Using Heat to
Kill Bed Bugs
Dini M. Miller, Ph.D., Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech
Introduction
Bed bugs are an incredibly difficult pest to control because they are so good at hiding in tiny cracks and crevices.
Also, modern bed bug populations are highly resistant to the insecticides used for their control. Because bed bugs are
difficult to access, and our insecticides do not work as well as we would like, home owners and pest management
professionals have been searching for novel ways to kill bed bugs inside a structure.
Heat is known to be a very effective bed bug killer and it can be used in many different ways to treat infestations.
For instance, heat in the form of steam can be used to treat bed bugs in carpets, behind base boards and on upholstered
furniture. Hot dryers and portable heat chambers can be used to kill bed bugs in infested household items. Larger
heat chambers can be used to treat furniture, while professional heating systems can be used to treat entire rooms
and structures.
Heat treatment offers certain advantages when it comes to bed
bug management. Heat is non-toxic, and can kill all bed bug life stages
including bed bug eggs. However, heat treatment of any kind (except
your home clothes dryer) is still relatively expensive and has no residual
(long lasting) activity. The lack of residual activity means that bed bugs
can re-infest again the day after treatment. Still, heat treatment is one
of the more effective tools that we have in the fight against bed bugs.
The following information is provided as an introduction to the
various types of heat treatments available. The advantages and disad-
vantages of each type of treatment are discussed in addition to their
approximate costs. Keep in mind that while the whole room heating systems are sold as stand-alone treatments,
most heat treatments need to be used in combination with other non-chemical and/or chemical methods to control
an infestation.
Recent research has determined the thermal death points (the temperature at which a bed bug dies) for bed bugs
and their eggs. The thermal death point is determined by two things; temperature, and exposure time. Bed bugs ex-
posed to 113°F will die if they receive constant exposure to that temperature for 90 minutes or more. However, they
will die within 20 minutes if exposed to 118°F. Interestingly, bed bug eggs must be exposed to 118°F for 90 minutes
to reach 100% mortality. Note that whole room heat treatments (see below) are based on a thermal death point of
113°F, yet these treatments have been very successful. This is due to the use of powerful fans to create convection
currents within the heated room. These currents heat the bed bugs very rapidly, thus increasing their mortality.
Treating Infested Items:
The Clothes Dryer. One of the difficulties we face eliminating infestations is treating all of the household items
that bed bugs are able to infest. Insecticides cannot be applied on household items like toys, clothes, shoes, or bedding.
Fortunately, a household dryer is excellent for killing bed bugs on these items. A loosely filled dryer set on “high” is
capable of killing all bed bug life-stages and their eggs in 30 minutes. A dryer with a removable shelf is excellent for
killing bed bugs on items that cannot be tumbled, like leather shoes, handbags, knick-knacks, even books. However,
the drying time may need to increase to make sure all items reach the bed bug thermal death point.
Portable Heating Devices. Currently, there is one portable electric heating device on the market designed for killing
bed bugs. This is the PackTite
®
portable bed bug heater. The PackTite
®
was originally intended for heat treating suit-
cases. However, this portable heat chamber is also effective for treating other items such as backpacks, clothing, sleeping
bags, tools, books, CDs, shoes, purses, and pillows. The PackTite
®
is basically a collapsible duffle bag that contains a