There is absolutely nothing else more annoying than having a bed bug infestation. We know, because most of our customers call in desperately to find out what solutions are available to eliminate bed bugs. Once our customers understand how bed bugs react to heat, we can move ahead with a heat treatment.
Unfortunately for bed bugs, we know how heat affects them. Their delicate bodies require warm blood (usually human) to maintain their growth. Although some bed bugs can live up to a year without a blood meal, given the right temperatures are maintained.
Once the bed bug finds a suitable host, they can feed on a weekly basis. Growing at a steady rate until their bodies reach maturity. This takes roughly five weeks from birth, and assuming they can find blood meals on a weekly basis.
So how does heat affect bed bugs?
It all starts with basic temperature regulation. Human bodies have a hard time maintaining body temperatures, for example. We wear sweaters or shorts to ensure comfort during daily life. But sometimes extreme cold or heat can create life threatening circumstances.
Extreme temperatures are also damaging for bed bugs. Bed bugs are simply not designed to sustain 130 or more degrees. We use propane heaters to increase the interior temperature of a structure, which is really meant to raise the temperature on the bodies of bed bugs.
This translates to a very bad situation for bed bugs, which can overheat in as fast as 7 minutes if their body temperature goes above 117 degrees.
Bed bugs literally cannot handle the heat! Since every possible hiding spot is also being heated dramatically, they have no chance but to overheat. Their bodies start shutting down, and the rest is history.
Contact us today to learn more about our specific process and how a bed bug K9 inspection can help identify bed bug infestations before they get out of hand in hotels or apartment complexes.