Will space heater kill Bed Bugs? This is one pressing question most homeowners ask. To find out kindly follow us on this post. Bed Bugs are tiny, oblong, brownish insects that feed on human or animal blood. Adult Bed Bugs have flat bodies almost the size of an apple seed. However, their bodies swell after eating and take on a reddish hue. So, will space heater kill Bed Bugs?

Using heat to eradicate Bed Bugs—specifically, space heaters—has many advantages you might want to consider. In many ways, heat is the only sure method of eliminating Bed Bugs. Bed Bugs can be quickly killed by heat sources that reach at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The trick is that a heat source must be high in volume and pressure to reach every one of a home’s deep cracks and crevices and ensure that no bug is left standing.

How To Kill Bed Bugs With Space Heaters

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Heat is a well-liked and advantageous way of killing Bed Bugs. Your decision on Bed Bug heating elements will be crucial. A quick yet even temperature increase during the warmer-up process’ higher temperature range is necessary for successful treatment. To accomplish rapid late-stage uniform heating, four essential factors must be present:

Warm starting temperature
Tight envelope
Airflow
Reliable, high-quality heating elements and controls

A suitable point from which to launch is with a warm, even preheated start temperature. It should remain heated for a long enough time to warm the building and its contents. At this heating temperature, Bed Bugs shouldn’t experience any discomfort. The technician will be able to reach the well-distributed target temperature (120°F to 140°F) more rapidly thanks to this pre-warming.

A stronger closed-loop heating system can be created by caulking the cracks around doors and windows, which will prevent heat from escaping. Additionally, it blocks off potential bed insect escape routes.

Even heating is what the technician aims for. The objectives are to deliver a consistent temperature increase across the space and remove cold patches. Remove items from near walls. Increase the surface area that is in touch with the air. Utilize fans to circulate the hot air. Toss mounds of clutter or dry them on high during the heating process. No hilly areas will offer respite if the temperature across the entire space remains consistent.

Reliable high-temperature Bed Bug heating elements and an additional control system aid in hitting the target quickly and correctly while maintaining stability throughout the rest of the process. Many different Bed Bug products need electric heating elements. Both large and small apartments have bed insect heaters.

What Temperature Is Needed To Kill Bed Bugs?

To prevent cool spots in the room, we advise maintaining the temperature at 130°F for 4-6 hours. To understand why, consider that adult Bed Bugs must be exposed to temperatures above 113°F to perish and that the process takes 20 minutes. However, eggs may need to be exposed to heat for up to 7 hours.

Adult Bed Bugs can perish at 120°F in 5 minutes, and eggs can disappear in 30. Remember that you are being exposed to the bug directly. Bed Bugs can hide in hard-to-heat places like baseboards, inside walls, and underneath furniture. In light of this, maintaining a temperature of 130°F for several hours is recommended to ensure lethal temperatures reach every corner of the space.

Do I only need to raise the air’s temperature to “kill” it?

No, the Bed Bugs must be eliminated for the treatment area and all of its contents to reach the above temperatures. Contents in space absorb heat, so the more furniture or clutter there is, the more heat is required.

Once the room reaches the kill temperature, it should be adjusted to distribute heat evenly throughout all cool areas. For optimum heat penetration and to eliminate cool spots, we advise carefully planning the placement and movement of high-temperature, high-velocity air movers

Why Use Heat?

Though they can also be used with insecticides, thermal treatments can replace harmful pesticides. When the surrounding temperature reaches 113 F, Bed Bugs begin to perish. A typical target temperature is 120°F, killing Bed Bugs in a matter of minutes. Exterminators use heat for a variety of purposes.

Traditional pesticides like DDT and pyrethroids are no longer effective against Bed Bugs.
Pesticide toxins pose a risk to one’s health. Heat is harmless.
Heat doesn’t leave any remnants.
Heat permeates and spreads throughout the entire area.
Many claims that they only require one heat treatment.
without harm (after removal of low melting point items like candles and crayons)
Heat kills bacteria, viruses, and all Bed Bug varieties.
Heat kills the eggs (it is ovicidal)! Heat kills Bed Bugs at all life stages.

The temperature range within which a live thing’s body starts to shut down is known as its minimum and maximum. This temperature is known as the “thermal death point” by scientists. This is approximately 113 degrees Fahrenheit for Bed Bugs.

Heaters tire bugs, and as a result, their bodies start to slow down and eventually stop functioning nervously. For the heat to significantly impact Bed Bugs, they must be exposed to it for about 30 to 90 minutes.

