United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Pesticide Information
Office of Pesticide Programs
www.epa.gov/pesticides
Top Ten Bed Bugs Tips
IMake sure you really have bed bugs, not
fleas, ticks or some other insect. You can
compare your insect to the pictures on our bed
bug Web page or show it to your local extension
agent.
2 Don't panic! Eliminating bed bugs is
difficult, but it's not impossible. Don't throw out
all of your things because most of them can be
treated and saved. Throwing stuff out is expensive,
may spread the bed bugs and could cause more
stress.
3 Think through your treatment options -
Don't immediately reach for the spray can.
Try other things first. Integrated pest
management (IPM) techniques may reduce the
number of bed bugs and limit your contact with
pesticides. If pesticides are needed, always follow
label directions or hire a professional. There is help
available to learn about treatment options.
4 Reduce the number of hiding places -
Clean up the clutter. A cluttered home
provides more places for bed bugs to hide and
makes locating and treating for them harder. If bed
bugs are in your mattress, using special bed bug
covers (encasements) on your mattress and box
springs makes it harder for bed bugs to get to you
while you sleep. Leave the encasements on for a
year. Be sure to buy a product that has been tested
for bed bugs and is strong enough to last for the full
year without tearing.
5 Regularly wash and heat-dry your bed
sheets, blankets, bedspreads and any
clothing that touches the floor. This
reduces the number of bed bugs. Bed bugs and their
eggs can hide in laundry containers/hampers, so
clean them when you do the laundry.
6 Don't rely on do-it-yourself freezing as a
reliable method for bed bug control.
While freezing can kill bed bugs, temperatures
must remain very low for a long time. Home freezers
are usually not cold enough to kill bed bugs. Putting
things outside in freezing temperatures can kill bed
bugs, but it can take several days when the
temperature is 0° F and almost a week when the
temperature is 20° F.
7 Use heat to kill bed bugs, but be very
careful. Raising the indoor temperature with
the thermostat or space heaters won't do the
job. Special equipment and very high temperatures
are necessary for successful heat treatment. Black
plastic bags in the sun might work to kill bed bugs in
luggage or small items, if the contents become hot
enough (about 110°F for at least 3 hours).
» Don't pass your bed bugs on to others.
Bed bugs are good hitchhikers. If you throw
out a mattress or furniture that has bed bugs
in it, you should slash or in some way destroy it so
that no one else takes it and gets bed bugs.
9 Reduce the
reduce bites.
rid of some of
vacuum rugs, floors,
frames, under beds,
and crevices around
each use so the bed
used bag in a tightly
outside garbage bin.
number of bed bugs to
Thorough vacuuming can get
your bed bugs. Carefully
upholstered furniture, bed
around bed legs, and all cracks
the room. Change the bag after
bugs can't escape. Place the
sealed plastic bag and in an
10
(Turn to the professionals, if needed.
Hiring an experienced, responsible pest
control professional can increase your
chance of success in getting rid of bed bugs. If you
hire an expert, be sure it's a company with a good
reputation and request that it use an IPM approach.
Contact your state pesticide agency for guidance
about hiring professional pest control companies.
August 28, 2012
EPA 735-F-12-001
For more information, visit www.epa.gov/pesticides/bedbugs/
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