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Identifying and Eradicating Bed Bugs
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 Before your clients run out and hire an exterminator, be sure they are bed bugs. Adults are about the size of an apple seed and a rusty red. They have six legs and are a flattened oval shape. They do not jump or fly. They will leave small, yellowish shed skins and black dropping spots. EMSL in Cinnaminson sells home kits which analyze the DNA. But you have to collect some in a container.
If bed bugs are found, apply hot steam to infested furniture and dispose of heavily infested items. Launder bed sheets and dry for 30 minutes on the highest heat setting. Small items can be placed in the freezer for 4 days. Just raising the temperature in the house will not kill the bugs.
Diatomaceous earth is a natural, white powder which can be applied to cracks and crevices in walls, spaces around the bed, behind wall plates and where the walls meet the floor. It may take one to two weeks to kill the bugs, and two months to completely eliminate the infestation.
Need more information? Check out this fact sheet from the Rutgers Extension: bed bug fact sheet |
