Summer is a great season for a barbecue- but it’s also the prime season for bed bugs.
This summer, and the rest of the year, don’t take unnecessary risks that can cause a fire just to get rid of an insect problem. We don’t just mean the “do it yourself”-ers who have used gasoline, kerosene, blow dryers, heat guns, cigarettes, and more to try to get rid of their bed bugs and caused fires in the process. Those people are eligible for the Darwin Awards.
We’re again warning about the fire risks from professional thermal heat (radiant heat) bed bug treatments.
WHAT IS THE METHOD? RADIANT OR THERMAL HEAT TREATMENT
Heat used at high temperatures can be a very effective method in killing bed bugs and their eggs. The pest control companies are creating fire-like conditions to dehydrate any bugs in the treatment area.
Radiant dry heat is a physical means of eliminating bed bugs. To kill bed bugs with heat the service provider needs to raise the temperature of an entire room including all the areas the bugs are hiding, to 140 degrees for 0-2 hours, 130 degrees for at 1-3 hours for a slower kill, or above a minimum 113 degrees for 2-7 hours. The process, using giant heaters and fans and sensors measuring temperatures and preventing fire suppression systems from activating, takes around 8 hours including the set up, heating, and cooling of the rooms treated.
WHY DO CUSTOMERS CHOOSE THIS METHOD?
The main appeals of the treatment are:
• It is a physical, not chemical approach, and bed bugs are resistant or immune to most chemicals
• It is done in a single day, as opposed to 2 or more treatments over a 2-3 week period,
• There are fewer preparations than other physical treatment methods
IS A PROFESSIONAL BED BUG HEAT TREATMENT SAFE?
NO. IT’S UNSAFE AT THE TIME OF TREATMENT:
Professionals using heat treatments have burned down buildings in other cities. See:
- Dayton, Ohio: A bed bug heat treatment set fire to a home.
- Manchester, New Hampshire: Blaze caused by heaters used by pest control company.
- Edmonton, Canada: Radiant heat treatments caused a large blaze that had 60 firefighters called in to put out a fire in a four story apartment building that had $3.5 million in damage.
- Cincinnati, Ohio: Bed Bug Heat Treatment burned down a home.
AND A HEAT TREATMENT COMPROMISES SAFETY AFTERWARD: IT MAKES HOMES LESS SAFE AFTER TREATMENTS ARE COMPLETED
Bed Bug Heat Treatments Often Damage Sprinkler Systems – so the treatment increases fire risks even after the bed bug service is complete.
According to the National Pest Management Association, Heat also may compromise the future effectiveness of a sprinkler, which may result in property damage, or human injury or fatality. There also is potential liability if a PMP disables a fire suppression system without an appropriate license or, if while the treatment is being performed, a fire occurs while the system is disabled.
The NPMA warns in its bed bug protection guides that 11.3.3.4.6. Potential heat damage to certain materials, including the risk of activating automatic fire suppression systems (sprinklers). Care should be taken to safeguard these materials and systems. (page 13)
The treatment area may also become a fire hazard after treatment because the heat dries out the wood beams and furniture.
Put simply – heat treatments are not worth the risk to your life, health, and home- or to that of your neighbors and firefighters. Choose a safe, thorough, and effective method, such as InstantFreeze to solve your bed bug issues.