Can You Freeze Bed Bugs and Kill Them? (Updated)
Whenever I have a sound sleep without any disruption keeps my body and mind cheery.
But this can be entirely grating and frustrating if there is an infestation in your house especially the bed bugs infestation.
These bed bugs bite on our skin and cause skin problems like rashes, blisters etc.
So, it becomes an important part of our peaceful life to kill all the bed bugs.
Freezing bed bugs are the best way to remove them properly.
What is a bed bug?
The bed bug is domestic insect lives in human’s residences, clinics, hospitals, hotels etc. places. It is scientifically known as Cimex lectularius and comes from cimicid family. It is 3-7 mm in size and reddish or brownish in color. A bed bug has different stages of life. Usually, they are known as nymph when they are primary ages and the aged are known as adult bed bugs.
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An adult bed bug looks like an apple seed. They live on human blood. For feeding themselves, they tend to suck blood from human body biting their skin with the beak. They are friendly and attractive to human’s body warmth, room temperature and the carbon dioxide left from the humans.
Usually, they bite us when there is less light in our room. So, it becomes hard to kill them. Bed bugs heat or freezing kills them fast as other medicine does.
Freezing Bed Bugs
Changing the room temperature with heat or freezing prohibits bed bugs born or come out in their shelters. Here I will discuss freezing bed bugs work with the necessary information. Freezing method of killing bed bugs is not a modern thing. This method was firstly introduced in Australia and Europe. The pest controller applied the freezing method to kill multiple types of insects including bed bugs. They used Cryonite as a freezing substance. This substance creates very cold and dry ice snow as it contains CO2 which is enough effective. This non-chemical ice snow is non-toxic so that everyone can use it safely.
Here, a question may come to your mind. Will freezing bed bugs work if they don’t die in such low temperature? Yet I can say about this, bed bugs can be most active when the temperature is low like 460 Fahrenheit (7.80 Celsius). They have the adaptability to remain alive for few days even lower than this temperature. Then you may think how bed bug freezing weather will kill them. Yes, if you can reduce the temperature extremely lower like under 00 F, then they will die within a couple of days.
Orkin freezing bed bugs depends on time and temperature. You may not need to lower the temperature below 00 F, you can make it 3-4 degrees to freeze and kill bed bugs within 3-4 days at same constant temperature. If you keep this temperature high like 320 F, then the duration will be unsatisfactory. So, you have to decide how fast result you want.
Treating Bed Bugs with Freezing
Or you can say, how rapid freeze bed bug treatment works on bed bugs. Freezing doesn’t mean you keep ice cubes spread in the whole room. Here freezing means keeping the infested items in the freezer having lower temperature as I mentioned above. When you put those things in the freezer, ice gets form inside the bug’s body. Then the ice damages or kills the bed bugs from inside within a couple of days.
You can freeze all common infested household things for freezing bed bugs to death. If there’s any cloth of yours are not for wash or launder, you can freeze it to kill bed bugs. Shoes, jewelry, pictures, toys and few electronics etc. can be frozen. But remember that if there’s any chance to damage these things by freezing, then don’t try to keep in the cold freezer. Again, you can use dry ice snow to freeze and kill them when they come in contact with it.
The temperature of the freezer is a very necessary thing in this freezing method. As I have already said, if the temperature is 00 F, then experts suggest that you have to keep the items in the freezer for at least 4 days. You can use a remote thermometer to measure the temperature inside the freezer. Keep this temperature constant or the eggs or nymphs may somehow survive.
Will freezing kill bed bugs eggs? This can be a vital question. The answer is positive. Freezing can kill eggs too if the temperature is lower and if you give enough time to freeze. Bed bugs freezing time entirely depend on how fast you want to kill them. For faster result, the temperature should not be more than 00 F.
Freezing Bed Bugs with CO2
Cryonite uses the higher cooling properties of liquid CO2. This liquid CO2 changes its form to ice snow and when it mixes with normal temperature, it becomes a CO2 gas. In this reaction, the energy which is required to react comes from the bed bugs (heat). Thus, the bed bugs cells get crystalize with the cold ice.
This cryonite is far better than other pesticides. You can use this for freezing luggage bed bugs. Keep the clothes from luggage in the freezer or spray the cryonite. Instant freeze bed bug treatment cost is variable depending on the type of freezing. If you use cryonite, then the price won’t be higher. But using freezer costs electricity bill. So, you can choose one according to your choice.
FAQ:
Question: Do bed bugs like cold rooms?
Answer: Bed bugs have the ability to cope with lower temperature. They can be frozen and killed in freezing temperature. But you don’t need to make your room cold intentionally. This can bring structural damage. Bed bugs don’t like cold temperature but if there is the place to hide, they will reproduce even in cold room. At least, the bed bugs eggs and nymphs will survive.
Question: Can you freeze bed bugs and kill them?
Answer: It’s a proven method. You can apply cryonite or cooling materials to kill them. Keeping infested items in the freezer can also terminate bed bugs.
Question: Will freezing kill bed bugs?
Answer: Yes, freezing the bed bugs kills them entirely with the shortest time.
Question: Can bed bugs survive outside in winter?
Answer: No, bed bugs can’t survive outside in winter. Because there’s a continuous freezing temperature for a long time. This can’t let them move by freezing them.
Question: Can bed bugs live in freezing temperatures?
Answer: No, they can’t live.
Question: Can I freeze bed bugs to kill them?
Answer: I recommend you to do so. Put your infested clothing, bedsheet, cover etc. in the freezer. Later you will see the dead frozen corpse of bed bugs.
Question: Does freezing kill bed bugs and their eggs?
Answer: Freezing doesn’t kill bed bugs at super speed like other pests do. But it becomes more effective when it crystalizes them from the inside. There remains no chance to move or live anymore. In this process, bed bugs and their eggs get banished.
Freezing can be effective to kill bed bugs, their eggs or nymphs. But don’t put your room temperature unnecessarily lower. The room may become unlivable for you. So, use cryonite spray or freezing device to keep any unwanted things away.
Insect-free life can be a pleasure to us. A sound sleep is also expectable to have healthy body and mind. But bed bugs have major effects on your sleep.
They bite on the skin and cause disruptions as many skin problems. So, you need to make sure that there is no bed bug in your house.
Freezing is the most effective solution to kill those bed bugs from the inside of their body. There won’t be any bed bugs eggs, nymph anymore. All you need to reduce the temperature to freezing point and insert the infested items in the freezer. Later you will see them gone.
Freezing bed bugs provide long-term protection from them. A frequent traveler should use the freezing method to eliminate the little insects.
After all, this is one of the most efficient ways to keep your home bed bugs free. I wish you got all information about freezing bed bugs in this guide.