ONE of the most unwelcome visitors in your home are bed bugs.
With infestations on the rise, here we take a look at what temperature kills the pesky pests and if they are considered to be dangerous.
What temperature kills bed bugs?
Bed bugs are known to be tricky to get rid of once they find their way into your home.
The pesky pests can be found in places such as bed frames, mattresses, clothing, bedding and towels.
According to pest control experts at Orkin: ''Adult bed bugs die at 119 degrees Fahrenheit, and their heat-resistant eggs require temperatures upwards of 125 degrees.''
With that in mind, cleaning experts from Bed Bug Specialist have revealed the exact temperature you need to wash items to stop the critters from taking over your home.
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Speaking to Express.co.uk, the cleaning professionals explained that one of the best ways to kill the bugs is to wash any laundry "at 60 degrees for 30 minutes" to terminate "all bed bugs and their eggs."
They added: ''Lowering the temperature to 40 degrees kills all adult bed bugs, but only 25 percent of the eggs.''
Experts also advise placing items in a sealed bag or container prior to putting them in the washing machine, in a bid to avoid the critters going on to the ground around the appliance.
Once your items have gone for a spin around the machine, it is recommend that they are then placed into a tumble dryer – again on a high temperature – for 30 minutes.
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However, it is important to note that you should always be aware of what heat the fabrics can handle.
What else can be used to kill bed bugs?
If washing and drying the items at high temperatures is not an option you can follow – don't worry, there are other ways to kill the critters.
Another method you can try is using your freezer – but there's a catch.
It has to be be -0 or lower for it to work as only extreme temperatures will get rid of them.
Discussing the freezer method, The Spruce explained: ''Most items must be left in the freezer for at least four days. This will ensure that the centre of the item has reached zero degrees. Bulky items can take longer.''
Alternately, you can contact a local pest control service who can advise you further and provide any necessary treatment in your home.
Pest control company Rentokil has reported a 65 per cent increase in call-outs to deal with the blood-sucking bugs.
What do bed bugs look like?
Although many may of heard of bed bugs, not everyone will know what they look like.
Bed bugs can be dark yellow, brown or red, are oval shaped and have six legs and two antenna.
Size wise, the critters have been compared to the size of an apple seed.
You can spot adult bedbugs by their size as they are around 5mm long.
There will also be spots from their waste like little ink splats.
You can also spot bed bugs from their movement – full-grown bed bugs move relatively slowly.
Adult bed bugs do have the vestiges of wings called wing pads, but they do not fully develop into functional wings.
Therefore the pesky pests cannot fly.
As well as knowing what bed bugs look like, it's also important to be able to tell them apart from other bugs.
The good news is we have a guide to identifying bed bugs from other critters right here.
Are bed bugs dangerous?
With bed bug infestations on the rise, many want to know if the critters pose any dangers.
The good news is they are not considered to be dangerous, however, a person bitten by a bed bug may face extreme discomfort and distress.
According to the NHS: ''Bites can be itchy, but do not usually cause other health problems.''
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Painful swelling may also be a symptom.
And in rare cases, an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) is also possible.
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