Heat treatments in action. Have you ever wondered what actually happens when a heat treatment is performed? If you call us to eradicate bed bugs from your entire house, here is how we at Debug Your Bed pest control company set up and treat a home with our propane heater system.
We want to make sure that bed bug infestations are fully eliminated. Read on to learn our heat treatment process for eliminating bed bugs.
Set-Up
Prior to our arrival, you will receive a document that outlines some steps to take to prepare for the bed bug treatment, such as removing heat sensitive items from the bed bug heat treatment area. Also plastic picture frames hanging on the wall could warp so it is best to lay them flat. It is very important to follow the instructions so that items are not damaged during the heat treatment.
We aim to arrive at the treatment location at about 8:00 AM. When we arrive at your home, the first thing we do is walk around to get the lay of the land. It is important to determine which rooms are infested and the level of infestation in each room. That way we can focus our treatment properly.
Then, we get out our equipment. This consists of a large propane heater that stays outside. Also included is a 20-inch diameter tubing to vent the heat into the home and many fans to distribute the heat to each room being treated. We also bring in remote heat sensors so we can assess the temperature of the rooms from our van.
We make sure that every room has several fans so that the hot air can be distributed to all areas of the home in order to properly take care of the bed bug problem. It takes us between thirty and forty-five minutes to complete our set-up before we can even begin the heat treatment so it is important that you are ready for us at the appointed time.
You may be able to stay at the home if we are doing a partial home heat treatment, but if we are doing a whole house heat treatment to get rid of the bed bug infestation, you will need to leave for about eight to ten hours, depending on the size of the treatment area.
The Real Work
Now we are close to seeing the heat treatments in action! Once we get the heat going, the temperatures rise to between 120-130° F. While we wait for the temperatures to rise, we periodically walk through the home to make sure all rooms are getting warm and adjust fans as needed.
Once this lethal temperature for bed bugs and bed bug eggs is reached (READ MORE), then the real work begins. We walk through the house and move items around so that the heat permeates even hard-to-reach areas. For instance, we take the linens off the beds and flip up the mattress and box spring. We want to ensure that all areas are exposed to the heat. Bed bugs like to live in the cracks and crevices of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and even night stands.
We open dresser drawers and closets, tip couches, and pull the furniture off of the walls. It is not uncommon to find bed bugs along the seams of couches and underneath on the wooden framing of the furniture. And because wood is not a great conductor of heat, we have to be more strategic to ensure that all wooden areas are exposed to the high temperatures that kill bed bugs and bed bug eggs.
We repeat this process every 30-45 minutes and it is hot!! We bring in a thermal gun and point it at all areas of the room. if there is a cool spot, we find it and redirect the hot air with fans to make sure that any hidden bed bugs are killed. Bed bug eggs need to be exposed to the high temperatures as well to ensure a successful heat treatment that eradicates the bed bug infestation.
Break-Down
Once we feel that all items and areas have been properly treated at the lethal temperatures and that all bed bugs and bed bug eggs have been killed, we begin putting the rooms back together. You will need to do the cleaning to ensure that the dead bed bugs and bed bug eggs are disposed of, but this is simple enough. Just a regular vacuum through the house should do it. Because we don’t use any harmful or toxic chemicals there are no special cleaning procedures that need to be followed after the high heat subsides.
Cool Down Period
We also pump cool air into the house and open windows after the heat treatment has killed all the bed bugs. This allows you to get back inside your home at a reasonable time. You will want to make sure that you do not re-enter the home until it is at a comfortable temperature. Then we pack up our van and are on our way between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm.
Debug Your Bed
So now you know all about heat treatments in action! READ MORE. If you have unwanted bed bugs in your home, you want a pest control company that specializes in killing bed bugs. And that is all we do! We don’t deal with fleas, cockroaches or any other pest, simply bed bugs.
Give us a call for a FREE consultation to determine what treatment is needed for your specific bed bug infestation. Sometimes whole room heat treatments are needed and other times, whole house heat treatments are warranted.
And now you know what heat treatments in action are like so you know that this is the best way to eradicate bed bug infestations. A bed bug heat treatment is the best bed bug solution. Heat kills all stages of the bed bug life cycle, including the eggs. When using chemicals that don’t kill the bed bug eggs, multiple treatments are needing, making the cost of extermination much higher than you planned.
Give us a call. We are here to help you get rid of the bed bugs in your home for good!
Our propane heater to eradiate bed bugs.