If you've tried a bed bug treatment and it seems to be effective for a week or two, and then soon enough the bed bugs are back, it can be an extremely frustrating process. Bed bugs generally keep coming back because you haven't eliminated every bed bug in the colony, and only some of them.
Regardless of the treatment, bed bugs can return under the right conditions. Treatments kill the existing bugs, but it is always possible that you'll bring them into the house again.
When bugs are sprayed, they will come out after because their hiding places or shelter have been treated. It is normal to see them coming out after the spray because it only means that they were sprayed by the chemicals that will kill them.
How Long Do Bed Bugs Survive After Extermination? If your home is treated with insecticides/chemicals, any bugs caught by the spray will die in a few hours or less. Insecticides are incredibly effective and remain active for several days after use.
However, after a professional pest control treatment you may see more bugs than normal… Because sheltering pests come scrambling out of sheltering areas as they try to escape the product application. Hence, seeing more pests after pest control service is normal as they come out and die.
The number of treatments needed to get control is (national average) 3 to 4 treatments. The first step to treating the problem yourself is taking your bed apart. The frame should be completely deconstructed to reach all cracks and crevices. For any unreachable areas, aerosols are useful.
Spraying over and over, whenever you see a bug. This type of application may not actually violate the label, but it is unlikely to eliminate the infestation and can cause the bugs to become resistant to the pesticide so it will no longer work.
Following treatment, you should install bed bug monitors under each leg of your bed to screen for surviving bugs. The interceptors are inexpensive and effectively trap the bugs as they try to enter or leave the bed. Check the traps every day for evidence, if your treatment was effective there should be no bugs.
Thoroughly wash and clean all the surfaces in your home, especially in your kitchen and bathroom. Vacuum your entire home every day for at least four days following treatment. If your vacuum cleaner requires a bag, only use disposable bags and throw it away in an outdoor garbage can immediately after vacuuming.
Remove sheets, pillows, and any clothing, towels, stuffed animals, or textiles that may have been exposed to bedbugs, and carefully seal them up in heavy-duty garbage bags. When you're ready, remove these items and loosely pack them in the dryer. Run it on the hottest cycle for 30 minutes to kill any bugs or eggs.
If your professional has used a chemical, or only treated one room, it is possible to see more bed bugs after the treatment. Many bed bugs will flee the room being treated and find a place to hide. Some surviving bed bugs are from eggs that were in another room that you were unaware of.
You may continue to sleep in your bed after treatment. Encasements should be put on mattresses and box springs. Any surviving bed bugs in the mattress or box spring will not be able to escape the encasement or bite.
Treatments for bed bugs
The best way to get rid of bed bugs permanently is to work with a pest control professional to come up with a plan that combines home remedies and professional pesticide solutions.
A professional pest control service can effectively treat bed bug infestations, and just throwing out your mattress may not solve your problem. If you buy a new mattress but don't kill the other bed bugs that are hiding in your room, they will just come back.
Often a great indicator of how long an infestation has been around is the number of adult bed bugs present. Generally it takes at least seven weeks for a bed bug to grow from an egg to an adult, so there should be no new adults from eggs during that period.
A bed bug cannot fly, they can only crawl, so chemical treatment makes the most sense. The University of A&M has shown that chemical vs. heat when properly prepared for and carried out by a proficient certified applicator both have a 97% kill rate leaving 3% behind to proliferate.
Those individuals who are not sensitive to bed bug bites may not know they have an infestation. Because bed bugs are nocturnally active, it's hard to see other signs of their presence—unless you're accustomed to waking up at 3 A.M. and taking a census.
Use Insecticides That are Safe for Your Mattress
The best way to get rid of live bed bugs instantly is to spray them with an insecticide. Most of these sprays kill bed bugs on the spot. However, once the solution has dried, there's no guarantee it will still kill the remaining bugs that come across it.
The Pesticide Specialist explained that some bed bug populations have developed resistance to common insecticides, so certain sprays may be ineffective, no matter how much is used. Over-use or daily pesticide applications should be avoided to prevent the bed bugs from spreading out or developing resistance.
Steam – Bed bugs and their eggs die at 122°F (50°C). The high temperature of steam 212°F (100°C) immediately kills bed bugs. Apply steam slowly to the folds and tufts of mattresses, along with sofa seams, bed frames, and corners or edges where bed bugs may be hiding.
If One Room Has Bed Bugs, Do They All? Bed bugs are one of the worst pests when it comes to the spread of infestation. Bed bugs can move up to 25 feet per day, so if they really wanted to, so it's safe to say that you have a high risk of bugs in every room of your home.
If you've recently had your home or business treated for pests, don't be alarmed if you are seeing more pests. It's a normal part of the process; give the products time to do their job. If you are still seeing bugs 10 days after your treatment, contact your pest control company.
Bed bugs may have lived through the treatment or were not quite dead (“walking dead”). It is possible that during the application the bugs were not exposed to enough chemical or heat, causing the customer to find them 7 to 10 days after the treatment was completed.