OK, How Hard Is It Really To Kill Bed Bugs? A Pest Control Technician Explains the Truth

Laura Beck
·4 min read

Magnifying glass showing an enlarged bed bug

Bed bugs, the small, brownish-red insects famous for living in beds and feeding on humans while they sleep, are a notorious household pest that can be extremely difficult to eradicate. So, it's no surprise that many of us are left wondering how to kill bed bugs—especially when there are reports of bed bug infestations around the world.

Their ability to hide in tiny crevices and withstand many conventional insecticides makes killing them a challenge even for professionals.

To uncover the truth about bed bug control, we spoke with two pest control experts. Here's what they revealed about how hard it really is to kill bed bugs.

Are Bed Bugs Hard To Kill?

According to Craig Sansig, Service Director at Viking Pest Control, bed bugs can be more difficult to eliminate than other pests. He explains, "For a pesticide to work, it must enter the insect in some way to kill it. The issue with bed bugs is that they do not ingest the product."

Unlike other pests, bed bugs do not consume bait or groom themselves in a way that causes them to ingest pesticides.

Baseboard sprays, a common tactic in pest control, don’t work on bed bugs. Sansig notes, "The bed bugs’ sedentary nature also means liquid materials applied as baseboard sprays are not likely to have very much contact with bed bugs and tend to work poorly if at all." 

Bed bugs' flat bodies allow them to tuck into tiny spaces where pesticides have trouble reaching. Sansig calls this behavior "thigmotaxis" and says it enables bed bugs to evade contact with treated surfaces. He adds that their spiracles, or breathing holes, are located on their sides where they are protected. This makes it hard for pesticides to enter through inhalation.

According to Jim Fredericks of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), some bed bug populations have also developed a high level of pesticide resistance. He states, "Some populations of bed bugs have developed insecticide resistance to some active ingredients, which can complicate control efforts."

Related: Dealing With Moths in Your House? Here’s Exactly How To Get Rid of Them

How Long Does It Take To Kill a Bed Bug?

Sansig explains that when direct contact is made with an effective pesticide, death is usually rapid. However, reaching the bugs is often the real challenge.

He notes, "If direct contact is made and no resistance to a product exists, death will usually occur rapidly. The limiting factor for fast control may not be the pesticide, but rather the way it was applied and where it was applied."

While liquids and sprays kill bugs quickly on contact, eggs often survive initial treatments. The pesticide residue must remain effective enough to kill newly hatched nymphs as they emerge over the next few weeks.

Fredericks points out that bed bug eggs take around 10 days to develop before hatching. He says, "Pros often return about two weeks after the initial treatment to control bed bugs that may have hatched."

Can You Ever Truly Get Rid of Bed Bugs?

Fortunately, Sansig assures that it is absolutely possible to fully eradicate bed bugs. “You absolutely can get rid of bed bugs—we do it every day and have thousands of customers that can attest to this," he says.

However, he notes that treatments often fail due to issues like poor application technique, reintroductions from travel or neighbors, and resistance to pesticides. Careful monitoring is required to ensure infestations are eliminated.

Fredericks confirms this, adding, "Follow-up monitoring of infested sites helps pest control pros determine if treatment methods have been effective and can help steer future efforts resulting in [the] elimination of bed bugs from a room."

How To Kill Bed Bugs

There are many effective methods used to control bed bugs, according to Fredericks. “Traditional pest control products, in addition to vacuuming, heat, fumigation and other methods, have all been shown to control bed bugs,” he says. 

When it comes to products and methods that can kill bed bugs with 100% efficacy, Sansig specifically recommends:

  • Liquid pesticide applications by a professional using the proper tools and technique. This balances effectiveness and cost.

  • Heat treatments that raise the temperature to 135-140°F. Success rates are higher when combined with liquids.

  • Fumigation with a penetrating gas, which is expensive but highly effective.

  • Freezing treatments using CO2 to rapidly freeze the bugs.

  • Biological treatments using fungal spores that work slowly but effectively.

  • Essential plant oils, which can kill on contact but may have strong odors.

While there are no magic solutions, utilizing professional products, tools and training gives the best chance of eliminating bed bug infestations completely. With persistence and thorough, repeated applications, it is possible to fully rid a home of these pests.

Next: Bugs, Be Gone! These Are the Best Ways To Get Rid of Gnats Permanently