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.
Since bed bugs can go a significant amount of time without eating it is strongly recommend that if you decide to vacate your home that you do so for an extended period of time. This will ensure that all of the bugs will die due to the lack of food source and the treatments provided by the exterminator.
If you have the unfortunate experience of getting bed bugs in your home, you can not leave them untreated, as the infestation will continue to grow and spread throughout your home. Sometimes people are embarrassed about bed bugs and want to try DIY methods to get rid of them instead of calling for help.
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.
Depending on the nature and severity of the invasion, we understand that getting rid of bed bugs can take a few days to months. To succeed, you must be patient and work with your bed bug exterminator. In most cases, three to four visits can solve bed bug infestations.
It's best to keep the infestation localized to as few rooms as possible. This will also make remediation easier. Do continue to sleep in your bedroom after identifying a bed bug infestation. If you move rooms or start sleeping on the couch you run the risk of contaminating these other areas of your home.
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.
Wash everything on a high temperature or sanitary cycle for at least 30 minutes. Placing everything in the dryer on the hottest setting for 30 minutes will also kill bed bugs and larvae. Immediately after you're finished putting clothing in the washer, tie up and throw out the empty garbage bag in an outdoor trash bin.
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.
A bed bug treatment using heat kills bed bugs immediately, but there is no residual. A chemical bed bug treatment can take a few weeks, but it leaves a residual which provides continued protection from bed bug re-infestation.
No. You should not throw out your mattress after a bed bug attack. Besides that being one of the easiest ways to spread the infestation even further, it also won't solve the problem. Unfortunately, bed bugs are not limited to mattresses.
If you think that moving will automatically eliminate your bed bug problem, think again! Packing: Place all belongings in clear plastic bags and seal tightly. Sort items by type (clothes, towels, sheets and blankets) and keep things that are known to be infested away from clean items.
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.
Replace upholstered furniture with metal or plastic, or material that can easily be cleaned with soap and water. Vacuum daily. For the first few weeks, even after you no longer see any bedbugs, throw out the vacuum bag right away, like you did during the treatment phase. Look for new infestations on a regular basis.
The only way to be certain that you've killed the adult bed bugs and the eggs is to contact a professional bed bug exterminator. The best method to exterminate bed bugs is through heat treatment. In this professional service, technicians bring your home to over 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bed bugs are not attracted to dirt, decay, or decomposing materials. They are only attracted to blood, and will search it out, regardless of the cleanliness of the environment. Bed bugs detect carbon dioxide emitted from humans and respond to warmth and moisture as they approach the potential host.
If a friend stays overnight somewhere on their way to your home for the holidays, they could bring bed bugs to your home. If a friend has a bed bug infestation and they don't realize it, they can bring bed bugs over to your house, even during the day.
Myth: Bed bugs transmit diseases. Reality: There have been no cases or studies that indicate bed bugs transmit diseases between humans. Myth: Bed bugs are not a public health pest. Reality: Bed bugs are a public health pest.
After Visiting a Client's Home
Take precaution by removing clothes and shoes and placing them in the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes. Heat kills bed bugs in all life stages. If a bed bug is found, remove the work clothes outside of the home or in the bathroom immediately.
Yes, if you jump into the shower while a bed bug is feeding on you, then the bed bug will likely get washed down the drain. Bed bugs do not attach themselves to your skin like ticks, which allows them to be easily removed by a shower.
A: Bed bugs make their way to mattresses by crawling up the legs of bed frames and nearby items that touch the bed. Bedding and linens that hang down far enough to touch the floor can also provide a means of access.
There are no two ways about it—spotting even a single bed bug in your home is cause for concern. While you may think that just one tiny speck of a pest may not be a big deal, it can signal you have a full-on infestation growing under your nose.
Don't move items from room to room
Moving items from a bed bug infested room to other areas of your home increases the likelihood that the infestation will spread throughout other areas of your home.
In summary, it makes no difference what kind of surfaces you have. The only requirement that bed bugs need to infest it is a safe place to tuck away and close to the human hosts. Surfaces close to where you spend most of your time such as the bed and couch are most likely to be infested.