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Bed bugs are extremely difficult to get rid of. This is not simply due to the fact that they are tough, proving as much by having been around for millions of years potentially, but also with the fact that they are excellent at hiding. This means that any treatment must practically saturate the whole house, or some method must be used to hunt down all of their hiding places in order to treat successfully.
Full Saturation
The only type of treatment that can kill bed bugs all over a room regardless of where they are hiding is a heat treatment. This is a way of heating the home to extreme temperatures, up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which effectively kills the bugs. The process does take time, and some things must be removed from the home that could be damaged otherwise. With this type of treatment, it isn’t entirely necessary to find all of the critters’ hiding spots, as the heat extends through the entirety of the building. However, if the infestation is isolated, this type of saturated treatment could be unnecessary.
Spot Treatment
Spot treatments are somewhat easier and quicker, as well as safer as they placement of the chemicals can be somewhat controlled. The issue comes with the fact that the human eye is only able to spot about 30% of the signs of infestation. This means that for every 3 areas found to be infested, there is the potential for another 7 that are missed. Obvious signs, such as dark spots on mattresses, are easily enough found and treated. However, baseboards, walls, and other hiding places are not as easily found.
Finding those Hard to find Places
This is why bed bug sniffing dogs are so important to successful extermination. According to Bed Bug Finders, LLC, these dogs can find bed bug infestations with 96% accuracy, making treatment much more effective. Often only one treatment and one follow up treatment are required with bed bug sniffing dogs are used prior to spraying or dusting. Without the dogs, it is not uncommon for repeated treatment to be required with still only limited success.
Who are you Going to Call?
Now the question is, who do you call to handle you bed bug problem, or suspected bed bug problem? Since having a bed bug sniffing dog is so vital to a successful, complete eradication, there is no point in calling an exterminator that does not use one. Therefore, when looking for an exterminator, before even considering the extermination methods used, it is wise to determine whether or not they use a dog. If they do, you can be certain that whichever method they use, whether pesticide, heat treatment, or freezing, will be optimally successful.
There are many things that make getting rid of bed bugs difficult. Finding exactly where they are is only one of them. This is not such an issue however when you have access to a dog that can sniff them out. Once this piece is in place, other decisions can be made with better information, such as which type of pesticide to use or which method of extermination to use in the first place.
Faith Stewart writes for a variety of blogs.