What Heat Will Kill Bed Bugs?
WouterOne of the best ways to get rid of bed bugs is to use a heat treatment. These treatments use professional equipment to raise the temperature in a home to kill bed bugs. Unlike pesticide fumigation, heat treatments only affect the bed bugs in the home, allowing you to reenter immediately afterwards.
When heat treatment is used, it is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. You must ensure that the temperature reaches the lethal range. The temperature should be maintained for several hours. While most stages of bed bugs will die after a short time, it is important to understand that hot air can damage furniture and other belongings.
In a recent study, researchers were able to determine the maximum temperature required to kill bed bugs. They exposed adult bed bugs and their eggs to 45 degC and found that this temperature killed the bugs within 24 hours. Moreover, their eggs survived for seven hours at 45 degC and 71.5 minutes at 48 degC. These findings suggest that the optimal temperature for bed bugs may differ from the lethal temperatures found in earlier studies.
While temperature increases can kill adult bed bugs, it is important to remember that lower temperatures require longer exposure times. For example, bed bugs at 113 degrees Fahrenheit need 58 minutes to die. In contrast, they require two hours at 118.4 degrees Fahrenheit to kill their eggs.
