbon dioxide, or other chemicals, to attract bed bugs and trap them within.
Remember: detecting bed bugs is only the first step. Once you find them, be sure to call in the professional bed bug exterminators at Bed Bug Heat Exterminator to make sure you exterminate 100 per cent of the problem!
>>If you become a victim of a bed bug infestation then contact the team at Allphase for the fastest, safest, and most effective solution. We offer heat treatment bed bug extermination for homes in Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, and Toronto.
