I Found One Bed Bug On My Bed

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.

 Evaluate and prevent future 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.

Get the pros involved

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 the bedbugs out

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.