How Much Heat to Kill Bed Bugs
WouterIf you’re trying to determine how much heat to kill bed bugs, you’ve probably heard a number of different recommendations. One of the best ways to kill bedbugs is to apply extremely hot heat to a bed. This will destroy bedbugs, but you should also take into account the eggs and larvae that they lay. If you don’t destroy the eggs, you risk spreading the infestation. The best way to do this is to use a hot dryer set on the highest setting for 90 minutes.
The heat needed to kill bed bugs will vary based on the type of infestation. For most cases, a higher temperature will kill more bugs. A temperature of 113degF will kill most adult bedbugs in about 94.8 minutes. You can also treat your furniture with a high-temperature steamer. These steamers work best for mattress and boxspring treatments and have an output temperature between 200-210 degrees.
The temperatures for killing adult bed bugs are determined by a threshold temperature. This temperature was identified as a temperature at which 80% of bedbugs would die within 2 hours. Despite the relatively low temperature, exposure to temperatures above the threshold temperature is enough to kill bedbugs, but this method will increase the costs of treatment.
The lethal temperatures for adults and eggs vary. Some studies show that 111.2 degrees Fahrenheit is sufficient to kill adult bed bugs. For eggs, however, the temperatures required to kill them are higher.
