Do I Need a Bed Bug Heat Treatment?

One of the more common questions asked of me after confirming an infestation is: what treatment will be best for me? The most common treatment options employed today are chemical, heat, or cryogenic, with the former being the most popular. All levels of infestation and treatment options are an investment in time, money, and mental health. Let us take a look at how they have measured up to customer standards throughout the years as experienced through the eyes of a pest professional.

Cryogenic Treatment

Method of Eradication: Freezing

Cost: High

Preparation: Moderate

Retreat Rate: 25%

Pest Professional Grade: C-

Cryogenic treatments freeze the insects on contact. While doing studies with one of the largest pest control providers in the world, freezing bed bugs was found to be ultimately unreliable. Seeing as most hard to reach places received little or no treatment, this well-intended green option has lost its luster and falls to the bottom of our list.

Heat Treatment

Method of Eradication: Sustained 150 Degree Heat

Cost: High

Preparation: Moderate

Retreat Rate: 5%

Pest Professional Grade: A-

The second of our two green options was found to be much more effective at ridding customers of bed bugs. The treatment is conveniently performed in one day. This option was found to be best used for those that have difficulty conforming to the more demanding preparation of a traditional chemical treatment or those with very high insect activity rates. Rising temperatures were found to further embed insects in a structure in select cases. While getting rid of your bed bugs in one day is indeed the greatest feature of this treatment, be prepared to pay approximately 2 ½ times what you would expect to pay with the more traditional chemical option.

Chemical Treatment

Method of Eradication: Contact Killers, Residual Materials, and Insect Growth Regulators

Cost: Moderate

Preparation: High

Retreat Rate: >1%

Pest Professional Grade: A+

While your regular chemical treatment is most effective and least costly, the average duration of time taken to perform this three part service is 21 days. This is by far the most sought after treatment option. With initial reactions from those infested being one of panic, chemical solutions do not seem to be the most attractive. However, once we compare price and effectiveness, you can see why over 95% of all those seeking solutions for getting rid of bed bugs choose approved pesticides applied by a licensed pest professional to do so.