ugs? If you get bedbugs, you usually do not have to call a licensed pest control business, but you had be foolish not to, may be the take - away message from the warning issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last August. "Using the wrong ...
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Bugs? If you get bedbugs, you usually do not need to call a licensed extermination firm, but you had be absurd not to, is the take - away message from a warning issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last August. "Using the wrong pesticide or using it incorrectly to deal with for bedbugs could make you, your family, and your pets sick," the EPA said in a consumer alert quoted by The Hill Healthwatch on line. "It can also make your home unsafe to live in - and might not solve the bedbug trouble."
Alarmed by reports of dangerous pesticide misuse and extreme measures being taken by some homeowners and apartment dwellers in do-it-yourself efforts to eradicate bed bugs, the U.S. EPA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a joint statement last July warning consumers against using outside pesticide products in their domiciles in attempts to get rid of bed bugs. Reports from accredited pest management professionals in the area and news media of individuals dousing their beds, their pajamas and even bathing their children in garden insecticides has caused growing concern among government officials, the medical community, public health guardians, and the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). The use of harsh chemicals not approved by the EPA for residential use could cause severe burn-like irritation of the skin and eyes, possible damage to the central nervous system, and might even expose one to carcinogens.
There also have been numerous news reports of house and apartment fires begun by desperate individuals using highly flammable liquids to kill bedbugs. In January, a Cincinnati, Ohio man who was wiping down his furniture with a mixture of insecticide and alcohol started a fire in his flat when his cigarette ignited fumes from the chemical mixture. In July 2008, an Eatontown, Nj-new Jersey guy blew up his flat while attempting do - it - yourself pest elimination. A pilot light ignited the chemical spray and fumes causing an explosion that blew out the front windows of the apartment and resulted in a fire that destroyed the man's apartment and caused serious harm to neighboring units.
"Extermination firms reported seeing many unsuccessful and potentially dangerous measures used by do-it-yourselfers, including ammonia, bleach, fire, smoke, kerosene, wasp spray, and bug bombs, as well as concentrated pesticides purchased on the internet," University of Kentucky entomologist and national bedbug specialist Michael Potter, writes in Bugs Without Borders, Defining the World wide Bed Bug Revival, an international survey of pest management businesses recently conducted by the University of Kentucky in conjunction with the NPMA. "As bedbug victims become more distressed, serious harm might be a consequence of such applications, especially among those who choose not to employ a specialist," he warns.
Bedbugs do not always respond to home treatment. These apple seed - sized insects that feed on human blood are difficult to kill, a function of the biology and behaviour. At most readily useful, do - it - yourself home treatments might drive bedbugs to relocate, distributing infestations more rapidly. These insects have a tough, protective carapace that is perhaps not easily penetrated. To kill, extermination products must come right into direct physical connection with the insect; and their eggs are unaffected by products now approved by the EPA for residential use. When perhaps not feeding, bedbugs hide in inaccessible spaces deep inside tiny crevices, inside walls, behind baseboards, under floorboards, and inside electronics. Bedbugs and their eggs may also be readily carried on clothing and belongings, permitting infestations to rapidly spread through a home or apartment building. This mixture of biology and behavior makes an entire bedbug infestation to be killed by it nearly impossible with an individual pest management treatment. Three professional pest elimination treatments spaced a couple of weeks apart are commonly required to successfully exterminate a bedbug infestation and ensure that all hidden bugs and newly-hatched eggs have been killed.
Professional extermination by a licensed pest management business with an expertise in bed bug removal is the best method to exterminate bed bugs. Rapid activity is essential in battling bed bug infestations. Bed bugs reproduce at an alarming rate and infestations can grow fast. All through its 6 - to 12 - month lifespan, eggs can be lain 500 by a female bed bug with offspring capable of reproducing in just a month. It really is common to see three or more bed bug generations contained in an established infestation. Prompt treatment in the first stages of infestation can limit the infestation and keeps it from spreading.
To successfully treat bedbug infestations, licensed pest elimination professionals employ a mix of environmental management processes, called Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and a number of extermination substances approved by the EPA for residential use only by licensed pest management professionals. Effective bedbug extermination begins with meticulous pre - treatment preparation to remove litter, clothing, bed linens as well as other items which may enable exposure to be escaped by bedbugs to pest management materials. When site preparation is complete, a mix of pest control materials is applied to attack bedbugs on multiple levels.
Concerns about health and safety issues which have arisen from abuse of pest elimination compounds by unlicensed or improperly trained pest controllers and unqualified contractors trying to cash in on public concern prompted the EPA to warn consumers to prevent insect extermination services made with "unrealistic promises of effectiveness or low priced."