
When dealing with an infestation, eliminate bed bugs using heat. It provides a 100% kill rate on the insects and their eggs. Additionally, heat treatments are relatively safe to use around children and pets. Some of the equipment used for this type of treatment include Ultrasonic steamers, temperature regulators, thermostats, vaporizers, and Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs).
Pest control companies in the tri-state area provide a bed bug heat treatment for you. They may offer it as a service option in addition to insecticides. The cost of having bed bugs eliminated by heating varies depending on several factors.
How much does bed bug heat treatment cost?
It depends on the bed bug infestation type, severity, and area for treatment. The more bed bugs you have, the higher the heat treatment cost. Heat is worth $125 to $300 per room. A severe or complicated bed bug problem is more expensive. Note that bed bugs usually hide within mattresses and box springs.
Remove these furniture pieces before heating begins. The best option is to dispose of them once they are free of bed bugs. This way, you can just buy new ones after eliminating bed bugs using heat.
Other factors include:
·Location
·Travel time
·Equipment needed for bed bugs heat treatment
·Safety measures used during the process
·Preparation required before bed bug heat treatment
·Elimination costs
Factors in Calculating Bed Bug Treatment Cost
Determine five factors on your estimated bed bug treatment cost. Know about them below:
Severity of The Infestation
There are bed bugs without any physical signs. These do not come in contact with you. They hide within wall cracks, bed frames, electrical outlets, and other hard to reach areas.
However, bed bugs that bite you cause red spots on your skin. These bites can itch severely. The saliva contains anesthetics that make you feel no pain when it bites. This explains why you do not know that they exist until seeing their telltale signs on bed sheets or mattresses.
Treatment Type
There are bed bug control products available for purchase at home improvement stores. The bed bug treatment cost is lower when you choose this option. You must apply the insecticide yourself to bed frames, bed legs, mattresses, baseboards, and other infested areas after preparation.
Bed bugs heat treatment costs more than insecticides. Pest control companies use vaporizers or steamers to produce lethal temperatures, which kill bed bugs quickly! They add Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs) to prevent the bed bug population from growing back after heat treatment.
You have two options when it comes to eliminating bed bugs: hire a professional exterminator or do it yourself using an insecticide purchased at the store.
Size of The Space of The Infestation
Bed bugs can infest bed frames, bed legs, bedding, and even electrical outlets. Ensure that you know the bed bug treatment cost for each item before choosing either option.
Furniture
Take away your furniture pieces infested with bed bugs. Otherwise, these may jump from one piece to another as the pieces are lowered into the steaming chamber.
You must also clear away bed sheets, bed skirts, bed bug covers, and pillowcases. Launder bed sheets and covers using hot water and dry in a high heat setting.
Location
Heat treatment requires bed bug exterminators to visit your home. This may incur travel costs on the cost. It will also depend on the pest control company’s location and fee.
Additional Costs and Considerations
You may incur bed bug preparation cost when hiring exterminators. Take it into consideration before choosing heat treatment or insecticides. Another factor is the return of bed bugs after the service. Bed bug bedding and mattresses might become expensive to replace. Many of these pests can survive in bed legs and frames. Ensure that you hire qualified exterminators to eliminate them properly.
Add the value of bed bug laundry bags when hiring a professional service. You may need to use these for certain items. Examples are mattress covers and pillows during heat or insecticide treatments. This accumulates to your total cost at the end. But it is a worthwhile investment when you plan to sleep on these pieces again.
Hiring bed bug exterminators cost $1,500 to $3,000. You can save on the cost by doing it yourself using bed bug insecticide products. However, you must prepare the space before heat treatment. When you hire exterminators for this service, ensure that they use safety measures when dealing with these bugs in your home.
You should include bed bug preparation cost in the total elimination cost. This is because preparation requires heavy-duty cleaning of home surfaces and furniture. They use heat or insecticides before removing these bugs.
How does heat treatment kill bed bugs?
Bed bugs can harbor within bed legs, bed frames, electrical outlets, and other hard to reach areas during treatment. Ensure that you hire exterminators who use safety measures to prevent them from hiding there.
High temperatures kill bed bugs. The process leaves them without any chance of surviving nor affecting bedding. Vaporizers and steamers from bed bug exterminators raise the temperature of a space to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This eliminates the bugs within a couple of hours. It only requires preparation costs. There is no need for you to clean the room or furniture before heat treatment.
It takes bed bug extermination companies servicing the Tri-state area around three days to kill them using this method. In addition, they use insecticides after removing these bugs from your house. Insecticide application kills any of the surviving ones in the process.
Professional bed bug exterminators also add insecticides to your home when heat treatment ends. These kill any of them present in hidden spaces when they return.
Will heat treatment for bed bugs damage my home?
Heat treatment for bed bugs does not damage your home. However, you may need specific preparation costs to ensure that they do not reenter it. These include drying out of bed legs and electrical outlets. You also must take off bed covers and sheets before heat treatment starts.
