Think Cold Winters Kill Your Nightmare Pests? Think Again

While cold winters may not be your favorite time of year, at least they kill all of the bedbugs and other pests you dread in the summertime, right? Wrong! Many people think that cold, freezing temps are an effective method of exterminating bedbugs, but that is simply not the case, as reported by The New York Times.

Why Is the Cold Not an Effective Method for Exterminating Bedbugs?

Since bug populations are lower during the winter, it seems like the cold weather is killing them. But in reality, these adult insects are simply spending their winter in dormancy, sleeping it away as they await the warmer weather. However, what can happen is the bugs will wake up too soon, and then they may not survive. But when the weather stays cold all season long—like it usually does in Connecticut—then the bedbugs simply become active again when it warms up, never having been killed off. After all, they still exist in Connecticut every summer, and if the cold was actually strong enough to kill them, they would be considered extinct.

This doesn’t only apply to bedbugs. Many insects such as ants, crickets, ladybugs, stinkbugs, and wasps have the same habits in the wintertime. You may see less of them in the winter, but that is only because they are hiding and resting. They will be back to bug you as soon as the spring weather arrives.

What Is the Best Way to Get Rid of Bedbugs?

If freezing them out isn’t the answer, what is the best method for exterminating bedbugs? According to the EPA, you have a few options:

• Use high heat for pest control for bedbugs. While they can survive the cold, they cannot survive the heat. So, what is the best way to use heat for the extermination of bedbugs? You can put any clothes in a dryer on high heat or you can put the clothes in a large plastic bag and expose them to hot temperatures outside.
• Steam cleaners are another effective treatment of bedbugs if the infestation is in the cracks of baseboards, furniture, carpets, etc. Just make sure the steam is a minimum of 130 degrees Fahrenheit and keep the airflow on low, so the bedbugs don’t scatter.
• If heat doesn’t work, you can use a bedbug pest control service to eliminate the bedbugs for you. As your trusted pest control company in CT, we will work with you to figure out how the bedbugs got in your home and then we will make sure the most effective pesticides are used. We only use EPA-registered products that are proven to be effective at getting rid of bedbugs.

Let Our Experts Provide Pest Control for Bedbugs

Whether you are currently in the midst of a bedbug infestation or you simply want to make sure bedbugs don’t stand a chance in your home, you can rely on Richland Pest & Bee Control to provide the quality bedbug pest control service you need. We know the best way to get rid of bedbugs and keep them away any time of year. To learn more, contact us today.