Pest control professionals integrate multiple techniques in the overall bed bug control program. Vacuuming, steam treatments, freezing, mattress and box spring encasements and residual treatments are all part of bed bug management in the 21st century. The toxic solution no longer makes the cut due to regulatory and health concerns.
“IPM essentially employs non-chemical technique and strategies together with treatments to control a pest,” said Hedges. “IPM relies heavily on client cooperation to achieve many of the nonchemical strategies. They need to prepare for the service and address things like laundering or drying bedding and other items that might harbor bed bugs at high heat.”
Vacuuming offers an immediate way to reduce bed bug populations. With an IPM tool kit, attachments provide a greater reach into crevices and even vibrating tools to unseat deep-rooted pests from mattresses or furniture. However, as Hedges remarked, vacuums will not remove all eggs “nor can they remove bed bugs that are hiding within cracks and voids, so it’s only one of the many strategies used.”
In an effective pest management vacuum, high-powered suction combined with multi-level filtration is essential. For example, a backpack with four-level filtration and a HEPA filter can capture and contain up to 99.97 percent of particulates down to 0.3 microns in size—including dead and live specimens, and allergens like cast skins and fecal matter.
If vacuuming in a location that might harbor bed bugs, it’s vital to dispose of the filter before leaving the location. If using a backpack vacuum with four-level filtration, the intercept micro filter can be removed and sealed in a tied-off plastic bag for proper disposal, while the other internal filters can be washed and dried at high heat after every use.
“A backpack vacuum provides convenience and ease of use,” noted Hedges. “It provides excellent suction for removal of bed bugs from surfaces, and the HEPA filter helps capture any potential allergens that are dislodged from surfaces during the process.”
To learn more about the bed bug problem and potential control strategies, visit www.Terminix.com/bed bugsolutions/.
Bed bugs can be a huge problem if you have them. In our city, there was this huge infestation of bed bugs in an apartment complex and residents complained on the news how the bugs were pretty much in everything and left these red bite marks all over their body. It's nice to know that these little bad boys can be vacuumed up.
Posted by: Emma@Carpet Steam Cleaner Reviews | September 12, 2011 at 09:15 PM