From your mattress and your box spring to your carpets, bed bugs can spring up almost anywhere in your home. Many bed bug infestations occur within a few feet of their food source (humans), like near a bed or other furniture.
Bed bugs are so small that they are nearly impossible to detect and can be very, very difficult to eradicate. However, there is one great tool at our disposal for eliminating bed bugs: heat treatment. In this blog, we’ll take a look at how bed bug heat treatments work, why they’re so effective against bed bugs, and why Las Vegas homeowners should call Anver for immediate heat treatment help if they start experiencing problems with bed bugs in their homes.
How Does Heat Treatment Kill Bed Bugs?
There are many methods to eradicate bed bug infestations, but the most effective method is high-heat treatment. Bed bugs die when exposed to high heat for an extended period. If performed properly, heat treatments can be highly effective because they can reach all of the tiny nooks and crannies that a bed bug could otherwise hide inside.
During a bed bug treatment, industrial-sized heaters are used to maintain high levels of heat to ensure the bed bugs are eliminated. The entire process can be completed in 6-9 hours; however, there are cool spots where bed bugs will try to escape to survive.
When pest control professionals do a heat treatment on your home, individual room temperature can reach up to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead of heating the entire home, Anver Pest Control technicians will use targeted heat in the form of steam to focus on infested areas, in conjunction with other forms of bed bug removal, for the best and most thorough treatment possible.
Will The Heat Treatment Hurt My Home?
While whole-room treatments can take hours, the high temperatures should not be enough to damage your home. Although heat treatments (when applied by a professional) are not damaging to your home, certain items like plants, people, and pets should be removed from the area during the treatment.
The majority of items in your home can handle the high heat temperatures, but there are a few items you should remove, including:
- House plants
- Wax candles
- Alcohol
- Anything pressurized (soda cans, hair spray, propane bottles)
- Flammable items and ammunition
- Wooden musical instruments
- Oil paintings
- Electronic devices
Removing these items before service will simultaneously protect them from any damage from heat treatment as well as further remove potential hiding spots for bed bugs that they could try to escape to.
Will Steam Kill Bed Bugs?
Yes, technically steam can kill bed bugs. However, the steam that you use in carpet cleaners and other household items typically does not get hot enough to kill bed bugs or their larvae. This is why it is extremely important to reach out to a pest control professional when you have a bed bug infestation.
At Anver Pest Control, we use professional-grade equipment to systematically eradicate your bed bug infestation.
I Have Bed Bugs! What’s Next?
Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to get rid of. If you think you have bed bugs in your home, don’t wait to contact your Las Vegas bed bug control experts. One of our experienced technicians will evaluate your home for free and inform you of your next steps in eradicating the infestation.
Contact Anver Pest Control today for a free home inspection!