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Can you kill bed bugs with cold? Yes, but it's not easy, and it's never the recommended method for getting rid of these pests. Oh, you might be able to put a few on ice in your freezer, but this in no way resembles having a bed bugs treatment plan.
It’s true that if you leave bed bugs in an inescapable package in extreme temperatures (below 32°F [0°C]) for long enough, they will freeze to death. The operative phrase here is “for long enough.” To kill bed bugs with cold, they must be exposed to extreme cold for several days before they die. Even then, some may survive.
Thinking about setting some bagged items outside in the cold and letting nature do the job? Don't.
The EPA says that even at 0°F, cold weather can take several days to kill bed bugs and almost a week when the temperature is 20°F. Other experts suggest the required period is at least two weeks. That leaves bed bugs an extended period in which they are free to mingle and, perhaps, even escape your sealed bag. Although the risk is tempered by the fact that insects, including bed bugs, tend to slow down in cold weather.
A 2016 study found that a group of adult and fifth-instar nymph bed bugs all died after being contained in an area that was -7°C (19.4°F) for three weeks. Lowering the temperature, keeping it constant, and extending the time all helped increase the mortality rate among the bed bugs. But the nymphs proved harder to kill than the adults.
One reason they may survive so long in the cold is that the cooler it is, the longer they can go without feeding. But the cold also halts their egg production.
One reason they may survive so long in the cold is that the cooler it is, the longer they can go without feeding. But the cold also halts their egg production. In addition, bed bugs need a blood meal to produce eggs. So anytime you can deprive them of meals, you are disrupting their next-generation life cycle.
Research conducted during the 1990s found that bed bug eggs may resist the cold even better than the adults. It takes 30 to 60 days of exposure to freezing cold to kill the eggs of bed bugs. Not exactly the quick-kill weapon you were looking for, right?
Is Your Freezer a Secret Weapon against Bed Bugs?
Not really.
Killing bed bugs by locking them in that spare freezer you have in the garage sounds like a great idea, right? But, according to the EPA, your freezer just doesn't stay cold enough to kill bed bugs. More, you can't depend on it to stay uniformly or consistently cold beyond the needed temperature.
Given the choice between frying bed bugs and freezing them, heat is the more effective option for most.
Watch this eye-opening video by entomologist Jeff White on the effectiveness of using heat versus cryonite (a method of eradication based on freezing bed bugs):
The freeze only stunned the bed bugs temporarily.
Which Infested Items Can You Freeze?
So, if you decide to use your freezer as part of your bed bug treatment plan, what can you freeze safely? Entomologists at the University of Minnesota suggest that most dry items that you don't want laundered are fair game. Still, they highly recommend that you not place items of high value in the freezer. The cold and wet might do them more harm that the bed bugs.
Items generally considered safe to freeze include:
The center of each item bagged in the freezer must remain at least 0°F (-18°C). It has to maintain that temperature consistently for at least 4 days. They recommend using a remote thermostat to track the temperatures. The 4-day countdown should begin only after the center of the items has reached 0°F.
The researchers warn that at any temperature over 5°F (-15°C), any bed bug eggs inside the bagged items will survive.
Stick to Heat Except for Vulnerable Items
Heat is your best weapon except for items that it might damage. In those cases, consider freezing items that you can't bag and store or don't want to be touched by bed bug sprays or dusts.
Take a look at the full treatment process we recommend to get rid of bed bugs for good.
Did You Miss Any Steps in the Bed Bugs Killer Guide?
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