The year-end holidays are the busiest travel time in the United States, with over 99 million Americans traveling over that nine-day period. The holidays are upon us, and in the pest control world, increased travel means increased risk of bed bugs.
Most people know that bed bugs are often found in hotels, but it’s not uncommon for them to be on airplanes and trains, either. You might even pick a few up staying in your aunt and uncle’s guest room. There are several ways to bring bed bugs home with you after the holidays. But the most important thing is, how do you get rid of them? And how can Modern Pest help?
Modern’s Bed Bug Control Program is your solution to a bed bug infestation! Call Modern today at 1-800-323-7378 to schedule service!Â
DIY or Don’t?
You’ve probably heard of DIY remedies for getting rid of bed bugs, but do they work? Not usually. Here are some of the methods you might have heard about, and why they won’t help you.
8 DIY Bed Bug Methods That Don’t Work
- Mothballs– researchers at Rutgers University found that putting infested clothing inside a bag of mothballs was mostly ineffective.
- DIY Chemical treatments– Bug bombs or sprays containing DEET are also ineffective against bedbugs. Research done by Consumer Reports showed that the level of concentration at which these products are sold isn’t strong enough to get rid of bed bugs.
- Rubbing alcohol– Rutgers researchers found that spraying bed bugs directly with rubbing alcohol only worked 50% of the time. This is not efficient enough to get rid of an infestation.
- Ultrasonic bug repellents– These pricey devices just didn’t work as advertised, according to Rutgers researchers.
- Essential oils– Essential oils worked on bed bugs that hadn’t been feeding. But if they could feed after being exposed to the oils, they survived.
- Sleeping with the lights on– This method won’t keep the bugs away, it will just keep you awake. Bed bugs prefer a dark room but will still feed with the lights on, according to the EPA.
- Cayenne pepper– Spraying cayenne pepper will keep a lot of things away, but bed bugs aren’t one of them. You’re more likely to burn your own eyes than get rid of one bed bug using pepper spray.
- Mattress material– Bed bugs want one thing: a warm human to feed on. They don’t care what your bed is made from. And while it might be harder for them to get inside a memory foam bed, it won’t stop them from crawling on the surface to get to you.
If you think you might have bed bugs, don’t hesitate, call Modern today or click here to schedule service!
 The Modern Solution
With so many ineffective solutions out there and such high stakes, your best bet at bed bug remediation is to hire Modern Pest. The pest control professionals at Modern are trained and qualified to identify if bed bugs are present in your home. They know how to target them where they live and breed. Modern Pest Services offers both conventional chemical bed bug control and Thermal Remediation® or heat treatment (electric or propane) to its commercial and residential customers throughout New England. If you think you have a bed bug problem, call Modern today at 1-800-323-7378.