What Every Homeowner Should Know About Bed Bug Treatment
Bed bugs go by the scientific name of Cimex lectularius, and they are famous for being hard to get rid of due to their biology and behavior. While they’re a horrific discovery for any homeowner, the good news is that many types of treatments exist.
If you’ve noticed small bugs that resemble apple seeds, have welts on your arms or legs, see little spots of dark color on the mattress or walls, or see the cast-off “skins” of insects, you may be dealing with bed bugs. Professional treatment is one of the most reliable ways to get rid of these troublesome insects once and for all.
Bed bugs aren’t known to transmit any human diseases, but their bites can be itchy, uncomfortable and become infected if left untreated. If you have concerns about any skin reactions, please see a medical professional right away. And remember — bed bugs aren’t just on the bed. They can also be found on couches, chairs, nightstands and anywhere else people spend a lot of time. You can even pick them up while traveling on vacation, as well as through schools, summer camps or other institutions. If the site you are visiting has bed bugs, there is a chance you will take some home with you. The key is to spot them quickly and get rid of them thoroughly, as bed bugs have a surprisingly long life span and lay up to 200 eggs during that time.
If you suspect an infestation, you’ll want to call in bed bug removal experts quickly because time is of the essence. The longer bed bugs have to feed and reproduce, the larger their population becomes, and the more effort is needed to exterminate them. Need help finding a reputable pest control company in your area? At Home Pros is here to help you make a connection right away.
The cost of bed bug treatment varies significantly. The reported average price in 2023 is around $3,250. This figure depends on your location, size of the infestation, size of the home and other factors. So, if you have an especially large home, you could pay upwards of $6,000.
Factors affecting the cost of bed bug removal
There are a couple of options that can increase or decrease the cost of bed bug extermination. Since getting rid of bed bugs can be challenging, the type of treatment and number of follow-up visits are very important.
The cost of different types of treatments depends on the severity of the infestation. Some common ways that professionals treat bed bugs include heat treatments, fumigation, steam treatments and chemical solutions.
Heat
The idea is to raise the temperature of the problem area to between 120˚F to 140˚F. It’s not as simple as turning on your home’s heat though, as it takes a lot more than an average furnace to get up to those temperatures. Also, the heat has to get to all corners and crevices to get all the bed bugs hiding in those areas. That means you’ll need to rely on a professional bed bug removal service.
However, heat is a great DIY treatment for all your soft items. All towels, sheets, clothes, stuffed animals, pillows and other fabric items can be washed and dried under high temps. This will kill any bed bugs and eggs. Other options include commercially available heat tents, which vary in size from a small suitcase to a large couch.
Done properly, heat treatments kill bugs at every stage of life. It’s important to know, however, you will have to remove any heat-sensitive items before this process begins. Your local exterminator will usually use a generator to pump hot air into the space, as well as numerous fans to move the hot air around to all areas.
Cold
This process works exactly the opposite of heat treatments. This approach is not typically used for entire rooms, but is effective for smaller items that may not stand up to a heat treatment. Items can be placed into a freezer that gets down to 0oF and allowed to sit for a few days. Cold treatments do take longer than heat treatments.
Fumigation
Fumigations are common when the bed bug issue is widespread throughout the home and the issue is extensive. For this method, your pest control expert will seal off the home and fill the space with gas. You may have seen houses tented with colorful tarps that enclose the space in order to keep the treatment chemicals inside for a specified amount of time. One advantage of this method is that it can get to the bed bugs in every part of your home, as the gas can penetrate everywhere air can go. It will kill off any other pests, such as termites or cockroaches.
However, you do have to vacate your home for at least one night; the gas is highly toxic, and it must be completely cleared before the home can be reoccupied.
Steam
Steaming is another effective way to treat objects and small areas like around baseboards or behind furniture. You won’t be able to use your clothing steamer, of course; extermination steamers have a very high temperature of steam coming out at the tip. If it isn’t hot enough, the bed bugs will survive. As with heat treatments, the temperature must get hot enough and last long enough to destroy the eggs.
Although steam treatment can cause moisture damage, it is extremely effective at getting into the cracks and crevices of furniture and mattresses. However, steam cannot treat a whole room. In addition, steaming is a very slow, labor-intensive process, as the steamer must be moved deliberately along the item being treated.
Chemical treatments
Using liquid and dust pesticide treatments can also work to solve bed bug infestation issues. Pyrethroids and pyrethrins are two common insecticides used to combat bed bugs, and are readily available in home improvement stores. Part of what makes a liquid or dust treatment is getting the products as close to the bed bugs and their hiding spot as possible. Unfortunately, because these options have been used widely for the past few decades, many bed bugs are resistant to them. This means they may not die when the liquid makes contact.
Liquids are also readily absorbed and dry quickly, while dusts have a much longer residual effect. It’s important to know: Commercial “bug bombs” are totally ineffective. Currently, there are no baits for bed bugs. In fact, your home’s residents are the bait! But no matter which method you choose, it is essential to read and follow the label. This ensures the treatment will be as effective as possible, and your family and pets will be safe.
If you know what kind of treatment you’d like to use, then you’ll want to determine whether you’ll hire a professional for your extermination needs or try to complete the tasks yourself.
Bed bugs are particularly difficult pests to remove, and it is highly recommended that you enlist professional help to deal with them. When you’re ready, contact the experts with At Home Pros for referrals to reliable, prescreened pest control services in your area. In the meantime, here are some tips for DIY treatment, as well as what you should expect from a professional.
DIY vs. professional treatment for bed bugs
You can use all of the available treatments on your own, with the exception of fumigation. Steam, heat and cold temperatures can all be achieved with the help of specialized equipment, which can be found online or at a home repair retailer. But it is very difficult to get into every nook and cranny, where bed bugs like to hide. DIY can be a great way to knock down a proportion of the population, followed by several repeat treatments. In addition, pesticide applications must be done with care and following the label’s instructions precisely.
Many bed bug home remedies are on the internet. These include creating baking soda barriers, spraying bed bugs with rubbing alcohol, spraying some type of essential oil (wintergreen, lavender, etc.), and using cinnamon or other spices. None of these methods are effective.
Your best bet for removing bed bugs us to hire professional pest control, and it’s a good idea to know what to expect. Pest control specialists from across the nation agree that bed bugs are some of the hardest pests to get rid of, and it’s only with a practiced, informed approach that success is likely.
Here is some of the information that your service provider should share with you before treating bed bugs:
- Basic biology and behavioral information about bed bugs
- Scope of your infestation and emphasis on the visual inspections
- Treatment protocol and terms of your service agreement
- Guidelines for treatment preparation (i.e., what you need to do)
- A label and safety data sheet for all products to be used
- Schedule for planned treatments
- How long the home has to be vacated
- Pricing information
- When the follow-up inspection will be
Your potential service providers should be able to tell you the pros and cons of each treatment plan. You should also ask your pest control specialists about disposing of furniture or linens, as some may harbor bed bug eggs, while others just need a deep steam cleaning.
Bed bug removal can be expensive. That’s why you should know what you’re getting into before you try to DIY or sign a service provider contract to solve your bed bug problem.
With natural treatments like steam or temperature control, or more intensive solutions like fumigations, pest control service providers can make your bed bug nightmare a thing of the past. Contact At Home Pros now to begin your journey towards a healthy, pest-free home today.
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