What Temperature Kills Bed Bugs

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November 17th, 2014

Summer is over, fall is here, and now winter is coming. And that means that for most of the country, especially in areas like New York and Connecticut, temperatures are about to take a dive from the heat of summer to the winds of winter. Colder weather also means snow and ice, of course.

You may wonder, since bed bugs seem to multiply during hot summer heat, what the winter weather means for bed bugs. What temperature kills bed bugs, and can bed bugs live in the cold? And is freezing bed bugs a good way to get rid of them? Here is what experts say about the issue:

What temperature kills bed bugs? Colder than most humans can tolerate!

Many people whose home is infested with bed bugs may think that the winter weather taking care of them. However, the reality is that the temperature that will kill bed bugs is much colder than you are going to be able to put up with. So simply opening the windows and doors and freezing bed bugs via cold winter weather simply is not going to cut it.

In fact, according to the University of Minnesota, while cold temperatures actually will kill bed bugs, the cold temperatures need to be at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below for four days or more in order to facilitate freezing bed bugs. But those are the type of temperatures that are in a freezer, but not in a home, even with the homes windows and doors open. Even putting items infested with bed bugs outside will not take care of them, as temperature fluctuates during the day, and there is no guarantee that the temperature that kills bed bugs will stay that temperature long enough to do it.

In addition, the university notes that when it comes to freezing bed bugs, you can cause severe structural damage to your home by turning off the heat in winter, opening the door, and attempting to kill the bed bugs that way. So do not do it. Instead, contact a bed bug removal specialist to do so.

Can bed bugs live in the cold?

If you have items that are infested with bed bugs, like books, theoretically you could kill the pests off by literally freezing them the Entomological Society of America says you can do this by freezing items in your freezer for four days after sealing them up in zipped plastic bags. That being said, this will not work for many household items, including electronics. In addition, bed bugs frequently hide in places that you cannot put in your freezer, unless you turn your bedroom into a meat locker! Also, most people have plenty of food in their freezer; do they really want to risk infesting their food with bed bugs just for the sake of doing it themselves?

In closing, the temperature that kills bed bugs is simply too cold to facilitate homegrown bed bug measures. So again, if you think you have bed bugs, why not give us a call at 866-984-BUGS? We can either give you immediate peace of mind, or eradicate the issue for you.

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What Temperature Kills Bed Bugs