How Heat Kills Bed Bugs

Bed bugs have been around since the time Dinosaurs walked the earth and have survived the Ice Age. Throughout the ages, scientists have been trying to find ways to kill bed bugs, usually using chemicals. The only problem is that the chemicals that kill bed bugs also cause cancer in humans and has been banned for use in Canada. As scientists searched for new ways to kill bed bugs, they determined that bed bugs die when exposed to temperatures of 45C for 15 minutes in laboratory test tubes.

Bed Bugs thrive in temperatures between 20C and 35C. Here in Toronto, we have warm summers and central heating so bed bugs can survive all year long and flourish in our beautiful summer weather. You only need one female bed bug to hitchhike into your home to start a bed bug infestation. The female will start her family by laying an average of 8 eggs every two weeks. In her lifetime, she will foster around 500 babies. At first, the female will lay eggs in the cracks and crevasses around your mattress, box spring and bed frame. As the population explodes, the female bed bug seeks to escape the males and search for new places to lay her eggs. She will venture onto the nightstand, nearby pictures, books and baseboards, usually within 2 meters of where the host is sleeping.

The most common treatment for a bed bug infestation is to use powders or sprays. However, the bed bug treatments are only effective if the bed bug comes in contact with the chemical. Some bed bugs have learned to avoid the areas that were sprayed, making the treatment almost useless. Science has proven that the most effective method to kill bed bugs is by using heat as the heat penetrates everywhere in the bed bug infested room. The secret to a successful bed bug heat treatment is getting temperatures in excess of 45C and circulating the hot air so it penetrates all the hiding spots where the bed bugs reside and have laid their eggs.

The most common question we are asked is “But won’t the bed bugs run away?”  Having watched many bed bugs die in my time, I can unequivocally tell you that the answer is NO. Bed bugs do not run away when the rooms starts to heat up. In fact, the opposite is true. Bed bugs will often crawl out of where they are hiding to try and find someplace cooler to hide. If they are hanging onto a curtain or a flipped-up mattress, they will fall off and land on the floor. They then wander around in a circle, getting slower and slower as the air gets hotter and hotter, eventually shriveling up into a small flake and blowing away. You may never see a dead bug as the hot air swirling around will blow the dead ones away. You will, however, notice that you are not getting bed bug bites any more.

There are two options for a professional heat treatment.

1.The first is to hire a company that will bring a large truck to your home and heat your entire house for between 4 to 6 hours.

Pros

• This is the fastest way to kill bed bugs in a single treatment.

Cons

• You need to prepare the entire house, i.e. remove anything that will melt; remove pets; remove plants; prepare furniture to allow air to circulate.
• You will have to vacate the house for the duration of the heat treatment.
• Cannot be used in most apartment and condominium buildings.
• If the house does not get hot enough or stay heated for long enough, a second treatment will be necessary, requiring you to prepare and vacate the home again.
• This is also the most expensive method averaging $1.50 per square foot with a minimum of $1,500.

2.The second method is to rent a bed bug heater and do it yourself.

Pros

• You do not need to vacate your home as you heat treat one room at a time.
• You do not need to remove plants or pets.
• You prepare each room as you go.
• Only treat the rooms that have a bed bug infestation.
• Equipment available that is designed for single rooms, houses, townhouses, apartments and condominiums.
• Bed Bug heater rental is the most affordable heat treatment with rates starting as low as $150 per day.
• Saves you money.

Cons

• You need to pick up heater and set up equipment.
• Treatment takes longer to do as only two rooms can be done in a day.

A typical house or townhouse situation would be a bed bug infestation in two rooms. We would recommend the BB4 bed bug heater, which requires four separate electrical circuits. When you arrive home with the equipment, you set up the heater and fan in the first room where you spotted the bed bug infestation. On average, it takes 2 hours to heat up bedroom to the minimum of 45C. Once that temperature is attained, you continue heating the room for a suggested minimum of 8 hours to allow the heat to penetrate the furniture, clothing, baseboards, etc. to bring these surfaces up to the bed bug kill temperature. During that time, the bed bug heater will continue heating the air to a maximum of 60C. The hotter it gets, the faster it will kill bed bugs and their eggs. Remember, your house is not a test tube and the bed bugs are not dead in 15 minutes. Our experience has shown that the best results are achieved when the room is treated for 8 hours. After 8 hours have passed, you simply move the heater and fan to the second room and repeat the heating process. If you live in an apartment or condominium, it is imperative that you have circuit breakers in your electrical panel. Usually the electrical panel is located in the front hall closet behind a small metal door. Older buildings may have glass fuses which pose a risk of wires melting or causing a fire before the fuse pops. Once you have determined that you have circuit breakers, you will unplug your stove and plug in the power converter to convert power from 220 volts to 110 volts. Half the power to operate the equipment will come off the stove and the other half will come from wall outlets.  Thereafter, the heating process is the same: approximately 2 hours to heat up the bed bug infested room and 8 hours for the heat to penetrate.

We, at Bed Bugs Dead Bugs, are happy to answer all your questions so we can determine the extent of your bed bug infestation, your housing circumstances and the matching you up with the best equipment to turn your bed bugs into dead bugs.

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