Let s look at some of the common methods used by some pest management professionals.
Heat to kill bed bugs.
Hot dryers and portable heat chambers can be used to kill bed bugs in infested household items.
Bed bugs are continually developing resistance to even the highest performing chemicals on the market making heat a preferred method for quick elimination of bed bugs.
By placing items such as shoes dry cleaning blankets bags of clothing or even luggage into a hot box sustained heat is used to kill bed bugs.
If they are exposed to about 120 f they die within 15 20 minutes.
Bed bugs and eggs die within 90 minutes at 118 f 48 c or immediately at 122 f 50 c.
A similar process can be used with heat.
This is why the best way to treat clothes that may be infested with bed bugs is to place them in a dryer on high for a full cycle even a low cycle is usually enough with most dryers.
For instance heat in the form of steam can be used to treat bed bugs in carpets behind base boards and on upholstered furniture.
You know that bed bug infestation is not just confined to bed area.
The achilles heel of bed bugs is heat.
Heat is known to be a very effective bed bug killer and it can be used in many different ways to treat infestations.
Using freezing cold temperatures to kill bed bugs is one option.
They can be found all over the house.
How to kill bed bugs with heat.
Whole room heat treatments involve a pest management professional pmp bringing in specially designed equipment to raise the temperature in your home to kill the bed bugs.
Wrap any infested furniture in plastic and place it in direct hot sunlight for 24 hours.
You can purchase special heating devices meant for decontaminating items that have been infested with bedbugs.
I just spoke to a heating bed bug company in north carolina they charge by sq ft with a 300 00 min and their trucks can heat multiple units near each other ie for landlords of apartment buildings take 30 60mins to set up and break down about 2 3 hours to get to kill temp then 2 4 hours to kill so between 6 9 hours to exterminate and.
Put an infested object such as bedding or pillows in a sealed plastic bag then put it in a freezer at zero degrees fahrenheit for about four days.
Can a hot box kill bed bugs.
Temperature related bed bug control.
Once you expose bed bugs to 120 o f or hotter both the bugs and eggs die very rapidly less than a minute.
Plug in a portable heating device place items inside it seal it turn it on and let the device run through its cycle to kill the bed bugs.
Studies have found that bed bugs and their eggs cannot tolerate high temperatures.
The best way to kill bed bugs is to run your clothes and bedding through the dryer on high heat for 10 20 minutes.
Furthermore when killing bed bugs with heat there is no need for chemicals since heated air can permeate into wall voids cracks and crevices where bed bugs may harborage.