Brief heat treatment is a promising way to decrease the spread of bed bugs being transported on the outer surface of luggage, according to an article on the Infection Control website.
When soft-sided suitcases were exposed to an air temperature of 70 to 75 degrees C, it took only six minutes to kill bugs.
Heat has attracted a lot of interest as a control method for bed bugs because it is effective and environmentally benign.
But it can take a lot of time for heat to thoroughly penetrate a piece of furniture or suitcase and increase the temperature of the hidden bed bugs inside.
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