Bed bugs were brought to America by English colonists settling here. They became a wide-spread public issue in the early 1900s because there were no good ways to eliminate them. In the 1950s, the pesticide DDT was introduced. This greatly decreased bed bug infestations in America for the time being. It eventually was discovered that DDT was harmful to people and animals and its use was discontinued. There are many safer pesticides available to control bed bugs, but no specific baits have been developed. Bed bugs are a blood-feeding insect and there are no blood baits available.
Instructions
1. Prepare your glue or sticky traps based on the manufacturers in instructions on the package. Sticky traps will help you figure out where in your home the infestation is heaviest. Bed bugs will become stuck to the traps and you can see how many are in certain areas.
2. Place the traps alongside beds and mattresses where you believe bed bugs to live. Keep them far enough under the bed or behind it that your blankets won't stick to the trap.
3. Place the traps underneath or behind curtains, furniture such as sofas and upholstered chairs. You should also put them near baseboards and cracks in the wall to see if bed bugs live there.
4. The traps with the most bed bugs indicate where the infestation is heaviest. Sticky traps alone will not solve a bed bug problem, but they will help you in determining where to apply pesticide and how much.
5. Apply pesticide to the infested areas based on the pesticide's directions. Some stores offer kits that contain a variety of pesticides designed for different areas of your home.
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