Killing bed bugs is an almost insurmountable challenge. They can be located in the cracks and holes in your furnishings and your bed, as well as on the walls and baseboards of your home. They’re exceedingly difficult to track down because of their innate tendency to seek cover during daylight hours.
Getting rid of them in one location doesn’t mean they’re not hiding somewhere else on the property. Bedbugs are likely to spread beyond the confines of your home since they can move on clothing. When it comes to eradicating bed bugs, it can be a challenge. But nowadays, there are more excellent solutions than ever before to do this. Heat treatment and chemical treatment are the two most common ways to get rid of bed bugs.
Today, we’ll see the differences between these two bed bug treatment methods so that you can decide the best option according to your circumstance.
Heat Treatment
To kill bed bugs, a pest control professional will come to your house and bring special equipment to heat your home to a temperature high enough to kill bed bugs. Adult bed bugs, nymphs, and eggs die after 90 minutes of being exposed to temperatures above 118°F (48°C) or instantly at temperatures above 122°F (50°C).
Many firms elevate the heat for several hours to make sure that all bed bugs have died. The temperature is maintained between 130°F and 145°F in most cases. To ensure that the temperature is high enough to kill all bed bugs, thermometers are strategically placed around a home.
Pros of Heat Treatment
- When it comes to bedbugs, they’re hard to catch, and they’re quite good at evading detection. Additionally, certain pesticide-resistant strains exist. Heat, unlike chemicals, can be applied to any surface. The heat can penetrate and destroy a bed bug, no matter how many inches of blankets or clothing it is hidden under. All phases of the bed bug’s life cycle are killed by heat. They can flee, but not the ability to conceal.
- In most cases, it’s a single operation. One heat treatment is all that is needed to get rid of bed bugs. Typically, chemical treatment necessitates a series of sessions.
- There aren’t any aftereffects to speak of. The only thing you’ll have to deal with after the heat returns to normal is a bunch of dead bedbugs. Home and business owners who are concerned about the environment will find this option ideal. There are no residual effects of heat.
- Bedbugs have been demonstrated to be able to resist pesticides and adapt to toxic settings. As a result, chemical bed bug treatments may be more challenging. Even bedbugs that have acquired a cuticle, a tough outer layer, can be eliminated with heat treatment.
- There are no visible signs of heat treatment. We all know that having your home exterminated for bedbugs isn’t something you want to tell your neighbors about. The use of heat is completely undetectable. The only object visible from the outside is a generator, which you could be running for anything from powering fans to drying paint or steam cleaning your carpets.
Cons of Heat Treatment
- You’ll have to get your house in order. Your home, including your pets, will need to be cleared before heat treatment. You should also remove any wax or crayons from the house if they are heat-sensitive. The pest control specialists can advise you on what parts of your home are safe to leave alone and what elements need to be disposed of.
- The return of bed bugs is not prevented by heat treatment. There are no lasting effects of heat. Bed bugs may resurface if a preventative barrier of residual chemicals is not in place.
Chemical Treatment
Chemical treatment entails dispersing chemical agents around the home. For getting rid of bedbugs, pest control experts typically use three types of chemicals: a contact insecticide, a residual chemical, and a dust to keep the bugs at bay for extended periods.
Based on chemical treatment, getting to bed bugs is critical. Chemical treatment, unlike heat, is location-specific. To ensure that no bedbugs are missed, treatment is usually carried out over several visits.
Pros of Chemical Treatment
- Bed bug heat therapy is more expensive than chemical treatment, so chemical treatment is more popular.
- You may get rid of bedbugs fast and reliably if you catch the issue in its early stages with the help of chemicals. Bed bugs can be killed at any point in their life cycle using a combo of fast-acting insecticides, dusts, and residual chemicals. Chemical treatment is usually the best solution for small infestations accompanied by canine bed bug inspections, mattress encasings, and other direct treatment alternatives.
- Residual chemicals function as a barrier to prevent subsequent infestations of bed bugs. The long-term protection provided by using chemicals in the home is not optimal for everyone, but it is undeniable.
- Within four hours of a licensed expert administering insecticides, you can safely enter a building that has been treated.
Cons of Chemical Treatment
- The remaining chemicals from chemical treatment can offer a risk to pets and individuals with chemical sensitivity. Therefore it’s best to avoid it if you have such pets or people in your home.
- For chemical treatment to be effective, it necessitates a great deal of planning. To ensure that the chemicals penetrate where the bed bugs are hiding, you’ll need to fully prepare contaminated areas by removing as many obstacles as possible. It takes time, preparation, and careful planning to perform a chemical treatment.
- Chemical treatment cannot kill bed bugs in neighboring places that they may have infested. You’d have to spray each room because bed bugs often travel on your clothing.
- As it turns out, chemical treatments don’t get rid of the bed bug eggs. One female bed bug can produce maximum five eggs every day.
- If the instructions on the label are not strictly followed, it is possible to abuse this insecticide. Using insufficient amounts will not result in the bed bugs’ demise. The treatment area can be damaged if you use too much.
- For getting rid of bed bugs, you’ll need to consider several options, and none of them are guaranteed to be effective. To effectively use chemical treatments, a pest exterminator must first locate and target the bed bug infestation’s primary breeding grounds. These creatures, as you’ve already discovered, are cunning. Consequently, repeated applications of chemical treatments over several days or weeks usually yield the best results.
Preventing Bed Bugs
Remember that if bedbugs have infested your residence once, they are capable of doing so once again. For this reason, avoiding contact with bedbugs is the best course of action. To keep bed bugs far away from your house, follow these suggestions:
- Bedbugs can be found in hotel rooms since so many people enter and go from the same location at the same time. Do a quick walk-through of your hotel room before settling in for the long haul. Check for pests using a flashlight under the mattress and around the frame of the bed. Instead of placing your bag on the carpet, use a luggage rack or the bathroom tile to keep it off the ground. Small red or brown spots on the linens could be the blood of a deceased bed insect.
- Launder and dry your home’s textiles regularly. This is especially true for fabrics and other materials that come into contact with the ground.
- Once you’ve brought your new or consigned clothing home, put it in the dryer for half an hour to eliminate any bugs that might be hiding on it.
- Immediately contact a specialist if you suspect you have bed bugs. People put off calling for help because they’re unsure whether they have bed bugs or assume it’ll be easy to take care of. The bed bugs take over the house when this happens, and getting rid of them becomes much more difficult.
Conclusion
If done poorly, bed bug treatments can be ineffective, complex, and even dangerous. Bedbugs can spread to new home regions if they are treated incorrectly, making the problem even worse. There are advantages and drawbacks to both heat treatments and chemical treatments, and a certified bed bug specialist will help you sort through them to discover the best solution for your situation.