When we were kids, that was the quickest way to get someone to come out from cover in the classic game of hide-and-seek.
It works with children, but not persistent bed bugs.
You think you got the critters ‘cause the signs are there: itchy skin welts, blood smears on bedding (from crushed insects), tiny dark spots (fecal droppings) on sheets or mattress, or dried remains of dead bed bug skins.
Or perhaps you know you got the critters ‘cause you spotted one! Which may or may not be easy, since they are excellent hiders and their eggs are very small – about the size of two specks of salt. And newborn bed bugs are difficult to see because they are about the size of a poppy seed and their pale yellow color is almost transparent.
It’s not until these nocturnal mini-beasts feed (on unsuspecting humans) that they become larger and more visible. In the adult stage they are about the size and color of an apple seed.
When you realize they’ve invaded your space, you become a domestic ninja of sorts and google is your plan of attack. You seek the most humane method of destruction for your self preservation – carcinogenic chemicals, after all, don’t kill just bugs.
You order Diatomaceous Earth powder because you read online that the microscopic DE particles, or diatoms, are natural earth components and deadly to your new invader. Problem is you have to know where to put the stuff and how much to use. And if you plan on having a bed bug K9 detections service performed….. forget it (No K9 handler will let there dogs sniff with DE spread all over the place).
And where do you put the stuff when the enemy is so adept at concealing his exact location?
No one has an answer on that one. Truth is, heat extermination remains the preferred method of bed bug elimination because these blood-sucking, elusive creatures are quite successful in their game of hide-and-seek.
Bed bugs can and will hide anywhere and everywhere (Especially if you use over the counter repellants and sprays). They live in the smallest of crevices, albeit close to their main human food source, and because of their flattened body type they take concealment to new levels, hiding in wallpaper, baseboards, under carpet, in bed folds and springboards, in furniture, and picture frames.
Because bed bugs like warmth, they have been known to camp out in laptops, netbooks and DSL ports, which makes them ready travelers! And travel they will, commuting between apartments and rooms via shared wall space as they clammer through electrical switch plates, wire or pipe holes, and other wall voids.
But warmth in the form of high heat, like 140 degrees, will kill the parasites.
AZEX Pest Solutions is the most astute and experienced heat elimination company in the state of Arizona. AZEX utilizes heated outside air to create positive pressure indoors, which results in consistent targeted air temperature in all areas of the room, including cracks, crevices and voids where bed bugs and their eggs typically hide.
AZEX Pest Solutions heats the room to temperatures between 140- to- 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which effectively kills all bed bug life stages, from egg to adult.