Heat is in many ways the only sure way to kill bed bugs 100% of the time. Due to bed bug resistance growing rapidly against common pyrethroid insecticides around the world and here within Canada, physical methods, as opposed to chemical methods, are now preferred by a most pest control professional in Oakville when fighting against bed bugs infestations. Heat sources that reach at the very least 120 degrees Fahrenheit can kill bed bugs instantly. The trick is, a heat source has to be large in volume and pressure to penetrate all of the deep cracks and crevices within a home to ensure not one bug is left standing.
This requires enormous, incredibly expensive heaters and steamers that can produce temperatures this high at a sustained rate for 3-6 hours. The heat has to be able to penetrate underneath and behind walls and even ceilings, since there is no way to immediately know just how large a bed bug infestation truly is. Pest control professionals are the only individuals who have access to and can operate these incredibly volatile and powerful heaters and steamers.
If you were to gather up bed bugs and throw them into a small space with a regular-sized heater, you may or most likely, may not see bed bugs perish. The temperatures need to reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit on the low end to immediately suffocate and burn the bugs. Small and regular-sized heaters cannot typically reach and hold these temperatures. But the biggest obstacle to overcome will be trying to distribute this small heat source evenly throughout every square inch of your home. It would take an eternity to achieve this and the bugs will simply run deeper and deeper into the walls and structures to hide from the heat.
The heater needs to be made especially for bed bugs and will need to be large enough and powerful enough to emit an almost-melting temperature of heat in order to creep under baseboards and cracks into the walls and ceiling. Additionally, furniture and any perishable items will need to be removed from the home for individualized treatment to avoid melting. It is simply impossible to target enough heat for a household heater to treat an entire home for bed bugs. The bugs will immediately begin running to the walls to escape the heat and will remain there. Allow a professional bed bug specialist to use the appropriate heating sources to kill the bugs with heat.
A common, household heater can kill a small number of bed bugs, but trying to completely treat a home with a standard heater will produce only disappointment. A heater needs to be large enough and powerful enough to penetrate into bed bug hiding places. It is indeed true that bed bugs do not typically like heat; the insects prefer colder and average climates, but in no way does this stop their distribution wherever humans dwell. Consult a bed bug specialist to discuss using heat as an option for elimination.