In the event you obtain bed-bugs, that you do not have to call a certified pest control provider, but you'd be foolish to not, is your take away message out of a warning issued by an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) past August. "With the incorrect pesticide or using it erroneously to treat bedbugs can cause you to your family, and your pets sick," the EPA said in a consumer alert supplied from The Hill Healthwatch on the web. "It may also make your home unsafe to live in - and may not address the bedbug issue."

Reports from pest control professionals within the field and news websites of people dousing their beds, their pajamas and even bathing their children in garden insecticides has generated growing concern among government officials, the health community, public health guardians, and the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). Using harsh chemicals not approved by the EPA for residential use can cause severe burn-like aggravation of the skin and eyes, possible damage to the central nervous system, and might even introduce one to carcinogens.

There also have been numerous reports of house and flat fires begun by desperate individuals with highly flammable liquids to kill bedbugs. Back in January, a Cincinnati, Ohio person who was simply stripping his furniture down with a blend of insecticide and alcohol started a flame at his apartment when his smoke sparked fumes out of the compound mix. Back in July 2008, an Eatontown, New Jersey man blew his flat whilst attempting doityourself pest control. A pilot light ignited the compound fumes and spray resulting from an explosion which blew from front doors of this flat and caused a fire which destroyed the man's flat and caused serious damage to neighboring units.

"As bed-bug sufferers eventually become desperate, serious injury might result from such applications, notably among people who decide to not employ a professional," he warns.

Bedbugs do not necessarily respond to home treatment method. These apple seed-sized pests that feed on human blood are tough to kill, a part of the chemistry and behaviour. At best, doityourself home treatments may induce bedbugs to relocate, dispersing infestations more quickly. These pests have a sturdy, protective carapace that isn't readily penetrated. To kill, pest control products must enter into direct physical contact with the insectand their eggs have been unaffected by products currently accepted by the EPA for home use. If not feeding, bedbugs hide in inaccessible spaces deep inside minute crevices, inside walls, behind baseboards, under floor boards, and inside electronics. Bedbugs along with their eggs can be also readily transported on possessions and clothing, allowing infestations to quickly propagate through a home or apartment building. This mixture of biology and behaviour makes it extremely difficult to kill a entire bedbug infestation having one pest control therapy. Three professional pest control treatments spaced 2 weeks apart are typically required to successfully remove a bedbug infestation and ensure that all hidden bugs and also newly-hatched eggs have been killed.

Professional extermination with a qualified pest control company having an expertise in bed pest removal has become the very best way to exterminate bed bugs. Even the EPA, to the bed-bug Information Page posted on its website, says,"Obtaining a pest control professional (PMP) involved as soon as you can rather than simply taking the time to attempt to treat the problem your self is rather capable of preventing further harm."

Fast action is essential in battling bed insect infestations. Bed bugs replicate in an alarming rate and infestations can grow quickly. Throughout its 6- to 12-month life span, a lady bed bug could lay 500 eggs offspring capable of replicating within a month. It is not uncommon to see three or more bed-bug productions found within an established infestation. mole removal Stevenage from the earliest phases of infestation can limit the infestation and prevents it from spreading.

To successfully treat bedbug infestations, licensed pest control professionals employ a mixture of environmental management procedures, called Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and an assortment of pest control substances approved by the EPA for home use exclusively by licensed pest control professionals. Effective bedbug extermination begins with meticulous pre-treatment prep to eliminate clutter, clothing, bed linens and other items that might allow bed-bugs to flee vulnerability to pest control substances. When site preparation is complete, a mixture of pest control materials is employed to attack bedbugs on multiple degrees.

Concerns about health and safety problems which have emerged from abuse of pest control chemicals by unlicensed or poorly trained pest control and unqualified contractors seeking to profit on people panic prompted the EPA to warn consumers to prevent pest extermination services made out of"unrealistic promises of effectiveness or very low cost."


While providing bed bug treatments to 70 homes and apartments units, technicians sprayed powerful chemicals on mattresses and children's toys. Back in Cincinnati, Ohio last June, an undercover contractor hired to exterminate bed bugs saturated an apartment complex with a agricultural pesticide, sending seven renters to a medical facility and inducing public health police to quarantine the property.

A list of consumer strategies for picking out a pest professional provided in the BMP recommends that consumers hire only qualified and accredited pest management firms to safeguard their safety and health and make sure that the pest control services that they receive are both safe and effective. The NPMA further recommends that consumers provide preferential consideration to pest management firms that have attained QualityPro certification, signaling that they reveal the highest technical, ethical and educational standards in the business.