Bed bugs are small dusty-brown insects in the family Cimicidae. These parasitic creatures feed on blood and infect you when they bite. Once bitten, you will experience itching, inflammation, and sometimes an allergic reaction.
The best understanding of how to treat bed bugs requires four important things:
- what products are available for treating bed bugs
- understanding where bed bugs live
- interpreting their life cycle
- knowing the difference between do-it-yourself treatments versus hiring an exterminator
Heat Treatment for Whole Room
You can hire a professional bed bug exterminator who will heat the bugs to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to kill them! The downside to this method is that it requires a professional-grade steamer and costs more money.
There are DIY heaters on the market for use at home. But you will need to research before buying one. Some heaters require you to add oil, making them impossible for treating your entire house or apartment complex. Other options may become safer, but much less effective in exterminating all of them.
Heat treatment is an excellent bed bug killer! A hot dryer, portable heat chamber, or do-it-yourself (DIY) alternatives are all available to kill these annoying bugs.
Insecticide Treatments
The bugs can live on your couch, bed, underneath wooden furniture, and even inside carpeting. They love to hide just about anywhere and it makes extermination a real challenge!
Insecticides are products that kill bed bugs through contact or ingestion. But not all work for these bugs. Some products will use a neurotoxin called pyrethroids that are very effective. This same chemical becomes less effective when used too many times in a row.
Follow instructions carefully when using insect killers. Do-it-yourself bed bug exterminators should have training before attempting it themselves. Residues left behind can cause health problems when handled inappropriately.
How Many Treatments Does it take to Get Rid of Bed Bugs?
You may need to treat more than once for complete extermination. The key is understanding where the bugs hide and how difficult they are to kill. Treatment tips can make your home free of these pests! Successful bed bug treatment often requires understanding how these pests behave and hiding where they like. Once you know what to look for, it is easier to get rid of them!
Thermal Bedbug Heat will bring in specially designed equipment to raise your home’s temperature with whole room heat treatments. Bed bugs and eggs die within one hour and 30 minutes at 118 degrees Fahrenheit. It is immediately after exposure for just under two hours at 122 degrees Fahrenheit or 50 degrees Celsius.
How Long Does it Take for Bed Bugs To Go Away After Treatment?
You will notice less activity in your home after the initial treatment. But most people experience a resurgence of bed bugs two to five weeks later. Some individuals have to treat more than once for complete eradication.
Follow-up inspections are essential parts of understanding any treatment. The exterminator will look for active bugs and signs of successful extermination. After the first treatment, leave all windows open within three days.
When you cannot, use a fan to circulate air through the room at least every day until you have been free of the bugs for two weeks. Finding an infestation after two weeks means it may become time to call another exterminator.
How Do You Know Bed Bugs are Gone?
Learn more about five ways that tell you the bed bugs left your home or business. Below is a guide:
The Size of The Original Infestation
The number of bugs or eggs that appear will tell you the number of treatments you need. Finding large numbers means the problem is much larger than suspected. Smaller infestations mean one or two treatments and understanding their hiding places can make sure they stay out!
Finding live bed bugs means the initial treatment was not successful. Discard any mattresses and couches with signs of these pests on them before treating them again.
Re-infestation Rates
Check your home after a week to see when there are still bed bugs present. Make sure that no new spots appear as evidence that the first round did not kill all of them!
The Type of Treatment
Some bed bug extermination treatments are more effective than others. Many sprays and chemicals do not work well with these bugs. Professional exterminators use insecticides that kill eggs as well as adults quickly! The service has residual staying power to keep them from coming back!
The Number of Dead Bugs Found After Treatment
Inspection time after a treatment is very important! You can find out how successful the exterminator was by understanding numbers. In some cases, the given treatment kills only 50% of the bugs. Allow the other half to find new hiding spaces in your home.
Thoroughness of Treatment
A thorough understanding of where the bugs live can make sure they stay away for good! Professionals will drill tiny holes in walls to inject chemicals behind electrical sockets. When your exterminator is not willing to do this kind of treatment, you may have to pay more later on preventative measures.
The Time Between Treatments
Extermination that fails after one or two treatments means it probably needs more time between each visit. The professionals should know how many times to come back before complete bed bug removal.
Understanding how these pests behave and their hiding places help with successful treatments! Once people know where they are coming from, understanding the best way to find them makes treatment possible.
Type of Home
Different homes might have varied inspections depending on the exterminator. Some use ultraviolet cameras to inspect places where you cannot find bed bugs easily. Others may look at the attic and crawl spaces to see where they are coming from.
Inspections can help you know when treatment works or does not work because of understanding the type of home you have. It will help control where the bugs are hiding and how to stop them from infesting any further.
Treatment methods vary according to the size of your infestation. But understanding them can make indicators easier. When you have a severe bed bug problem, you can tell after understanding the treatment plan.
