Bed bug heat treatment is an efficient, non-toxic way of eliminating bed bugs from homes. All stages of bed bugs including adults, nymphs and eggs will die once your home reaches lethal temperature levels. While some pest management companies suggest that clutter hinders heattreatment efficacy, numerous studies have proven otherwise. Clutter is actually beneficial in providing concentrated heat to cracks and crevices which otherwise remain hard-to-heat areas.
Identifying Infestations
Bed bugs may be resilient pests, but heat treatment is very effective at eliminating all stages of their lifecycle (adults, nymphs and eggs). After 90 minutes of continuous exposure to temperatures above 118 degrees Fahrenheit all stages are dead. Before commencing with treatment, a technician will walk through your home to ensure everything is prepared for heating. They may deflate air beds, remove items from beneath them and seal mattresses in bed bug proof encasements.
Moving and repositioning furniture will also ensure that every corner of your space is receiving heat, leaving no gaps for bed bugs to escape to other parts of your home. They will also repair cracks or peeling wallpaper in order to increase airflow circulation in your home. Sensors will be installed in your home during heat treatment to monitor internal temperatures.
Once they reach lethal levels, technicians will utilize large fans to dissipate heat throughout your dwelling and focus heaters where bed bugs have taken refuge, making sure every crack and crevice reaches thermal death point taking several hours in total to complete. It is important to remember that hiring acompany which does not take their time may only cover surface areas instead of providing total coverage of all areas treated.
Preparing for Treatment
Bed bug heat treatment can be effective at eliminating infestation, but isn’t fool proof; therefore, thorough preparation before beginning is needed before heating begins. This preparation aims to ensure that house’s internal temperature reaches desired thermal death threshold consistently and evenly, eliminating cold spots which occur when large items or insulation restrict heat source’s reach throughout home.
As part of the initial heating process, it is vital that closet and cabinet doors and furniture drawers be left open so that interior temperatures can reach all cracks, crevices and voids that harbor bed bugs. Furthermore, it should be monitored throughout treatment that internal temperatures in closets, bookcases and dresser drawers do not drop below lethal levels for bed bugs.
Before beginning heat treatment, several items should be removed in order to minimize damage, including: electronic devices (computers, TVs and phones), knick- knacks, living plants/pets, clothing/fabrics as well as wax based items like crayons/candles etc. Depending on the size of your home it may also be necessary to take steps such as moving some furniture.
During Treatment
Heat treatment aims to reach lethal temperatures against bed bugs throughout a home during its heating process, or else bed bugs will escape to areas in the dwelling that remain untouched and survive the heat.
If not done effectively, they could remain unsettled in other untreated parts of the dwelling and eventually escape it altogether. To conduct an effective bed bug heat treatment in your home, it is crucial that the home be free from anything that cannot tolerate high temperatures – furniture and items stored within rooms including books, toys and clothing should all be removed prior to any treatments, along with contents from closets dressers or nightstand drawers containing these items.
This ensures all parts of the room can receive heat exposure as efficiently as possible as well as reaching even small crevices within cluttered rooms more effectively with the heat system. Clutter items left in a room during heating are detrimental to its heating process as they obstruct its heaters’ ability to penetrate walls, floor/wall junctions and attics/crawl spaces. Therefore, technicians must move or rotate their heat system every 20 minutes so that all areas receive equal exposure.
Technicians should utilize environmentally conscious pesticides during heat treatments in order to reach pests hidden behind beds, switch plates and carpet tack strips which may not be reached with heat systems. This approach is especially essential in homes with extensive infestations as it will ensure all stages of their lifecycles have been eliminated from existence.
Post Treatment
Heating process must be conducted carefully by technicians to reach all locations where bed bugs hide including behind closet doors, under baseboards, in cluttered storage areas, and beneath beds reaching lethal temperatures for bed bug elimination. This may take multiple passes of heaters, fans, and mylar tubing in order to reach these hard-to-heat spots.
Before beginning treatment, it is also essential that all plants that may be damaged by high heats (such as aquariums and fish tanks) are taken out of the house, along with all items which could be affected by rapid temperature changes such as electronics such as computers and laptops, TVs and monitors.
An intensive heat treatment typically lasts several weeks, during which you must avoid bringing in any items to the room that might reintroduce any residual activity. Therefore, it is crucial that you follow the list provided by the pest control company as items to remove from it during treatment if you have any queries or need clarification on this list. If any issue arises about what should or shouldn’t be removed during this process be sure to reach out!
