To effectively handle an infestation of bed bugs on children you must recognize the signs of bed bugs how to locate them and what to do when you locate them. In order to make bed bug removal on children as simple as possible certain steps have to be done. Tiny in size, Bed Bugs are only about a quarter of an inch in the adult stage. They drink blood of human beings or animals when there is no human host. While they cannot fly, they do possess the ability to move quickly. The problem about bed bugs is universal since they are very small but fearful and have spread from Asia to the rest of the world.
All that is needed for a bed bug invasion is one little female bed bug. Bugs can lay as many as 15 eggs daily for every day after her 2-month birthday. One bug can lead to many, many offspring. Their lifespan is about ten months to 12 months. Bed Bug removal can be a highly complex project, especially if it’s not discovered in its beginning stages. They are nocturnal insects and hide in almost invisible locations in your home. If you need proof of bed bugs, they are the most active 2 hours before sunrise, so you can set your alarm to wake you at about 3 or 4 am and maybe you will catch them when they are active.
Clue are left by the bugs, you just have to know what to look for. The following should help you determine whether you may have bed bugs. Your first step in recognizing bed bugs is understanding that bite marks are the first clue of an infestation. The bug will eat in the early hours of the morning, feeding on our blood. It pierces the skin and inserts a tube through which it drinks your blood. Because you are asleep, you will not realize that you are being bitten.
Bed Bugs normally feed for approximately ten minutes, leaving a large red mark on some victims. Different children can show different symptoms. One symptom is a reddened area that will be itchy and raised, which can be quite uncomfortable. However, often these welts are mistaken as mosquito bites, particularly when mosquitoes are most active. Scabies produce similar symptoms. It is a regular occurrence for cases of bed bugs to be misidentified or ignored. This can lead to a growth in the infestation, and that makes bed bug removal more difficult. The more bugs, the larger the problem.
The most common place to get bug bites in on the skin where it is exposed. Marks on the face, arms, legs and neck are common and you usually will see some welts in a line. This happens if the bug becomes unattached while feeding, needing to reposition in order to continue his meal. These spots can be enormously infuriating and itchy. If you wake up with small or large spots on your skin, begin searching your home. The more quickly you address bed bug removal, the simpler it will be.
Bed bug victims know how difficult it is to get rid of them! It is a long drawn battle against these irritating, sleep destroying bugs. Using pesticides may not be first choice for some as it introduces a lot of chemicals in your home. So people get creative and try different solutions. If you don’t want to use chemicals, then you can relax. Getting rid of bedbugs is not easy and you may have to combine several options for quicker and permanent results. Let’s review them in detail.
Physical elimination in this step we identify the bed infestations and remove them by using a vacuum cleaner, hard brush or a sticky tape. Like all other animals and insects, Bed bugs prefer to hide close to their prey. They are usually found in bed room furniture and sometimes even in living room furniture. Mattress, box spring, headboard, dresser, behind wall paper and under loose carpet, inside bed linen, behind curtains, picture frames, mirrors, under the chairs, couches etc. Examine all of them thoroughly.
Examine the edges of box spring, mattress and bed frame. Turn over box spring and mattress and check underneath. Remove mattress and box spring from the bed frame examine the head board. When you find bed bugs, use a vacuum cleaner to collect them. If the infestation can not be reached with vacuum cleaner or its attachment, use a sticky tape. Press the sticky tape hard on them and then put it in a plastic bag.
During your search, you may come across bed bug eggs. They are yellowish white sticky balls. They are very tiny about the size of a pin head. Scrub them off with a hard brush and put them in plastic bags. Remove the vacuum bag and seal it and quickly throw it in a dumpster. A large portion of bed bugs can be removed by this step.
Isolate the bed bugs:
· Let’s accept it it is difficult to get rid of bed bugs. So why not play defensively and protect what is most important for you? Store all the cloths and books in plastic bags or plastic containers. Isolate your bed so they can not reach you.
· Pull it away from the walls make sure that bed linens and cover do not touch the floor. Put double sided tape on the bed frame and the legs of the bed.
· Put legs of the bed, sofa and couch in a glass or small pots/pans/dish with very smooth surface. This will make it very difficult for bed bugs to climb up your bed.
Use water and temperature to kill bed bugs:
· Bed bugs can not survive at very high temperatures (above 120 F/50 C). Wash all the items, children cloths, curtains, shoes etc. which can be washed safely.
· Whatever you can not wash, run them through hot dryer for two cycles at high temperature. Buy a steamer from Wal-Mart etc and steam them away. This can be very effective strategy for killing bed bugs.