What Do Exterminators Do for Bed Bugs? The Full Treatment Process Explained

TL;DR

• Exterminators inspect your home, treat every hiding spot with heat, insecticides or a mix of methods, then come back to confirm the bugs and their eggs are gone.
• The inspection starts with the bed and everything around it, since bed bugs are usually found in or near the bed (UC IPM).
• Heat kills bed bugs at every life stage, including eggs. Companies report a heat job usually takes about one day on site.
• Insecticides go on baseboards, cracks, furniture joints and bed frames. Results can take several days, since bed bugs die only when they cross treated surfaces.
• Expect at least one follow-up visit: infestations are often not controlled with only one treatment (US EPA).
• Need help? Get a quote from a recommended local exterminator through Pest Agent's referral form.

What exterminators do for bed bugs comes in three parts: an inspection, a treatment and a return visit to check for survivors. The return visit is the part people most often hope to skip, yet the US EPA notes that very few infestations are controlled with only one treatment.

Booking a single visit and calling it done leaves any eggs that survived the first round free to hatch and restart the problem. Knowing the whole sequence also shows what the job asks of you, from getting the bedroom ready before treatment day to watching for bugs in the weeks after.

Bug bombs and store-bought sprays rarely shortcut that sequence, since some bed bug populations now resist common insecticides and total-release foggers are ineffective against them.

What Do Exterminators Do for Bed Bugs?

Exterminators for bed bugs inspect your home, treat every hiding spot with heat, insecticides or a mix of methods, and come back to confirm that the bugs and their eggs are gone. According to Health Canada, professional pest control operators can use a variety of tools to control bed bugs, which may include vacuums, heat and pesticides. A good job combines several methods, because no single one reaches every bug and egg. You can read more about bed bugs in general on our bed bug hub.

Why Bed Bugs Usually Need a Professional

Bed bugs usually need a professional because they hide in tiny spaces and many store products do not work on them. Health Canada strongly recommends hiring a licensed professional pest control operator for bed bugs and says heat treatments should be left to the professionals. UC IPM notes that some bed bug populations have become resistant to pyrethroid insecticides, and that total-release foggers (bug bombs) are ineffective and could be harmful. The Quebec government also advises against applying insecticides yourself, because they can be dangerous to your health if used incorrectly.

Who Can Treat Bed Bugs in Canada

Bed bug treatment is a licensed trade in Canadian provinces such as Ontario and Quebec. In Ontario, you need a pesticide exterminator licence to apply pesticides commercially, structural extermination is one of the licence types, and the business itself needs a pesticide operator licence. In Quebec, the government advises choosing a company that holds a C5 or D5 extermination permit, with employees who hold a CD5 certificate, and you can check both in the provincial pesticide registry (in French only).

If you are still choosing a company, our guides on hiring a bed bug exterminator and the questions to ask a bed bug exterminator cover what to check, and our bed bug exterminator cost guide explains how pricing works. Prices vary.

How Do Exterminators Inspect for Bed Bugs?

Exterminators inspect for bed bugs by checking the bed and everything around it first, because UC IPM reports that 85% of bed bugs are found in or near the bed. The inspection tells them how far the infestation has spread and which treatment will work best.

Where Exterminators Look

Exterminators look wherever a bed bug can squeeze in, and UC IPM notes that bed bugs can use cracks as thin as the width of a credit card. Canadian companies describe checking the mattress seams, box spring, bed frame, headboard, nightstands, dresser drawers, baseboards and upholstered furniture. In apartments and condos, some companies also inspect the neighbouring units as part of the same job, since bed bugs can travel between them.

Signs of Bed Bugs

Signs of bed bugs that exterminators look for include live or dead bugs, shed skins, small reddish black fecal spots on bedding and eggs tucked into dark crevices. The eggs are white and about 1 mm long (Health Canada), so technicians often work with a flashlight and a magnifying tool. Adults can be as long as 10 mm, which makes them easier to spot once they have fed.

Detection Dogs

Detection dogs are trained to sniff out live bed bugs and eggs, and some Canadian companies use them, especially in apartment buildings and severe cases. A dog team can often check a room in minutes. UC IPM warns, though, that canine accuracy in real homes can vary: ask whether the team has third-party certification, and expect any alert to be confirmed by a technician's visual inspection.

Interceptor Monitors

Interceptor monitors are small double cups that sit under the legs of the bed and catch bugs climbing up or down. UC IPM reports that interceptors can trap more bed bugs than visual searches alone, which is why many professionals leave them in place before and after treatment.

Treatment Plan

The treatment plan comes out of the inspection: the technician decides which rooms to treat, which method fits your home, how many visits are likely and what you need to prepare. Many companies give the price only after this inspection. Purdue University Extension advises against throwing out your mattress or furniture before the inspection, because the professional may be able to treat it.

What Methods Do Exterminators Use to Kill Bed Bugs?

Exterminators kill bed bugs with heat, insecticides or both, backed up by steam, vacuuming and dusts. Health Canada says that whichever treatment is used, it usually only works if physical methods and prevention are used together. If you are weighing the two main options, see our comparison of heat versus chemical treatment.

Heat Treatment

Heat treatment kills bed bugs at every life stage, including eggs, by heating whole rooms. Health Canada says bed bugs die at 50°C. UC IPM gives the treatment target as at least 140°F (60°C) for 2 hours, or 130°F (about 54°C) for 3 hours. In Canada, Orkin Canada describes placing high capacity heaters and high velocity fans through the room, heating it and monitoring the temperature, then reinspecting after a controlled cool down. Companies report that a heat job usually takes about one day on site. Our bed bug heat treatment guide covers it in detail.

