Bed Bug Heat Treatment
Date: 2 August 2022
Why is Heat Treatment Better Than Chemical Treatment?
Chemical treatment has existed for years, and is generally considered the first course of action when dealing with any infestation. Pesticides are touted as being quickly applied, powerful and noninvasive - however they do not work all that effectively on bed bug infestations. Recent studies find that bedbugs are becoming more and more resistant to chemical treatment, making them increasingly difficult to kill. Additionally, chemical treatments only eradicate adult bugs, meaning that eggs are left unscathed.
You can read more about treatment types and how to prevent bed bugs in our How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs blog.
What Is Bed Bug Heat Treatment?
Bed bug heat treatment refers to the process of killing bed bugs using high levels of prolonged heat. This treatment option, if carried out correctly, kills up to 100% of bed bugs at each stage of their lifecycle, preventing ongoing infestation. Heat treatment is therefore a fast and effective way of killing bed bugs without repeated visits by pest control.
How Does Heat Kill Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are made up of proteins coded by their DNA. High temperatures disrupt this sequencing, which begins to break down and cease functioning. When bed bugs can’t create proteins, they die. Drying the insects’ bodies is one of the most effective ways of killing them and their eggs. It is vital when conducting an extermination to ensure that bed bugs at every stage of their lifecycle are killed.
What Temperature Does It Need To Be To Kill Bed Bugs?
A very high temperature needs to be maintained in order to ensure all bed bugs in an area are killed. The optimal temperature is 50°C, which kills all stages of bed bugs almost instantaneously.
A sustained temperature of 48°C to 49°C can kill adults and eggs within approximately 90 minutes, whilst a temperature of 45°C can kill adult bugs, but take hours to kill eggs.
A professional treatment contractor may also opt to heat the space to a range of 57°C - 60°C to ensure heat penetrates thick materials such as mattresses, cushions or other furniture joints where bugs may be sheltering.
Spot Heat Treatment
Some professionals also choose to target specific areas in addition to heating the full room. Spot treatment ensures problem areas and spaces that may not be fully penetrated by room heat are targeted specifically. They can do this using a bed bug steamer, which is a device that produces extremely hot steam that can be directed over spaces that could be harbouraging bedbugs. Steam clean spot treatment is not always essential, however some professionals choose to utilise it to ensure 100% of coverage is achieved.
Bedbugs often find themselves harbouring in crevices and cracks. They have a particular fondness for hotels.
Preparing For Heat Treatment
Preparing for heat treatment is an intensive task. It is important to make sure preparations are complete before beginning to treat the area, as it reduces the effectiveness of the treatment otherwise.
Remove Heat-Sensitive Items
In preparation of heat treatment, everything heat sensitive needs to be removed from the room. This includes:
Electronics
Candles and other wax items
Pressurised items (aerosol, deodorant, fire extinguishers etc)
Any flammable goods
Perishables such as food or drink
Medicines, makeup or other cosmetics
Plastic such as plastic blinds, empty bottles etc
Items that may be susceptible to warping in heat, such as toys, vinyls, CDs etc
Pets
Plants
Any valuables or heirlooms that cannot be replaced
You can read more about how safe heat treatment is for electronics in our blog.
Declutter
Removing any clutter and quarantining it in plastic bags increases the likelihood of treatment being fully effective. Bedbugs love to hide in clutter, regardless of how clean it is. Additionally, clothes and bedding should also be removed and washed at a 60°C spin, then dried at an equally warm temperature before being quarantined in plastic bags.
If possible, make sure the floor is vacuumed as bedbugs are unable to fly or jump, so many may be residing in or under the carpet.
Open Doors and Organise Items
To ensure heat is able to access important areas, all drawers, cabinets and doors should be opened and furniture should be pulled at least 6 inches away from the walls. The emptier the space, the better. It’s important to ensure all unaffected items are quarantined. Any items that may be affected should be treated in a wash cycle, or left inside the room to also receive heat treatment. If there are affected items that are incapable of surviving in the room during heat treatment, they should be quarantined and treated separately at the time of the heat treatment process.
