How Does a Chemical Treatment Work for Bed Bugs?

Any way you cut it, bed bugs are horrible little creatures.  Besides being blood suckers, they are really hard to get rid of.  But don’t despair, there are options for exterminating them.  The most common ones are either through heat or chemicals. We prefer to use a heat treatment whenever possible, but sometimes that’s just not an option.  So what’s the process for killing bed bugs with chemicals?

Chemicals Can Do the Job

There are many products on the market to kill bed bugs, but only a few are really effective.  Why, you may ask?  Bed bugs are especially hard to kill with chemicals for a few reasons.  First, they hide almost anywhere in your house.  So where do you spray the product?  Secondly, they are resistant to many types of chemical products.  You may kill 90 out of 100, but if those 10 are resistant, then they will be very hard to get rid of unless you change up your chemical product.  Lastly, bed bugs don’t groom themselves, so they won’t ingest the chemical by licking their legs. This means the product must be absorbed through their exoskeleton, and that’s not the easiest way to get the product into their body.  

So How Do You Do It?

There are two essentials to killing bed bugs using a chemical product:  Knowledge and the right product.  You must know where to apply the product for it to be effective, and you have to know bed bug behavior.  That’s why experience in treating is really the best chance of success.  At Mark Pest we have treated thousands of customers.  We have the know-how. As for which chemical, we like to use one of several products, but normally we find Crossfire or Alpine WSG to be the best. 

Preparation is Key

We have to get to every hiding place of the bed bugs to make sure the job is done right. This means preparation of the space is essential. You will need to throw away all trash and clutter, vacuum, clean up, and organize.  We need nice clean surfaces so the product will stick to the area we are applying it to.  This preparation will take time, it’s not something you can rush and still expect good results.  We have a prep sheet that explains it all, and you will need to follow it thoroughly.  Look at it as an early spring cleaning, and after you are done with bed bugs, you’ll have a nice neat house.

Where Do You Spray?

We need to get behind and around every piece of furniture in your house.  We have to apply a barrier to each area to make sure there’s nowhere for bed bugs to hide out and make another nest.  We will apply it to your mattress, box spring, head board, couch, end tables, basically anywhere a bed bug could hide. The thing is, bed bugs only eat one thing: us.  So that means you will also have to sleep in the house after we treat to draw the bed bugs out.  You can’t stay at a hotel for a week and the treatment be successful. They will be drawn to your body heat and breath.  If we have applied the product correctly, when they come to get you, they will cross that barrier and they will eventually die.  

How Long Will it Take for a Chemical Treatment to Work?

It will take about 6-8 weeks to be totally effective.  Bed bugs do not eat every night and often will be be hiding in other areas in your house or in your car.  They will not instantly die when they cross the product, so it can take several exposures to work.  The eggs will hatch and the babies come for a feeding and cross the product was well before they will be killed.  Only a heat treatment or a fumigation will be effective in one day.  However, sometimes chemical is the only option for treatment because of clutter, finances, or location. 

Must Read: What’s the Best DIY Treatment for Bed Bugs?

Can I Do It Myself?  

You can try a DIY treatment, and sometimes it is effective.  You can read our blog on it. But most of the time bed bugs will require the services of a professional.  That’s where we come in: we specialize in bed bugs.  Do not waste a ton of money in DIY. If it’s not quickly dealt with, an infestation in one area can quickly overwhelm your whole house.  Treat it ASAP and use extreme measures.  That’s the best method for ending a bed bug infection before it has time to grow. Call us today, be bed bug free tomorrow!