bed bug heat remediation, which is one of the safest and most effective solutions to infestation. Continue reading to find out why you should be investing in bed bug heaters when invasions arise.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are tiny, blood-thirsty insects that have flat, flexible bodies. They can be nearly transparent when they haven’t recently fed, though satiated bugs will have a reddish, amber color due to the blood they’re digesting.
These pesky pests are thin enough to fit between a baseboard and a wall, and they’re nocturnal. You may only become aware of an infestation after noticing bite marks across your neck, face, arms, or chest. These areas are often left bare during sleep, making them prime targets for bed bugs.
Frequent vacuuming can help stop an infestation before it starts. Still, checking the underside of your mattress or bedding for signs of bed bugs is a far more effective way of preventing massive bed bug invasions.
Signs of Bed Bug Infestations
When bed bugs enter a home, they’re typically very discrete. Most homeowners won’t realize they are housing bed bugs until their population has become unmanageable. Still, you can help curtail infestations by looking for tell-tale bed bug signs.
Some of the most common signs of a bed bug problem include:
- Dark, brownish-black specks or stains. These can be found along the seams or underside of mattresses, pillows, bedding, and other types of upholstery.
- White or yellowish papery wisps around the mattress, the inside of cupboards, or around other areas that bed bugs frequent. These are exoskeletons.
- Reddish stains beneath mattresses or pillows. These are remnants of blood excreted or crushed out of adult bed bugs.
All these signs are enough to send shivers down your spine and make you say, “Yuck!” But, they’re not as discomforting as knowing that your body has become a midnight snack for a small army of blood-eating insects.
And that’s why it’s essential to begin brainstorming solutions at the first sign of trouble.
Finding the Best Bed Bug Solution
There are lots of ways to treat a bed bug infestation. In the past, the most common solutions were chemical-based ones. However, pests are becoming far more resistant to poisons and insecticides, making them increasingly less effective. Also, these chemicals often settle onto household surfaces to form a thick, hazardous residue.
Cold treatments are another alternative, though they require industrial-sized coolers and can be only partially effective. That’s because bed bugs only die of the cold when they’ve reached 0 degrees Fahrenheit or lower for four or more consecutive days.
Heat treatments, on the other hand, can kill both adult bed bugs and their larvae in a single day. And, depending on the specific procedure, you may not even need to remove sensitive appliances or devices that could melt at high temperatures.
Bed Bug Heat Treatments
When using heat to treat bed bug infestations, technicians have the option to either perform a single-room treatment or a whole-home treatment. However, it’s important to note that all heat treatments aren’t created equally.
Some pest control professionals will naturally opt for high-power, high-heat tools like propane heaters. Unfortunately, these devices can raise the ambient temperature of a household to a whopping 250 degrees Fahrenheit, or more. At this temperature, plastic has already begun to melt and electronics are likely fried past the point of return.
However, technicians that rely on Temp-Air heaters can keep interior temps at precisely 135 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the ideal bed bug extermination temperature. However, this process is known explicitly as thermal remediation.
What is Thermal Remediation?
Thermal remediation is a distinct type of bed bug heat treatment that doesn’t damage a home’s belongings or appliances. Even though this type of therapy involves high temperatures, it doesn’t melt plastic or fry circuits. Also, the entire treatment typically occurs over a four to eight hour period.
This treatment targets bed bugs of all life stages and can kill even the craftiest critters. Bugs that wedge themselves between walls or beneath furniture may experience temporary heat relief, as heat rises and the cool air sinks.
But when all of the air in the home, apartment, or infected area is extremely warm, there is nowhere for the bed bugs to hide. Compare this to month-long chemical spray treatments and you’ll quickly see which method is superior.
Make Those Bed Bugs Sweat
No one has to endure living with bed bugs, especially when heat remediation treatments are available. Though you may need to prepare your home for this treatment, heat-based treatments don’t rely on poisonous chemicals or appliance-melting temperatures.
If you’d like to experience the benefits of Thermal Remediation for yourself, then please reach out to us today. You can begin planning your bed bug solution by asking for a free quote and filling out our online query form.
