Updated at: 16-11-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

Most individuals wish to get rid of bed bugs as soon as they discover an infestation in their home. Since bed bugs spread so easily, it is impossible to resume a normal social life until they are gone. You may be thinking, “How long does it take to get rid of bed bugs?” if you’re currently dealing with an infestation. In a nutshell, the response is:

Depending on the severity of the infestation and the size of the home, it may take 2-4 treatments spread out over a period of 3-6 weeks to eradicate bed bugs altogether.

However, each circumstance is distinct. A tiny infestation in a studio apartment, for example, could be completely eradicated in the first treatment session, which usually lasts 1-3 hours. However, in homes where numerous rooms are infested, 3-4 or more treatment sessions may be necessary. Keep reading if you’re going to get rid of bed bugs in your home and want to know how long the process normally takes.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE BED BUGS TO DIE AFTER EXTERMINATION?

Most bed bugs will be eliminated by the end of the elimination session, which normally lasts 1-3 hours.

Even if all of the bedbugs were killed, some of them may have escaped the treatment since they hide in hard-to-reach places. There are times when more than one treatment session is necessary because of this.

Before beginning treatment, make sure to read our guide on how to get rid of bed bugs to learn about the critical actions that must be taken to prepare.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR BED BUGS TO SHOW UP AGAIN AFTER TREATMENT?

Those bed bugs that have made it through the treatment are technically still active and can be seen immediately away. What is the best way to verify this?

How Fast Do Bed Bugs Spread | Terminix

Check the places where you previously found them to check whether any of them are still active. It is possible that the treatment was successful if you detect no movement, but don’t assume. You should check every day for a few more days to make sure they are gone.

A sticky glue trap can be placed around the bed legs to catch moving bed bugs, and some consumers find this method more convenient. Bed bugs are entirely eliminated if they don’t appear in the trap for a long period of time. Make sure to seek advice from a pest control professional before making any decisions.

HOW LONG CAN BED BUGS LAY DORMANT?

Under the correct circumstances, their bodies are capable of going dormant for over a year. However, in the majority of homes, this period is reduced to roughly six months. Temperatures below zero Fahrenheit would kill bedbugs in a matter of days, but that isn’t practicable in most housing circumstances.

When attempting to rid your home of bed bugs, why should you know this information? It’s possible that even if you check every nook and crevice of your home for bed bugs and find none, a small population may be latent and ready to reactivate in the coming weeks or months.

The reason pest control experts recommend at least two or more treatments is to confirm that all bedbugs have been removed. Instead of hoping for the best and potentially having to deal with the problem again in a few weeks, it’s better to be careful and make sure the problem is handled.

Do you have any ideas about what to do after this? There is a lot of work involved in getting rid of bedbugs, and it might take a long time if you don’t have previous expertise with this. Consult a certified professional to get results faster. To bring your home back to “bug-free” status, call our staff at 717-393-7879 today.

How easily do bed bugs spread?

As the University of Kentucky’s entomology department puts it, “it frequently seems that bed bugs come from nowhere.”

Despite the fact that bedbugs lack wings, they are extremely agile and fast-moving once they’ve entered your home. When you stay at a place that has a bed bug infestation, you’re more likely to pick up one or more of these unwanted hitchhikers. Inadvertently bringing the bed bugs into your home when you return from a trip means you’re bringing them into your home unintentionally.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky warn that bedbugs can spread from room to room or floor to floor through cracks and crevices in walls, floors, and ceilings.

How far can bed bugs travel?

The average distance between a bed and a person’s sleeping quarters is only approximately 8 feet. However, what’s more worrisome is how far bed bugs can migrate from one infestation site to the next. Because bedbugs can go without food for long periods of time, this distance is practically endless.

Over a year without sustenance, research has shown that mature bedbugs can survive. In other words, the pests will be able to hide in your baggage, furniture, clothing, shoes, and other personal belongings that you’ve brought along. Waiting for their belongings to be delivered to their new house, complete with a fresh supply of food, is a viable option (i.e., you and your family).

Way 1: How fast do bed bugs spread from room to room?

