Helpful Pest Control Tips to Protect Your Home
January 14, 2026
Learn what to expect from professional bed bug treatment in Swartz Creek, MI, including heat treatments and canine detection services.
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The first step in any effective bed bug treatment is finding exactly where these pests are hiding. Most companies rely on visual inspections, which miss about 70% of infestations.
That’s why we use specially trained detection dogs. We’re one of fewer than 100 companies in the United States offering canine bed bug detection, and there’s a good reason this service is so rare.
Our certified detection dogs can locate live bed bugs and eggs with 95-98% accuracy. They can smell bed bug activity through mattresses, inside furniture, and in wall crevices where human inspectors would never think to look.
Think about it this way: bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed, and they’re experts at hiding in cracks thinner than a credit card. They only come out at night to feed, spending their days tucked away in places you’d never think to check.
A trained detection dog can inspect an entire room in 2-3 minutes. Compare that to thorough human inspection, which might take hours and still miss the majority of hiding spots. These dogs undergo the same rigorous training as bomb-detection dogs, and they only alert to live activity—not old evidence from previous infestations that might confuse a visual inspection.
The accuracy difference is staggering. While visual inspections catch about 30% of infestations, our detection dogs find 95-98% of them. This means we can identify exactly where bed bugs are located and focus treatment on those specific areas rather than treating your entire home unnecessarily.
Early detection also means faster elimination and lower costs. When we find bed bugs before they’ve had time to spread throughout your home, treatment is more targeted and effective. You’re not dealing with a massive infestation that requires multiple treatments and extensive preparation.
Your inspection appointment typically takes 30-60 minutes, depending on your home’s size. We start with a consultation about when you first noticed signs of bed bugs, recent travel, or any used furniture purchases. This background helps us understand potential entry points.
Our technician will conduct a visual inspection of obvious areas like mattress seams, bed frames, and upholstered furniture. But the real advantage comes when we bring in our detection dogs. The dogs work systematically through each room, alerting us to specific locations where they detect bed bug scent.
We document everything we find with photos and detailed notes. You’ll receive a comprehensive report showing exactly where bed bugs are located, the severity of the infestation, and our recommended treatment approach. We explain our findings in plain English, so you understand exactly what you’re dealing with.
This thorough documentation serves another purpose: it helps us track treatment success during follow-up visits. We know precisely which areas were treated and can verify that bed bugs have been eliminated from those locations.
The inspection also includes prevention education. We’ll show you how bed bugs likely entered your home and provide specific guidance on avoiding future infestations. This might include travel precautions, tips for inspecting secondhand furniture, or recommendations for monitoring techniques.
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Once we’ve identified the infestation locations, we move to treatment. Heat treatment is our preferred method because it eliminates bed bugs at all life stages in a single day, without chemicals.
The process involves raising room temperatures to 135-145°F using specialized heating equipment. Bed bugs and their eggs cannot survive temperatures above 122°F, so this approach is lethal to the entire population.
Most of our heat treatments are completed in 4-8 hours, depending on your home’s size and the infestation severity. You’ll need to vacate the treated areas during this time, but you can return the same day.
One of the biggest fears homeowners have is being told they need to throw away their mattresses, furniture, and personal belongings. This fear is understandable—a quality mattress can cost more than professional K-9 bedbug search treatment, and replacing all your bedroom furniture is financially devastating.
Heat treatment actually is an effective bed bug control treatment from inside mattresses, furniture, and other items that would be expensive to replace. The heat penetrates deep into these items, reaching temperatures that kill bed bugs at all life stages, including eggs that are resistant to many chemical treatments.
Throwing away infested items often spreads bed bugs to other areas of your home or to neighbors if the items aren’t disposed of properly. It’s also unnecessary expense when professional treatment can save your belongings. We only recommend disposal in extreme cases where items are heavily damaged or if you prefer to replace them for peace of mind.
During heat treatment, your furniture stays exactly where it is. The heat does all the work, penetrating into every hiding spot and eliminating bed bugs without you having to move, bag, or discard anything. After treatment, your mattress and furniture are completely safe to use normally.
This approach is particularly important for families with children who have favorite stuffed animals or blankets, or for anyone with expensive mattresses or antique furniture. Heat treatment preserves these items while ensuring they’re completely bed bug-free.
Preparation for heat treatment is much simpler than what’s required for chemical treatments. You won’t need to bag all your clothing, strip beds, or move furniture away from walls. However, there are some important steps to ensure treatment success.
Heat-sensitive items need to be removed temporarily. This includes wax candles, chocolate, vinyl records, certain medications, and some electronics. We provide a detailed list of items to remove, and most homeowners find the list much shorter than they expected. Items like clothing, books, and most household goods can stay exactly where they are.
You’ll also need to arrange alternative accommodations for pets during treatment. The high temperatures aren’t safe for animals, but they can return as soon as the rooms cool down, usually within a few hours after treatment ends.
We recommend washing and drying bedding on high heat before treatment, not because it’s required, but because it gives you immediate relief from bed bugs in your bed. You can sleep more comfortably knowing your sheets are bed bug-free while we prepare for the main treatment.
The night before treatment, vacuum thoroughly and dispose of the vacuum bag or empty the canister outside your home. This removes some bed bugs and debris, making the heat treatment even more effective. Don’t use any sprays or DIY treatments, as these can actually make bed bugs scatter to new hiding spots.
After heat treatment, you can return to your home the same day once temperatures return to normal. There are no chemical residues to worry about, no lingering odors, and no restrictions on using your furniture and belongings.
Most clients notice an immediate difference. The psychological relief of knowing bed bug treatment in Swartz Creek have been eliminated professionally often improves sleep quality right away, even before you’ve had time to see the full results. Within 24-48 hours, you’ll see a significant reduction in bed bug activity.
We provide detailed post-treatment guidance and schedule follow-up monitoring to ensure complete success. If bed bugs return within our guarantee period, we’ll retreat your home at no additional charge. When you choose First Choice Pest Control, you’re investing in proven results and the peace of mind that comes with 20 years of local experience.
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