Bed bugs are unwelcome houseguests. It is bad enough to have insects crawling around on your bed at night, but bed bugs bite. The wounds range from tiny bumps surrounded by a rash to large welts encompassed by an inflamed and itchy rash. Not fun. When you start getting bites, you will want these bugs gone. But it is hard to diagnose a bed bug infestation. These sneaky pests hide in tight spaces and dark voids and only come out to bite under the cover of darkness. So, what can you do? Join us as we look at what you need to know to exterminate bed bugs living inside your Orange County home and as we answer some commonly asked questions. Stick with us to the end and we'll tell you what methods the professionals use for bed bug pest control in Orange County. When you're done, you won't be a bed bug expert, but you'll definitely have some essential tools in your pest control tool belt.    

Rooting Bed Bugs Out Of Their Hiding Places

The first challenge Orange County residents face is that they don't know where bed bugs hide. Before we can look at how to get them to come out of hiding, we need to discuss where these insects nest.

Beds: Obviously, they hide in beds. The word "bed" is in their name. But you might not know where to find them in your bed. They're not out in the open.

  • Inspect creases on mattresses and box springs. You may need a butter knife or credit card for this.
  • Use a flashlight to check under labels and look in the recesses and voids of your bed frame.
  • Look between the mattress and the box spring.

Furniture: Your bed isn't the only place you can find bed bugs. These insects hide in nightstands, couches, upholstered chairs, office chairs, piano seats, and any furniture item that has a void inside. First, check the furniture you lie, lounge, or sit on. Then, check the furniture near these items.

  • Check for black fecal spotting and brown stains on fabrics and upholstery.
  • Inspect hard surfaces for black streaks or dots.
  • Look for shed insect skins in recesses.
  • Use a flashlight to look for wiggly movement in cracks, pockets, and other potential hiding places.

Electronics: Yup. Bed bugs can hide in alarm clocks, radios, computers, and more. You'll need to inspect these as best you can.

  • Check the surfaces for black streaks.
  • Open the item up if you're able. Look for shed skins, tiny white eggs, and bed bugs.
  • You may detect bed bugs with your nose. Some describe the scent as a dirty locker room towel.

Luggage: You may use many things to carry your stuff on vacation or when you stay overnight somewhere away from home. Bed bugs use these to hitch a ride home with you, and you may still find them in these items.

  • Use a flashlight to look in every tight space, pocket, and crack.
  • Be sure sure to check exterior pockets too.

Structural Voids: Bed bugs can hide in your home. They get inside walls, hide inside outlets, and climb behind baseboards and crown molding.    

  • Check carpet edges for shed skins, white eggs, or black and brown stains.
  • Check surfaces for black streaks.
  • Take outlet covers off and look inside. You'll see lots of evidence if they're in there. 

Once you find bed bugs, how do you get them to come out of hiding? There are two methods. You can drive them out or draw them out. There are many methods for each. We'll highlight a few that clearly show how this works.

Drive Bed Bugs Out: Bed bugs don't want to come out of hiding, particularly during the day. You'll have more success in the evening with the lights turned off or down low. Applying heat is the best way to make bed bugs leave their hiding places. You may use a blowdryer for this. Target the areas where bed bugs are hiding and give the heat time to reach the bed bugs. Apply caution with this method as you can damage some materials with heat.

Draw Bed Bugs Out: Bed bugs come out on their own at night. When they do, you can catch them with sticky traps. Not much more is needed. If you want to draw more bed bugs out, you may use a trap that emits carbon dioxide. Bed bugs are attracted to elevated levels of CO2 because it lets bed bugs know when people are sleeping.

These methods can help you to uncover hiding places in your home and set up methods to collect bed bugs. On their own, they are not likely to arrest an infestation. You need to know how to treat bed bugs in Orange County. Let's look at some all-natural methods.

bed bug on a mattress

The Secret To Exterminating Bed Bugs In Your Home

There are many ways to get rid of bed bugs. Some are simple. Some are complicated. The secret to successfully exterminating bed bugs in your home is to apply the simple methods. Complicated methods can spread bed bugs to other areas and worsen your problem. 

  • Put clothing, sheets, pillowcases, and bedspreads in a hot soapy wash, then put them through a hot dryer cycle.
  • Put dryer-safe items, such as duffel bags, book bags, gym bags, and pocketbooks, through a 30-minute dryer cycle.
  • Put small items, such as alarm clocks, in a sealed plastic bag and store them in a freezer for four days—cold works as well as heat for exterminating bed bugs.
  • Suck bed bugs up with a vacuum and dispose of the bag outside. Use an attachment to get in cracks, gaps, and recesses.
  • Vacuum your rugs routinely until all the bed bugs are gone from your home.

These bed bug control techniques for your home are simple and easy to apply. When you catch an infestation early, you can stop bed bugs in their tracks with these all-natural tips. For larger infestations where bed bugs have spread to many areas in your home, it is necessary to use control products. We'll tell you how these work. But first, let's look at some commonly asked questions about bed bug pest control.

Answering Commonly Asked Bed Bug Questions

There are many pitfalls when applying control products to exterminate bed bugs. These common questions reveal just how hard it is.

"Why aren't my spray products working to stop bed bugs?"

Most of these products are topical. They don't get deep enough. On top of this, bed bugs avoid treated areas and they can establish a resistance to these materials. You won't have success using sprays alone. They are only effective as a part of a multi-pronged strategy.

"My traps are working. Why do I keep finding bed bugs in them?"

Traps only attack the symptom. Bed bugs can reproduce faster than your traps will draw them in and exterminate them.

"Why can't I get rid of bed bugs with heat?"

You can control bed bugs with heat, but it isn't easy. You can't just put a space heater in an infested room. There is more to it. Bed bugs flee from heat. When professionals apply heat to stop a bed bug infestation, they use professional-grade temperature-controlled heaters and sensors. They also use field-tested methods or conventional treatment products to prevent bed bugs from escaping the treatment.

"What works to exterminate bed bugs?"

It is not commonly known, but you can exterminate a bed bug with soapy water if you use the right soap. Certain soaps can break down the outer layer of the exocuticle of a bed bug, making it impossible for the bed bug to retain moisture. Since bed bugs eat infrequently and don't drink water, removing this layer will cause the bed bug to become dehydrated. The result is extermination. The problem with soapy water is that you must soak bed bugs in it. The only effective way to do this is to put them in your washing machine.

"How do you treat bed bugs?"

How do the technicians at HomeShield Pest Control treat bed bugs? We use a mixture of control methods and well-established protocols to find bed bugs, exterminate them, and evaluate the success of our treatments. When we're done, you won't have any bed bugs left in your home.

Bed Bug Control Made Easy For Orange County Residents

Do you want to get rid of bed bugs easily? We take the hard work out of bed bug control. For assistance with bed bugs in Orange County, contact HomeShield Pest Control. We'll schedule a service visit and have someone come over to look at your bed bug problem. Your pest control technician will let you know what you're up against and what methods can correct the issue. Once you've decided on a treatment, we will guide you every step of the way, from pre-treatment preparation to follow-up bed bug checks. You don't have to do the hard work of exterminating bed bugs and you don't have to put up with ongoing bites when your DIY control fails. Reach out to us today for assistance. We can help.