We’ve talked before about avoiding bedbugs, but what do you do when you already have them? It may seem a little silly, but the first step is admitting you have a problem. Despite their prevalence in Ohio and elsewhere, the fact is, it’s a little embarrassing admitting you have bed bugs

There’s no good reason for this, of course. Getting bed bugs has nothing to do with your house being dirty or personal cleanliness. Bed bugs are simply a scourge—hitchhiking into your home from luggage you’ve brought back from a hotel, the backpack your child carries to school, or even clothes you’ve worn in a taxicab. Still, something about these pests makes you feel bad—like getting sent home from school after a lice check.

Unfortunately, the longer you wait to seek treatment, the worse the problem will get. Bedbug populations can double every 16 days, and store-bought treatments like “bug bombs” don’t work on them. So, put aside your embarrassment and say it, “I have bedbugs and I need help.”

Kill bedbugs once and for all

While there are other ways to try and control a bedbug infestation, not all treatments are created equal. Spot treatment with insecticide may only impact the bugs you can get to, as opposed to those hiding in crevices or behind clutter. Steaming or freezing can damage materials, and not all fabrics absorb heat or cold the same way. Vacuuming can be inexact at best.

Thankfully, there’s a far more thorough way of eliminating the blight of bedbugs from your home: Vikane gas fumigant, which penetrates the entire infested area to eliminate bedbugs without damaging property or leaving residue. The treatment is non-staining, noncorrosive and non-flammable, and it’s been trusted to eliminate bedbugs or termites from airports, museums, hospitals, and government offices.

• It penetrates everywhere. Use of a gas fumigant gets into every nook, cranny, crevice and void in a home, including deep behind walls, into bedding and upholstered furniture, and even into openings and televisions and other sensitive electronics where bedbugs may hide—and where homeowners may be hesitant to spray insecticide.
• It’s proven to work. Bedbug populations have rebounded because they’ve developed a resistance to the chemicals previously used to treat them. But research done at Kansas State University has shown that whole-structure fumigation with Vikane can eliminate all bedbugs, including their eggs.
• Nothing is left behind. Vikane does not react with furniture other home contents, including computers and electronics—which is why it’s the method of choice of so many museums and historic structures. Vikane also does not leave toxic surface residue, so dishes, clothes, cooking utensils and other items do not need to be washed.

Safety first

When it comes to fumigants, it’s only natural to have some questions about safety.

• Is the treatment safe? Controlled use of Vikane by a trained professional is a safe procedure, given that it takes place in a sealed home while the occupants are away. During treatment, a warning agent that causes eye and throat irritation is used to guard against accidental entry into the home. Afterward, Vikane completely dissipates, leaving no residue and causing no harm to the ozone. Air tests are used to ensure Vikane has completely dissipated before occupants are permitted to return to the home.
• Is it safe for women during pregnancy? Following a fumigation treatment by a trained professional, specialized equipment is used to ensure that the Vikane level in the home is below 1 part per million, which is the requirement set by the Environmental Protection Agency. At that low level, no fetal effects would be expected.
• Is it safe to use in homes with pets? Given that Vikane dissipates completely after treatment, homes that have been properly aerated are ready to be occupied by both humans and pets alike. Just remember to make accommodations for your pets, given that the fumigation process requires the home to be empty for 48 hours or more.

How should I prepare?

Fumigation with Vikane occurs in a sealed home which the occupants have vacated. The fumigation itself takes several days and requires some preparation on the part of the homeowner to ensure that the treatment is performed in a safe and effective manner.

Wash in hot water any clothes or bedding you’ll take with you, and consider using new luggage—after all, you don’t want bedbugs to hitch a ride to your hotel and back home again. And remove or double bag any pasta, rice, cereal, spices, and any refrigerated or frozen foods not in unopened cans or glass bottles.

Fumigation with Vikane takes some preparation on behalf of the homeowner, but also produces safe and proven results—and when it comes to bedbugs, that’s something that will help you sleep soundly indeed. To learn more about treating bedbugs in the home, or about a general pest prevention system, call A-1 Able Pest Doctors at (800) 737-8189.