Why Bed Bug Heat Treatments Are More Effective Than Other Methods

They have to be. This is a pest that dwells entirely with us and must feed on our blood to breed and live. Since most humans don't prefer to dwell with blood-eating insects, bed bugs must be clever to survive. This makes them a formidable pest to eradicate. There are many protocols that pest control professionals use to eradicate bed bugs. When administered correctly, a bed bug heat treatment is by far the best treatment option. Here are some treatment options and how they compare to heat.

Vacuums

You can get high-powered HEPA vacuums and go around sucking all the bugs up, but this is only a topical solution. It doesn't get deep into rugs, mattresses, and upholstered furniture. It also won't get at bugs that have hidden behind baseboards or inside outlets and electronics. Heat radiates throughout the entire structure. It gets deep into the walls. It heats all the clothing in the closets. It radiates into couch cushions, mattresses, and even electronics.

Powder

You can kill bed bugs by sprinkling powder on infested areas. Several powders will kill bed bugs on contact, but this treatment has the same issues mentioned above. Applying the powder to infested areas can drive bed bugs to find safety in your walls, and powders are only a topical solution. There is also the potential for this powder to be left after the treatment is finished. Heat is eco-friendly and leaves no residual chemicals.

Steam Cleaners

Steam kills bed bugs in the same way a heat remediation treatment will, but it is a focused measure. While it will get deep into upholstered furniture and mattresses, it does not address the entire structure being treated. It also does nothing to stop bed bugs from fleeing into walls to avoid the treatment. Once inside the walls, steam will be 100% ineffective as a treatment option.

Traps

Can you kill bed bugs with traps? Yes. You sure can, but traps will not resolve the bed bug infestation in a structure. Traps have some limited success in keeping bed bugs from biting you while you sleep, but even in this, they fall short. Bed bugs can climb on ceilings and fall onto your bed. Those traps are also not going to address nesting areas or stop bed bugs from climbing up on you and feeding while you walk around your home. If you want a home that is free of bed bugs, traps simply can't do the job like a heat treatment will.

Mattress Encasements

This is a great way to contain bed bugs or resist bed bugs from getting into your mattresses, but as a solution to an infestation, they do not have the same impact a heat treatment will. If even one female bug is outside of your mattresses when the encasements are applied, you can continue to get bites. Bed bugs don't need you to be sleeping to bite you. They can feed on you while you work at your computer. They can feed on you while you're watching television on the couch. They can even feed on you while you're doing the dishes. If you want to kill bugs inside your mattress, a heat treatment is the best option. Heat remediation will kill bed bugs in your mattresses, upholstered furniture, electronics, dressers, clothing, walls, crawlspace, and more.

Bug Bomb

Bombing a house with chemicals is not only toxic but is also an ineffective method for eradicating bed bugs. Bed bugs don't fly around in the air. They live deep inside of your belongings and sometimes your walls. Anytime you use chemicals, you have to address the safety factors involved. A heat treatment done by professionals is 100% safe and 100% non-toxic.

Freezing

We've talked about heat. How about cold? Can you kill bed bugs by dropping the temperature in a structure? Yes, but to kill bed bugs with cold you have to lower a structure to below 32°F for several days. Heat remediation works must faster. Heat treatments can be accomplished in a few hours.

If you have bed bugs in your home or business, heat is the best solution, but even heat has its issues. If not administered by a certified professional with temperature-controlled heating units and strategically placed heat sensors, it can be ineffective and dangerous to your home and your belongings.

At Action Pest Control, we use the most advanced remediation technology available and employ educated professionals who are trained in the most up-to-date bed bug eradication protocols. Your home and your belongings will always be safe with Action Pest Control—and those bed bugs will all be gone.