As a result, infestations can spread in a matter of weeks or months and spread from room to room quickly. Bed bugs can lay anywhere from one to twelve eggs a day, and 200 to 500 eggs throughout the course of their existence. If you’re wondering how long it takes to obtain an infestation of bed bugs and how quickly those bed bugs can spread, those stats should speak for themselves. Getting a professional pest control inspection and treatment as soon as possible is the best way to prevent a problem from getting out of hand.

How Fast Do Bed Bugs Spread, Transfer & Multiply?

Bed bugs need to take blood meals from warm-blooded hosts — preferably humans — to survive, and they’ll hide near their sources until ready to feed. The time it takes to move an affected piece of furniture, clothing, luggage, or other household object from one room to another is a factor in how quickly bed bugs spread. Moving around the house is also an option for them. If the conditions are favorable, they’ll continue breeding wherever the item (or items) is moved.

Way 2: How do bed bugs spread from house to house?

  1. Preferably human hosts are preferred as hosts for bedbugs, and they’ll hide in the vicinity of those sources until they’re ready to eat. The time it takes to transfer an afflicted piece of furniture, clothing, luggage, or other household object from one room to the next is a factor in how quickly bed bugs spread throughout the house.. Moving around the house is also possible for them. They’ll keep reproducing wherever the object (or items) is relocated if the conditions are right.
  2. Bugs go back to their hideouts after a meal, where they’ll feast on their food and mate. Depending on environmental factors, an egg can develop into an adult bed bug in as little as one and a half months and a bed bug can live for up to a year. As a result of their focus on eating and reproduction, bed bugs will penetrate and grow at a rapid rate.

Way 3: How do bed bugs spread from person to person?

In order to reproduce and thrive, bed bugs necessitate blood meals; yet, bed bugs do not spend their lives on human hosts. Actually, the movement of infested goods is the primary means by which bedbugs travel from one person to another. Children might bring them home from school on their backpacks, for example. House guests might bring them back from vacations.

They are opportunistic, lurking until the time is right to eat. And if their areas are disturbed, they’ll find a way to transfer to a neighboring spot, which can make the situation much more difficult to check and cure.. Contact a Terminix® bed bug exterminator for assistance in preventing the spread of bed bugs in your house or apartment.

How to stop the spread of bed bugs?

Slowing and limiting the spread of bed bugs when they move from one site to another is key to stopping their spread.

The first thing to remember is to thoroughly scrutinize any objects that you’re bringing into your home, especially if they’ve been used by someone else or were stored in a hotel room or on a plane or a train or a cruise ship. You should be on the lookout for the following:

  1. Cast/shed the bed bug’s exoskeleton (also called molts, exoskeletons, or shells)
  2. Spotting feces in bed linens
  3. Your linens and pajamas are stained with blood.

Isolate the goods and treat them for bed bugs if you find any symptoms of the pests on them before bringing them into your home.

With a continuing, current bed bug infestation, US Environmental Protection Agency recommends the following steps to prevent further spread of bedbugs:.

  1. Take any infested household goods out of your house as soon as you can and seal them in a plastic bag. These items can be treated with heat, cold, steam, or the assistance of a pest control expert like Terminix.
  2. The seams of furniture and beds, as well as the cracks and crevices of walls and baseboards, are frequent hiding places for bedbugs. Vacuum these areas. In a sealed plastic bag, dispose of the vacuum bag.
  3. All mattresses should be covered in plastic. Use a light-colored plastic cover to make it easier to notice bed bugs or their eggs on your mattress.
  4. Make sure your external and interior walls are free of cracks and holes. This includes fissures between the floor and the wall, as well as spaces surrounding pipes. In addition, each door should have tight-fitting sweeps installed underneath it. As a result, the spread of bedbugs is slowed.

What should I do if I find bed bugs in my home?

If you have a bed bug infestation, you should get expert help as soon as possible so that the bugs do not spread throughout your house. If you’re not attentive, even one bed bug you overlooked can lead to a re-infestation.

Terminix can assist with on-site inspections and the creation of a bed bug treatment plan that is specific to the severity of your problem, the layout of your home, and your own particular preferences and needs.

Bed Bugs FAQs

What are bed bugs?

