There should be no more bites from the bed bugs, no more fresh casings, and no new fecal matter spots or blood spots on the sheets and mattress. A good rule-of-thumb is that you should not be finding any new adult bed bugs or bed bug nymphs 7-14 days after the bed bug treatment has been concluded.
Your bed bug problem could actually seem to be worse after the treatment, but don't worry. It's normal to see more bed bugs, and there are clear reasons why this can happen. The pest control treatment makes them more active.
Incomplete Elimination: Bed bugs are masters at hiding in hard-to-reach places. They can squeeze into tiny cracks and crevices, making it difficult to eradicate them. If the treatments were not thorough enough or missed certain areas of infestation, some bed bugs could have survived and continued to reproduce.
That's 100% normal and actually a good thing! It means your treatment is working! When they sprayed, they kind of 'scared' the bedbugs out of their hidey holes. The bugs are scrambling to find somewhere safe (why you found some on the living room wall). While they're moving around, they walk over the poison and die!
New research from North Carolina State University shows homes that have been treated for bed-bug infestations have levels of histamines, the chemicals responsible for allergies and other immune reactions, up to 20 times higher than homes that had never been infested.
Interestingly, people who experience subsequent bed bug biting sometimes have old lesions that “re-inflame” on new biting anywhere on the body. This “re-lighting-up” phenomenon at sites of previous lesions has been anecdotally reported previously, but is poorly understood.
After the treatment, you should:
turn on electrical items after the rooms have been aired. do not vacuum, wipe or polish any treated rooms for at least two weeks. sleep in your bed as normal - it helps to eradicate the bedbugs.
The number of treatments needed to get control is (national average) 3 to 4 treatments.
While bites might suggest bed bugs, they are not a good method for diagnosing a bed bug infestation. This is because bite reactions are so variable from person to person. For instance, a person who has been bitten while traveling may not react for several days, and only notice the bites after they have returned home.
How do we know when the bed bugs are completely gone? ⇒ In case that you react to the bites, 3 weeks with no bites after the initial 2 weeks period waiting time after the treatment is a very good indication that the bed bugs are completely exterminated.
Baby powder, which is normally reserved for babies and kids, is an entirely different material that does not have sharp texture that is required for effective bed bug control. Plus, in terms of effectiveness, these pests have been known to evade baby powder on a mattress or carpet by just walking around any traces.
You might find dead bed bugs in and around the treated areas. This is a positive sign that the treatment is working. Treatment Residue: If chemical treatments were used, you may notice some residue in the treated areas. It's important not to clean these immediately, as they are part of the treatment process.
If your professional has used a chemical, or only treated one room, it is possible to see more bed bugs after the treatment. Many bed bugs will flee the room being treated and find a place to hide. Some surviving bed bugs are from eggs that were in another room that you were unaware of.
Some people may be hypersensitive to bites and develop more severe symptoms. Itchy welts can occur within a few days of a bite but may take up to 14 days. People may become increasingly sensitive to bed bug bites and develop a reaction quicker the more bites they get, sometimes within seconds.
Bed bug heat treatments are a highly effective way to eliminate bedbug infestations, boasting success rates of over 95% when properly conducted. Preparation, professional equipment, and monitoring are key factors that influence the success of the treatment.
Bed bugs may have lived through the treatment or were not quite dead (“walking dead”). It is possible that during the application the bugs were not exposed to enough chemical or heat, causing the customer to find them 7 to 10 days after the treatment was completed.
Heat is non-toxic, and can kill all bed bug life stages including bed bug eggs. However, heat treatment of any kind (except your home clothes dryer) is still relatively expensive and has no residual (long lasting) activity. The lack of residual activity means that bed bugs can re-infest again the day after treatment.
Bed bugs are not known to spread pathogens through their bites. Bed bug bites can be itchy and stressful. Do not squish a bed bug as it will release the blood and any pathogens it may be carrying.
There can be many reasons for failure of a pesticide treatment to completely control the bed bugs, including: Not finding all the bed bugs. Inadequately preparing area (failure to remove clutter, seal cracks and crevices, etc.).
You should always launder items after returning from a trip, but will washing clothes kill bed bugs or just reduce the population? While it can remove the pests from individual items, unfortunately, this method isn't effective for total elimination.
Bed bugs are averse to slick surfaces like glass, plastic, and polished metals and stone. They can, however, grasp and cling onto textiles and porous materials like wood.
In most people, bed bug bites don't cause any serious health problems and the bite marks disappear within a few weeks. In others, bite marks may be enlarged or swollen welts and are more painful and itchy.
You may have a mild allergic reaction, where the skin becomes itchy and raised around the bite or sting. The area may become more swollen and painful if the bite or sting gets infected.
Essential oils. While essential oils like tea tree, lavender, and peppermint are popularly recommended for DIY bed bug treatments due to their strong scents and supposed insect-repellent properties, there is not much scientific evidence to support their effectiveness in eradicating bed bug infestations.