Treating bed bugs involves using specific forms of treatment, and it helps to know the difference before you book anyone. Numerous options exist, from chemical and electric treatments to the preferred method of heat treatment. Given we have fought bed bugs for years, we want to run through how the main options actually differ, so you can tell which one fits your home rather than taking a company’s word for it.
How The Two Main Options Compare
Chemical treatment and heat treatment are the two you are most likely to be offered. The table below lays out how each one works and where each one falls down.
| Chemical / spray treatment | Heat treatment | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | A technician applies desiccants and professional-grade products to thin out and kill the bugs. | The system raises the ambient temperature to 120°F in under 30 minutes and to 140°F within the hour, reaching every corner of the home — walls, furniture, electronics, closets and dressers — without causing damage. |
| The catch | Bugs can shelter in cracks the product never reaches, today’s bed bugs have a strong sense for pesticides, and a winter treatment can re-emerge in summer as hidden eggs ride it out. | No residual protection once the home cools, so anything carried back in later is not covered. |
| Kills the eggs? | Often not in a single pass, so repeat visits are usually needed. | Yes — bugs at all stages, eggs included, cannot sustain the heat. |
| Typical visits | Several. | Usually one. |
The short version is that chemicals have their use within the bed bug extermination industry, but compared to property-wide heat treatment, results from chemicals alone are typically far less consistent and impactful. Slow-rising temperatures also allow bed bugs time to sense danger and scatter, whereas rapid, even heat leaves them no opportunity to escape.
What About Combining Them?
The two approaches are not strictly either-or. Some people will combine pesticide treatment and heat treatment for the utmost results, using the heat to clear the living space in a single pass and a residual product to guard against anything carried back in afterwards.
That is exactly how we work: heat as the core of the treatment, with a residual spray applied following the product label. Our treatments are designed for occupied homes and businesses, with every product applied following its label. With heat treatment, you do not have to close down your business or move out of your home for some time. We offer a one-stop solution that gets rid of the bed bugs in one visit.
Which Is Right For You?
For most homes, the honest answer is that heat does the heavy lifting and chemicals play a supporting role. If your problem is caught early and confined to one room, a targeted approach may be enough, but once bed bugs have spread, the whole-property option is what actually ends it. As soon as we understand where your bed bugs are coming from, we can tell you which method fits your situation and why.
If you would like a straight answer on the right treatment for your home in Florida, you can contact us for a free consultation.
From our recorded calls
These are real calls. The answers are word for word. The questions are our summary of what was asked, because callers do not record as clearly as we do. We never publish a caller's surname, address, phone number or price.
Do you spray the bed itself?
We don't spray the bed. No, we don't spray the bed. We don't spray anything that will have continuous human contact. So what we do is we spray around the interior perimeter of the home.
Answered by Mike on a call,
Where exactly does the spray go?
He will not spray the whole wall. We spray the baseboards, the windowsills, the door jams, any nooks and crannies, cracks and crevices we find throughout the home.
Answered by Dori on a call,
Is the spray still wet when we come home?
He sprays first, because that spray when dry is not harmful to people, pets and plants. So we like to spray it first so it's thoroughly dry for when everybody comes back.
Answered by Dori on a call,
Why are they still moving around after the treatment?
When they cross that pesticide barrier and get the growth inhibitor on them, it will start immediately shutting them down.
Answered by Dori on a call,
How long do we need to be out for the spray?
What that would mean is that everyone would have to be out of the home for three hours while the spray dries.
Answered by Dori on a call,
Could we just do a spray?
It's your choice. I don't think that it's going to work well. Once you've got bedbugs in the home, the spray treatments don't really work that well.
Answered by Mike on a call,
Do you spray inside the kitchen cabinets?
No, we do not spray inside your cabinet.
Answered by Dori on a call,
Which comes first, the spray or the heat?
We spray first because we want the spray to be dried by the heat.
Answered by Mike on a call,
Does the spray kill them the moment they touch it?
If the bug comes into contact with that spray barrier, then what happens is that spray barrier is actually designed to not kill them right away.
Answered by Mike on a call,
What is actually in the spray?
It's a proprietary blend of pesticide spray with growth inhibitor. It is non-harmful to people and pets, and there is no scent detectable.
Answered by Dori on a call,
Is the spray still active when we come back?
The spray once dry is non-harmful to people, pets, and plants.
Answered by Dori on a call,
What callers told us
That's why I'm like, I need a heat treatment, we ain't using no spray. Someone says they're coming out and spraying, they ain't getting rid of them. It doesn't kill them.
In our own words
This is our own crew, on recorded calls. Word for word. Each one says who was talking and when.
Right along the edge we put a residual spray, and we want that to stay there.
