Heat
| Day | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0 | Inspection. Findings by room, life stages, connected units checked. Flat quote. |
| 1–3 | You remove heat-sensitive items only. Clutter stays. |
| Treatment day | Whole home past 122°F at the coldest probe, held; rotation; residual dust. Home that evening. |
| +7 | Follow-up inspection (Virginia Tech: “within a week”). Encasements checked, interceptors read. |
| +14 | Egg clock has run (OSU: about 21 days at 86°F, longer when cooler). If the follow-up was clean and the cups are empty, you are done. |
Chemical
| Day | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0 | Inspection, same as above. |
| 1–5 | Full prep: launder and dry everything on high, bag it, pull furniture from walls, empty drawers, vacuum. |
| Visit 1 | Cracks, voids, frames, baseboards treated; encasements installed. Residual stays active. |
| +14 | Visit 2 — OSU’s rule: repeat “if bed bugs are present two weeks after the initial treatment.” Eggs laid before visit 1 have hatched into it. |
| +28 | Visit 3 if activity persists. Prep repeated each time. |
Reading the two
- Time to clear: heat about two weeks including the re-check; chemical four to six.
- Your labor: heat, an hour; chemical, a weekend, repeated.
- Cost: heat higher per visit, usually one visit; chemical lower per visit, two or three. The estimator shows both →
- Where chemical wins: a single room caught early; a building treating in rounds; a home where airflow cannot be guaranteed.
Figures cited: Ohio State University Extension ENT-0103 (2025) and HYG-2105 (2020);
Virginia Cooperative Extension ENTO-583NP (2024); Kells & Goblirsch, Insects 2(3):412–422
(2011); Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County program pages (read 2026-10-08). Not medical advice.