How long does it take to get rid of bed bugs? It takes up to two to five months to kill or eliminate bed bugs.
However, eliminating those bed bugs depends on the temperature of the place and treatment used by the person concerned in this situation.
Removing bed bugs in your bedroom is not an easy process.
It takes a lot of treatment and patience before you successfully say that your place is bed bug-free.
On the other hand, having these pests is normal.
Since the time of Aristotle, this beg bug infestation already exists.
Aristotle fights against these pests without any help from the internet.
If you want to know more about the reasons why it is hard to get rid of bed bugs, steps, and treatment methods, keep on reading!
How Long It Takes To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs: Reasons Why!
How long does it take to get rid of bed bugs?
Here are the reasons why it’s hard to get rid of bed bugs:
Reason #1. The unique behavior of bed bugs
Bed bugs have different habits, lifestyles, and behavior compared to any other pests.
They are usually active and vigorous at night and hiding in small cracks and places during the day.
Since they have small and flat bodies, they tend to stay in your beds, mattresses, sofa, and the like. They could fit everywhere.
Moreover, bed bugs don’t have a permanent or central nest to lay their eggs.
Instead, they transfer into different places where they tend to multiply and dominate areas hard to treat.
Thus, it is hard to get rid of these pests as they love to wander as their life cycle is notorious.
Reason #2. Fast reproducing
Bed bugs tend to multiply quickly, making their species hard to eliminate.
For example, a healthy female bed bug can lay up to 500 eggs in her lifetime.
However, the number of eggs being laid depends on the blood intake of the female bed bug.
Bed bugs usually live in a year.
They feed their selves every 3-7 days.
If they are comfortable with the place or there are no treatments done, their population doubles every 16 days.
With that, it will take a long process to eliminate these pests in your household.
Reason #3. They are pesticide or pyrethroid-proof
Bed bugs are the pyrethroid-resistant type of pests. Pyrethroids are a kind of pesticide that is widely used in pest control.
However, studies believed that bed bugs are immune to this pesticide, making it hard to kill and treat within places.
After laboratory experiments, household bed bugs do not react with pyrethroids. Thus, they spread their colonies and eggs.
5 Steps To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs
You have to follow specific steps on how to remove bed bugs. Here are five steps you need to remember!
Step #1. Determine the areas infected by the bed bugs
Search for places where bed bugs could live in locations.
Here are some of these places:
Cracks in the bed frame and headboard, couch cushions, furniture joints, inside electrical outlets, and even under loose wallpaper.
If you successfully determine those infested areas, it will be easy for you to prepare the treatments needed.
Step #2. Contain the infested area
One easy way to get and trap all the bed bugs is by using a vacuum cleaner.
However, as you trap these pests, you must put them in plastic and throw them properly.
Vacuum your bed, carpets, dressers, and the like, as these are the areas where infestation mostly happens.
Moreover, wash and clean your mattresses and heat them for 30 minutes to remove bed bug stain and any other microorganisms.
Step #3. Do prep work
Before doing the treatment, make sure that your area is well-cleaned and fixed already.
Ensure that all beddings and clothes are either washed or thrown away.
Get rid of unnecessary things lying on the floor that could be the hiding place of bed bugs.
However, don’t move items infested by these pests as these may spread the eggs of the bed bugs.
Lastly, move your bed six inches away from the wall to prevent from climbing of bed bugs.
Step #4. Kill or remove the bed bugs
There are different treatments you can use to kill all the bed bugs. Here are two existing treatments:
Heat extermination
You can use this method without any chemicals involved. So if you’re finding an easy and quick way, this is for you.
Authorized specialists will heat your room to between 135°F (57.2°C) and 145°F (62.7 °C) using specialized tools.
Thermometers are put throughout the room and continuously monitor the place to ensure that the air is hot enough to kill bed bugs.
At 122°F (50°C), bed bugs and bed bug eggs die instantly.
This process takes up to 6 to 8 hours.
Using of pesticides
Using chemical treatment is also helpful to kill those pests away.
You can use pesticides like pyrrole, neonicotinoids, desiccants, foggers, plant-oil-based products in this traditional treatment.
This treatment takes up to 2 weeks of waiting as some insecticides don’t kill bed bug eggs quickly.
Step #5. Monitor your place
It doesn’t mean that you successfully kill the bed bugs.
You will not monitor your place. These pests could go back to these places if you tend not to clean or take care of all the areas infested before.
Make sure that all the areas are not livable by bugs.
Check all the infested places about once every seven days for signs.
Conclusion
It is indeed a long process to get rid of bed bugs.
First, however, you must trust the process and do all the treatments you can do.
And that answers, “How long does it take to get rid of bed bugs?” We hope your room will be bedbug-free soon!