Bed bug control companies

About bed bug control

Bed bugs are hard to find and hard to get rid of on your own, but they are treatable. This page helps you confirm what you're dealing with, keep it from spreading, and know what a professional treatment involves.

Bed bugs aren't known to spread disease, but their bites itch and the worry costs sleep. They travel in luggage and secondhand furniture, so a clean home can get them too.

Signs of bed bugs in your bed and furniture

• Live bugs. Adults are flat, reddish brown and about the size of an apple seed. They hide in mattress seams, box springs, bed frames, headboards and upholstered furniture.
• Dark spots. Small dark or rust-colored spots on sheets, mattress seams or the wall near the bed.
• Shed skins and eggs. Pale, empty skins and tiny white eggs in seams and cracks.
• Bites. Itchy welts, often in a line or cluster, on skin exposed during sleep.

Bites alone don't prove bed bugs. Other insects and skin conditions cause similar marks, and some people don't react at all.

What you can do about bed bugs before treatment

• Keep sleeping in your bed. Moving to the couch or another room can spread bed bugs.
• Wash bedding and clothing from affected rooms in hot water and dry them on high heat. Store clean items in sealed plastic bags.
• Vacuum mattress seams, bed frames and floors, then seal the vacuum bag in plastic and throw it out.
• Skip foggers. The EPA says they don't reach the cracks where bed bugs hide.

If you rent, tell your landlord right away. Bed bugs can move between units, and in many places the landlord arranges treatment.

What professional bed bug treatment involves

Treatment starts with an inspection of beds, furniture and nearby rooms to confirm bed bugs and see how far they've spread.

Heat treatment raises the temperature of a room or home high enough to kill bed bugs and their eggs, often in one visit. Chemical treatment applies products registered for bed bugs to seams, cracks and furniture, usually over two or more visits, because eggs hatch after the first. Many companies combine both and add mattress encasements and interceptor cups under the bed legs to track results.

Seeing an occasional bug in the first weeks doesn't always mean the treatment failed. Report it and let the company decide whether to retreat.

Price depends on the method, the number of rooms, the size and type of home, and how many visits are included. In apartments, neighboring units may need an inspection too.

Questions to ask a bed bug company before you hire

• Are your company and the technician licensed in this state?
• Do you recommend heat, chemical treatment or both, and why?
• How many visits does the price include, and do you inspect afterward?
• What happens if I still find bed bugs after the last visit?
• Can I have the prep list in writing, and how long do we stay out of treated rooms?

Compare the bed bug companies listed above and read their reviews, especially the ones that mention prep instructions and return visits.