Bed bugs feed on blood. These parasites are drawn to the carbon dioxide you exhale, the heat of your body, and your smell. Bed bugs hide after feeding, making it highly challenging to find them. 

However, professional bed bug control specialists can help you prevent, identify, and control bed bugs. The following are two common types of professional bed bug control methods: heat treatments and chemical treatments.

Heat Treatments

With heat treatments, the professional uses special equipment to raise the temperature in the infested area. A temperature of 118°F is enough to kill bed bugs and their eggs within one and half hours. During heat treatment, the room temperature is usually between 135°F and 145°F. The pest management expert will place thermometers throughout the infested room to ensure the correct temperature is achieved.

The professional ensures that the thermometers are hot enough to exterminate the bed bugs. Heat treatments last up to eight hours, depending on the room being treated. Heat treatments do not have any residual effects. 

Therefore, you should follow the prevention tips of your pest management professional to keep the pests from re-infesting your home. In many cases, experts will apply a residual insecticide at the border of your home or the area being treated as a prevention measure.

Chemical Treatments

There are four types of chemicals that a bed bug control service can use to exterminate bed bugs. First, they may use natural pyrethrins. These are made from chrysanthemum flowers. Pyrethrins are not harmful to humans. However, they can lead to skin, eye, and respiratory irritations. 

Pyrethrins break down quickly to put a dent in the pest population. On the other hand, synthetic pyrethrins are chemicals with longer residual effectiveness. These chemicals are water-based, and so they can damage wood or furniture items.

Professionals also use inorganic materials like silica and boric acid and insect growth regulators such as hydroprene. Inorganic materials do not drive bugs away, but scratch open the bug's skin so it becomes dehydrated. Insect growth regulators are not meant to kill bugs but to interrupt their reproductive cycle. IGRs control the bed bug population by preventing the pests from laying eggs.

Professional Help

Bed bugs carry up to 28 human pathogens. The open sore from a bed bug bite can result in an infection. These tiny creatures can even carry Hepatitis B in their fecal waste. While these creatures may seem harmless, they pose a significant health risk to humans. When you realize you've bed bug infestation, make sure you call a pest control service.