Banish Bed Bugs with These Top Tips

College move-in day can be hectic. But one to-do on your checklist not to skip? Checking your new surroundings for bedbugs

By The LifeMinute Team

August 19, 2016

Banish bed bugs by focusing on areas including the mattress, box spring, the bed frame. What exactly are you looking for? "Reddish brown spots as well as the eggs and newly hatched nymphs. They are very small, they're going to be very pale or light in color, but normally what people will see is the full-grown bed bug which is about the same size, appearance and color as an apple seed," explains Terminix entomologist Tom Jeffords. Here, more tips on staying bedbug-free.

Get The Best of Bugs: Top Tips From The Expert

-Inspect not only the room, but also the material that's coming into it, such as suitcases, backpacks, and boxes. A lot of times returning students will store items there for the summertime. Some things that you can do to help prevent the bed bugs is inspect anything that comes inside.

-Keep things off the floor. A big driver behind bedbug stations is clutter. So the less clutter that you have the better off you are.

-Purchase mattress as well as pillow encasements. Make sure they are a good quality and are designed for bed bugs.

-If you purchase anything that's used such as books or clothing, I recommend washing the clothing in warm water as well as dry in hot heat. That will kill all the stages of the bed bugs.

For additional information, call 1-877-TERMINIX or go to Terminix.com.