Why DIY Bed Bug Control Often Fails

Finding bed bugs in your home is frustrating, and dealing with them can feel overwhelming. If you're currently facing this issue, you're not alone. In this article, we’ll explain why DIY bed bug control often falls short and share practical solutions to get rid of these biting pests for good—and keep them from returning.

Bed bugs are experts at hiding from view

Bed bugs are experts at staying out of sight, which makes DIY control incredibly challenging. These tiny pests can squeeze into cracks as thin as a credit card and hide in places you might not expect—inside mattresses, behind baseboards, furniture joints, and even inside electrical outlets. Their ability to stay hidden allows them to avoid detection while continuing to spread throughout your home. Because they’re so skilled at hiding, it’s easy to miss them during DIY treatments, leaving the infestation to grow and come back stronger.

Bed bugs are resilient

Many people go after these insects with over-the-counter sprays. If you do this, you should know you’re not the first. Homeowners have been spraying bed bugs for decades. Unfortunately, they have built up resistance to many materials found in these sprays.

Control products are often misapplied

What if you know which control products still work to control bed bugs? Will your treatment be successful? Maybe. However, many homeowners apply the correct products but still fail to control bed bugs due to misapplication.

Bed bugs are adaptable insects

Some people attempt to starve bed bugs. Examples of this are sprinkling diatomaceous earth on the floor around a bed or installing traps on the feet of the bed frame. That product may keep bed bugs from climbing into the bed—if they’re not living in it. But most people don’t know that bed bugs can go for months without feeding. You’ll likely get tired of maintaining your protection long before you cause those insects to starve.

Bed bugs reproduce quickly

A typical result of DIY bed bug control is that only a small percentage of the population is controlled. When this happens, the bugs that remain produce offspring faster than the population is eliminated. When treatments are not performed correctly, it becomes a losing battle of attrition. 

Bed bugs can re-infest a home that has been treated

If you have bed bugs and get rid of them, you could get them again. You need to evaluate where you may have picked them up and apply a strategy to prevent it from happening again. Along with this, you need a residual solution in your home, one that stays active for weeks. Most homeowners fail because they don’t know how bed bugs hitchhike from one location to another or what control methods provide a residual impact.      

Now that you know why DIY bed bug control often fails, let’s focus on how to rid your home of these pests successfully.

Effective bed bug control in Jacksonville

It pays to contact a licensed pest control service provider with experience handling bed bug problems. Your Lindsey Pest Services team uses proven bed bug treatment strategies to ensure no bugs remain in your home. Here’s how we address the challenges listed above:

• We perform inspections and check surveillance products to measure the efficacy of the bed bug treatments we apply. When we’re done, you can be sure that no bugs are hiding from view.
• We develop a multi-pronged treatment plan customized for your home's environment and the level of your infestation. We use a mixture of EPA-registered products, heat treatment, construction of a heat chamber, application of stream, and use of eco-friendly control products.
• Our technicians are highly trained and experienced career professionals. They apply your multi-pronged treatment plan with precision and experience.
• We take the guesswork out of bed bug control by having our technicians learn from experts in entomology about bed bug behavior patterns and life cycles.
• Our control strategy works to break the cycle of infestation and targets the source of the problem, not just the symptoms.
• We provide advice regarding how you may have gotten bed bugs and share what you can do to prevent future infestations. Along with this, the treatments we apply often come with conventional residual applications in key zones. Your protection will last for weeks.

Consider calling and speaking with us regarding your bed bug control needs. We can provide direct and actionable advice to get you going in the right direction.

Lindsey Pest Services is a locally owned and trusted pest control service provider, serving the Jacksonville area and the First Coast since 1957. Owner Jennifer Leggett, who has filled many prominent pest management positions, including president of the Florida Pest Management Association (FPMA) and board member for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), leads our team of experienced pest control specialists. We provide expert treatments and necessary follow-ups to address bed bugs in Jacksonville homes and businesses, and our treatments are discreet and professional. Connect with us today for help.