Pest Control Treatment Spotlight: Heat Treatment

You run a hotel or guest house with a great reputation. One day, one of your housekeeping team reports that they think they've seen bed bugs. In blind panic, you go on the internet and buy a load of DIY pesticides. But they don't work. In fact the infestation is getting worse. Our advice? Ditch the pesticides and look to heat treatment.

What is heat treatment for bed bugs?

Heat treatment is a pest control method that uses heat to kill bed bugs rather than pesticides. This is important because there's growing evidence that bed bugs are becoming resistant to many pesticides. Then there's the fact that bed bugs are usually found in bedrooms; do you really want to be spraying toxic chemicals around indiscriminately where people sleep?

How does heat treatment kill bed bugs?

The bed bugs are targeted with temperatures of 45°C or more. At this temperature, a bed bug's DNA starts to break down and its cells cease to function properly. Vital functions can't take place and death will follow after 1-2 hours of targeted treatment.

Heat treatment seems expensive-why is that?

Heat treatments are more expensive than other treatments for a few reasons;

• Equipment is expensive- very powerful heaters are needed to heat up entire rooms or buildings to the required temperatures;
• Carrying out heat treatments is a specialist job that requires training, and it's not cheap.

If you see a pest control company offering heat treatment at bargain basement prices, it's going to be too good to be true. At best, you'll need multiple treatments, at worst, it just won't work and you're left with a worsening bed bug infestation on your premises.

Could you not use gas or steam in heat treatments?

No. The reason being that an important part of the process when it comes to wiping out bed bugs and their eggs is heating them so they are completely dried out. Gas or steam won't dry anything out and they increase the likelihood that furniture, mattresses, and bedding will be damaged, increasing the cost for you.

Need expert help with bed bugs?

Contego's highly trained technicians have successfully carried out heat treatments at countless hotels and other hospitality locations across the UK. With us, you're guaranteed a comprehensive survey and recommendations for the most effective treatment for your situation.

There'll never be any hidden costs involved and if we think your situation warrants further treatment or a different approach, you'll know this upfront.

We understand the panic you feel at having bed bugs on your property and we'll help resolve the issue quickly and safely.

If there are bed bugs on your premises, don't waste time with DIY treatments that might not work. Protect your business, your customers, and your reputation with professional pest control.