Chemical treatment is the most common way bed bugs are handled in apartments and smaller homes. A licensed technician applies products directly into the cracks, seams and voids where bed bugs hide, then comes back to catch the bugs that hatch after the first visit.
What Products Are Used
Technicians usually combine more than one type of product, because many bed bug populations resist the most common sprays:
- Residual sprays along bed frames, baseboards and furniture joints.
- Desiccant dusts, such as silica gel or diatomaceous earth, inside wall voids and outlets. They dry out bugs that crawl through.
- Growth regulators that stop young bugs from maturing and breeding.
All products must be EPA registered and applied by a licensed pest control operator according to the label.
Why It Takes More Than One Visit
Bed bug eggs are protected and many products do not kill them. The eggs hatch over the following one to two weeks, so a second visit, and sometimes a third, is scheduled about two weeks apart to catch the new bugs before they can lay eggs of their own.
- InspectionThe technician confirms where the bugs are and which rooms need treatment.
- First treatmentProducts go into seams, cracks, outlets and furniture.
- Second treatmentAbout two weeks later, for bugs that hatched from eggs.
- Final checkA follow-up confirms the problem is gone, or a third visit is added.
How to Prepare
- Wash bedding and clothes from affected rooms on hot and dry them on high heat, then keep them in sealed bags.
- Vacuum floors, mattress seams and furniture, then empty the vacuum outside.
- Pull furniture a few inches from the walls and reduce clutter around beds.
- Plan for kids and pets to stay out of treated rooms until the technician says the products have dried.
Questions About Chemical Treatment
Is it safe for kids and pets?
When products are applied by a licensed technician and people and pets stay out until surfaces dry, the risk is low. Tell the company about babies, pregnancy, asthma, fish tanks or birds so they can plan around them.
Why do I still see bugs after the first visit?
That is normal for the first week or two. Bugs hatching from eggs, or bugs coming out of hiding, contact the products and die. Keep sleeping in your bed so bugs come out to the treated areas.
How your call is handled: Bed Bug Control CA is a free referral service. When you call or send the form, you are connected with an independent, licensed pest control company that serves Carlsbad. That company inspects, quotes and does the work.