Getting bit by bed bugs isn’t really the good night experience we all crave.
As you take action against bed bugs after getting bothered by them for months.
Your hopes of getting a good night sleep can get shattered when you see bed bugs coming back worse after treatment.
But is it normal to see increasing bed bug activity after treatment. Or should you really care about it?
We discuss all of this below.
Bed bugs Worse After Treatment
Many homeowners trying extermination services for the first time get confused. They don’t know what to expect after extermination services.
It can be normal to see increased bed bug activity after extermination. Especially after chemical treatment, that can take weeks to fully work.
However, this activity should be reduced over time. If you have more and more bed bugs coming each week.
Why Bed Bug Activity Increases After Treatment
This happens for a few reasons.
Bed bugs are smart insects that can detect the presence of pesticides. When this happens, they naturally try to relocate and find safe spots to live.
Their quest for a new hideout would ultimately seem like you have more bed bugs than ever.
But if this activity does not seem to stop even after a few weeks.
This can be a sign that your exterminator or you have left some stones unturned.
And you need to fix that.
Recommended Read: What is Bed Bug Heat Treatment Success Rate?
Bed Bugs After DIY Treatments
Many people prefer handling the bed bug problem using the DIY approach. You can find many DIY chemical products for extermination.
Only problem is, when you don’t have much experience with bed bugs. You can end up with a total waste of your time and money when the pesky pests come back stronger.
All over the counter chemicals are industrially approved and safe to use. The lack of results can come from not applying the products properly.
Here are few recommendations to make over the counter treatments work for efficiently:
Try Hitting the Right Places
The effectiveness of a chemical treatment totally depends on where you’re putting the chemicals. Bed bugs can be sneaky and really hard to spot. They live in barely noticeable cracks in furniture and walls.
If your DIY treatment has not been given the expected results so far. Try switching the target area.
The most common places bed bugs tend to hide in are:
- Drawer Joints
- Behind Power Outlets
- Under Loose Wall Hangings
- Any other cracks and crevices in wooden floors and furniture
Using DIY Extermination on Large Infestations:
DIY extermination products are only designed to cope with low infestation levels. If you feel like your house is moderate or severely infested. Do not try to get rid of the problem by using DIY products.
Infestations of huge extent are best left for professionals. They would be able to efficiently deal with the problem, saving you time and money.
Bed Bugs After Professional Extermination
Pest Control companies can seem lucrative when they offer cheap prices. This means that the company would compromise on the quality of pesticides and equipment used.
This can result in a good portion of bed bugs being left out. When given appropriate time. They again multiply to form the numbers they had before.
The rule of thumb to follow is to never go with a cheap pest control service.
Why bed bugs Come Back After First Treatment
If you are using chemical treatment.
Keep in mind, you will see bed bugs wandering around the house for at least a couple of weeks.
This happens because chemical treatments can take some to kill bed bugs.
When using chemicals, is it normal to see bed bugs coming back after first treatment?
This happens because chemical treatments do not work on bed bug eggs. Until bed bugs hatch out of the eggs. They can’t get affected by the chemicals.
This is the reason, repeated chemical treatment can be required when dealing with bed bugs.
However, if you used heat treatment for bed bugs. You should be able to exterminate all bed bugs on the same day of treatment.
Still Have Bed Bugs After 3 Treatments
If you still have bed bugs after 3 consecutive treatments. This means that you need to change your approach, regardless of the treatment method you are using.
Here are a few reasons why you still have bed bugs after consecutive treatments.
Your Exterminator Did Not Diagnose the Infestation:
Exterminating termites using chemical treatment requires a lot of planning,documentation and adjusting the treatment accordingly.
If infestation persists after initial treatment. Your exterminator should be able to identify the right products for better results.
Bed bugs can develop resistance to pesticides with the passage of time. Which means the same products do not affect them as they used to.
A professional exterminator would document and test out different products. Identifying the type of bed bugs, and documenting the effects of treatment is really important for success.
Chemical treatments can take multiple applications. Determining the best product is a slow process that requires due diligence.
Recommended Read: What is Bed Bug Heat Treatment Success Rate?
Why Do Bed Bugs Come Back After Treatment
Bed bugs can come back to your home for many reasons. It’s possible your termite treatment was indeed successful.
But termites keep finding ways to get back in your house. Here are some precautions you can take to make sure termites are not entering your house after treatment from outside.
- Beware of Hotels: Hotels are hotspots of transporting bed bugs into homes. The amount of people they accommodate, makes them the perfect spot for bed bugs. If you travel a lot, and are not cautious of bed bugs. You can definitely drag them back into your home after treatment. Always protect your luggage by wrapping it in a plastic bag. Make sure you wash and dry your clothes after getting back home.
- Used Furniture: Furniture is also commonly used by bed bugs as a hiding. These
insects can travel through used furniture into new homes. When buying used furniture, try keeping it under sunlight for 4-5 hours. Additionally, you can use bed bug sprays to ensure nothing unwanted is getting into your home.
- Neighboring Apartments: If you live in an apartment building and have had bed bugs in the past. Chances are other tenants in the building can also have the same problem.Bed bugs can move rooms and other apartments to find new places to thrive. Your best bet against this is to use repelling chemical treatments that ensure no further infestations.
How to Know If Bed Bugs Are Gone for Good?
After treatment, it can be a little tricky to tell if bed bugs are gone or not. It all depends on the extent of infestation you had. For larger infestations, bed bugs can be easily spotted around the house, walls and furniture.
And the biggest sign is bed bug bites.
You need to see a continuous stop in any signs you were facing previously for at least 3 weeks after infestation.
After this period, no signs persist. You can assume bed bugs to be gone.
How To Prevent a Relapse Infestation?
The best way to prevent a relapse is to have a good defense against bed bugs. You can spend thousands on killing bed bugs but if you do not have proper prevention methods in place. All efforts can go in vain.
Make sure that your exterminator is using a combination of treatment methods that include preventative chemicals. These act as a barrier between bed bugs and the house.
After the treatment, make sure to follow the preventive guidelines by the exterminator.
