Removing Bed Bugs Using Heat
This is an overview of Bed Bug Heat Treatment which we did at a property in London recently.
We were contacted through our website by a customer in London who had experienced bites during the night and was concerned that she might have bed bugs. She had removed her bed covers and couldn’t see any signs of bed bugs so contacted us to discuss her issue.
We explained to her how to check for bed bugs and what signs to look for, including spots of blood on her bed covers. We advised her to wash her bed covers at high temperature and then call us back in a few days if the bites persisted.
A few days later we received a call, the bites were becoming more frequent and she had started noticing some tiny red spots on her bedding.
Our Survey to Look for Signs of Bed Bugs
We visited the flat in North London and during our inspection for bed bugs we found signs of larvae in her bed slats and bed bug skins which had been shed. We don’t always visit a property as often the signs of bed bugs are very clear and can be identified from a description over the phone or from a photos which you can send to us via our business WhatsApp or through our website contact page.
We advised the customer to immediately treat the infestation using heat treatment. Bed bugs are persistent pests and can be difficult to eradicate. Some pest controllers may recommend pesticides, but bed bugs have evolved and become resistant to many pesticides which are no longer effective at completely removing the infestation.
This was a small 1 bedroom flat so our advice was to treat the whole flat as bed bugs can travel between rooms and can easily hide in sofas and carpets as well as cracks within skirting boards. Did you know: Bed bugs can also travel on humans or pets or even on clothing, so the y spread very easily.
We arranged to return to the property 2 days later and left the customer our bed bug heat treatment preparation checklist to help her prepare for the heat treatment.
The Bed Bug Treatment Process
It was the day of the treatment, we arrived promptly at 8am in our van which is unmarked for discretion. The customer had prepared the flat having followed our separation list. We checked the items that could not be heated and treated these with insecticide before removing them from the property during treatment.
The customer had already turned up her heating a few hours before we arrived to raise the temperature of the flat. This helps, as it means that the flat was already beginning warm up before we started the heat treatment meaning we could reach the desired temperature much more quickly.
We used our small electric bed bug heater which was placed in the bedroom and situated our fans into the rooms to circulate the heat.
Once the heater was running, we closed all doors and windows and begun to heat the room. Within an hour and a half the property was up to 141 degrees Fahrenheit so we turned on the fans to agitate the air and circulate the heat around.
At this point the we leave the heater running to maintain the temperature and we use our thermal heat sensors to check for cold spots within each room. We have to move some smaller items around to ensure the bed bugs do not have any sanctuary from the heat.
We continue to monitor the temperature of each room for the next few hours, continually checking for cold spots and moving items if we need to.
During this time we start to notice bed bugs crawling around, they are looking for somewhere cold and away from the heat. There is nowhere for them to hide. We start to find dead bed bugs lying on the floor around the base of the bed and under the bed.
There are also signs of eggs and larvae on some of the bed slats, we use our microscope to get a better view.
We continue to apply heat to the property for a further hour to ensure that every bed bug, egg and larvae is killed.
After the Treatment
After the treatment was complete, we turned off our heat machine, removed our fans and clear up.
The flat was still very hot, so we open the windows to allow it to cool.
On her return to the property, we show the customer how many dead bed bugs there are and she is shocked.
Once complete, this heat treatment carries a 6-month guarantee, so if any signs of bed bugs are noticed we will return to re-treat the property.
Our Bed Bug Heat Treatment Guarantee
We are so confident in our service that we offer a 6 month guarantee with any bed bug heat treatment undertaken.
If you think you might have bed bugs, please visit our bed bug advice page or contact us to arrange a telephone consultation or a free no obligation quote. We have over 10 years of pest control experience and cover all areas of London, Hertfordshire, Essex, and Kent.
