Will A Hair Dryer Kill Bed Bugs?

In my line of work as a pest control professional, I get to hear all sorts of queries from intending clients. While some of these questions may seem odd and totally out of place, many others are quite logical and fall along the lines of analytic reasoning. Among questions I get to receive, comes the “will a hairdryer kill bed bugs?” query.

Bed bug infestation is really a huge problem in most parts of the world, especially in North America. Most people will try out anything just to get rid of these pesky bloodsuckers, and using a hairdryer on bedbugs is one of them. Many people may have heard of how effective heat can be in getting rid of bed bugs. So, in their quest to apply this knowledge, they go around sourcing for heat-emitting objects. But do they really work?

Heat As A Treatment Option For Bed Bugs

Killing bed bugs with heat entail getting the interior of your home heated up to a level whereby these bugs cannot survive. It does not matter the hiding spots of these bugs; it’s done in such a way that the heat reaches every part of your apartment or building. This treatment option is usually used to kill a full-blown bed bug infestation, targeting the bed bug eggs and larvae. The entire process is usually handled by a team of pest control professionals. They are able to monitor the process to ensure that things are kept safe and don’t get out of hand.

The optimal temperature to kill bed bugs (including all stages in its lifecycle) is from 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature must be maintained for a long period of time to ensure that all bugs are eradicated, including the ones hiding in hard-to-reach spots. To achieve the desired effect, pest control professionals use specially designed heaters to raise the temperature towards any bug-infested area. Monitors are used in circulating this lethal temperature to the hiding spots of these bugs, killing them instantly.

Will This Treatment Work?

This treatment will only work in apartments and buildings that are designed to retain heat. An artificial heat barrier can be created, as you do not want to generate heat only to have them escape through windows and doors. The stress and all of going about this whole process usually dissuade its application.

Applying Hair Dryers To Bed Bug

Will a hairdryer kill bed bugs? No, hairdryers will not be able to generate enough heat to fill the entire room, including areas that are often difficult to access, such as furniture crevices, cracks in walls, and under carpets. Moreover, most of these hair dryers do not go beyond the required 150 degrees Fahrenheit needed to kill the bed bugs.

Using hair dryers to kill bed bugs also means relying on the premise that these bugs will stay in easy-to-be-seen spots, which usually is not the case. These bloodsucking critters are subtle and will hide out in the least obvious places in our homes.

Microwave Ovens, Space Heaters, Grills, Boilers, Electric Irons, and other heat-emitting household items, are some of the objects that people find useful in getting rid of bed bugs. You can’t blame them, though. Bed bug problems can be so frustrating that you’re left with no choice but to think “outside the box.” Butt in your quest to be rid of your bed bug problems do not cause bodily harm to yourself and maybe set fire to your property. The heat treatment option should only be handled by professionals. They’re able to evaluate your home and decide the best approach to adopt, using the latest heating technology.

So, coming to our query once again, “will a hairdryer kill bed bugs?” Unless you want to follow each bug whenever you see them around and apply heat individually to each one of them until the entire population dies off, then yes, hairdryers can kill bed bugs. I will love to see how you go about this, though.