There are numerous methods designed to eradicate a bed bug problems. Some popular ones are chemical foggers, excessive vacuuming, and heat treatment. Bed bug heat treatment equipment in St. Louis is quite simple and only takes a few hours. Here is an explanation of what a heat treatment is.

Bed Bug Anatomy
Bed bugs are often described as a mutated hybrid between a cockroach and a mosquito. These small bugs are parasitic, feeding on the blood of often times various mammals. The are nocturnal, moving around in the dark of night. Like mosquitoes, they live to bite their unsuspecting human host multiple times and suck their blood. Most people are allergic to the bites, which leave itchy rash all over the body. Like cockroaches and other nocturnal bugs, bed bugs are very difficult to find the whole colony because they like to hide away in hard to reach areas. Unlike roaches, bed bugs do not carry any pathogens or other disease causing microorganisms.

Chemical Insecticides
Bed bugs have been around for centuries, as long as humans have been living and sleeping in organized areas. The most effective treatments were various insecticides that controlled the population. There are several hundred different chemical agents designed to cause different damage to the bug. Some of the chemicals are designed to prevent the current bugs from multiplying or from the eggs and larvae from reaching adulthood. Others are made to promote dehydration in the individual bugs, speeding their death. Some of the chemicals react on a cellular level, breaking down the cells in the bug causing them to die. Unfortunately, bed bugs were wiped out in the western hemisphere until humans began travelling around the country. Bed bugs, like other bugs, do not magically appear. Adults need to be introduced to an environment where they begun to feed and multiply. Now, the bugs are becoming resistant ot some of the common chemicals used.

Heat Treat
Heat treatments take a different approach, focusing on a natural characteristic of the bed bugs. All stages of the bed bug development are susceptible to temperatures over 118° . When exposed to temperatures this high for 90 minutes, the adult bugs as well as eggs begin to die. A higher temperature of 122° causes the bugs to begin dying immediately. The heat causes the bugs to dehydrate, drying them out until their cells stop functioning. Most companies will use the same procedures for heat treating bed bugs. They will bring in enough heaters to raise the interior temperature to a range of 135° -145°. By raising the temperature this high, they can ensure that the temperature levels are high enough inside walls or furniture to take care of hiding bugs. In order to ensure the whole colony is killed, the temperature needs to be held at the high temperature for several hours depending on the size of the home. Humans and pets will have to vacate the house to avoid potential danger.