Does Bed Bug Heat Treatment Kill Other Bugs?

Having any kind of bug infestation is no fun, least of all bed bugs. Waking up with bites and dealing with bed bug feces on your belongings is annoying at best and infuriating at worst. Of course, if you have bed bugs along with another type of bug, it’s even worse! You might wonder if you can get rid of both types of bugs in one go. Heat treatment is widely viewed as the most effective treatment for bed bugs. Will it kill other types of bugs too?

Why is Heat Treatment Effective? 

Heat treatment involves heating a home, business, or even a car to a temperature that will be fatal to bed bugs (approximately 130-145 degrees) for several hours. Bed bugs can’t stand the heat and will die after prolonged exposure. Heat treatment is one of the most effective treatments out there because heat permeates even the smallest of spaces. Since an adult bed bug is about the size of an apple seed, they can crawl into tiny spaces and hide. This is why chemical treatment isn’t always effective- most chemical treatments are absorbed through the skin of the bug. If a bug finds a good hiding spot and doesn’t get directly sprayed with chemicals, it escapes the treatment altogether and you still have an infestation. Heat, on the other hand, can find even the sneakiest bug.

What Other Bugs Can Heat Treatment Kill?

If you have problems with other bugs, you’re in luck! Heat treatment can also kill other common household pests, such as termites, stink bugs, fleas, and cockroaches. Termites and stink bugs have a similar heat tolerance to bed bugs- temperatures around 130 degrees Fahrenheit will eliminate them. 

Fleas and cockroaches are a bit trickier- they die at slightly higher temperatures, usually around 150-155 degrees Fahrenheit. However, heat treatment will kill all of these bugs as well as their eggs!

Are There Bugs That Will Resist Heat Treatment?

Now that we know that heat treatment kills a variety of household pests, you may be wondering if there are any pests that won’t be affected by heat. Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Flies, for example, actually thrive in higher temperatures. Once temperatures rise above 99 degrees Fahrenheit, it accelerates their life cycle. In normal temperatures, fly eggs take about 20 hours to hatch. However, once the temperature hits 99 degrees, that time is shortened to approximately 8 hours. 

Yellowjackets and other stinging insects also respond to heat treatment, though not in the way you want them to. Heat increases aggressiveness in these bugs, especially yellowjackets. Yellowjackets thrive in moist areas, so when it gets too hot and dry, they become more aggressive and more likely to sting. Heat will also speed up their life cycles as well, though this takes a bit more time than it does with flies. It takes about a week of temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit to double the size of a yellowjacket nest. If you do have yellowjackets, wasps, or hornets in your home, a bed bug heat treatment likely won’t cause a huge disaster, but it certainly won’t help. It’s a good idea to make sure your home is fly and yellowjacket-free before trying heat treatment.

Will Heat Treatment Kill Anything Else?

What if you’re dealing with pests in your home that aren’t bugs- for example, rodents? Rodents can cause damage in your home by chewing through wiring, and they can carry some infectious diseases. Long story short, heat treatment may or may not kill rodents. Rodents are pretty good escape artists when they need to be, and heating up your home may drive them out in search of cooler temperatures. However, temperatures above approximately 175 degrees Fahrenheit will kill viruses left behind by their feces or urine. Since that’s a higher temperature than is typically used for bed bug heat treatments, you may need a separate treatment to take care of a rodent problem.

Got a Pest Problem?

Don’t let the bugs take away your peace of mind, contact Bed Bug BBQ in Lakewood, OH instead! We use heat treatment to get rid of bed bugs. After this safe, effective treatment is completed in less than 24 hours, your home is guaranteed bed bug-free for 60 days! Contact Bed Bug BBQ today for a FREE quote and inspection at (216) 221-1227 or through our website, and check out our other bed bug informational resources on identification, prevention, and eradication.