Bed Bug Basics and Identification: Myths, Facts and the Heat Solution
Bed bugs are excellent at hiding, slow to reveal themselves, and fast to spread if left unchecked. If you’re finding bites or dots on sheets, you deserve clear, evidence-based guidance—without drama. As heat-treatment specialists, ThermoPest focuses on what works consistently in real homes and businesses, using measured temperatures and comprehensive monitoring to remove bed bugs at every life stage.
What people believe vs reality
- Myth: “I’d see them if I had them.” Reality: Bed bugs are nocturnal and hide in seams, frames, and tiny cracks; most people never see a live bug at first.
- Myth: “Sprays will sort it.” Reality: Localised chemicals often miss eggs and hidden harbourages, and resistance is common.
- Myth: “No bites means no bugs.” Reality: Some people don’t react to bites at all; identification should rely on physical evidence, not skin reactions alone.
- Myth: “They only live in beds.” Reality: They harbour in skirting boards, sofas, headboards, wardrobes, and even screw holes—anywhere a credit card edge can slip.
Science-backed facts
Bed bugs and their eggs are killed by sustained heat when all parts of the room reach lethal temperatures. While adult bugs die quickly above the mid‑40s°C, eggs are more resilient and need consistent, penetrating heat. For a deeper dive into the numbers and exposure times, see what temperature kills bed bugs. The challenge is not just reaching temperature—it’s holding it and eliminating cold spots where eggs survive.
Common mistakes
- Over-reliance on aerosols or foggers that don’t penetrate seams or voids.
- Skipping the bed frame, headboard, and divan bases during checks.
- Bagging items without sealing properly, allowing hitchhikers to move around the property.
- Decluttering mid-treatment and unknowingly spreading bugs to new rooms.
- Stopping too soon—without post-treatment monitoring, a few survivors or reintroductions go unnoticed.
Practical advice you can do safely
- Confirm signs before acting: look for dark faecal spots, pale shed skins, eggs (pearl-white, 1 mm), and live bugs along mattress seams and furniture joints.
- Reduce hiding places: fit mattress and base encasements, tighten loose fixings, and repair peeling wallpaper.
- Vacuum methodically with a crevice tool, then bag and bin the vacuum contents immediately outside.
- Launder bedding and soft items on a hot wash/dry cycle; keep clean items sealed until treatment day.
- Follow a structured checklist when preparing your home for treatment to protect belongings and speed up successful results.
- Afterwards, monitor your property after treatment with interceptors and scheduled inspections to confirm clearance.
Why heat treatment is the superior solution
Whole-room heat treatment solves the two biggest technical problems: cold spots and egg resilience. Professional systems raise and hold air and surface temperatures evenly across the room, using fans to move heat into cracks and voids.
- Cold spots eliminated: Multiple sensors map temperatures at beds, skirting, sockets and deep harbourages, so the engineer can correct under-heated areas in real time.
- Sustained lethal temperature: It’s not a quick blast. We maintain the kill range long enough to overcome insulation around eggs and hidden bugs.
- All life stages: Correctly executed heat kills adults, nymphs, and eggs in one programme, avoiding the stop–start cycle of repeat spraying.
- Less disruption, no residues: No chemical odours and minimal downtime when the process is planned correctly.
To see exactly how we deliver this, review our bed bug heat treatment process. If you want the broader overview, our core service page explains when and why we use heat: bed bug heat treatment.
ThermoPest expertise
ThermoPest engineers specialise in precision heat, using calibrated sensors and continuous monitoring to confirm lethal temperatures have been reached and held throughout. We handle both domestic bedrooms and lounges and provide commercial heat treatment for hotels and landlords, where rapid turnaround and proof of clearance are essential.
FAQ’S
Question: How can I tell it’s bed bugs and not something else?
Answer: Bed bug evidence includes dark faecal spots that bleed slightly on fabric, pale shed skins, tiny pearl-white eggs, and live bugs hiding along seams and joints. Fleas tend to jump and are more often found on carpets and pets; bed bugs crawl and cluster near sleeping areas. DIY checks should focus on mattress seams, headboard fixings, and sofa frames with a torch and credit-card edge. As a safe first step, isolate the bed from the wall and fit encasements—then arrange a professional inspection for confirmation, as we do in practice.
Question: What temperature kills bed bugs and their eggs?
Answer: Adults and nymphs die quickly in the mid‑40s°C, but eggs require sustained heat and are the hardest to eliminate. The key is holding lethal temperatures long enough so that insulated harbourages and egg clusters also reach target heat. Household heaters or brief steaming often leave cold spots that let eggs survive. Use professional heat treatment that measures temperatures at multiple points to avoid misses; this is standard in professional practice.
Question: Why do bed bugs seem to come back after treatment?
Answer: Two reasons: survivors in cold spots or re‑introduction from travel, visitors, or second‑hand items. If temperatures were uneven or treatment ended too soon, eggs can hatch later and appear as a ‘return’. With re‑introduction, the original infestation was cleared but new bugs were brought in. Place interceptors under bed legs and keep luggage off beds after travel; confirmation monitoring for several weeks is routine in professional practice.
Question: Do sprays and foggers work on their own?
Answer: They can reduce visible activity but rarely resolve an infestation because they struggle to penetrate deep harbourages and do not reliably kill eggs. Resistance to certain insecticides is also widespread, and foggers can disperse bugs into adjacent rooms. If you use DIY methods, limit it to targeted crack-and-crevice work after vacuuming, and avoid overuse. Whole-room heat with sensor monitoring is the dependable core method in professional practice.
Question: What should I do before and after heat treatment?
Answer: Beforehand, declutter reasonably, bag-launder soft items, and follow a checklist to protect heat‑sensitive belongings. After treatment, avoid moving items between rooms, fit mattress encasements, and use interceptors to verify no ongoing activity. Monitoring for several weeks distinguishes a true clearance from re‑introduction. Structured preparation and follow-up are built into professional practice to lock in results.