Silver Bullet Pest ControlEmergency Bed Bug Exterminator in North Jersey
Just pulled back the sheet and saw a bug? Woke up with a line of itchy bites after a trip? It's a rotten feeling, and you're not alone. Silver Bullet Pest Control inspects and treats bed bugs in homes and apartments across Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties. Same-day service is often available depending on your location and our schedule — call 973-510-2585. Below is exactly what to do tonight.
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Caught one? Put it in a sealed bag or pill bottle and text us a photo. We'll tell you if it looks like a bed bug.
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What should I do if I find bed bugs tonight?
Stay in your own bed tonight, strip the bedding into a sealed plastic bag, run it through a hot dryer, catch one bug as a sample, and call a licensed exterminator in the morning — don't move to the couch or another bedroom and don't set off a bug bomb. Bed bugs aren't known to spread disease, so this is not a medical emergency, but moving around the house and using foggers spreads them and makes treatment harder. Silver Bullet Pest Control inspects and treats bed bugs across North Jersey, and same-day service is often available depending on your location and our schedule; call 973-510-2585.
Is finding bed bugs an emergency?
Let's be honest: medically, no. Bed bugs bite, and the bites can itch badly, but bed bugs aren't known to spread disease. Nobody needs to go to the emergency room because they saw one. If bites look infected, or someone has a strong skin reaction or trouble breathing, call a doctor like you would for anything else.
But it can still feel like an emergency — and in some ways it is one. People lose sleep, feel anxious in their own bedroom, and worry about bringing bugs to work, school or family. And what you do in the first night or two really does matter. The most common mistakes (sleeping in another room, dragging the mattress out, setting off a fogger) take a problem in one bed and spread it through the house or the building.
So treat it as urgent: act calmly tonight, keep everything where it is, and get a professional inspection as soon as you can.
Your tonight checklist
Do these in order. None of them need special products — just bags, a dryer and a little patience.
Catch a sample
Press clear packing tape onto a bug, or slide it into a zip bag, pill bottle or small jar and seal it. A sample lets us confirm what it is quickly.
Bag the bedding at the bed
Strip the sheets, pillowcases and blankets right at the bed and put them straight into a plastic trash bag. Tie it shut before you carry it through the house.
Hot-dry it
Empty the bag directly into the dryer and run it on the highest heat the fabric allows for at least 30 minutes. Heat is what kills bed bugs; washing alone isn't enough. Throw the empty bag out in an outside can.
Make the bed back up
Put on clean, dried bedding. Pull the bed a few inches away from the wall and keep sheets and blankets from touching the floor so fewer bugs can climb up.
Sleep in your own bed
It sounds wrong, but staying put keeps the bugs in one place. If you move, they follow you to the new spot.
Call in the morning
Call 973-510-2585. Tell us where you found the bug, how long you've noticed bites, and whether you've traveled or had guests recently.
Panic moves that make bed bugs worse
Everyone wants to do something right away. These are the most common reactions — and what to do instead:
| The urge | What actually happens | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep on the couch or in the kids' room | Bed bugs follow the person and start a second spot | Stay in your own bed with fresh, hot-dried bedding |
| Set off a bug bomb or fogger | Foggers don't reach the cracks and seams where bed bugs hide, can push them into walls and other rooms, and are a fire risk | Leave it to a licensed professional |
| Throw the mattress out tonight | Carrying it through the house drops bugs along the way, and often the mattress can be treated | Leave furniture where it is until it's inspected |
| Spray rubbing alcohol everywhere | Rubbing alcohol is very flammable, and spraying it only hits the bugs you can see | Bag and hot-dry fabrics instead |
| Stay at a friend's or family member's place | You can carry bugs there in your bags and clothes | If you must go, bring only hot-dried clothes in a sealed bag |
| Clean out and move everything in the bedroom | Moving things around spreads bugs and makes the inspection harder | Keep the room as it is so we can see where they are |
If you already did one of these, don't panic — just tell us when you call so we know where else to look.
Is it really a bed bug?
Plenty of insects end up in beds. Before you worry about the whole house, check for these signs:
The bug itself
Adults are flat, oval and reddish-brown, about the size of an apple seed. After feeding they look rounder and redder. Young ones are smaller and paler.
Small dark spots
Dark brown or black dots — like a marker tip touched the fabric — on mattress seams, the box spring, the headboard and sheets. These are droppings.
Skins and eggs
Pale, empty shed skins and tiny white eggs tucked into seams, folds, screw holes and the corners of the bed frame.
Bites alone aren't proof
Bites often show up in a line or cluster, but many people don't react at all, and other bugs and skin problems look the same. A bug or the signs above is what confirms it.
Bed bugs after a hotel, trip or guest's stay
Bed bugs travel in luggage, clothes, backpacks and bags. Many North Jersey calls start right after a vacation, a work trip, a stay with relatives or a visitor sleeping over. If you just got home and saw a bug in your suitcase or woke up with new bites, act before you unpack:
- Don't bring the luggage into the bedroom. Leave it in a garage, on a hard floor away from furniture, or in an empty bathtub where bugs are easy to spot.
