Can You Get Bed Bugs in Winter in Lexington, KY?

While some of us Kentuckians dread the chill and dreariness of winter, there is one positive to the cold weather – it kills bugs. No more flies, gnats, or mosquitoes to be found until spring. Unfortunately, the same isn’t true for bedbugs.

The first problem is the fact that bedbugs live indoors, often in your bed, so they aren’t exposed to the colder temperatures outside. Before you put your bedbug-infested belongings outside for the winter, you should also know that doing so probably won’t work. According to a study by the University of Minnesota, temperatures fluctuate too much throughout the day due to sunlight and humidity to be effective.

The second problem is that bedbugs have to be exposed to temperatures below freezing for a long time, not just a few hours. In the same study, it was found that infested items would have to be kept below 0 degrees Fahrenheit for at least four days for the bedbugs to freeze and die. So unless you have an empty freezer large enough for your mattress, pillows, and bedding, you’ll want to call a professional Lexington pest control company, like IPM Pest and Termite.

The easiest way to deal with bedbugs is to avoid being infested in the first place. After traveling, wash and dry your clothes in the hottest temperature they will tolerate and check your suitcases and other bags thoroughly for signs of bugs. If you have overnight guests, wash bedding in hot water and dry them on a hot setting and check the bed and surrounding area. Buying new furniture and mattresses is the easiest way to know you aren’t bringing bedbugs in with your purchase, but if you just can’t resist that antique dresser or secondhand TV stand, check it over very carefully before taking inside. Keeping your home clutter-free will make it easier to find bedbugs before they get out of control.

IPM has been providing pest control in Lexington, Kentucky for over 20 years. We not only have the proper pesticides to eradicate bedbugs, we also know how to effectively locate them. Many companies expect you to move furniture, vacuum and steam-clean carpeting and upholstered furniture, empty all drawers and bookshelves, and unplug all electronics before they come treat. At IPM, we don’t normally require all of that prep work, we simply ask that you clear clutter out of the way so we can get where we need to go.

There are several things you can do to try to eradicate bedbugs yourself. As we mentioned before, bedbugs don’t tolerate extremely hot temperatures, so washing clothing and bedding in water at least 113 degrees Fahrenheit and running them through a hot cycle on your dryer will kill them. Thoroughly vacuuming carpeting, rugs, upholstered furniture and mattresses can also get rid of most bedbugs in those areas. However, in order to ensure your infestation is gone, it is best to call a professional pest control company like IPM Pest and Termite that knows what to look for, how to treat for them, and if additional treatments will be necessary.