Treatment For Bed Bugs

Due to the hidden and resilient behaviors of bed bugs, elimination of them from homes can be challenging and not a good Do-It-Yourself project to get rid of all of the bed bugs.

Tips to minimize your infestation:

• Using pesticides for bed bugs should be left to the professionals. Applying the wrong type of chemicals can cause health problems.
• Remember, only about 50% of people get marks from bed bugs, so not everyone in your house may have symptoms of bites.
  
• Save a sample of the bug you believe is biting you. Have an entomologist or pest management professional identify it for you. It helps rule out other possible problems: scabies, crabs, bat bugs, or delusional parasitosis.
  
• If you suspect you have bed bugs, do not stop sleeping in your bed. If you move to the couch, they will follow. Keep in mind in you have bed bugs, it is not a good idea to sleep at someone's house. This is one of the causes of the spread of bed bugs. Bed bugs are hitchhikers. They can not fly, they must travel from place to place.
• DO NOT use the bed bug bombs! You will only make the infestation worse. The bombs push the bed bugs further into the walls, making it harder for the PMP to treat the area. They are also a fire hazard and have been known to set off sprinklers.
  
• Wash all clothing, bedding, and curtain materials to help reduce the infestation. Dry on the highest heat setting possible.
• Don't throw out all of your furniture and buy new right away. The new furniture will just become infested also. In some cases, the Pest Management Professional may be able to save your furniture. Also dragging it outside may spread the infestation. If you must get rid of some furniture, wrap it in plastic and spray paint "bed bugs" on it. This way no one will be tempted to bring it home with them.
  
• Mattresses and box springs should be treated selectively, not covered with insecticide. You can treat the mattresses with the Heat Chamber since insecticides are not recommended. You may also use steam to reduce the infestation on the mattress and box spring. This will not kill all the bed bugs, but may reduce the infestation.
  
• Mattress and box spring encasements, that are approved and designed for bed bug prevention, will prevent direct contact with the residual insecticide on treated mattress and box spring. Additionally, due to the fact that these encasements can be removed, washed and reused, there is no need to throw infested mattresses and box springs away. The encasements are also designed to trap any bed bugs that may have been missed or will hatch after the treatment. They cannot bite through them, their zippers have small enough teeth to not allow them to escape, and other features helpful in bed bug control.
• When vacuuming, pay particular attention to bed bug's hiding areas. Be careful, if not properly handled, vacuum contents will spread bed bugs throughout your home. DO NOT use the same vacuum in rooms adjacent to the infested with bed bugs room. Immediately collect the vacuum contents and carefully place them in tightly sealed double trash bags. These bags should be disposed of outside the building in a proper dumpster.

Selecting a Professional for Treatment of Bed Bugs 

Choose a company that is known to apply Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tactics and guarantee that their treatment options are effective and environmentally friendly.

Choose a company that provides a quick response to your call, and solve your pest problems in a reasonable time, as well as perform follow up treatment evaluation services in a professional manner.

Choose a company the uses heat treatment when treating for bed bugs. Heat treatments work well with treating your home and all affected areas at the same time, eradicating them right away.

Choose a company that offers various chemical and non-chemical pest solutions and educates you on how to prevent pest infestations before they become a problem.

Choose a company that keeps its professionals updated on new techniques, regulations and requirements and committed to excellence and higher performance standards as a member in good standing of national pest management association (NPMA), QualityPro, Green Pro, and EPA Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP).

Don't expect your problem will be solved overnight. When your pest company treats with chemicals, it can take 20 days to 90 days to completely get rid of them. With heat treatments, there may be a few bugs left over that are going through heat stroke and will dye anywhere from 1 hour to 1 day after treatment. Sometimes when people use bed bug bombs, the bugs are pushed so far into the walls it makes the PMP's job very difficult. This may cause more treatments than normal.

Industrial Heater
Used to heat the room to a lethal temperature for Bed Bugs.

Heat Chamber
Useful for treating isolated objects, not wanting to bring bed bugs home.

 Chemical Treatment
Requires at least two visits.

 Commercial Grade Steamer
Useful for treating one or two chairs.

Heat Gun
Useful for small items, but be careful of causing damage.

Bed Bug Elimination Techniques

Heat Treatment for Bed Bugs

During a heat treatment process, temperatures are raised to a lethal level for the bed bugs (118°F) and then maintained at that level or higher for a period of time so that the heat can penetrate objects. This really is the best treatment for bed bugs, because the results are better, faster, with less preparation, and you can keep your furniture.

However, because heat treatments offer no residual effect to kill reintroduce bed bugs, pesticides may be used to supplement heat treatments.

Pesticides specifically tested to kill bed bugs can be used. Often liquid treatments are used on surfaces and dusts are applied in void areas. Insecticide treatments in sleeping areas are a serious health risk so it is very important to use products safely. We recommend hiring an experienced pest control professional.

Bed bug resistance to pyrethroids has been documented in a recent study by researchers at the University of Kentucky (2007, 2010). Most insecticide products that can be used in the home belong to this class. Pest control professionals have more choices of insecticides, which may improve the effectiveness of control.

A recent study at Purdue University concluded that successful eradication of bed bugs using pesticides requires at least two visits, with considerable time needed to inspect and treat the area, but some infestations may require four or more applications.

Steam Treatment for Bed Bugs

Steam can be used to destroy bed bugs, although the pest management professional must be extremely thorough, and yet be careful not to damage things with the very high temperatures. While steam can penetrate cracks and crevices up to a few inches, it is inconsistent and simply cannot be used everywhere for fear of damaging various surfaces. Steam cannot be used to treat outlets and behind switch covers, which are common hiding grounds for bed bugs. The real problem with steam is quite the same as with pesticide treatments. It is hard sometimes to reach the tricky/tough places where bed bugs may be hiding, such as inside a speaker or book bindings. Steam is best used in limited situations, like to treat one or two chairs for bed bugs.

Heat Guns or Freezing Treatment for Bed Bugs

Heat guns and applications involving freezing temperatures (decompression of CO2) have concerns similar to those of steam applications mentioned above. Heat guns/CO2 are effective at killing the bed bugs that can be seen and those hiding in cracks and crevices up to a couple of inches deep. However, they may not be able to reach all of the bed bugs or eggs that cannot be easily reached. Please use with caution. CO2 is dangerous in enclosed areas. You need to keep the room well vented.