Exploring The Benefits Of Hiring Pest Control Experts

Are There Alternatives To Bed Bug Heat Treatment?

2 April 2015

Evan Patterson

If you've recently noticed itchy red skin bumps after waking up in the morning, or have spotted the telltale tiny brown or red dots near the head of your mattress that signify a bed bug infestation, your skin may be crawling at the thought of the literal crawling that takes place on your body after dark. Bed bugs are one of the most difficult parasites to eradicate from a home, and the thought of undergoing a lengthy (and potentially expensive) decontamination process may be overwhelming. However, there are some new technologies that may make the bed bug eradication process much simpler. Read on to learn more about the most effective bed bug treatment options to help make your decision simpler.

What bed bug treatment options currently exist?

Like cockroaches and other prehistoric pests, bed bugs are very adaptable, and are impervious to most common poisons and treatment methods. The single most effective way to eradicate bed bugs for good is to heat the entire contaminated area to a very high temperature for several hours -- 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours or 130 degrees for 3 hours is the standard. Because bed bugs (and especially their eggs) are nearly invisible to the naked eye, a full-scale treatment like this is the only way to ensure that all bed bugs, eggs, and larvae are successfully eliminated. (As a bonus, this method can also eliminate cockroaches, mice, and other pests that might be lurking in your home.)

The costs of bed bug heat treatment vary by area, but most homeowners with an average-sized home and relatively typical infestation can expect to pay around $1,000 for each treatment. In most cases, your bed bugs will be completely eradicated by a single treatment -- however, without taking measures to avoid further infestations, you may find yourself struggling with this problem again. If you travel frequently and stay in hotels, you're especially vulnerable to a second infestation.

Are there equally effective alternatives to this heat treatment?

Although heat treatment is highly effective at eradicating bed bugs, it can be inconvenient for homeowners who need to board pets and remove food and heat-sensitive appliances while the treatment is taking place. The cost of treatment may also be prohibitive for some families. However, the other available options -- use of toxic poisons, diatomaceous earth, or "freezing" the bugs -- each have their own potential drawbacks as well.

Fortunately, scientists have been hard at work in the development of a new pheromone that can help trigger an effective bed bug "trap" that has virtually no negative side effects. Unlike the other non-heat treatments, this trap is 100 percent effective -- and is 10,000 times cheaper than a single heat treatment (at $0.10 vs $1,000). Scientists believe that once this trap is made commercially available, bed bug infestations will dramatically drop as hotel rooms and other lodging areas use these traps to ensure that their rooms are bug-free.

The trap functions by releasing several pheromones at once. Some of these pheromones are designed to mimic the specific smell of other bed bugs (encouraging those who smell it to join them) or of sleeping humans, while others are designed to trigger a physical reaction that causes the bedbugs to stop moving and begin to feed. This effectively leads the bed bugs to the trap and encourages them to stay put once they've reached the pheromone "ground zero." The trap can then be easily emptied as frequently as you'd like.

Scientists estimate that this trap could be available in stores by the end of 2015, ensuring that a bed bug-free future is well within reach.

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