A heater is great for ensuring that your stuff is purged from any unwanted bed bugs, but you will still need to eliminate the source of your problem in order to full remove them from your life.
Want to learn more about bed bug heaters and how they work? Keep on reading!
If used correctly, a bed bug heater can save you thousands in exterminator costs and fees. What’s even more interesting, is that if you end up calling an exterminator, the treatment that they will most likely provide will ALSO be heat.
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What Is a Bed Bug Heater?
A bed bug heater is literally a heater designed to kill bed bugs, not keep them warm. Most products look like boxes made of materials that trap heat inside.
People can place their possessions in the box, zip it close, and then turn on the heater. The temperature kills bed bug adults, nymphs, and eggs while avoiding potentially toxic products.
When Did Heaters First Come Into Use?
Using heat against bed bugs is a more recent development from the last two decades. Bed bugs have grown increasingly resistant to common pesticides like DDT and are intelligent enough to avoid areas where chemicals have been sprayed
Because of their resistance and their increasing numbers, bed bugs have become a major menace for people everywhere. Professional pest control companies have started to use special heaters to treat entire properties, while some manufacturers make portable heaters seen in this article.
Did You Know
Bed bug heaters are designed to kill bed bugs at every stage (egg, nymph, and adult)!
How Do Bed Bug Heaters Work?
Bed bug heaters are simple devices.
They’re designed to heat up small and large spaces to a temperature where the bed bugs will die. They’re powered by electricity (smaller heaters) or propane (larger heaters).
They are ideal for people who want to avoid chemical insecticides when trying to rid themselves of bed bugs.
Watch the video below to get a sense of how much work needs to be done to get rid of these pests.
When Would You Ever Use a Bed Bug Heater?
At first glance, you may be wondering, “When the heck would I use this contraption?”
It’s a valid point, but there are a few key situations in which a bed bug heater would be perfect. This goes double if you are the type of person who doesn’t like spraying insecticides all over their home. Heat treatments are chemical-free.
Read Also: What are the best bed bug traps?
Our first example where you might use a heater is when coming home from a trip.
The increased travel across the globe is the main cause of the increase in bed bug problems. If you’re going to get bed bugs, it’s most likely because you were traveling somewhere and brought them home.
For most consumers (aka normal people) bed bug heaters are perfect to use to ensure that if bed bugs made there way inside you luggage or suitcase they’d be dead.
The idea would be that you’d place your belongings inside the heater when you get home, which would kill any bugs that may have come with you.
Read Also: How do bed bugs move around?
If you ever get bed bugs (god forbid), you could use heaters to purge any bed bugs that may be hiding inside your belongings.
Once you’ve passed your clothes through the heaters, you would seal them up inside plastic bags and store them somewhere safe.
For large infestations, exterminators will heat up an entire house to at least 140 degrees to kill the bed bugs.
Why Does Heat Kill Bed Bugs?
Most living creatures have a minimum and maximum temperature where their bodies begin to shut down. Scientists call this temperature a “thermal death point.” For bed bugs, this is roughly 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heaters cause the pests to become lethargic, and their bodies begin to slow and eventually cease all nervous function. Bed bugs need to be exposed to this thermal death point for roughly 30-90 minutes for the heat to fully affect their bodies.
How To Pick a Good Heater?
A good bed bug heater is one that meets the necessary temperature of 113 degrees Fahrenheit and can eliminate bed bugs.
Besides these two requirements, it’s also important to find a heater that can fit your possessions and won’t tax the electrical system of your home. These factors combined can help you determine whether a product will be good for you or not.
Portable bed bug heaters come in many shapes and sizes. While some can hold items that are up to 36 in. (3ft) long and 36 in. (3ft) wide, many others can only handle items that are 10 in. or less.
Before ordering a heater, it’s important to determine which possessions will need to be treated. Pick a heater that meets your needs, if not your wallet.
