Xtermco treats bed bugs in homes, condos, vacation rentals and hotels in Honolulu and across Oʻahu. Every job starts with an inspection to confirm bed bugs, then a prep checklist, targeted treatment of beds, furniture and cracks, and a follow-up visit to catch bugs that hatch afterward. Call (808) 591-2922.
How do you know it's bed bugs?
Bites on the skin are a poor sign of bed bugs: they can look like mosquito bites, rashes or hives, and some people don't react at all, according to the EPA. Look for physical signs instead:
- Rusty or reddish stains on sheets or mattresses from crushed bed bugs
- Dark spots about the size of a period that bleed into fabric like a marker
- Tiny pale eggs, eggshells and shed skins, about 1 mm long
- Live bugs in mattress piping, seams and tags, or in cracks in the bed frame and headboard
Bed bugs are only about as thick as a credit card, so any crack that holds a card can hide one. In heavier infestations they also hide in couch seams, drawer joints, outlets, behind loose wallpaper and where the wall meets the ceiling. They travel 5 to 20 feet from their hiding places to feed, mostly at night. Carpet beetles are often mistaken for bed bugs, so an inspection confirms what you have before treatment.
How does Xtermco treat bed bugs?
The EPA recommends an integrated approach: confirm the infestation, combine non-chemical methods with registered products, and monitor until the bugs are gone. Our treatment follows four steps:
Inspection
A technician checks mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, upholstered furniture, baseboards, outlets and curtains, and confirms the insect is a bed bug, not a carpet beetle or another look-alike. In condos and apartments, we recommend checking the units next door too.
Prep
You get a written prep checklist (below). Good preparation speeds treatment and reduces cost, according to the EPA.
Treatment
We treat mattresses, box springs, bed frames, furniture seams, baseboards, outlets and wall voids with products registered by the EPA for bed bugs, applied by licensed technicians exactly as the label directs. Mattresses and box springs are then sealed in bed-bug-proof encasements, and interceptors go under each bed leg.
Follow-up visit
Bed bug eggs resist many treatments, and the egg-to-egg life cycle can take four to five weeks (EPA). A follow-up visit after eggs laid before treatment have had time to hatch catches the newly hatched bugs, and the interceptors show whether any activity remains.
Bed bug prep checklist
Preparing your home before treatment speeds the process and reduces cost, according to the EPA. Before your treatment visit:
- Don't move items from the infested room to other rooms.
- Bag bedding, clothing and curtains in sealed plastic bags, then dry them on high heat for 30 minutes. Washing alone may not kill bed bugs.
- Keep the cleaned items sealed in fresh plastic bags until treatment is finished.
- Clear clutter and anything stored under the bed, and replace cardboard boxes with plastic ones.
- Move the bed at least 6 inches away from the wall and keep bedding off the floor.
- Vacuum seams, cracks and carpet edges, then seal the vacuum bag in plastic and put it in an outside trash bin.
Your technician gives you a written checklist for your home and tells you which rooms to leave as they are for inspection.
Bed bugs in condos and apartments
Bed bugs move between units through wall voids, along baseboards and into hallways. The EPA notes that in multi-family housing, treatment works best when residents and building management both take part. For Honolulu condos and apartment buildings, we recommend:
- Inspecting the units on each side, above and below the infested unit.
- Door sweeps and sealed cracks around baseboards and light sockets to slow movement into hallways and wall voids (EPA).
- Care in shared laundry rooms: carry items in plastic bags and move them from the dryer straight into a fresh bag.
Property managers and AOAOs can see our commercial pest control programs for multi-unit buildings.
Bed bugs in vacation rentals
Bed bugs ride in on luggage, so a single guest can bring them into a short-term rental. Between stays, housekeepers can check mattress seams, headboards and luggage racks for stains, eggs and live bugs. Leaving encasements and interceptors in place makes new activity easy to spot. If a guest reports bites, we inspect and treat the unit around your bookings and check neighboring units.
For a fuller guide to protecting rentals and guest rooms, read hospitality pest control for hotels and resorts in Hawaiʻi.
