Decluttering and Storage: All Natural Solutions to Getting Rid of Bedbugs

Bedbugs can survive freezing temperatures. They can also survive pesticide application, now that they have developed a resistance to it. But if you are willing to be patient, there is one thing that bedbugs cannot survive -- storage for long periods of time. Bedbugs cannot go more than a year without a food source. If you are able to store belongings that have a persistent bedbug infestation for more than a year (sealed in clear plastic bags), any bedbugs that remain in the object should die. Scientists say that people who store their mattresses with vinyl covers, or who store stuffed animals and clothing inside sealed plastic bags, should not have to worry about bedbugs infesting their belongings, no matter where they live or where the items are stored (in a closet, attic, basement, or self storage unit). Likewise, decluttering is an important part of addressing a bedbug problem, because it eliminates places where bedbugs can hide.

Unfortunately, bedbugs are making a big comeback in urban areas such as New York City, where people have been fighting them with pesticides for many years. According to a 2009 University of Massachusetts Amherst/Seoul National University study, some bedbugs have become resistant to pesticides, in a process similar to the process used by bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance. Researchers are not sure how far resistance has spread, but note that it is common in the United States. But New York City’s bedbugs are especially resistant to pesticides -- 264 times more resistant than bedbugs in a Florida population that researchers also tested.

The New York City Housing Authority does treat affected homes, but also recommends that affected families seal their mattresses and box springs, and any other items that are impractical to wash or dry, in vinyl covers or in sealed plastic bags for at least one year. Homeowners should never use pesticides to treat bedbugs themselves, as certain pesticides are likely to hurt people more than bedbugs (or other insects).

Unfortunately, storing items for less than a year may not be effective. Bedbugs prefer to feed on blood every five to ten days, but they can survive for up to a year without a meal.

Other treatments recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency and the New York City Housing Authority to kill bedbugs include:

• washing and drying bedding, linens, clothing, and stuffed animals at high temperatures
• heating infested areas and/or items to at least 113 degrees Fahrenheit (or 45 degrees Celsius) for an hour
• exposing articles to at least four days of below freezing temperatures -- however, this method will kill some bedbugs but not others.

It is also important to declutter, seal all cracks and crevices in walls and furniture, and vacuum areas that contain bedbugs. These methods can remove bedbugs’ entry points and hiding places and help people to monitor their homes for additional bugs.

Sources used:

Davey, Monica. “Step right up for pest control at bedbug meeting.” The New York Times. Sept. 21, 2010.

“How bed bugs outsmart poisons designed to control them.” Science Daily. Jan. 12, 2009.

“How to move and leave bedbugs behind.” Cornell Publications.

New York City Housing Authority. “Stop bedbugs safely.”

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Bed bugs.” Pesticides: Controlling Pests.

“Using pesticides to battle bed bugs may harm more humans than bugs.” Environmental News Service. Sept. 21, 2010.