Aug 22, 2011 – Heat And Bed Bugs
QUESTION:
What are the pros and cons for heat treatments for bed bugs? I have a property management owner who has been reading the internet and wants me to try it for their apartments.
ANSWER:
In a recent trade magazine some good updates and experiences were given on bed bug treatments, and the use of heat was discussed briefly. One thing we do know is that heat is a serious enemy of bed bugs. According to studies presented by the Univ. of Kentucky a few years ago we can kill all stages (eggs, nymphs, adults) of bed bugs by getting their environment to just 115 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour. We use this already when we have the customer launder everything they can in hot water and hot dryer, and the clothes dryer gets to over 175 degrees which should kill all stages of the bugs in just 5 minutes. Heat is an excellent way to kill bed bugs, and obviously it is 100% non-toxic (although the heat is created using some sort of toxic fuel).
However, heat is not a magic bullet, and what your customer likely is referring to would be "whole structure" heating. According to some of our most qualified experts this can be a highly expensive thing to do, and it is the possible cost to the customer that may deter them from going with this method. The use of heat is attractive because of its non-toxicity and the fact that properly done it eliminates all stages of the bugs with 1 treatment. Fumigation with Vikane does this as well, perhaps without the pitfalls that heating may present, and one of those pitfalls occurred just a week or so ago. Seems the fuel tank used to create the heat exploded and an entire apartment building burned down. Now, this is not blaming the process so much as it blames the faulty equipment, and only shows that every method for doing pest management can have its problems.
Another concern that was pointed out several years ago at a national conference is that bed bugs are not going to roll over and accept dying. These insects move fairly quickly, and when their environment begins to get uncomfortable they are going to move, seeking a new place that is comfortable for them. This is one possible drawback to the idea of heating only single units in an apartment of hotel - the bugs in the walls quickly move further away to escape the increasing heat, and this could even spread the bugs. Sealing an entire structure to heat it should prevent this from happening, but if there is a crawl space with soil beneath perhaps the bugs could make their way to this cooler area, or if the structure is not tented and enclose perhaps the exterior walls could remain cooler inside. I am not sure of all the information on this, but I suspect that companies that do use heat for bed bug control must monitor all of these spaces to ensure the heat reaches that lethal level and stays there long enough to ensure the kill of all bugs.
So, there are my thoughts. The pros - no use of toxic materials and death of all stages of the bugs. The cons - the high cost and possible missed bugs or eggs in voids that do not heat up sufficiently. The con of explosions or fire is likely preventable by using good equipment and inspecting it prior to each use. I will be attending the NPMA national conference in October and a major part of the educational conference will be on bed bugs, so I expect to learn a great deal more while there.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
What are the pros and cons for heat treatments for bed bugs? I have a property management owner who has been reading the internet and wants me to try it for their apartments.
ANSWER:
In a recent trade magazine some good updates and experiences were given on bed bug treatments, and the use of heat was discussed briefly. One thing we do know is that heat is a serious enemy of bed bugs. According to studies presented by the Univ. of Kentucky a few years ago we can kill all stages (eggs, nymphs, adults) of bed bugs by getting their environment to just 115 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour. We use this already when we have the customer launder everything they can in hot water and hot dryer, and the clothes dryer gets to over 175 degrees which should kill all stages of the bugs in just 5 minutes. Heat is an excellent way to kill bed bugs, and obviously it is 100% non-toxic (although the heat is created using some sort of toxic fuel).
However, heat is not a magic bullet, and what your customer likely is referring to would be "whole structure" heating. According to some of our most qualified experts this can be a highly expensive thing to do, and it is the possible cost to the customer that may deter them from going with this method. The use of heat is attractive because of its non-toxicity and the fact that properly done it eliminates all stages of the bugs with 1 treatment. Fumigation with Vikane does this as well, perhaps without the pitfalls that heating may present, and one of those pitfalls occurred just a week or so ago. Seems the fuel tank used to create the heat exploded and an entire apartment building burned down. Now, this is not blaming the process so much as it blames the faulty equipment, and only shows that every method for doing pest management can have its problems.
Another concern that was pointed out several years ago at a national conference is that bed bugs are not going to roll over and accept dying. These insects move fairly quickly, and when their environment begins to get uncomfortable they are going to move, seeking a new place that is comfortable for them. This is one possible drawback to the idea of heating only single units in an apartment of hotel - the bugs in the walls quickly move further away to escape the increasing heat, and this could even spread the bugs. Sealing an entire structure to heat it should prevent this from happening, but if there is a crawl space with soil beneath perhaps the bugs could make their way to this cooler area, or if the structure is not tented and enclose perhaps the exterior walls could remain cooler inside. I am not sure of all the information on this, but I suspect that companies that do use heat for bed bug control must monitor all of these spaces to ensure the heat reaches that lethal level and stays there long enough to ensure the kill of all bugs.
So, there are my thoughts. The pros - no use of toxic materials and death of all stages of the bugs. The cons - the high cost and possible missed bugs or eggs in voids that do not heat up sufficiently. The con of explosions or fire is likely preventable by using good equipment and inspecting it prior to each use. I will be attending the NPMA national conference in October and a major part of the educational conference will be on bed bugs, so I expect to learn a great deal more while there.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