Bed bug treatment for hotels
The EPA advises travelers to inspect the hotel luggage rack for bed bugs. Hotels need a plan that finds bed bugs early and stops them spreading to the next room:
- Treatment of the affected room and inspection of rooms on each side, above and below
- Encasements on mattresses and box springs, so housekeeping can spot new activity
- Scheduled inspections for high-turnover rooms
- Quick response when a guest reports bites
See how we approach integrated hotel pest control on Oʻahu and our commercial pest control programs.
Can you get rid of bed bugs yourself?
Sometimes, if you catch it early. The EPA says more than 300 products are registered for use against bed bugs, and a dryer on high heat for 30 minutes kills bugs and eggs in bedding and clothes. Heating whole rooms or furniture to kill eggs takes at least 120°F for 90 minutes, which takes specialized heating equipment. Call a professional if you find bugs in more than one room, in walls or outlets, or in a building with shared walls.
Are bed bugs dangerous?
Bed bugs are not known to spread diseases to people, according to the CDC. Their bites can cause itching, loss of sleep and, rarely, allergic reactions. They are hard to get rid of because they hide well, survive several months to a year without feeding, and each female can lay 200 to 500 eggs in her lifetime (EPA).
Why choose Xtermco for bed bug treatment in Honolulu?
- Serving Oʻahu since 1961 from our Waipahu office.
- Licensed. Hawaii pest control operator license PCO-201.
- Inspection first. We confirm bed bugs before we treat, and check neighboring rooms and units.
- Homes and businesses, from condos and vacation rentals to hotels, across Honolulu, Pearl City, Kapolei, ʻEwa, Mililani, Kailua and Kāneʻohe.
- BBB-accredited since 1982, rated A+.
Bed bug treatment FAQ
How much does bed bug treatment cost in Honolulu?
It depends on how many rooms are affected, how much furniture needs treatment, whether neighboring units must be inspected and how many follow-up visits are needed. A small infestation found early costs far less to treat than one that has spread, according to the EPA. Xtermco inspects first and gives you a written estimate before any work starts.
How do I know if I have bed bugs?
Bites alone aren't proof, because they can look like mosquito bites, rashes or hives, and some people don't react at all. The EPA advises looking for physical signs: rusty stains on sheets, dark spots that bleed into fabric, tiny pale eggs and shed skins, and live bugs in mattress seams and bed frame cracks. An inspection confirms it.
How long does bed bug treatment take?
Most jobs need an initial treatment and at least one follow-up visit. Bed bug eggs resist many treatments, and the egg-to-egg life cycle takes about four to five weeks under good conditions, so the follow-up catches bugs that hatch after the first visit. Interceptors under the bed legs help confirm when activity has stopped.
How do I prepare my home for bed bug treatment?
Bag bedding and clothes and dry them on high heat for 30 minutes, clear clutter and anything under the bed, move the bed at least 6 inches from the wall, and vacuum seams and cracks, then throw the sealed vacuum bag away outside. Don't move furniture or belongings to other rooms. We give you a written checklist before treatment.
Do I need to throw away my mattress?
Usually not. Mattresses and box springs can be treated and then sealed in bed-bug-proof encasements, which trap any remaining bugs inside until they starve and make new activity easy to see. The EPA recommends encasements with zippers that close completely and that are sturdy enough to last at least a year. Replace only badly torn or damaged mattresses.
Can bed bugs spread between condos and apartments?
Yes. Bed bugs travel through wall voids, along baseboards and into hallways, so neighboring units should be inspected too. The EPA suggests door sweeps and sealing cracks around baseboards and light sockets to slow their movement, and notes that in multi-family housing, building management also needs to take part for treatment to work.
Do bed bugs spread disease?
Bed bugs are not known to spread diseases to people, according to the CDC. Their bites can cause itching, loss of sleep and, rarely, allergic reactions. The bigger problem is how quickly they spread through a home or building: each female can lay 200 to 500 eggs in her lifetime, so it pays to treat them early.
Do you treat vacation rentals and hotels?
Yes. Xtermco treats vacation rentals, hotels and other short-stay properties across Oʻahu. We work around your bookings, inspect beds, headboards and furniture in affected and neighboring rooms, and leave encasements and interceptors in place so housekeeping can spot new activity between guests. Ask us about scheduled inspections for high-turnover properties.
Take Back Your Home Today
Don’t let bed bugs control your life. With Xtermco’s expert pest extermination service, you’ll get fast relief.
Let’s put an end to bed bugs together—so you can rest easy again.