Insecticide Sprays

Insecticide sprays are the core of a conventional (chemical) bed bug treatment. Technicians apply them to baseboards, cracks, crevices, furniture joints and bed frames, often with residual products that keep working after they dry. Any product used in Canada must carry a Pest Control Products (PCP) registration number, according to Health Canada. Results may take several days, since Purdue University Extension notes the sprays are applied to surfaces that bed bugs contact. Our guide to what chemicals exterminators use for bed bugs explains the main product types.

Insecticidal Dusts

Insecticidal dusts reach places sprays cannot, such as wall voids and the inside of electrical outlets. UC IPM explains that dusts cling to the bug and wear away its protective wax covering, and that they can give long-term control as part of a wider program. Diatomaceous earth is one of the dusts Health Canada lists among professional tools.

Steam

Steam kills bed bugs and eggs on contact on mattresses, upholstered furniture and other fabric surfaces where sprays are limited. Health Canada notes that steam cleaners generally put out steam of at least 100°C. UC IPM adds that the steam has to penetrate the seams and folds where bugs and eggs hide to work.

Vacuuming

Vacuuming removes live bugs, eggs and debris before or after other treatments. Health Canada advises steaming before vacuuming, since steam flushes surviving bugs out of hiding. UC IPM notes that a single vacuuming rarely gets everything, so it is repeated.

Carbon Dioxide Snow

Carbon dioxide snow (sold under the name Cryonite) can freeze bed bugs on contact. Some Canadian companies use it on electronics, furniture seams and other hard-to-reach spots where heat or liquids are a poor fit.

Biopesticides

Biopesticides are another option some Canadian companies offer. Aprehend uses fungal spores (Beauveria) in an oil-based formula that targets bed bugs as they move across treated areas, and one Canadian company reports residual activity of up to three months.

What Is the Bed Bug Treatment Process?

The bed bug treatment process usually runs in four steps: preparation, treatment day, time away from home and at least one follow-up visit. Your exterminator will give you the exact instructions for their method.

Preparation

Preparation gets your home ready so the treatment can reach every hiding spot. Health Canada says it usually includes emptying storage furniture, putting belongings in bags, washing your clothes and bedding, and moving furniture away from the walls. Small items that cannot be washed can usually go in a hot dryer for 30 minutes or more. Purdue University Extension adds that you should tell the pest control operator about any allergies or chemical sensitivities in the household before the treatment. Our step-by-step guide on how to prepare for bed bug treatment has a full checklist.

Treatment Day

Treatment day is when the technician applies the chosen method room by room. For a chemical treatment, one Toronto company reports that technicians typically spend 4 to 6 hours on site: inspecting, vacuuming, moving furniture and mattresses, steaming fabrics, then treating baseboards, cracks and furniture inside and out. For heat, the technician sets up heaters and fans and watches the temperature until the rooms have held a lethal heat long enough.

Time Away From Home

Time away from home depends on the method and on who lives with you. After a chemical treatment, the Quebec government says to wait at least 6 hours before returning, 12 hours for children and for people with respiratory problems or allergies, and 24 hours for babies 0 to 12 months, young children not yet walking and pregnant women. Purdue University Extension advises not sleeping in a treated room for at least 4 hours or until the product has dried, whichever is longer. For heat treatment, Orkin Canada says homes are usually treated in the morning and can often be re-entered by evening. For heat treatment, Orkin Canada also asks that pets, houseplants and tropical fish stay out of the treated area, and the Quebec government says pets must evacuate.

Follow-Up Visits

Follow-up visits catch the bed bugs that hatch from eggs the first treatment missed. Health Canada says bed bug eggs usually hatch in 6 to 17 days, which is why chemical programs often run more than one visit, according to Canadian companies. The US EPA notes that very few infestations are controlled with only one treatment. Heat treatment is often done in one visit, and companies such as Orkin Canada reinspect after the cool down and may schedule a follow-up re-inspection. For realistic timelines, read how long bed bug treatment takes.

What Should You Expect After an Exterminator Treats for Bed Bugs?

After an exterminator treats for bed bugs, expect to see a few bugs for several days, to keep checking for them daily, and to keep up a few habits for months. These steps tell you whether the job worked.

Bed Bugs After Treatment

Bed bugs after treatment are common for a while, because bugs that were hiding die only when they cross treated surfaces and new nymphs can hatch from surviving eggs. Terminix Canada notes that results may take several days. Seeing live bugs weeks after the last visit is a reason to call the company back. Our guide on why bed bugs come back after treatment explains the usual causes.

Daily Monitoring

Monitoring is what UC IPM recommends once professional treatment is done: check the bed, the interceptors and the furniture nearby often. The Quebec government also advises airing out treated rooms, checking treated areas regularly and avoiding walking barefoot on treated surfaces for at least 48 hours.

Mattress Encasements

Mattress encasements are zip-up covers that trap any bed bugs left inside the mattress or box spring. UC IPM says trapped bugs eventually starve, and Purdue University Extension recommends keeping the bed encased for up to one year.

Guarantees

Guarantees on bed bug work vary by company. Canadian companies advertise warranties such as a 90-day warranty or a 100-day guarantee with free re-treatment, but they often come with conditions, such as following the preparation and sanitation advice and attending every scheduled follow-up. Ask for the warranty terms in writing before you book. If you want help, you can get a quote from a recommended local exterminator through Pest Agent's referral form.