While people and animals sleep, they are infested by bedbugs (Cimex lectularius), small, flat, parasitic insects that feed primarily on their blood. wingless, 1mm to 7mm (about the size of Lincoln’s head on a coin), reddish-brown in hue, and able to survive without blood for several months.

Where are bed bugs found?

From North and South America through Africa, Asia, and Europe, bedbugs are found. When it comes to bedbugs, many people think of regions like Africa and Latin America, but recent studies show that they are becoming more prevalent in developed countries like the United States. The cleanliness of the living conditions in which bed bugs are found is not a factor in their prevalence at five-star hotels and resorts.

It is not uncommon for bed insect infestations to occur in close proximity to the places where people sleep. Dorm rooms and dorm apartments are also included in this list of accommodation options. At night, they lurk around a bed in areas like the seams of mattresses and box springs; bed frames; headboards; dresser tables; gaps or crevices; behind wallpaper; and any other clutter or things that may be near the bed. It has been proven that bedbugs may travel more than 100 feet in a day but prefer to live within 8 feet of where people sleep.

Do bed bugs spread disease?

There is no evidence that bed bugs can transmit disease. Bed bugs can be a nuisance because of the itching and disruption to sleep that they can cause. Excessive scratching can occasionally raise the risk of a subsequent skin infection as a result of itching.

What health risks do bed bugs pose?

Each person’s reaction to a bed bug bite is unique. Depending on the severity of an allergic reaction, bite responses might range from no outward traces of the bite to a minor bite mark. An allergic reaction to a few bedbug bites may necessitate immediate medical intervention.

What are the signs and symptoms of a bed bug infestation?

Bedbug bite marks on the face, neck, arms, hands, or any other area of the body while sleeping are an easy method to know whether you have an infestation. If you’re trying to figure out whether or not a place has been plagued by bed bugs, keep an eye out for anything else that might point to an infestation. These are some of the signs:

  • the molted exoskeletons of bed bugs,
  • bedspreads and sheets are infested with bed bugs
  • due to their excretion of blood-filled feces on the mattress or adjoining furniture, they leave rusty-colored blood streaks;
  • unctuous and sweetly musty

How do I know if I’ve been bitten by a bed bug?

Unless you locate bed bugs or other evidence of an infestation, it’s difficult to tell if you’ve been bitten by a bed bug. In order to keep a person from noticing they have been bitten by bed bugs, they inject an anesthetic and an anticoagulant into their skin. Most individuals don’t know they’ve been bitten until the bite marks show, which can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. As with a mosquito or flea, the bite marks are red and slightly swollen, and they may itch and cause discomfort. Bite marks can appear in a random pattern or in a line. Besides insomnia, anxiety, and skin problems caused by scratching, other symptoms of bed bug bites include skin problems that result from excessive scratching.

Bed bug bites can induce a variety of reactions in different people, and other people may not show any signs of being bitten at all. It is possible that some people are allergic to the bites of bedbugs. As a result of these allergic reactions, the bite marks might become larger and more painful, and anaphylaxis can occur on rare occasions.

Signs Of A Bed Bug Infestation | Detecting Bed Bugs In Your Home

How did I get bed bugs?

Insects like bedbugs are masters of disguise. Even without a blood meal, their thin, flat bodies allow them to squeeze into the smallest of crevices and remain there for extended periods of time. It is common for people to bring bed bugs with them when they travel. There are several places where bed bugs might hide, such as the seams and folds of luggage and overnight bags as well as folded clothing, bedding, and furniture. Most people don’t aware that they’re spreading bedbugs from place to place when they go from one site to the next.

Who is at risk for getting bed bugs?

When visiting an infested location, everyone is at risk of contracting bed bugs. The risk of being bitten or spreading a bed bug infestation is higher for those who frequently travel and share living and sleeping spaces with persons who have previously slept in such areas.

How are bed bugs treated and prevented?

The majority of the time, bed bug bites do not pose a significant health risk. Avoid scratching the bite, use antiseptic creams or lotions, and take an antihistamine for the greatest results. The most popular method of dealing with bedbug infestations is pesticide spraying. A bed bug infestation can be confirmed by contacting your landlord or a pest control company with experience in the treatment of the problem. Inspections for the indicators of a bed bug infestation are the best approach to prevent them.