Bed bugs are probably the most ghastly of household pests in most peoples' eyes. Cockroaches are bad enough, but they do not suck on you. Mosquitoes suck blood and are maddening, but we accept them more than bed bugs. But bed bugs suck your blood whilst you are asleep and then mess in your bed as a thank you note.

Luckily, these bugs do not carry any human diseases that we are conscious of, so they are quite 'safe' in that way, whereas there are quite a few deadly diseases that you can get from mosquitoes such as malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever amongst others. Still, most of us would rather mosquitoes to bed bugs.

If your home is infested with these bugs, you will surely like to get rid of them, so you will need to know something concerning the habits of these creatures. Bed bugs like to hide themselves during the day time in cracks, crevices, torn wallpaper and linoleum, fractured plaster, a ripped mattress and stacked clothing, books, magazines etc..

The popular belief common until a few decades ago was that bed bugs only liked dirty households, but this is not true. Cockroaches like to scavenge for dropped food as do ants, but bed bugs only consume blood and do not even have mouth-parts to consume fallen food if they were famished.

Therefore, bed bugs do not have to live in a slovenly house, only in one that is run-down, poorly taken care of or cluttered. If you want to clear up an infestation of bed bugs, the first thing to do is wash all your clothing in hot water or dry-cleaning fluid and then store them in sealed plastic bags.

The next stage is to repair anywhere they could be hiding. Stick back or replace any ripped wallpaper and seal off any loose woodwork such as skirting boards and architraves with a bead of mastic or filler. Close up the woodwork top and bottom, so that any bed bugs hiding in there will not be able to get out again. This saves trying to kill them.

Put away all books, heaps of newspapers, toys and general clutter and inspect your furniture for loose joints. For example, if a chair or table is a bit ricketty, tighten the screws or mastic the joints together. Seal nail and screw holes with filler or mastic.

Roll up your carpets and check the floor boards. Cork the crevices, fill screw holes and check the line of mastic at the bottom of the skirting boards.

Check the framework of your bed and renovate as mentioned above. Are there red or brown smears on your mattress? if so, they could be living in your mattress. Sew up any tears and seal the mattress in a mattress case which can be zipped closed in order to trap any bugs inside. Otherwise, maybe it is time to replace it.

Standard pesticides do not have much effect on bed bugs, so be careful what you purchase. You need something that has an abrasive element in it. Some use finely ground up glass, which may pose a health hazard to you or your pets.

Diatomaceous Earth is far less risky. Sprinkle or spray it under your carpets and around the base of the skirtings, where bed bugs like to run. Relay your carpets and steam clean them.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on several subjects, but is now involved with pictures of bed bugs. If you want to know more, just visit our web site at Picture of Bed Bugs.