Website

Kevin Carrillo

Pest Control Specialist, MMPC

Kevin Carrillo is a Pest Control Specialist and the Senior Project Manager for MMPC, a pest control service and certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) based in the New York City area. MMPC is certified by the industry’s leading codes and practices, including the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), QualityPro, GreenPro, and The New York Pest Management Association (NYPMA). MMPC's work has been featured in CNN, NPR, and ABC News.

wikiHow's Editorial Process wikiHow partners with over 1000+ experts from a wide range of fields to ensure our content is accurate and based on well-established research and testimony. Content Managers conduct interviews and work closely with each expert to review information, answer reader questions, and add credible advice. Learn more about our editorial process and why millions of readers trust wikiHow.

Forum Comments (6)

Please help me find a way to get rid of bed bugs as fast as possible
How you kill bedbugs will depend on the home and on how long the issue has gone on for. That being said, if bedbugs are detected early on, and it's a low-level isolated infestation, it's completely treatable on your own. The first step is always going to be a thorough inspection of your home, starting at the bed and working your way out from there. Ideally, you want to have a good high-powered flashlight with you. You're going to be looking in all cracks and crevices that are starting at something that's about two millimeters wide.

Searching throughout basically the entire home and wherever you're able to find bedbugs, you can simply remove them either by vacuuming and disposing of the vacuum bag, or killing them with Isopropyl rubbing alcohol or something that's at least 80% alcohol. Rubbing alcohol, physical removal, vacuuming, and cleaning the vacuum will treat the issue but the main thing is diligence and perseverance—as long as you are actively searching for the bedbugs, the bedbugs themselves, once you find them, are pretty easily killed. It's totally fixable on your own, but most people start to lose heart once they've done all of their laundries and gone through all of their books, and then they're still getting bitten and they just haven't thought to look in all of the areas that the bedbugs can be hiding.
How to check for potential bed bug infestation in my house?
If bedbugs are detected early on, and it's a low-level isolated infestation, it's completely treatable on your own. The first step is always going to be a thorough inspection of your home. Starting at the bed and working your way out from there. Ideally, you want to have a good high-powered flashlight with you to look in all the cracks and crevices.

Whenever you're able to find bedbugs, you can simply remove them either by vacuuming and disposing of a vacuum bag. You can use Isopropyl rubbing alcohol with at least 80% concentration. Steam is also hot enough to kill bedbugs if you apply it directly to the area for a couple of seconds.

There are a couple of different types of "bedbug traps" on the market that emit CO2, which is what we breathe out all day long, and there's also usually a backup bed bug pheromone. You open the trap and put it in a box and ideally, a bed bugs will get trapped. Just make sure you're not in the room at the same time, or else the bed bugs may be attracted to you instead.
How Do I Get Rid of Stink Bugs in My Home?
I’d start by checking the area where you keep finding the bugs for gaps to the outside. Fill them in with silicone, grout, or whatever material is most appropriate. Then, what you want to try to do is use an insecticide that has a repellent effect to create a barrier outside of your home. Follow the instructions and apply it as needed until the stinkbugs stop showing up. I know it can be irritating, but you have to be persistent to keep bugs out of your home.
Itchy bug bites are driving me nuts! How do I make it stop?
So with a mosquito bite, what's happening is that your body's defense system (the histamines) is reacting to the mosquito’s saliva. Mosquitoes have a local sort of anesthetic material in their saliva so that you don’t feel the bite as it's happening. It's a localized numbing agent. Your body is reacting to that saliva, so it's the histamines that are making the bites annoying. I know you said you already used a cream, but was it calamine lotion? In my experience, calamine lotion is the best. If that didn’t work, I’d actually recommend going to see a dermatologist. They can prescribe some heavy-duty creams you can’t get in the store.
Need advice on getting rid of fungus gnats
The fastest way to get rid of gnats is going to be to figure out what it is that is attracting them and get rid of it. With flying insects, it's always about step one: identify what's attracting them.

When it comes to black fungus gnats, they are generally attracted to areas of organic matter that are oversaturated with water and what that usually is is that it's someone who's overwatering their plants and has damp soil. That could also be if your yard has poor drainage and ends up collecting a lot of water if your soil feels oversaturated. But generally, areas of large moisture buildup are what are going to be the gnat attractant, and solving that will help get rid of the gnats. For me personally, if I have potted plants and I suddenly notice a gnat issue, I'll let my plants dry out and maybe even scoop off the top inch of soil and I'll find that the gnat population will drop or completely disappear after a couple of weeks. If you are trying for a very quick reduction of gnats, then most likely you want to use actual chemicals labeled for gnats and you want to combine that most likely with a kind of UV light trap.
See more comments

Co-authored Articles (70)

The Best Ways to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Your Home

Quickly stop roaches and keep them from coming back with these expert pest control tips Did you turn on your kitchen light and catch sight of some roaches skittering away? Even if you manage to squish a few, there may b...

