Keeping Bugs Where They Belong

How To Choose Between Heat Treatment And Chemical Treatment For Bed Bug Extermination

20 October 2022

Judy Lute

Choosing the right bed bug treatment is the first step to exterminating bed bugs from your home. Heat and chemical solutions are the two popular treatments used to kill bed bugs. Heat treatment involves raising the temperature of the home to kill bugs, while chemical treatments use insecticides and chemicals. These treatments have various pros and cons that you should consider when selecting the best one. Therefore, consider the factors below when deciding between the two options.

Treatment Effectiveness

Both heat and chemical treatments are fast and effective solutions for bed bug extermination. Heat treatment uses a generator to pump hot air into the home for a prolonged period. The high temperatures kill the bed bugs and their eggs, including ones in hidden areas of the home. This treatment is highly effective as it gets rid of the eggs before they hatch.

Chemical treatment involves applying insecticides and liquid or powder chemicals to the infected surfaces. The chemicals immediately kill any bed bugs that come into contact with them. You can leave the product on the surfaces for days, which improves the treatment outcome. However, unlike heat, chemical treatments do not kill bed bug eggs.

Number of Applications

Heat treatment can effectively eliminate all bed bugs and their eggs with one application. All you need to do is maintain the high temperature for the recommended period of time. Conversely, chemical treatment requires subsequent applications. The bed bugs have to come into contact with the chemicals to die. Bugs hidden in hard-to-reach areas may go unharmed the first time. Furthermore, the chemicals do not kill bed bug eggs, so you must wait for the eggs to hatch. Therefore, multiple applications are needed to exterminate all the bugs.

Potential Health Concerns

Most chemical treatments are mild and do not harm household occupants. However, some products can cause potential health complications in pets and sensitive individuals. If you go for chemical treatment, choose non-toxic products that are safe to use around pets and sensitive individuals. Alternatively, you can use heat treatment as it does not expose your household to chemicals.

Property Damage

Heat treatments are safe and do not damage furniture and other valuables. However, items that cannot handle high levels of heat should be removed from the home and placed in bed-bug-proof bags to prevent the uncontrolled spread of the bugs. On the other hand, chemical treatments leave behind chemical residue on furniture such as couches and mattresses. Extensive professional cleaning is required to remove the residue. If the cleanup isn't successful, you may need to invest in new furniture.

Heat treatment is more effective than chemical treatment, as it can kill bed bugs and their eggs. However, proper application is required to protect valuables from damage. Therefore, contact a pest control service for extermination services. For more information, contact a bed bug exterminator near you.

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