The targets
Michigan’s manual: “Their upper lethal temperature is 120° F causing death within minutes, but longer exposures to temperatures above 113° F are also lethal.” The peer-reviewed study the industry relies on (Kells & Goblirsch, 2011) sharpens that for eggs: 99% of adults die at 48.3°C (118.9°F), but eggs need 54.8°C (130.6°F) for the same result, and at 45°C (113°F) eggs survive seven hours. We treat to the egg.
Treatment day
- Setup. Electric or propane heaters with ducting; air movers aimed into closets, under beds, behind dressers.
- Probes. Wireless sensors inside the mattress seam, the box-spring corner, the sofa frame, the back of the nightstand drawer, the baseboard gap. These are the locations the manual means by “all.”
- Ramp and hold. The room passes 120°F quickly. The hold does not start until the coldest probe crosses the line, and it runs long enough for eggs.
- Rotation. Cushions flipped, drawers opened, furniture turned mid-hold.
- Residual. A desiccant dust in cracks and voids so anything that was in a wall void walks through it later.
- Log. You get the probe log and photos. It is your record for a landlord, for Code Compliance, and for the re-check.
What the manual says heat cannot be
“NOT a ‘do it yourself’ method. Untrained staff should not attempt thermal treatments.” Rented heaters with no probes produce a hot room and a cool box spring. The manual’s recommendation is the standard we work to: a “trained PMP must monitor for appropriate temperature and time requirements and make adjustments as necessary to assure effective treatment of all locations.”
Prep for heat
Less than for chemical. Remove what melts or is harmed; leave clothing and clutter where the bugs are. The list →