- Unpack straight into the dryer. Clothes and soft items that can go in the dryer should go in on high heat for at least 30 minutes, clean or dirty.
- Vacuum the suitcase inside and out, especially the seams and pockets, then seal the vacuum bag or the canister contents in a plastic bag and throw it out outside.
- Store the empty suitcase in a sealed plastic bag away from bedrooms.
- Tell the hotel what you found, with the room number and dates, and keep your photos and the sample.
Catching it at this stage often means a much smaller job. If you saw bugs in the suitcase, call us before they settle in. For long-term protection, see bed bug prevention and barrier treatment.
Found bed bugs in an apartment?
In an apartment building, bed bugs don't stay in one unit for long. They can travel through wall voids, along pipes and under doors, and they hitch a ride on furniture carried through the halls. That makes speed even more important.
Tenants: tell your landlord or building manager as soon as you find them, in writing (a text or email is fine), with the date and a photo. Don't put furniture out on the curb or in the hallway unless it's wrapped and clearly marked — someone else may take it home. Don't hire your own treatment without talking to the landlord first, since the units around yours usually need to be checked too.
Landlords and property managers: respond quickly. Inspect the reported unit and, ideally, the units on each side, above and below. One unit treated early is far cheaper and easier than a whole floor later, and quick action keeps tenants on your side.
Who has to pay for treatment and how fast it must happen depends on the type of building, your lease and your town, and the rules can change. This isn't legal advice: check with your town's code enforcement office or the NJ Department of Community Affairs. Our landlord and tenant pest control guide explains the basics, and we also work with property managers and multi-family buildings.
What happens after you call
When you call, we'll ask a few questions: where you found the bugs, how long you've had bites, how many bedrooms and beds there are, whether it's a house or an apartment, and whether anyone traveled recently. Same-day service is often available depending on your location and our schedule.
The first step is an inspection. A licensed tech checks the beds, furniture, baseboards and other hiding spots, confirms whether you have bed bugs, and shows you how far they've spread. Then we explain the treatment plan for your home, how many visits it's likely to take, and what you'll need to do to get ready.
Getting ready matters. Treatment works best when the rooms are prepared the right way — and preparing the wrong way (like moving everything out of the bedroom) can spread them. Don't start packing up the house before we talk. Our bed bug treatment prep checklist walks you through it room by room, and you can read about our full service on the bed bug treatment page.
Don't wait it out. Bed bugs don't go away on their own. They can survive a long time between meals, and a small problem grows into a bigger one over weeks.
More bed bug help
Book a Bed Bug Inspection
For the fastest answer, call 973-510-2585. Or tell us where you found them and when, and we'll get back to you quickly.
Why people call us about bed bugs
- Found a bug in the bed or on the sheets
- Bites in a line after sleeping
- Bugs in a suitcase after a trip
- A tenant reported bed bugs
- Bed bugs came back after a DIY spray or fogger
Request Service
🔒 Your info stays private · Hablamos español.
Emergency Bed Bug FAQ
Can you treat bed bugs the same day?
Same-day service is often available depending on your location and our schedule. Call 973-510-2585 and we'll tell you the soonest we can come.
Are bed bugs dangerous?
Bed bugs aren't known to spread disease, so they're not a medical emergency. The bites can itch, and the stress and lost sleep are real, which is why fast treatment matters.
Should I sleep in a different room if I find bed bugs?
No. Moving to another room or the couch usually spreads them. Sleep in your own bed with fresh, hot-dried bedding.
Do bug bombs or foggers kill bed bugs?
Not well. They don't reach the cracks and seams where bed bugs hide and can push them into other rooms. They're also a fire risk.
How do I kill bed bugs in my bedding tonight?
Bag the bedding at the bed, then run it in the dryer on the highest safe heat for at least 30 minutes. Heat kills bed bugs; washing alone isn't enough.
Should I throw out my mattress?
Not tonight. Carrying it through the house can spread bugs, and many mattresses can be treated. Wait for the inspection.
I think I brought bed bugs home from a hotel. What do I do?
Keep the luggage out of the bedroom, put clothes straight into a hot dryer, vacuum the suitcase and bag it, then call us. Let the hotel know too.
Who pays for bed bug treatment in an apartment?
It depends on the building, the lease and the town, and the rules can change. Tell your landlord in writing right away, and check with your town's code enforcement or the NJ Department of Community Affairs.
Why should I keep a bed bug sample?
A sample lets us confirm it's a bed bug and not a look-alike, so you don't pay to treat the wrong pest.
Are you licensed in New Jersey?
Yes. Silver Bullet Pest Control holds NJ Pesticide License 90568B.
¿Qué hago si encuentro chinches de cama esta noche?
Quédese en su cama, ponga la ropa de cama en bolsa y luego en la secadora a temperatura alta, y llámenos. Hablamos español — 973-510-2585.
Bed bug help near you
Based in Garfield, we inspect and treat bed bugs in these towns and across Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties.
Updated October 2026 by the Silver Bullet Pest Control team, Garfield, NJ • NJ License 90568B