When it comes to getting rid of bed bugs, many different options are available for bed bug treatment in Knoxville. However, at Otis Termite & Pest Control, after years of trying various methods, we have found that thermal heat treatment is the safest and most effective option for professional bed bug treatment in Knoxville. Using specialist equipment, we will increase the temperature inside your home or business, allowing the heat to permeate every crack and crevice, killing not only live bed bugs but also their eggs. Let’s take a closer look at how this type of bed bug treatment in Knoxville works and why heat is so effective.

What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are tiny pests that feed on human (and sometimes animal) blood. They are usually carried into your home in luggage or on furniture or textile items. A single bed bug can lay a dozen eggs every day, so just a handful of them can quickly become a major infestation. While bed bugs do not transmit blood-borne diseases like some other pests do, the bites can be itchy and painful, and there is always a risk of a secondary infection. If you have these tiny pests in your home, you will want to arrange bed bug treatment in Knoxville as quickly as possible.

Why Heat Treatment?

When choosing bed bug treatment in Knoxville, you may want to avoid potentially harmful chemical treatments, especially if you have children or pets in the home. Thermal heat treatment is one of the safest options for bed bug treatment in Knoxville. It will also be one of the most effective treatment options for exterminating live bed bugs and their eggs. While bed bugs are notorious for being tricky to eradicate, they are unable to survive when exposed to high temperatures for extended periods. When carrying out thermal heat treatment, we will increase the interior temperature of your property to over 120°F for at least 90 minutes. This will effectively kill any bed bugs regardless of where in the life cycle they are!

How Does it Work?

The point of death for bed bugs is said to be around 113°F. At this temperature, bed bugs will essentially begin to dry up. This is because proteins in their DNA start to break down at that temperature, causing cells to malfunction and eventually die. Maintaining this temperature for a minimum of 90 minutes will ensure that all bed bugs, their larvae, and their eggs are killed, stopping the infestation in its tracks.

Pro Tip! While it is important to have professional bed bug treatment in Knoxville to eliminate an infestation in your home or place of business, you can use the same principles to treat things like bed sheets, clothing, and blankets! Since hotels are a common source of picking up bed bugs, when you return from a trip, it is a good idea to immediately put everything in the dryer on high heat as a preventative measure. This will not work once bed bugs have already infested your furniture, but it could prevent the infestation from taking hold if you do this simple step after traveling.

How Long Will Heat Treatment Take?

When booking bed bug treatment in Knoxville, you will usually need to vacate the property for most of the day. We recommend that you take as little as possible with you as everything in the property has the potential to be infested. Since we use thermal heat treatment and the interior temperature will be in excess of 120°F for several hours, you will need to remove anything that will not survive these temperatures. This includes make-up, vinyl records, aerosol cans, fire extinguishers, ammunition, and anything that may explode or melt under high temperatures.

Commercial Bed Bug Treatment

At Otis Termite & Pest Control, we offer both residential and commercial bed bug treatment in Knoxville. We have previously treated a variety of commercial properties, including hotels, offices, retail spaces, and health facilities. Our specialist equipment allows us to treat individual rooms, meaning you won’t need to close the entire business for treatment. We can do the thermal heat treatment in stages, closing different sections of the property each time for minimal disruption to your business. Since we use heat rather than chemical treatments, there is no risk to your staff or customers.

If you believe you have a bed bug issue, do not hesitate to give us a call at 865-419-9063 to arrange a consultation. We guarantee the elimination of the existing infestation and can offer advice on reducing your risk of future infestations.

Otis Termite & Pest Control is a full-service pest control company with a focus on outstanding service. We have been serving the East Tennessee area for over 56 years and our reputation is built on prompt and effective service. We’re good at what we do and we’re fast. We do the job right the first time – and that’s an actual guarantee! 

Call 865.690.1662 or visit www.otispestcontrol.net.