Seal The Room
If you are conducting the heat treatment yourself, it is imperative that the room is correctly sealed to prevent heat from escaping during the process. Any fluctuation in temperature can make the treatment less effective and waste energy. Most heat loss occurs due to poor window insulation, so it is important that windows are insulated.
When taking these steps, consider the type of heater being used to treat the space. Indirect space heaters will need to be ducted through an open window, whilst direct space heaters will be placed inside the room itself. It is important for air to be able to travel throughout the room in order to reach all spaces where bedbugs may be hiding. One heater alone typically is not sufficient enough to reach the required temperature, depending on the size and shape of the area.
Conducting Heat Treatment
When completing bed bug heat treatment, one of the most important things to monitor is the temperature. A temperature of 60°C is most effective for penetrating deep spaces that lower temperatures may not be able to reach. In order to do this, a temperature sensor should be connected and placed in the coldest spot in the room. Doing this ensures a suitable temperature can be maintained.
When the heaters are switched on, the temperature display will be able to monitor the progress from outside. Whilst a temperature of 60°C can kill bugs immediately, it is best to keep units running for a longer period of time to ensure effectiveness. We suggest waiting at least two hours to ensure there is time for all bugs to perish.
The temperature the room can reach is impacted greatly by the amount of heaters used and their configuration. It is highly unlikely that a single electric heater would be capable of heating a full room up to 60°C for a prolonged period of time, which is why it is important to either call a trained professional or research and be confident in the heater options available. We recommend only trained professionals attempt bed bug heat treatment.
If you are planning to conduct bed bug heat treatment and need help choosing which heater(s) you need, contact us or call our friendly sales team for specifications.
Choosing A Heater For Bed Bug Heat Treatment
The bed bug heat treatment equipment required depends massively on the circumstances. Room size, room shape, ventilation and available power sources can impact what equipment is necessary to complete the job.
At National Heater Shops, we provide a wide range of heaters appropriate for use in bed bug extermination. For our full selection, check out our bed bug heaters category.
Below are a few of our most popular products:
Master EKO 9 Electric Bed Bug Heater
The Master EKO 9 electric bed bug heater is a 3 phase electric fan heater. They are portable units designed explicitly for bed bug extermination, and have an exceptional BTU of 30,726.
These units are direct and are designed to be installed within the room which they are treating and are designed to be scalable, meaning multiple can be used in one space in order to maintain the desired temperature. Alternatively, a Master EKO 3 can be used alongside to be used as a booster unit for small spaces that are harder to reach.
Please note - this product runs on a 3-phase power supply
Arcotherm Medium Space Heater Package (Indirect)
The Arcotherm medium space heater package is an indirect heating unit designed to sit outside a property and duct hot, clean air inside. Designed for professionals, these units can also be scaled with additional indirect heaters (providing the building’s layout allows for it) or direct units. These units provide heat by passing air over an open flame. The exhaust fumes are then separated and the clean, hot air is ducted inside the desired space.
We also offer a small and large version of this package.
Cleaning Up After Heat Treatment
Once heat treatment has been completed, it’s important to ensure all bed bugs are dead. Spot treatment may commence, using either steamers or pesticide sprays to catch any surviving bugs.
As the room will still be warm as a result of the treatment, many professionals opt to use an air mover or ventilation fan to quickly remove warm air. These units simply push the old air out of an area, keeping the flow of air moving and decreasing the temperature to a more normal range.
Once all bed bugs are dead and the room has returned to a normal temperature, clean belongings may be returned to the room. Furniture that had been moved to accommodate the heat treatment may also be moved back, and the floor should be vacuumed again to remove any debris that may be left.
Sometimes, heat treatment is incapable of penetrating deep surfaces such as couches or mattresses. In these rare cases, the pest control specialist may suggest disposal of these items. Always remain vigilant after bed bug heat treatment, to ensure the infestation has been fully removed. Reintroducing a piece of clothing or item into the room that is carrying bedbugs may kickstart another infestation. Sometimes, it is recommended to cover your mattress with a bug-proof encasement to trap any missed debris.