More tools are better for controlling bed bugs, say PMPs via the 2025 PCT State of the Bed Bug Control Market survey.
“There are multiple ways to solve this problem,” said Dennis Guinan, Green Pest Solutions.
Most PMPs (95%) said their service locations used conventional insecticide treatments to control bed bugs. This was the primary treatment approach for 64% of service locations. Liquid/spray (76%) was the most preferred chemical formulation.
Other top tactics were mattress encasements (61%), vacuuming (51%) and bed bug monitoring (46%).
More than a third (36%) of service locations used biological or biopesticide treatments. This was the primary treatment for 13%.
Apple’s Environmental Pest Management Solutions takes an “all inclusive” approach to bed bug treatment that includes the application of biopesticide, silica dust and sometimes conventional insecticide. Mattress encasements, vacuuming and monitoring devices are deployed. A follow-up visit with spot treatment (if needed) is performed at 30 days, followed by two service visits over the next 60 days to monitor for bed bug activity.
“After that 60-day follow-up monitoring, then we would consider the treatment finished,” said Reynolds.
In follow-up interviews, pest management professionals said they relied on heat treatment, used by 29% of service locations, and fumigation, used by 14%, to quickly resolve severe infestations. They said these methods also were a good option when clients were unable or unwilling to prepare the site for conventional treatment.
Nearly a quarter (24%) of PMPs said they used steam treatment for bed bug control. Standard Pest Management uses steam at homes where small children sleep in cribs. “We will only treat a crib with dry steam vapor,” said Standard’s Gil Bloom. Others found this method useful for upholstered furniture and decorative pillows.
National Exterminating Co. took a creative approach to getting rid of bed bugs for an ill client who was getting bit in her powered recliner during dialysis. The recliner was relatively new, so tossing it wasn’t an option, and conventional treatment risked damaging the chair’s electronics, recalled Assistant General Manager David Turner. His team eliminated the pests by building a custom trap, complete with CO2 and heating pad, which they placed under the chair to draw out and eliminate the bed bugs.
Providing effective bed bug control requires knowledge and experience. “If you’re thinking about getting into the bed bug world, you’ve got to lean in, do your research and understand everything about them before you go in,” said Turner.
The average typical callback rate for bed bug control jobs was 5.1%.
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