The Efficacy of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Bed Bug Control

If you’ve ever woken up with itchy bites on your skin or found dark spots on your sheets, you might have fallen victim to one of the most persistent pests: The most common types of pests found in the flats are bed bugs. If you have no idea about this pest then you will have to read more on what bed bugs are. Bed bugs are usually small insects, red-brownish in color that are night feeders, they only feed on human or animal blood. They are most effective during the night time and therefore are associated with places of sleep such as beds. Although they are not carriers of diseases, their bites result in allergic reactions, and considerable pain.

Despite their size these tiny creatures can interfere with your sleep and cause a significant amount of distress, the positive news is that there are practical ways of dealing with them. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is one of the most efficient methods which can be used in controlling pests. In this blog we will be discussing what exactly IPM entails, how it functions and why using it to address the menace of bedbugs in particular is a sound idea.

What is Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?

Integrated Pest Management is a broad concept for pest control which aims at permanent pest exclusion and reduction of the negative effects on the environment. Unlike the conventional pest control where pest control agents are used alone, IPM integrates different methods of controlling the pests.
Research has revealed that IPM can help to greatly diminish bed bug numbers. For example, a single research showed that implementation of IPM decreased the levels of bed bugs by ninety-six percent in the first six months. In addition, the total proportion of infestation in the study reduced from 15% to 2.2% within a year. This effectiveness makes IPM more preferable to general pest management techniques as compared to the traditional pest control methods.

This includes:

• Monitoring and Identification: Degree of invasion and identification of the pest to a professional level.
• Prevention: Preventing factors which may lead to cases of bed bug infestations being taken into consideration.
• Control Methods: Eradicating the problem through the application of physical, biological and chemical measures of control.

Step-by-step application of IPM in controlling bed bugs:

1. Monitoring and Identification

The first part of IPM is therefore to establish whether you have bed bugs in your house in the first place. Some of the indications include small, rust coloured spots on the bedding, skins that have been shed or the bugs themselves. Placing traps and shining a torch light on the seams of your mattresses, your box springs, and your bed frames would help you confirm their existence. To be specific, it is possible to find out what exactly is wrong in your case and that will help you to know how to proceed.

2. Prevention

After one confirms that there is an infestation, then prevention is the next best thing that should be done. Here are some effective preventive measures:

• Declutter: General cleanliness if the home should be maintained well in order to minimize areas where the bed bugs may hide. Throw away all those things which you do not require any more in your room, especially the items that are kept under the bed.
• Use Protective Covers: Sleep on bed bug-proof mattress and pillow covers. These encasements confine the bugs within them and also do not allow access of other bugs into them.
• Seal Cracks and Crevices: Also, do not forget to scan your house for possible gaps where pests can get in. Fill all cracks on walls, floors, and furniture so that the pests cannot hide.
• Regular Cleaning: Vacuum the house as often as possible paying special attention to the carpet, rug, and any upholstered furniture in your home. Never allow the vacuum bag to remain in the machine, make sure you discard it.

3. Control Methods

If prevention strategies don’t work, it is now time to act. An IPM approach utilizes various methods:

• Heat Treatment: That means, bed bugs are unable to survive extreme temperatures. Through a professional bed bug heat treatment, all the bed bugs and their eggs can be eradicated from your house. This method involves use of heat to destroy bed bugs by providing a heat source that will suffocate the bugs in the infested area.
• Steam Cleaning: High temperature steam has the capability of eliminating bed bugs as soon as it comes into contact with them. Concentrate on such things as mattress, the seams of furniture and baseboard.
• Chemical Treatments: Chemical treatments should not be the only method that is used but it can be used in combination with other methods. Whenever using pesticides, it is wise to use the low toxicity ones and ensure that you follow the instructions given on the label.
• Professional Pest Control: In severe cases, one is advised to seek help from licensed pest control agencies that use IPM methods to get rid of the pests. For they can offer know-how and solutions that may be unique to each case.

Why Choose IPM?

IPM is beneficial for several reasons:

1. Sustainability: It is more oriented towards solving problems and not covering them up as many other approaches do.
2. Reduced Chemical Use: When used in conjunction, IPM reduces the degree of toxicity of chemicals used in pest control hence making it safer for your family and pets.
3. Cost-Effectiveness: Even if it costs more initially, the use of IPM costs less in the long-run since the occurrence of other infestations is minimized.

Conclusion

The pests that are not easy to control require an aggressive strategy that at least guarantees you the best results of 90%. IPM is solely made as we have seen cases of bed bugs in Detroit and how people used harsh solutions that did not even guarantee the longevity of the solution. That is why in many regions like pest control in the city of Oak, pest control in Macomb recommends IPM as it provides an effective and integrated approach to make you get back the control of your home.