Sunday, December 13, 2009
By Peggy O'Farrell
THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER
The latest technique to eliminate a stubborn pest has bedbugs feeling the heat -- and dying.
A Michigan-based pest-control company used heat to treat a Cincinnati apartment infested with bedbugs Friday.
As it turns out, bedbugs are fairly resistant to cold temperatures. But unlike many insects, they don't like it hot, said Mark "Shep" Sheperdigian, an urban entomologist and vice president of technical services for Rose Pest Solutions of Troy, Mich.
Temperatures of 113 degrees will kill bedbugs, but it can take hours, Sheperdigian said. Crank the thermostat up to 120 degrees or higher, and the little bloodsuckers dry up and die in minutes, he said.
Kevin Stacy, special-service manager for Rose, and two co-workers set up four large electric heaters in the three-bedroom apartment, then set up fans to help circulate the heat.