The cold months are up ahead and you might be feeling the cool breeze of the winter season. There’s so much to worry about, including the condition of your plumbing pipes, which may freeze and burst during the cold months. Many homeowners also worry about their bed bug problem and are constantly looking for potential solutions.
Unfortunately, bed bugs are resilient and a little drop in temperature won’t stop these little critters from sucking your blood while you sleep. Those bite marks could leave you uncomfortable and agitated all the time due to the consistent itchy feeling. The good news is that you can do something to curb the problem.
The best thing you can do is hire a professional heat bedbug treatment service in your area. Pest control companies can tailor their service to meet your specific needs.
Bedbugs and Temperature
Freezing temperatures can kill almost anything given enough time. For bedbugs, even temperatures as low as -10°F to -15°F are not problems. It would take up to three days to kill bedbugs at those temperatures. Bedbugs are actually more vulnerable to extreme heat. Heat treatments that raise the temperature of a room to 145°F can usually kill bedbugs and their eggs within a few hours. This makes it an effective solution to the persistent problem with blood-sucking bedbugs.
A Winter Respite
While bedbugs don’t actually die in winter, they do go into a hibernation-like state when temperatures drop below 60°F. Bedbugs are less active and their development or maturation is impeded or halted. The cold doesn’t kill them and they’ll soon start growing, feeding, and multiplying once the temperature starts to rise.
Modern housing, however, will have insulation from the cold and some sort of heating — inadvertently protecting bedbugs from extreme cold as well. Unless you keep your windows open and keep your heating off, it is doubtful that temperatures will drop to the point of putting bedbugs into hibernation.
Preparing for Spring
While the bedbugs are a little less active, it might be a good time to start decluttering and fixing up the house. Use specially-designed bedbug covers on your mattresses. Limit or do away with possible bedbug hiding places in your room and wash your bed sheets, blankets, and whatever linen you have in your bed regularly. Don’t forget to heat dry to get rid of pesky bedbug eggs. Seal every crack in your room and do a thorough vacuum cleaning of your bedroom.
Bedbugs are resilient. Winter may slow them down, but it won’t kill them. Do as much as you can to hinder their growth, but don’t hesitate to call specialists if you feel the need to do so. Sometimes, there’s nothing left to do but leave the job to the professionals.
Choose a pest control company that uses safe and environment-friendly procedures to treat bedbug infestations. They have the tools, skills, and experience to remove those pesky creatures from your lovely home. You can focus on enjoying the winter season if you have fewer things to worry about.
