It's normal to see more bed bugs, and there are clear reasons why this can happen. The pest control treatment makes them more active. Bed bugs can smell pesticides and other dangers to them that have been sprayed near their 'home'. Now they are panicked and are out and about trying to find a new place to live.
Bed bugs may live for several months after incorrect spraying. These resilient pests will migrate to other crevices that did not receive the treatment. It will take about three weeks to eliminate bed bugs if sprayed correctly.
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.
Depending on the individual spray, and the conditions of where it was used, a residual insecticide could be effective for anywhere from two weeks to over a year. The time from exposure to death will also vary - some sprays can kill exposed bed bugs in under a minute, while others take several minutes to work.
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.
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.
You can either manually inspect the same areas each day, or some clients find it helpful to put a sticky adhesive trap around the bed legs which would pick up bed bugs that are on the move. If no bed bugs show up in the trap after several days, that's one indication that they have been completely eradicated.
No need to be concerned, it is completely normal to see more bugs after receiving a pest control treatment. More often than not, simply giving the treatment time to kick in will remedy the situation. Besides timing, there are plenty of other reasons why you may see additional creepy crawlies after a treatment.
Bed bugs can live for as long as 4.5 months or more in an empty house before completely dying off. The two primary factors that determine how quickly or slowly the bed bugs could die off are the existence of a blood meal host, and the temperature of the house.
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.
You should treat every two weeks until activity is gone.
Mattresses should be sealed in mattress encasements, and pillows should be sealed in vinyl pillow covers. Keep all mattresses and pillows sealed for a full year after treatment, so any lingering bed bugs die of starvation. Don't enter your home or treated rooms for at least 4-5 hours after treatment.
Among the popular and most effective DIY home treatments for bed bugs is rubbing alcohol. You can dilute it and place it a spray bottle and simply spray the infested areas. The alcohol will kill bed bugs almost immediately. It also evaporates quickly, leaves no traces or bad smells.
Yes! Washing your linens in a hot water wash has proven to be effective in killing bed bugs. Although this may not get rid of your infestation entirely, it will control the bed bug problem.
Completely enclose your mattress and box spring in zippered bed encasements available from allergy or pest control supply companies. Put duct tape over the zipper, because zippers have a space where bedbugs can enter or escape. Mattresses can also be wrapped and sealed in plastic film.
Some sprays leave behind chemical residues that are meant to kill bed bugs after the product has dried. Unfortunately, bed bugs don't usually die just from walking across a sprayed area. They need to sit on the dried product – sometimes for several days – to absorb enough to kill them.
Keep all clothing etc quarantined until the second treatment and you know they have been eradicated. This means keeping clothes that have been washed and dried in plastic bags/totes. This is to keep clothes being re-infected.
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.
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.
You may have them for a while, but may not notice them until weeks, or even months later. Bed bug eggs take anywhere from six to 12 days to hatch, and the adult life span can be anywhere from six months to a year. That's why it's important to know these early signs of an infestation.
How can bed bugs get into my home? They can come from other infested areas or from used furniture. They can hitch a ride in luggage, purses, backpacks, or other items placed on soft or upholstered surfaces. They can travel between rooms in multi-unit buildings, such as apartment complexes and hotels.
If you're using our all-natural bed bug-killing spray, which works best when sprayed directly onto live bed bugs, the best time to treat is right before dawn. “They live close to where people sleep, rest, or sit for long periods of time and are active at night and generally hide during the day,” explains the UME.
Heat Treatment – If your main concern is killing bed bugs fast, heat treatment may be a good option for you. Heat treatments can kill bed bugs in one day by a licensed pest control company. The affected room is heated to between 135°F (57.2°C) and 145°F (62.7 °C).
Where Do Bed Bugs Hide on Your Body? Bed bugs do not typically hide on the body. They prefer to feed, then move back to their hiding place until they are hungry again. In some cases, they may hide in your clothes or the soles of your shoes.
Steam Clean Often
The heat of the steam can kill bed bugs and their eggs. Take your steamer and slowly spray each room with it. Pay extra attention to the baseboards, closet shelves, window trim, and even the carpet. Make sure the steamer is set to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit and use a low setting for the airflow.