How to

Identify Bed Bug Droppings

If you’ve woken up with itchy red bites all over your arms or legs, you might be looking at a bed bug infestation. One of the best ways to ID pests is to look for their droppings—and since bed bugs are so small, sear...

10 DIY Methods to Get Rid of Roaches Overnight (Plus Prevention Tips)

Expert tips to put an end to cockroach infestations in your homeThe last thing you want to see creeping around your house is the dreaded cockroach, but you may want to be able to solve the problem without resorting to to...

A Complete Guide to Getting Rid of Bed Bugs

Blech—is that a bed bug you just saw crawling around your mattress? It can be hard to get a good night’s sleep when you’re worried about the unwanted pests that are making themselves at home in your home. Not to wo...

How to Kill Ants with Borax and Sugar (& Keep Them Away!)

Learn to make a safe, low-cost, and effective ant killer at homeIf you’re looking to get rid of ants without using store-bought pesticides, borax is a cheap and effective solution. In this article, we’ll teach you ho...

How to Make Homemade Rat Poison From Household Ingredients

Kill rats quickly with this natural DIYCommercial rat poisons contain toxic chemicals that could pose a risk to the people and pets in your home. As an alternative, you can make your own, less toxic, rat poisons from com...

How to Draw Bed Bugs Out of Hiding

Simple tips to catch and kill bed bugs effectivelyDo you have a bed bug infestation? These nocturnal critters (meaning they come out to feed at night) can be difficult to spot during the day, especially since they’re s...

How to

Get Rid of Fleas on Humans

If you have small, itchy red bites on your legs or ankles, you’re probably being bitten by fleas. Fleas live on pets like cats and dogs, but they’ll sometimes jump onto humans in a pinch. Getting rid of the fleas on ...

How to

Check for Bedbugs

If you don't want the bed bugs to bite, determine if they're in your home or hotel room. Learn how to spot live bed bugs or signs that they're infesting your space. Then check common bed bug hiding spots, such as beds or...

How to Tell a Field Mouse and a House Mouse Apart

Find out how fur coloring, size, and dropping shape differs between field and house mice Out of the corner of your eye, you see a small, furry critter race across your floor. It’s definitely a mouse, but how can you te...

How to Get Rid of Small Ants & Prevent Infestations

Eliminate tiny ants in your house or garden with this guide Having a tiny ant infestation in your home or garden can be frustrating, especially if you don’t know how to get rid of them. Luckily, there are a ton of easy...

How to

Identify Bed Bug Bites

Many people are familiar with the popular refrain, “good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite,” but not many of us can actually identify bed bug bites. This article will walk you through how to identify ...

Effective Ways to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Your Home

Prevent a cockroach infestation with these easy, expert-approved tips If you spot a cockroach, don’t panic! Cockroaches enter a home in search of food, water, and shelter, but there are many ways to get rid of roaches ...

How to Drive Away Gnats for Good: Easy DIY Methods

Get rid of the gnats in your house fast with these simple home remediesWhile gnats aren’t necessarily harmful, they sure are annoying! Luckily, there are lots of ways to trap and exterminate these pests without having ...

How to Kill Roaches with Borax or Boric Acid

Target cockroaches with these 5 effective Borax mixturesIf you’re tired of surprise roaches scurrying across your floors and up your walls, borax is a lifesaver. This natural powdery substance, also called sodium tetra...

How Long Can Bed Bugs Live in an Empty House?

Answering your questions about a bed bug’s lifespan when there’s no food source in sight No one likes to see bed bugs around the house, especially in a property that you own. But if there’s no one living there or i...

How to

Get Rid of Fleas

Dealing with a flea infestation can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re juggling getting rid of fleas on your pets, in your home, and around your yard. Fortunately, you can eliminate a flea infestation and stop i...

How to Eliminate Carpet Beetles: Natural & Chemical Options

Plus, how to prevent a future infestation in your homeCarpet beetles are persistent pests that can eat away at your carpets, clothing, and other fabrics. While getting rid of carpet beetles can be a challenge, it’s def...

Mice Extermination: How Experts Eliminate Mice & How Long It Takes

Learn how professionals successfully eradicate house mice We’ve all imagined professionals arriving at someone’s house for extermination–dressed in white hazmat suits and prepared to fumigate the entire building…...

11 Ways to Get Rid of Ants in Your Yard Permanently

Enjoy the outdoors again with these natural and chemical-based ant solutions Living with a yard full of anthills feels a lot like navigating an obstacle course, where you have to run and hop across stinging lines of ants...
See more articles