You may have at home a propane heater and you may also be experiencing a bed bug infestation. The question that could come naturally in your mind would be : Can you use a propane Heater to kill bed bugs ?
What are Propane Heaters ?
The propane heater is a hot water device using propane gas fuel.
Propane is a Liquefied Petroleum Gas. It is a saturated, colorless, liquefiable hydrocarbon at relatively low pressure, gaseous, derived from crude oil and natural gas.
Why choose Propane as a Heater?
It is ideal as fuel since it does not freeze at very low temperatures. Unlike butane, which does not vaporize below 0°C, you can easily store propane outdoors in a tank since, even in winter, it remains in a gaseous state (-44°C). Propane is used, among other things, for heating and producing domestic hot water with high yields (propane condensing heating).
Some people often compare Propane heating to fuel oil heating because both heating solutions use particularly interesting energy storage on an isolated site, not served by a network. The advantage of propane heating in this parallel lies in its much cleaner combustion and higher combustion efficiency.
Can you use a Propane Heater to kill Bed bugs ?
We do not recommend using a propane heater to get rid of bed bugs. For two reasons :
- It is most likely going to be ineffective as they can survive temperatures reaching 120°F
- It could be dangerous with, among others, risk of fire burning and buildup of carbon monoxide.
If you want to use radiators to get rid of those invaders. The best is to buy devices that are specifically designed for bed bugs or to call a professional exterminator. The latter should indeed be trained to use those devices effectively and safely in your home. If you want to know more about Heaters specifically designed for Bed bugs, you could have a look at our Best Bed bugs Heaters Buying Guide.
How to kill Bed bugs with a Propane Heater ?
Heating is a great way to kill bed bugs in all life stages from eggs to adults.
However as we mentioned previously, we do not recommend using a propane device to get rid of those bloodsuckers. However you could use a propane heater to preheat the room before heating it with heaters specifically designed for those insects. In any case you should only rely on the manufacturer’s instructions of the device you purchased.
Turn off the heating in the infested room
Bed bugs cannot tolerate extreme temperatures, whether cold or very hot. By keeping the infested room at a temperature of around twenty degrees Celsius, you play into the hands of your untimely visitors by allowing them to reproduce at best and live in absolutely ideal conditions.
As a result, you should to stop, or decrease heating in the infested the roomin order to slow down the growth of the bugs colony.
Conclusion
In this article we answered the question : Can you use a propane Heater to kill bed bugs ? The answer is No. The best solution would be to call a professional or to buy a heater specifically designed for those pests.
However it is recognized nowadays that heat is a quick and effecitve way to get rid of them, once and for all. This is due to the fact that At 118°F (48°C), bed bugs at all stages of life (Adults, Nymphs and eggs) die within 90 minutes, and at 122°F (50°C), they die within seconds. This is the reason heat could end your pest nightmare in a few hours only! If you interested in this topic you could have a look at our on Kerosene Heaters and Bed bugs.