Back on Friday, September 23rd, the CDC released their weekly report: Acute Illnesses Associated With Insecticides Used to Control Bed Bugs — Seven States, 2003–2010. The report details a variety of problems that have occurred from the miss-use of pesticides to kill bed bugs. The errors range from over application to untrained application to just not following the instructions. The stories are sad because I understand what these people are going through. They just want the bed bugs are gone and their life back. But pesticides are not the answer.
The CDC actually states in their report that “CDC and EPA promote integrated pest management (IPM) for bed bug control. IPM is an effective pest control method that uses information on the life cycle of the pest and incorporates non-chemical and chemical methods. Non-chemical methods used to effectively control bed bugs include heating infested rooms to 118°F (48°C) for 1 hour.”
Finally! Validation for what I have been talking about! Heat is the best method to kill bed bugs. Now I will say, I disagree on their temperature and time period, it is low on both accounts. But that is addressed in a different blog.
May the heat be with you!
For more information regarding bed bug detection and eradication, call Red Coat Services, LLC., your bed bug answer at 404-724-8999. You can also visit our Google+ page for more bed bug details.