Chemical Treatment for Bed Bugs

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Pest companies that provide chemical treatment should give you a preparation sheet with instructions of what they need you to do prior to and possibly after treatment. This will help enable them to treat your home without obstructions, and describe in writing, your part of the treatment process. Typically, your part consists of laundering and sealing in bags, every piece of washable fabric and clothing in your home, possibly removing paintings, wall hangings and window coverings.

The best scenario for chemical treatment is that everything gets treated, laundered, sprayed, heated, etc., the same day or as close to that as possible. This gives you a starting point where you know which possessions are bed bug free, which are questionable but sealed in bags, and hopefully a bed bug free bed you can isolate and get some sleep on.

Preparation for Treatment

Seal any bedding, papers or items in trash or giant zip lock bags wherever you find bugs. Launder the bedding immediately and check and clean the bed. Wood beds can be cleaned with Murphy's Oil which will kill bed bugs. You would need to check every inch of your bed frame. Have a magnifying tool and 90%+ rubbing alcohol ready to spray on anything that moves. You can get a head start before chemical treatment by using a low vapor steamer around your baseboards and furniture.

Do not move the objects to the bag or trash or you may spread the bugs around your house as they fall off the items. Bring the bag to the bugs.

Don't throw your mattress away. Put an encasement on it. Dragging your infested mattress around could sprinkle bed bugs around your house or building. Wait until after the infestation is gone to get a new mattress if you still feel you need to.

Have furniture you've decided to get rid of completely wrapped and taped in plastic sheeting so bed bugs don't get sprinkled around when it is removed.

Be prepared to kill any bed bugs or eggs you find on the spot using either steam, 90% alcohol, putting infested items into a pail of extremely hot water, or vacuuming (throw the bag out immediately when done) and clean the vacuum with alcohol, or hot water.

Do not put anything in the oven or microwave. This can cause a fire. Don't do it. That is what the Packtite is for. It will kill bed bugs but not set your house on fire.

**Bedbugsnorthwest wants you to succeed at getting rid of bed bugs but is not responsible for anything you do in regard to your infestation, treatment, or bed bugs.

If no one gives you a preparation sheet prior to treatment, ask for one; then wonder why such an important detail was overlooked. Depending on your PCO (pest control operator), your level of infestation, and your lifestyle, preparation could take from several hours to several days. Always follow your pest company requirements, and if you have selected a competent company, together you can be successful in eradicating bed bugs from your home.

Integrated Pest Management

Control of bed bugs is best achieved by following an integrated pest management (IPM) approach that involves a combination of remedies you can do yourself including, treating your clothes, possessions, bed, and having a professional apply chemicals to specific areas of your home.

The combination of your actions and the pest company's actions, and all the various tools and weapons you will use to kill bed bugs, is an example of IPM. It takes more than just spraying one chemical around to kill bed bugs. It takes doing things differently until bed bugs are gone, like living out of zip-locked bags of clean clothes.

Chemical treatment for bed bugs is not an overnight or one-time fix. If you get treatment for bed bugs with pesticides, repeat treatments to catch the newly hatched bed bugs are typical and effective. Treatments are repeated at around 10-14 days, and it is common to have 3-5 treatments to catch all the newly hatched bed bugs. One treatment may kill all the live bed bugs in your home (unlikely) but very few pesticides kill bed bug eggs. This means that pesticides with short or no residual will not kill all bed bugs that hatch after your treatment.

Residual refers to how long the pesticide remains active after it is applied. Residual pesticides can last anywhere from 1 to 90 days after being applied. Different residual pesticides are manufactured to have very specific residual ranges.

This is why it is recommended that areas where pesticides have been applied not be washed or steamed until the residual is gone. Heat, light, and temperature can affect the duration of residual chemical pesticides.