If you receive bed-bugs, that you don’t need to telephone a licensed pest control company, however, you’d be foolish not to, would be that the take away message by a warning issued by an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) past August. "With the incorrect pesticide or using it wrongly to treat bedbugs can make you, your family, and your pets " the EPA said in a user alert supplied by The Hill Healthwatch online. "It may make your home dangerous to live in – and may well not fix the bedbug issue."

Alarmed by reports of dangerous pesticide abuse and extreme measures being accepted by some homeowners and apartment dwellers in do-it-yourself efforts to eradicate bed bugs, both the U.S. EPA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a joint statement last July warning consumers against using outdoor pesticide products inside their homes in attempts to get rid of bed bugs. Reports from pest control professionals in the specialty and news media of folks dousing their bedstheir toddlers and also bathing their children in garden insecticides has generated growing concern among government officials, the health community, community health guardians, and the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). Using harsh chemicals not approved by the EPA for residential usage can induce severe burn-like annoyance of the eyes and skin, potential damage to the central nervous system, and might even introduce you to carcinogens.

There also have been numerous news reports of house and flat fires begun by desperate individuals with highly flammable liquids to kill bedbugs. In January, a Cincinnati, Ohio person who was stripping his furniture down with a mixture of insecticide and alcohol started a flame in his own apartment when his cigarette sparked fumes from the compound mixture. In July 2008, an Eatontown, New Jersey man blew his apartment while attempting do-it-yourself pest control. A pilot light ignited the compound fumes and spray causing an explosion which blew out the front windows of their apartment and resulted in a fire that destroyed the man’s apartment and caused serious injury to neighboring units.

"Pest control firms reported seeing many unsuccessful and potentially dangerous activities used by DoItYourselfers, including bleach, ammonia, flame, smoke, kerosene, wasp spray, and also bug bombs, as well as concentrated pesticides bought on the internet," University of Kentucky entomologist and national bedbug expert Michael Potter, writes in Bugs Without Borders, Assessing the International bed-bug Resurgence, an worldwide poll of pest management companies recently conducted by the University of Kentucky in conjunction with the NPMA. "As bed-bug sufferers become desperate, serious injury might result from such applications, especially among those who choose not to hire a professional," he warns.

Bedbugs don’t necessarily react to home treatment method. These apple seed-sized insects that feed on human blood are tough to kill, a function of their biology and behavior. In the best, do it yourself home treatments may force bed-bugs to relocate, dispersing infestations more quickly. These insects have a tough, protective carapace that is not easily penetrated. To killpest control services and products must come into direct physical contact with the insectand their eggs are untouched byproducts now accepted by the EPA for home use. If not feeding, bedbugs hide in spaces that are inaccessible deep inside minute cracks, inside walls, behind baseboards, under floor boards, and interior electronic devices. Bedbugs along with their eggs are also readily transported on clothing and belongings, allowing infestations to quickly spread through a home or apartment building. This mixture of biology and behavior causes it extremely hard to kill a entire bedbug infestation using one pest control therapy. Three professional pest control treatments spaced 2 weeks apart are typically required to successfully remove a bedbug infestation and ensure that concealed bugs and also newly-hatched eggs have been killed.

Qualified extermination with a licensed pest control company with an expertise in bed insect removal is the most effective means to sew bed bugs. The EPA, to the bed-bug Information Page submitted on its website, says,"Obtaining a pest management professional (PMP) involved whenever possible rather than simply taking time for you to try to take care of the problem yourself is very capable of preventing further complications."

Fast action is vital in combating bed insect infestations. Bed bugs replicate at an alarming rate and infestations can rise quickly. Throughout its 6- to 12-month lifespan, a lady bed bug can lay 500 eggs together with offspring capable of repeating within per month. It is common to find three or more bed-bug productions found in a recognized infestation. Immediate treatment at the first stages of infestation can limit the infestation and prevents it from spreading.

To successfully treat bedbug issues, licensed pest control professionals use a combination of environmental control procedures, called Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and a variety of pest control materials accepted by the EPA for home use only by licensed pest management professionals. Effective bedbug extermination begins with meticulous pre-treatment prep to remove clutter, clothing, bed linens and other items which may allow bed-bugs to escape vulnerability to pest control substances. When site prep is complete, a mixture of pest control materials is required to attack bedbugs on multiple levels.

Concerns about security and health problems which have arisen from misuse of pest control compounds by unlicensed or improperly trained pest control and unqualified contractors seeking to cash in on people fear prompted the EPA to warn users to prevent pest extermination services made with"unrealistic promises of efficacy or very low cost."

Last July, a Newark, New Jersey pest control company was accused of prohibited use of chemicals not approved for residential use. While providing bed pest fixes to 70 flats and homes units, technicians sprayed powerful chemicals on mattresses and children’s toys. Back in Cincinnati, Ohio last June, an undercover contractor hired to exterminate bed bugs soaked an apartment complex with a agricultural pesticide, sending seven tenants to the hospital and inducing public health police to quarantine the property.

In the hopes of preventing such events, the NPMA recently developed Best Management Practices for Bed Bugs (BMP) to serve as a guide for both the industry and consumers. A list of consumer tips for selecting a pest control professional provided from the BMP recommends that consumers hire only qualified and accredited pest management firms to safeguard their safety and health and make sure that the
pest control services that they receive are safe and effective. The NPMA further urges that consumers give preferential consideration to licensed pest control firms that have achieved QualityPro certification, suggesting they reveal the very best technical, educational and ethical standards within the business.