How does heat treatment for bed bugs work?
Technicians bring in heaters and fans to raise the temperature of a room or home until the hidden cracks where bed bugs live reach a lethal temperature. Virginia Cooperative Extension puts the thermal death point at 118°F for adults and nymphs and 122°F for eggs. Good treatments measure those hard-to-heat spots, hold the heat for hours and leave you documentation.
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By Kasra Taheri, Founder, LoclisPublished
Researched and drafted with AI, then checked claim by claim against the sources listed below before it was published. Prices and rules change; the dates beside each source say when it was last checked.
Step by step
Read when to stop and call a pro, further down this page, before you start.
Step 1: Ask how the heat is monitored
Before you pay, ask how the technician will measure temperatures in floor-wall junctions, closets and drawers, not just the air.[1]
Step 2: Get the company's prep list
A list of items that must be removed should be provided before the treatment date so you can prepare.[1]
Step 3: Remove heat-sensitive items
Take out houseplants, pets, candles, lipstick and combustibles such as aerosol cans and cigarette lighters.[1]
Step 4: Open closets, cabinets and drawers
Opening them lets heated air reach the cracks and crevices inside.[1]
Step 5: Be present or check in
Watching shows whether the technician is repositioning heaters and checking temperatures regularly.[1]
Step 6: Ask for documentation
Request before and after photographs and records showing every location reached lethal temperature.[1]
Step 7: Book the follow-up inspection
Confirm a follow-up inspection within a week, and ask whether a residual dust will be applied in hard-to-heat spots.[1]
The short version
A bed bug heat treatment raises the temperature of your home until the places bed bugs actually hide, not just the air, reach a lethal temperature. Virginia Cooperative Extension puts the thermal death point at 118°F for adults and nymphs and 122°F for eggs.[1] The air has to get much hotter than that for the cracks to catch up.
What happens on treatment day
Technicians set up electric, propane or heated-glycol heaters with fans, then run them for hours. Many heat treatment technicians aim to get the ambient temperature up to 135°F and then leave the heaters in place for four to five hours.[1]
The air temperature is only a means to an end. Extension notes that ambient temperature is no predictor of the temperature at floor-wall junctions, or the spaces underneath baseboards.[1] So a competent technician places sensors in those hard-to-heat spots, watches the readings and moves equipment. Researchers found that the technician may have to reposition the heaters, fans or tubing every 20 minutes in individual rooms.[1]
Once the room reaches temperature, a good technician stands mattresses on end and pulls cushions off couches to expose hiding bugs suddenly, so they have no time to escape.
Where heat works less well
Size and layout matter. In a multi-story home, it may be advantageous to hire a company that uses a heat system with multiple heaters, so that they can be placed directly into individual rooms.[1] Extension also cautions that heat treatment may not be advantageous in certain environments, such as dormitories with drop ceilings or trailer homes with spaces between the exterior sheathing and the interior drywall,[1] because bugs escape into cooler spaces.
Heat is not a sure thing either. It is very common to have a few bed bug survivors after a heat treatment,[1] and heat alone has no lasting effect: Heat treatment alone has no lasting (residual) effect should bed bugs be reintroduced into the dwelling.[2] The upside is speed, since infestations can often be eliminated in one day.[2]
How to prepare
You will get a list of things to remove from the home. A list of the items that must be removed should be provided by the heat treatment company prior to the treatment date.[1] Typically that means all houseplants, pets, candles, lipstick, and combustibles (aerosol cans and cigarette lighters) should be removed from the inside of the home.[1] Heavy cleaning is mostly unnecessary; Extension's view is that clutter removal should not be required as part of heat treatment preparation.[1] For the full checklist, see how to prepare your home for a bed bug treatment.
What to ask the company
- How will you measure? Ask where the sensors go and how readings are recorded.
- How many heaters, and where? More heaters placed in the rooms beat one heater and long tubing in a larger home.
- Who does the work? Virginia companies who only do heat treatments are not required to be certified pest management professionals.[1] Applying pesticides is different: no one may apply or recommend a pesticide commercially in Virginia without a pesticide business license and a certified commercial applicator on staff.[4]
- What documentation do I get, and when is the follow-up? Your pest management company needs to provide a follow-up inspection within a week.[1]
- What does it cost? Virginia Cooperative Extension, in a publication dated February 23, 2024, says heat treatments range in cost from $500.00 to $5000.00 depending on the size of the home and the number of technicians needed.[1] Get the quote in writing.
Do not try this with a space heater
Raising the temperature yourself does not work. The EPA warns: Do not try to kill bed bugs by increasing your indoor temperature with a thermostat, propane space heater, or fireplace - this does not work and is dangerous.[3] For clothes, shoes and linens, you can use a clothes dryer on high heat.[3]
Stop and call a pro if
- You see live bed bugs again after a treatment. Report it to the company and ask for the follow-up inspection.
- You have been bitten or find bugs in more than one room or in a neighboring unit. Tell your landlord in writing.
- A company wants payment up front but will not explain how it measures temperatures or gives no documentation.
- Anyone suggests heating the home with propane heaters or a fireplace on your own. Do not do this.
Getting help in Virginia
To size up the problem first, read how to check a mattress for bed bugs, then see what bed bug treatment costs in Virginia. Renters should also read whether your landlord is responsible for bed bugs. Browse pest control services or more pest control answers.
When you are ready, describe the job on Loclis so licensed pest control businesses can quote it in writing.
Common questions
- What temperature kills bed bugs?
- Virginia Cooperative Extension puts the thermal death point at 118°F for adults and nymphs and 122°F for eggs. Because bugs hide in cracks, those hidden spots must reach 122°F, not just the room air.
- Can I heat my home with space heaters or the thermostat to kill bed bugs?
- No. The EPA says not to try to kill bed bugs by raising the indoor temperature with a thermostat, propane space heater or fireplace, because it does not work and is dangerous. Professional treatment uses special equipment and monitoring.
- Is heat treatment a one-and-done fix?
- Not always. Heat can often eliminate an infestation in a day, but Virginia Cooperative Extension notes it is very common to have a few survivors, and heat leaves no residual effect against bugs brought in later. Ask about the follow-up inspection.
- Do I need to throw out clutter before a heat treatment?
- Usually not. Extension researchers say clutter removal should not be required, though stacked boxes and bags against walls may need to be moved so those areas can heat. Follow the company's list for heat-sensitive items.
- Can I do a heat treatment myself?
- Not for a whole room or home. The EPA says do-it-yourself heat treatments might not work and that professionals have access to more intensive and proven methods. A clothes dryer on high heat is the home option, for clothes, shoes and linens.
Sources
- [1] Bed Bug Heat Treatments: What you need to know (ENTO-583NP), Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech. Checked October 27, 2026.
- [2] Bed Bugs (Entfact 636), University of Kentucky Department of Entomology. Checked October 27, 2026.
- [3] Do-it-yourself Bed Bug Control, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked October 27, 2026.
- [4] Code of Virginia § 3.2-3924. Annual business license required, Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System. Checked October 27, 2026.
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