[Bed Bugs] Heat

Anyone involved in the pest management industry knows that bed bugs are a growing problem. As it becomes increasingly common for people to travel from one site to another, within their community, state to state, or abroad, they often unknowingly carry these unwelcome travelers along with them. From hotel rooms back to single-family homes or from dorm rooms to apartments, bed bugs are making their way to new places throughout the world, and it is the pest management industry’s responsibility to react accordingly.

A number of treatment options, such as traditional chemical applications, organic treatments, "quick freezing" and steaming all have been promoted and used in the battle to control and eliminate bed bugs. For the most part, these treatments require that the bed bug be touched directly by the control agent in its original form — often easier said than done. One such example is the use of essential plant oil treatments. Many of these products kill bed bugs on contact, but once the material volatilizes, we cannot expect any residual effect.

Using these processes as standalone efforts for removing bed bugs may result in unacceptable success rates and continuing bed bug issues for customers, but Massey Services, in partnership with precision heat and control manufacturer Chromalox (www.chromalox.com), has developed a way to increase success rates tremendously with wide area heat remediation treatment.

HOW IT WORKS. For the past five years, Massey Services has recommended this new form of treatment to customers who have found their living spaces afflicted by bed bugs. While this treatment option is considered effective on its own, when integrated with other pest management techniques, success rates are dramatically enhanced.

When using heat remediation, a custom-built heater raises the temperature of the affected area above the lethal range for insects. In addition, due to the dynamic nature of heat vs. spot, crack and crevice or void applications, this treatment option is truly multi-dimensional. This means that as one layer heats, that layer will then heat additional layers behind it, those heated layers then pass heat energy to the next, and so on. Using a wall as an example, once the drywall heats to a temperature capable of killing bed bugs, the energy in the drywall heats the wood structures and void layers behind it. With training and experience, the PMP can develop the knowledge to expect these secondary and tertiary layers to then heat to temperatures capable of killing bed bugs as well.

In order to effectively utilize this bed bug treatment option, it is critical for PMPs to keep a number of important factors in mind. Here are five factors you need to be aware of:

1. Heat can be generated from many sources of energy — steam, glycol systems, direct fire and electricity. Before a PMP offers heat as an option, he must ensure he is trained on the use and maintenance of the heat-generating equipment. These are not plug-and-play devices. For Massey Services, electrical power is the choice as our PMPs can most often access the electrical power needed from within the treated structure.

2. It is important that any PMP who recommends heat treatment have a basic understanding of heat dynamics. A working knowledge of how heat energy moves through the environment and is absorbed or insulated by the different objects and surfaces is critical. In fact, many materials that you would expect to be heat insulators or conductors are not.

3. PMPs must be aware of local, state, and federal laws regarding fire suppression/sprinkler systems. We typically work with the customer’s fire suppression vendor when modifications to the system are required for heat remediation treatment.

4. It is also critical to know what has to be removed from an environment before a heat remediation treatment occurs and what should be left in the environment. Certain plastics (vinyl), medications, aerosols and oil paintings are examples of items that can be damaged by elevated temperatures. By the same token, many items that you may be concerned about heating actually withstand elevated temperatures quite well. One of the common reasons that heat remediation treatment does not have a 100 percent success rate is because the customer (or PMP) reintroduces infected material that had been removed before the treatment began. If it doesn’t have to be removed, keep it in the space and heat it. There is a much better chance of attaining a successful treatment.

5. PMPs should have a well-designed heat remediation program in place before offering this as an option to customers. This detailed step-by-step process should be explained in advance to customers to ensure that they understand how this treatment option works, what is expected of them, what you expect to accomplish, and what they can expect as a result of the treatment.

FINAL THOUGHTS. To Massey Services, the benefits of this developing form of bed bug treatment are apparent. We are now working on the fifth version of the ThermEx Heater with Chromalox. Heat remediation treatments are environmentally responsible, can often be completed in one day and are incredibly effective ways to dramatically decrease the bed bug conundrum that has been plaguing customers for decades. Massey Services uses heat treatment as part of an integrated approach that includes customer and technician training, detailed inspections, and some traditional applications — for success rates customers appreciate.

Author’s note: If you are interested in learning more about bed bug heat remediation and would like to speak to Tom Jarzynka, technical and training director at Massey Services, call him at 407/645-2500. Jarzynka was instrumental in designing the ThermEx bed bug heating equipment manufactured by Chromalox as well as developing the Massey Services’ Bed Bug Heat Remediation Program.

The author is technical and training director for Massey Services, Orlando, Fla. He can be reached at tjarzynka@giemedia.com.