How To Treat Bed Bug Infestations

If you’ve got bedbugs, you want to find them early before they start to reproduce. It’s much easier and cheaper to treat a small infestation than a big one. But smaller infestations can be harder to detect.

Search for bedbugs yourself or hire a professional to do an inspection. Some inspectors use specially trained dogs to hunt down bedbugs by scent.

Bedbugs’ small and narrow bodies enable them to squeeze into tiny spots, like the seams of a mattress or couch and the folds of curtains.

Also, look for them:

• near the tags of the mattress and box spring
• in cracks in the bed frame and headboard
• in baseboards
• between couch cushions
• in furniture joints
• inside electrical outlets
• under loose wallpaper
• underneath paintings and posters on the walls
• in the seam where the wallpaper and ceiling meet

Use a flashlight and magnifying glass to go over all of these areas.

You can spot signs of bedbugs by the following:

• live bedbugs, which are reddish and about 1/4-inch long
• dark spots about the size of a period — these are bedbug droppings
• reddish stains on your mattress from bugs that have been crushed
• small and pale yellow eggs, egg shells, and yellowish skins that young bedbugs shed

Once you find a bedbug, put it in a sealed jar along with 1 teaspoon of rubbing alcohol. Other types of bugs can look a lot like bedbugs. If you’re not sure what type of bug you’ve found, bring it to an exterminator or entomologist to identify.

Once you know you have bedbugs, you need to keep them contained so you can get rid of them. A quick and easy way to trap bedbugs is with your vacuum. Run the vacuum over any possible hiding places.

This includes your:

• bed
• dresser
• carpets
• electronics, like TVs

Seal up the vacuumed contents into a plastic bag and throw it away. Then thoroughly clean out the vacuum.

Seal up all your linens and affected clothes in plastic bags until you can wash them. Then put them on the highest possible temperature setting in a washer and dryer. If an item cannot be washed, put it in the dryer for 30 minutes at the highest heat setting.

Anything that cannot be treated in the washer and dryer should be placed in a plastic bag. Leave it there for a few months, if possible, to make sure all the bugs die.

If you cannot clean furniture, throw it away. Tear it up first and spray paint the word “bedbugs” on it so no one else tries to take it home.

Before you start treating your home, do a little prep work to maximize your odds of success. Make sure all your linens, carpets, drapes, clothing, and other hiding places have been cleaned or thrown out (see step 2).

Next, get rid of bedbug hiding places:

• Pick up books, magazines, clothes, and anything else that’s lying on your floor and under your bed.
• Throw out whatever you can.
• Do not move items from an infested room to a clean one — you could spread the bugs.

Seal up any open areas:

• Glue down loose wallpaper.
• Caulk cracks in furniture and around baseboards.
• Tape up open electrical outlets.

Finally, move your bed at least 6 inches away from the wall so bedbugs cannot climb on.

How to get rid of bedbugs at home

You can first try to remove bedbugs without chemicals. These bugs are pretty easy to kill with high heat at 115°F (46.11°C) or intense cold at 32°F (0°C).

Here are a few ways to treat bedbugs using these methods:

• Wash bedding and clothes in hot water for 30 minutes. Then put them in a dryer on the highest heat setting for 30 minutes.
• Use a steamer on mattresses, couches, and other places where bedbugs hide.
• Pack up infested items in black bags and leave them outside on a hot day that reaches 95°F (35°C) or in a closed car. In cooler temperatures, it can take 2 to 5 months to kill sealed-up bugs.
• Put bags containing bedbugs in the freezer at 0°F (-17.78°C). Use a thermometer to check the temperature. Leave them in there for at least 4 days.

Once you’ve cleaned all visible bedbugs, make the area inhospitable for the rest of them. Place bedbug-proof covers over your mattress and box spring. Zip these covers up all the way. Bugs that are trapped inside will die, and new bugs will not be able to get in.

If these methods do not wipe out all the bugs, you may need to try an insecticide.

Nonchemical and chemical treatments

Insecticides can help rid your home of bedbugs. Look for products that are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are specifically marked for use on bedbugs.

Here are a few types of insecticides you can try:

• Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are the most common chemicals used to kill bedbugs. However, some bedbugs have become resistant to them.
• Pyrroles, like chlorfenapyr, kill bedbugs by disrupting their cells.
• Neonicotinoids are versions of nicotine. They damage the bugs’ nervous system. This type of chemical works on bedbugs that have become resistant to other pesticides.
• Dessicants are substances that destroy the bugs’ protective outer coating. Without this coating, the bugs dry out and die. Two examples of dessicants are silica aerogel (Tri-Die and CimeXa) and diatomaceous earth. The advantage to dessicants is that bedbugs cannot become resistant to them, but they work slowly. These products can take a few months to kill off all the bugs.
• Foggers or bug bombs kill bedbugs, but they cannot get into cracks and crevices where these bugs hide. They can also be toxic to humans if you use them incorrectly. Read the label carefully. Leave the room before you set off a fogger.
• Plant oil-based products, like EcoRaider and Bed Bug Patrol, are less toxic than chemical insecticides, and they work well against bedbugs.

Bedbugs can take some time to wipe out. Before you can ensure that your treatment has worked, you need proof that the bugs have moved on. Check the infested areas about once every 7 days for signs of activity.

To make surviving bedbugs easier to spot, place bedbug interceptors under each leg of the bed. These devices will trap bedbugs before they can climb up into your bed. You may need to keep checking the interceptors for a full year.

Bedbugs are hardy creatures. Just when you think you’ve wiped them out, you might spot them again. You may have to try a few different treatment methods to control the infestation. And if they still do not go away, you’ll want to call in a professional exterminator.

If you cannot wipe out bedbugs on your own, it’s time to get the pros involved.

Pest control companies have the advantage of using chemicals and other treatments that are not available to you. They have insecticides that both kill bugs on contact and that stay inside furniture and cracks to kill bedbugs in the long term.

Pest control companies can also use whole room heat treatments. They bring in special equipment that heats up the room to a temperature between 135 and 145°F (57.22 and 62.78°C) — high enough to kill bedbugs.

Before the pest control company arrives, they should give you instructions for prepping your home. Follow their directions carefully and you’ll have the best chance of wiping out the bugs.

Professional treatments take two to three visits to start working. After each treatment, you may have to stay out of the treated rooms for a few hours until the insecticides have dried.

Keep reading: What’s the difference between flea bites and bedbug bites? »

Once the bedbugs are gone, you’ll want to make sure they stay gone for good:

• Clear up any clutter. Do not leave papers, magazines, clothes, or other items on the floor.
• Cover your mattress and box spring with a bedbug cover and zip it up all the way.
• Vacuum and wash bedding, furniture, curtains, and carpets often.
• Seal cracks around light sockets, baseboards, and electrical outlets so bedbugs cannot sneak in.
• Check for bedbugs in hotel rooms when you travel to avoid bringing them home with you.