Monitoring
Doing this in your home for bugs after treatment is important. It can tell you how successful the exterminator was and whether more treatments are necessary.
Treatment has to get rid of both adults and eggs before considering it a success! When any signs of bed bugs persist, your professional might have missed some pests or new ones have moved in from neighboring properties. Understanding this information will help you know what to look for when inspections happen.
Frequently understanding pest types is a good idea because knowing their habits helps control them better. Bed bugs do not carry diseases.
What is the Most Effective Treatment for Bed Bugs?
The most effective treatment for bed bugs is understanding their habits and the chemicals used to kill them. When you know what every hiding space looks like, it becomes easier to get rid of them all!
A vacuum cleaner is perhaps one of the most effective home remedies for bed bugs! When you have an attachment, it can reach into crevices and seams on couches as well as other furniture such as chairs or mattresses. They may also need vacuuming due to infestation issues.
An additional option is using those specialized tools designed just for cleaning tables. These can work their way around corners easily given.
Do Bed Bugs go Away After the First Treatment?
Often, understanding how to get rid of bed bugs means knowing the first treatment is crucial. But there are some cases where eliminating these pests can take more than one application of chemicals. Understanding this information makes it easier to know what to look for after your exterminator leaves. Treatment takes an hour or two. So you have to keep an eye out for any signs of bed bugs coming back.
Bed bugs are annoying and bloodthirsty creatures that can quickly infest an area! It is common for adults to die within three or four days after treatment with pesticides. But how long depends on how badly you are pest-free!
Do Bed Bugs get Worse after Treatment?
When you do not treat bed bugs soon after they show up, understanding how serious your problem is can get difficult. The need for professional help requires identifying the seriousness of treatment.
Complications from understanding the situation correctly happen when people think it is a simple problem. They fail to get rid of all of them right away! This means waiting too long for treatments when you miss any pests in hiding. They may not all die and reproduce quickly making an infestation!
Can You Ever Really Get Rid of Bed Bugs?
Yes, understanding can help you get rid of bed bugs. They are annoying to have in your home. These bugs leave marks on furniture and clothing that are difficult to remove. Understanding how to get rid of them takes knowing their habits as well as chemicals used to kill them. Identifying all hiding spaces makes it easier for products applied correctly to work! This makes life happier without having this pest issue anymore.
Bed bug infestations can become tricky to get rid of! But luckily there are some great methods! Show patience and try different chemicals or non-chemical approaches for you to succeed at removing them from your home.
Can You Get Rid of Bed Bugs on Your Own?
Familiarize with five ways on how to prevent bed bugs in your home or business with personal effort. Learn more below:
Identify The Problem
It is important to identify how bed bugs look. The first step is knowing their habits as well as what attracts them! Their diet consists of blood, but other things can entice them to live in your home. Knowing where they hide can point you towards what steps to take for your pest control solution process.
The best time for seeing how bed bugs look is at night when they are active and looking for a meal! Their flat shape allows them to get into small spots. Colors vary from light brown to red or deep mahogany for nymphs. Adults are about the size of an apple seed with oval and flat bodies. They are distinguishable by their head, antennae, and mouthparts.
Create a Strategy
Understanding the problem starts with identifying your options as essential to getting rid of bed bugs. You need to know what pesticides work best or when there are non-chemical solutions for you.
Try some different strategies before calling in professional help! Knowing how to get rid of bed bugs means understanding all of them, not just one single approach. A combination that seems too difficult may work better than any alternative methods on their own.
Keep The Infestation from Spreading
Getting rid of bed bugs means understanding how to do it quickly! This is why knowing their habits and hiding spaces is essential. People respond differently depending on the severity of the infestation! Bed bug bites are dangerous for some individuals. So understanding their hiding spots can help you keep them away.
Seal off any openings larger than a pinprick in your home or business from bed bugs getting inside. The best way to understand this is knowing where they hide! You also need to eliminate things that attract these pests!
Treatment
With a plan in understanding how to get rid of bed bugs, you should become closer to your treatment options. Considering non-chemical methods or professional pesticide treatments can help. These depend on the size and nature of the infestation.
Each method has its benefits and drawbacks. You should get rid of bed bugs with personal effort. Have patience and understanding as to what they like and do not like about your home.
Evaluate and Prevent
Bed bugs are the most common insect pest infestations in today’s society. They can live for more than a year without feeding which makes understanding how to prevent them difficult.
Keep around objects that are low to the ground. Box springs, mattresses, couches, chairs, and nightstands make great hiding spots for bed bugs! These areas are where they love to hide while waiting for their next meal. Understanding these places helps you eliminate them from your home or business.
Know that bed bug treatment is a good place to start. But it is not the end. You will want to take additional steps after getting rid of those annoying bugs. Prevent them from coming back with measures taken before their arrival. Hire an exterminator as necessary. So they do not come back again soon after treatment completion.
