Bed bugs are less susceptible to freezing temperatures and need to be exposed to the cold for approximately 2 to 4 days in order to kill them, a new study finds.
Exposing bed bugs to extremely low temperatures may be an effective pest control technique but researchers recently found that they're less susceptible to freezing temperatures than previously believed, according to a press statement.
Bed bugs like many other insects reduce the freezing point of their body fluids in order to survive in the cold. This survival technique is known as "freeze-intolerant." The new study conducted by researchers aimed at understanding the supercooling point (SCP) and lower lethal temperature (LLT) of bed bugs across all life stages. They also wanted to analyze their potential to feed after exposure to sub lethal temperatures.
Researchers found that in order to kill bed bugs, you need to expose them to temperatures below minus 16 degrees Celsius for at least 80 hours across all life stages. Exposure to temperatures below minus 15 degrees Celsius can achieve 100 percent mortality within 3 and half days while exposures to temperatures below minus 20 degrees can kill bed buds within 48 hours. Bed bugs can survive in temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees, provided the exposure time is short.
The findings can provide useful tips for homemakers who are looking for bug-control techniques. Saving bug-infested items in plastic bags put in the freezer for 2 to 4 days can kill these insects complete.
Other popular bed-bugs control techniques include:
- Vacuuming your home regularly
- Spraying alcohol on the bed bugs
- Use insecticides designed specially to kill bed bugs
- Apply silica gel in places that are vulnerable to such infections.