You must prepare your home for bed bug heat treatments. This includes taking away all furniture pieces and bedding from affected rooms. Ensure that the entire space is clean before extermination begins. Property owners cannot stay in these areas when heat treatment lasts several hours every day over a few days.
Can a hot box kill bed bugs?
Yes, using a hot box can eliminate bed bugs. Exterminators use this method to raise the temperature of a bed to 120 degrees Fahrenheit within an hour. It is not as effective as heat treatment. They will return when they harbor in bed legs or bed frames.
The commercial solution for bed bug problems is a bag that only gets hot on the inside. The price seems amazingly high and uninsulated. But it does have some features like insulation to keep you safe from burning your luggage or anything else nearby.
Get an amazing box that has Dow Tuff-R rigid polyisocyanurate foam insulating board and an aluminum HVAC tape rim around the top. The double-stick felt sealants keep out dirt from getting inside your home.
Will steam kill bed bugs?
Bed bugs are very resistant to heat treatment. They survive by hiding in small cracks and crevices during extermination. The temperature inside a heated space must reach at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours. It will only take one hour using steam cleaners, vaporizers, or hot air dryers to reach this level sufficiently.
The process is less reliable than bed bug heat treatment. They can return once they escape into other spaces without heating. These include bed legs and bed frames that may harbor them for years without you knowing it. Most of these bugs die within two days after exposure to heat treatment. But some of them can live up to three weeks. This is when your home’s heating system does not reach every corner of a room that they occupy.
Heat treatment kills bed bugs by overheating them to death. You can do this by using heaters like an electrocution bed, hot box, vaporizers, and steam cleaners. They mimic professional extermination companies to destroy them in any area of the home efficiently.
These items only cost around $100 each depending on brand and size. You can even buy a DIY kit that lets you build your bed bug heaters with styrofoam insulation material for about $150.
Preparations Before a Bed Bug Treatment
Before bed bug heat treatments begin, prepare your home to make them effective. Take away any bedding or furniture in the rooms they occupy before treatment starts. Empty all electrical outlets of bedding.
Seal off these items with duct tape around parts where bed bugs can enter. Block the walls, floor, and ceiling gaps where they may hide during the extermination. Ensure that you can still use your phone inside these rooms after sealing them with insulation material.
It will only take one hour for a hot box to reach 122 degrees Fahrenheit on its exterior surfaces when it has 120 degrees of air inside. Some bed bug heat treatments reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit on the exterior surfaces.
What should I do if I think I have bed bugs?
When you think bed bugs are in your bed, bed frame, or bed legs, heat treatment is the most effective way to get rid of them. You can also find heat treatments that use an enclosed space. Spray pesticides around bed areas where they live without entering the extermination chamber.
You cannot stay inside during this time because it will kill you. This means no cooking or sleeping inside the area. They trap bed bugs with carbon dioxide gas. Use a hot box or bed bug inspection when you need to treat large rooms for bed bugs. Exterminators charge between $500 and $1,000 for full-room heat treatments using this technique.
Bed Bug Inspection
Before bed bug heat treatment begins, inspect your bed frame for these bugs. Exterminators commonly look at bed legs before conducting treatments. When you have these bugs, you need to hire a professional exterminator to get rid of them. They should also advise on potential prevention methods.
Inspecting the bed frame is an essential step when entering a heat-treated space for bed bug heat treatment. Look at the springs and other metal areas for them. They hide there while you sleep. Turn off lights inside this space while looking for signs of these bugs. Use a flashlight or headlamp with red light settings to avoid causing disturbances that make them run away quickly!
Emergency Treatment
Having bed bugs in your bed frame requires treatment. You can cover the bed legs with bed bug traps that hold them in place. This prevents them from hiding underneath during heat treatments.
You should know where they hide. Put these traps accordingly before starting any bed bug treatment process. Choose the ones that let them walk into to hide between bed legs. Cover the bed legs using traps because they usually live underneath these areas. You can also use electronic insect zappers. These pests like light settings as you do.
Close off any ventilation holes on your bed frame by stuffing them with insulation material.
Why Quality Matters for Bed Bug Exterminators
When bed bug heat treatment companies conduct this service, they produce extermination that eradicates these pests. This means they must provide effective heaters that cover large spaces to eliminate bed bugs where you sleep.
Eco-friendly Options
Bed bug heat treatment can get dangerous. The most effective exterminators use natural ways with safety in mind. This does not mean that these pests do not die when they get exposed to high temperatures. Some heat treatments use carbon dioxide traps inside enclosed spaces. This is to get rid of bed bugs while you sleep the night away.
Knowledge of the Bed Bug Habits and Life-Cycle
Bed bugs are very small. Heat treatment companies can get rid of them completely. That is when you hire a quality exterminator to do it.
Experience in Bed Bug Heat Treatments
You should know that bed bugs hide in tight spaces. They are famously difficult to eradicate. The bed frame is one of the hardest places where they live. These pests know how to hide in these areas. Heat treatments are not easy. Until the company has the experience, these are only temporary solutions.
The best way to get rid of bed bugs is by using professional pest control treatments. A qualified technician can remove them permanently. Make sure that the estimated cost fits your budget.