Bed bugs, Cimex lectularius, reddish-brown, oval-shaped, flattened insects that are about 1 /4 inch long. Nymphs (immature bed bugs) resemble the adult bugs but are often smaller and lighter in color. Bed bugs usually feed on the blood of humans during the nighttime hours and crawl away to hide in nearby cracks, crevices, and recesses of furniture (especially mattresses) and walls of the home during the day. Most people experience itching, pain and/or swelling of the skin where a bed bug bite occurs (such as the arms, face, or back) within 1 day of a bite. Although the bites can cause considerable discomfort and loss of sleep, bed bugs do not transmit diseases after feeding on multiple hosts.

How Are Bed Bugs Spread?

Bedbugs are spread through the acquisition of infested second-hand furniture or by hitch-hiking on items used during travel such as suitcases, outerwear, and other belongings. Once established, bugs can then move throughout a building by crawling or transport on humans.

Who Is At Risk For Bed Bugs? 

Bed bugs are commonly found in large buildings such as apartments, dorms, prisons, hospitals, and hotels; however, infestations can also occur in private residences. Bed bugs are sometimes thought to occur only in poor and unsanitary conditions. This is not the case. Bed bugs can be found even in very clean environments.

The Heat Treatment

The best treatment for bed bugs is heat treatments. Here at Delsea Termite & Pest Control, we provide the most thorough heat treatments from beginning to end to make your home pest-free. 

Heat Remediation Treatment

Heat remediation is a proven non-chemical, environmentally friendly method of treating bed bugs. All insects have optimum living temperatures for growth, survival, and reproduction. All insects also have lethal temperature limits, at which all stages If the life cycle are eliminated. By targeting temperatures in the lethal range, the bed bug population can be eliminated. All life stages (adult, nymph, and eggs) die within minutes of reaching a temperature of 120 degrees F. During the thermal remediation process, temperatures in your home will be from 120 to 140 degrees F. These are lethal temperatures to bed bug populations but not hot enough to damage most household items.

How Long Do Heat Treatments Take? 

The length of service varies depending on the size of the structure, layout space, clutter, and materials structure is constructed of. Customers will need to vacate the premises for a period of approximately 8 – 10 hours…. possibly longer. It will take several hours to bring the structure up to the appropriate temperature, hold the temperature for the correct length of time, and then slowly bring the temperature of the structure back to down to a safe level for re-entry.

The Hybrid Application

After a thorough inspection, a careful preventative chemical application will also be performed to any non-heat treated areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, or uninfested areas. The technicians will also treat along baseboards, entrance ways, closets, electrical receptacles, and any other areas they deem neccesary. This treatment will prevent bed bugs from escaping the heat treatment and moving to other areas of the structure.