The time required to achieve control can vary greatly. It is best to view bed bug control as an ongoing effort that may require numerous visits to inspect and re-treat the infested areas. In most cases, bed bugs infestations can be resolved in three to four visits. In most situations, the bed bug populations should be dramatically reduced following the initial visit. Some bugs may continue to persist and it is these smaller populations that require a dedicated and persistent follow up effort to eliminate. The number of bugs and bites experienced by the homeowner should be minimal during the remainder of the management program. To date there are no effective monitoring tools available for bed bugs. Many companies will place insect glue boards or sticky traps out to monitor for bed bugs. There is nothing wrong with this practice, however, it should be understood that this is not a reliable monitoring method and the absence of bed bugs on these traps does not accurately reflect if bed bugs are present or not. The only true indicator that bed bugs are no longer present is the absence of bites. However, it is risky to assume that the bed bugs have been eliminated after only a few weeks of "bug-free" or "bite-free" time. Instead, a period of approximately 60 consecutive days of "bug-free" and "bite-free" time will provide a much greater level of confidence that the problem has truly been eliminated.
