Bedbugs in Kansas City are common pests, and they are accomplished hitchhikers. They can move from an infested area to a new location on bedding, furniture, boxes, clothing, and luggage. The EPA recommends a few ways to keep them from getting into your home.
Bedbugs In Kansas City Love Clutter
Clutter serves as an ideal hiding place for bedbugs. Clean up any clutter in your home, and avoid cluttered areas in places you suspect an infestation or are unable to thoroughly inspect like offices and schools. Vacuum your home frequently, and if you suspect bedbugs may have caught a ride in, dispose of the vacuum bag immediately.
Cover Mattresses And Box Springs
Beds are the most obvious favorite spot for bedbugs in Kansas City. Use a high-quality, tear-resistant protective cover that encloses your mattress and box springs to eliminate many of their hiding spots. The cover’s light coloring makes the bugs easier to see, and you should inspect it frequently for holes as well as signs of bedbugs. You can also purchase a cover that is pre-treated with pesticides to control bedbugs.
Inspect Used Furniture Thoroughly
One of the most likely ways of bringing bedbugs into your home is second-hand furniture. Thoroughly inspect used furniture, especially in seams and between cushions, for signs of them before bringing it into your home. Look for reddish or rusty stains on light-colored pieces caused by bedbugs being crushed or dark spots of excrement that bleed like a marker. You should also look for live bedbugs and their eggs and shells, which are only about 1mm and have pale yellow skins that the nymphs shed as they grow.
Take Care While Traveling
You should also inspect all bedding and furniture when traveling, as bedbugs can travel back to Kansas City in your luggage. Clothing should be washed and run through the dryer on high heat when you return home. If you use shared laundry facilities, you should carry your laundry in a plastic bag. Remove laundry from the dryer directly into a new plastic bag if you suspect an infestation, and fold your clothes at home. Luggage should be sealed into a plastic bag for several months to a year, as bedbugs can survive that long without feeding under some conditions.
Bedbugs In Kansas City Are No Match For Milberger
Bedbugs in Kansas City homes are nearly impossible to remove on your own, but the experts at Everett Milberger Pest Control are here to help. If you suspect an infestation, call us at (816) 761-1313 in Missouri or (913) 384-6760 in Kansas right away for a free inspection.