Does Cold Kill Bed Bugs?
This has been one of the coldest winters in Minnesota in 15 years. And while it can be challenging to find many good things to say about this kind of weather, many people take consolation that the cold temperatures are good for killing insect pests. The most common question lately has been whether putting out furniture or other articles in very cold weather will kill bed bugs. Cold temperatures can kill bed bugs if they are exposed to it long enough and at temperatures that are cold enough. However, there is not a lot research on this topic to say what those exposures and temperatures are. What information is available is contradictory. One researcher in 1966 found that bed bugs can tolerate temperatures around 5o F for a brief time and when acclimated can survive temperatures at or below 32o F for days. This is in contrast to findings in 1991 that bed bugs are killed when exposed to temperatures around 32o F for just hours, although the same article also went on to say that the eggs a
