Can You Kill Bed Bugs With Heat?

Bed bugs are small parasitic pests that are notoriously hard to get rid of. It is probably one of the most annoying insects and can be compared to cockroaches for their ability to bother people. But come to think of it, bed bugs do not fly and crawl slowly but they can give anyone nastier bites than cockroaches.

In recent years, bed bug infestation has been on the rise and people have come up with lots of ways to try and get rid of this nasty bug. The sad thing is most of these bed bug removal methods are ineffective and some even downright dangerous for your health -- these include putting infested items in the refrigerators as well as using traps, DDT, and bug bombs. So what works against them? Continue reading to find out.

Killing Bed Bugs With Heat Treatment
Even though it can be hard to get rid of bed bugs, it is not impossible. Bed bugs can be killed by high temperatures if they are used often and for a long time. Bed bugs can only be killed at 113 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for at least 90 minutes. Bed bugs can die faster at higher temperatures, but only a trained professional should try to do this.

Some people use steaming which can kill adult bugs, larvae, and their eggs. Others put small items through a dryer cycle to destroy the bugs. These two methods can be utilized on different items without causing damage. However, they can only be used on select pieces in your home, leaving other possible infested areas untreated. 

For a thorough cleaning, you can rely on pest control professionals to administer whole home heat treatment. This process involves heat traveling from room to room in your home, invading all cracks and crevices where these pests may hide and build nests, such as your mattress, baseboard, couch, and carpet. This technique is highly efficient, killing all life stages of bed bugs.

How to Kill Bed Bugs With Heat Treatment At Home
It makes sense to find a cure for bed bugs as soon as possible, and many people do this by first looking for do-it-yourself solutions. A popular way to try to get rid of bed bugs is to use portable electric heaters, hair dryers, and space heaters. But how well will these methods that you can do yourself work?

If you decide to kill bed bugs yourself with heat, keep the following in mind:

• Bed bugs are hard to kill with pesticides, chemical sprays, or even heat. Bed bugs are so small that they can hide in almost any crack or opening. They can get into your house through cracks in the walls, seams, or the box spring. If you don't lock all the doors and windows and keep an eye on them, they can get out and come back.

 

• It might be hard to figure out the exact temperature of your heat source. When using a standard space heater, it might be hard to tell if the temperature is too high. If your phone gets too hot, your house could catch fire or other things that can't handle high heat could be ruined.

 

• Sheets and other items that have bed bugs can be made bug-free by drying them in a dryer. Any gadget that works should be able to reach high enough temperatures to kill bed bugs. Normal dryers can only dry so much clothes at once. But you can reduce the chance of getting bed bugs into your home if, as soon as you get home from a trip, you put everything that can be dried in a dryer in the dryer. This is a great way to keep bed bugs from getting into your furniture, but it won't help if you already have an issue.

More Ways to Kill Bed Bugs
Cold Treatment

If bed bugs can die under extreme heat, does it mean they can survive low temperatures? The answer is no. There is such a thing called ‘cold treatment’ and they work against bed bugs, but the temperature must be lower than 16 degree Celsius. That temperature must also remain constant for at least 80 hours. But less than that and the bugs would think that you just sent them away to a wintry vacation spot for a bit of rest and relaxation. 

Other people have tried freezing their homes by simply turning off the heater during a particularly cold winter but experts warn that this comes with the risk of bringing major structural damage to your dwelling. Also, unless you live in a region where the temperature during the day is as freezing cold as it is at night, it is unlikely that this method would be effective at all. 

Fumigation

Fumigating your home or business means spraying it with a lot of highly concentrated chemicals to kill any bed bugs that might still be there. Only licensed pros should do fumigations, and not all exterminators offer this service. We are lucky to have experts who know how to get rid of bed bugs using a number of methods, such as tape-and-seal fumigations, covered fumigations, and more.

Chemicals

Some liquid solutions for bed bugs can be helpful. Most of the time, though, this approach is combined with other treatments. A trained pest inspector can tell you if this method should be part of your plan to get rid of bed bugs or not.