Why A Space Heater Won’t Be Efficient For Killing Bed Bugs

Since Bed Bugs lack wings, you won’t see them in the air. These disgusting insects can climb up and down any surface, though. This implies that they can be climbing the walls and your furnishings. A space heater can’t generate enough heat to kill all the Bed Bugs.

How much heat a space heater provides – approximately 40 to 90 F
How much heat is needed to kill Bed Bugs – 113 to 140 F

Due to their insufficiently high heat output, space heaters cannot eradicate Bed Bugs. The common space heater doesn’t even reach the warmth required to kill Bed Bugs, even at its highest setting. Even if these high temperatures may kill some nearby, weaker Bed Bugs, it won’t be enough to protect your home.

Early Signs Of Bed Bugs

The degree of assurance that each of these Bed Bug warning signals can offer when it comes to establishing the existence of Bed Bugs, particularly at the start of an infestation, determines how they are ranked.

We’ll explain each indicator and where to search, starting with the least trustworthy sign (odors) and moving on to the most dependable one (living Bed Bugs).

Understanding and becoming familiar with these early warning signs is very important if you think Bed Bugs may have infected your home.

This article will give you a general idea of when to seek professional confirmation of these Bed Bug symptoms to be sure that Bed Bugs are present.

Live Bed Bugs

Small, reddish-brown insects around the size of flaxseeds
Prefers to hide in tight cracks and crevices
Often confused with spider beetles, carpet beetles, and other small insects

Shell Casings

Yellowish-brown, translucent exoskeletons of juvenile Bed Bugs
Comes in various sizes throughout the Bed Bug’s molting cycle
Reliable indicators of a Bed Bug infestation

Eggs

Pinhead-sized, pearly white ovals around 1 mm in length
Loosely stuck to various types of surfaces
Usually found near Bed Bug harborage areas

Fecal Marks

Tiny, dark brown or black spots around the size of a pen tip
Usually clustered around harborage areas, but can also be found on sheets and clothing.
Dark smears on fabric resemble magic marker stains after being washed

Bloodstains

Unexplained red or rust-colored blood stains
It May appears as small splotches or smears on bed sheets, clothing, or pillows
Double-check first for other probable causes

Bites

Small, red, itchy bumps that mysteriously appear at night
The most common places for bites are the arms, hands, and legs
Sometimes appears as clusters of 3 or 4 bites in a line (the so-called “breakfast, lunch, and dinner” pattern)

Odors

An unusual, musty odor with no apparent cause
Bed Bug pheromones are often compared to the scent of raspberries, coriander, cilantro, or almonds
A severe Bed Bug infestation may smell like rust, wet towels, and moldy laundry

Where Bed Bugs Hide

Through clothing, worn beds and couches, luggage, and other goods, Bed Bugs may get into your home. Because of their flattened bodies, they can squeeze into areas that are only a little wider than a credit card. Unlike ants and bees, Bed Bugs do not build nests; instead, they prefer to reside in colonies in concealed areas. Mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards are frequently where they first hide since they provide easy access to prey for nighttime biting.

Over time, they might disperse across the bedroom and hide in every nook and cranny. Additionally, they might spread to neighboring homes or flats.

Having Bed Bugs in your home is not an indication of cleanliness because they only survive on blood. They can be found in both clean and unclean residences and hotel rooms.

When Bed Bugs Bite

Bed Bugs typically bite people while sleeping and are most active at night. They take blood through an extended beak after piercing the skin to feed. The bugs eat for three to ten minutes, becoming obscenely full before crawling away undetected.

Most Bed Bug bites are initially painless but later develop into itchy welts. Bed Bug bites can occur anywhere on the exposed skin while you sleep, unlike flea bites, which typically occur around the ankles. The bites also lack the red spot that flea bites have in the middle.

The itching and welts may be attributed to other factors, like mosquitoes, by people unaware they have a Bed Bug infestation. You must locate and recognize the actual Bed Bugs to confirm Bed Bug bites.

Conclusion On Will Space Heater Kill Bed Bug?

A typical space heater can kill a small number of Bed Bugs, but eradicating them from a house with one of these would fail. To reach bed insect hiding areas, a heater must be substantial and powerful.

Although Bed Bugs indeed prefer cooler, ordinary climates rather than hot ones, this fact in no way restricts their ability to spread wherever people live. To learn more about using heat as a method of eradication, speak with a Bed Bug expert.