A Charlotte-based pest control company recommends using a specific protocol when treating bed bugs in your residence. Southeastern Exterminating recommends a specific treatment protocol that can be divided into three areas: Pre-Treatment, Treatment, and Followup Inspection. Each area is significant and is a prerequisite for the preceding area.

Pre-Treatment of Affected Areas

The first part of the protocol is Pre-Treatment. It is a critical first step in resolving your infestation problems, not just now but in the future. Not following this protocol will result in prolonged infestation and aggravation. Please respect the technician’s time. Here are a few items that you should attend to prior to the technician coming to your residence.

•   Eliminate clutter from the unit/home. This is important so that the technician can move freely throughout the home.
•   Remove clothing from dressers.
•   Vacuum the mattress.
•   Discard the vacuum bag in tightly-sealed garbage bags.
•   Empty bookshelves, nightstands, or other furniture in the immediate area.
•   Vacuum bed frames and baseboards.

If you are not able to comply with these few pre-treatment tasks, please contact the office and we will walk you through some of the tasks. We may need to reschedule your treatment.

Treatment

After scheduling an appointment, a technician should then be around to treat the affected areas. Depending on how much the infestation has spread, the treatment should take an hour to three hours to perform.

Followup Inspection

As part of the protocol, a trained technician will come out to perform a critical re-inspection. It’s possible that the technician may have to reapply the treatment if there is sufficient evidence to suggest heavy infestation. The technician will be in contact with you throughout the process. Call the office to schedule the followup inspection two weeks after the initial treatment. You can schedule that re-inspection at the time of the treatment.

Miscellaneous Notes: Furniture Disposal

We do not recommend discarding beds, bedding, and furniture. We do not believe it is a sound approach as those items can be easily re-infested. Infested furniture that can not be salvaged needs to be disposed of in a manner that will prevent the further spread of pesky bugs. Even if you remove furniture, bed bugs can meander into hallways and “weasel” their way into other dwelling and spread the problem to new areas. The furniture may not be salvageable because of the infestation.

Mattress Encasements

Using mattress encasements can hinder bed bugs from getting inside the box springs and mattresses. In infested bedding, encasements do just that, encase the bugs inside the bed where they can not get to you.

Health Concerns

Reoccupying treated areas should not cause any problems for people in normal health after the treatment area is dry. Anyone who is pregnant or has allergies, asthma or other health issues should take necessary precautions of not exposing themselves to the chemicals in any way. Please consult your physician if this is the case.

After your home has been treated, avoid covering the bed with bed skirts. Bedding should be tucked in tightly; and beds should be kept a few inches away from the wall.

Choosing an exterminating company can be daunting. Pest control Charlotte says it doesn’t have to be. Hopefully these tips will enable you to take reasonable preventative measures to ensure you never ever get infested again, If, however, you find yourself in a situation where you need the experience and expertise of a quality pest control company, please give us a call.