Don't count on bed bugs to go away on their own. In theory, they can. In practice, they don't unless several highly specific circumstances occur. Your best bet is professional bed bugs 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.
Bed bugs will not go away on their own. They can exist for many months without feeding. If conditions are right they will breed and the infestation will gradually become worse. You're strongly recommended to arrange for a professional pest controller to get rid of a bed bug infestation.
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.
Items that cannot be treated should be placed in a sealed plastic bag or storage container and left there for up to a year to ensure any active bugs are dead. Purchase protective covers that seal mattresses and box springs. With covers that seal, the bed bugs will get trapped inside and die. Vacuum after each use.
In general, you shouldn't have to throw out any items in the midst of or after a bed bug infestation. With proper treatment, all items should be able to be salvaged. Instead of throwing out clothing and bedding, it's recommended to wash them in a hot water washing machine. High heat will kill bed bugs and their eggs.
“People may have bed bugs and not know it because many people have no physical reaction to bed bug bites,” Dr. Harrison says. “That's why it's important for people everywhere to inspect for bed bugs regularly.”
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.
The full bed bug life-cycle process can take as little as 5 weeks and as long as 4-6 months.
Pyrethroids are synthetic chemical insecticides that act like pyrethrins. Both compounds are lethal to bed bugs and can flush bed bugs out of their hiding places and kill them.
Bed bugs live primarily indoors, giving them the heat they need to survive the winter. As long as they have a food source as well as the warmth they need, they'll happily remain active in your home throughout the year. If they don't have a food source, they can go for several months without eating and still survive.
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.
Here is just a short list of dangers that bed bugs present: Many bites over time can cause significant blood loss and potential anemia. Allergies to their droppings and remains can cause asthmatic attacks in susceptible people.
It is important to note here that simply throwing out your current bed and buying a brand new mattress will not stop the infestation. Bed bugs actually do leave your mattress and it's not uncommon for them to now be in the carpet or on your couch as well.
Yes, bed bugs can come back after a year.
Bed bugs are excellent at reproducing and building up their colony size if they aren't fully eliminated. If you used a DIY treatment that didn't eliminate all the bed bugs in the colony, then there's always the chance that they'll remain in hiding until they've reproduced.
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.
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.
DO BED BUGS LAY EGGS ON CLOTHES? Bed bugs are capable of laying eggs on clothes, but they are unlikely to do so when you're wearing them. Generally, bed bugs only crawl on humans when they are still (like when they're sleeping), and instead lay eggs in mattresses, bed frames, floorboards, and walls.
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.
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.
Tell someone!
Don't keep this to yourself. Yes, it can feel intimidating telling someone about an issue you might feel embarrassed about, but the relief of bringing someone into the experience of this issue can be a huge help and can take away the sense of isolation often incurred when someone has bed bugs.
Light Bed Bug Infestation
Minimal fecal staining (small black stains in areas of travel, feeding, and harborage). Fecal stains will be anywhere the bed bugs hide or travel and can be used to detect hot spots. Minimal cast skins (exuviae are the skins shed during the molting process).
Non-chemical control tools and tactics like vacuuming are important components of effective bed bug control. Vacuuming alone cannot eliminate bed bugs (except possibly in a very limited new infestation), and vacuuming is typically used in conjunction with insecticide treatment and other non-chemical controls.
Mattresses and pillows make potential habitats for bed bugs. Pillows may also be host to bed bug eggs, making them a potential point of bed bug infestations. A possible sign that bed bugs have infested pillows may be the appearance of bites.