If you have couches and beds you want to heat up, you’ll need to opt for a larger device, but if you just want to heat up clothing, then a smaller unit should be fine.
It’s important to read the energy requirements for each product. Larger heaters might need more power than the electrical outlets in a pre-WWII building can provide.
Some bed bug heaters can also be huge energy drains or struggle to reach the proper temperature. Remember, the heater needs to reach and sustain a temperature of at least 113-117 degrees Fahrenheit for a couple of hours to eliminate bed bug adults, nymphs, and eggs.
We do recommend making the investment into larger heater. Even though larger heaters are more expensive, you can place bigger items (like whole suit cases, furniture, beds, etc) into the enclosed space. This could save you thousands of dollars if you were to ever get a bed bug problem. Rather then throwing away your stuff, you could put it all inside a heater.
Top 5 Best Bed Bug Heaters
In the below section we break down each of our product recommendations in a little more detail.
- The ZappBugg Heater (best value bed bug heater)
- The ZappBug Oven 2 (if cost isn’t a concern)
- ZappBug Heat Chamber (best for large furniture)
- Dr. Infrared Heater Bed Bug Heater
- ThermalStrike Ranger Bed Bug Heater
The ZappBug Heater
The ZappBug Heater is one of the smaller, more portable bed bug eliminators on the market. It measures 23 in. X 37.5 in. X 23 in. and can be folded flat for easy storage and portability.
The product uses one central heater to control the temperature within the zippered pouch. The temperature rises to roughly 130 degrees Fahrenheit, which is enough to kill adults, nymphs, and bed bug eggs.
This device weighs roughly 10 lbs. and can hold an additional 10 lbs. of items. It is easy to clean and can kill bed bugs within hours. I recommend this product to people on a budget and don’t want to spend too much on a heater.
The ZapBugg Oven 2
The ZappBugg Oven 2 is a portable heater designed to eliminate bed bugs from clothes and other possessions. The device can be folded flat and unfolds to form a large box sealed with a zipper. The patented design keeps heat inside and has two 1500 watt heaters.
This product is environmentally friendly and avoids chemicals and pesticides. It measures roughly 3 ft. X 3 ft. X 3 ft and it’s cheaper than many other heaters of its size.
Since the heater can be brought to different locations, we recommend the product to travelers. However, due to its power requirements, it works best for people who can plug it into power at home.
ZappBug Heat Chamber
The ZappBug Heat Chamber is largest product offered, providing a very large space measuring 80”x111”x 57.5” inches.
For infestations, exterminators tend to recommend heat chambers like these to homeowners that want to save their larger belongings (beds, couches, etc).
You can rent them but the rental costs are very close to the cost of the actual product, which has most folks taking the plunge and investing in one for life.
Dr. Infrared Heater Bed Bug Heater
This newly upgraded portable bed bug heater from Dr. Infrared Heater kills bed bugs within minutes. It has a large accommodating chamber that fits most luggage items, and with its powerful infrared heating system can kill bed bugs at every life stage.
The huge treatment chamber measures 38″x38″x26″ and can quickly reach up to 155 degrees Fahrenheit without preheating.
The Dr. Infrared Heater Bed Bug Heater features a two-tier rack system that accommodates many personal items. It also includes a thermometer with an alarm, and it’s fully portable and collapsible, so you can take it almost anywhere.
ThermalStrike Ranger Bed Bug Heater
This professional-grade bed bug heater from ThermalStrike uses a six-sided heating system to knock out even the most stubborn infestations, and it does it without any harmful chemicals.
The secret is in its surrounding heating system that raises the temperature to over 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
This large capacity unit can hold linens, clothing, and most personal effects for simple bed bug treatments.
You can achieve precision monitoring with the seven thermostats that are included. Also, the outer insulation will protect you from inner heating up to temperatures reaching 155 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you’re looking for professional pest control help, use the tool below to get estimates from local professionals:
