When you come to this post, I bet that you have found some bed bugs in the air conditioner. So, I also bet that you want to look for safer ways to get rid of bed bugs in the air conditioner. Yeah, we all do know that this electronic device is not that cheap. So, you want a safer way, right?
So, how to get rid of bed bugs in the air conditioner safely? Well, in this post, let me show you the 5 best ways to eliminate bed bugs in air conditioners safely. They are:
- Inspection
- Isolation
- Hand wash
- Vacuuming
- Using heat.
These 5 techniques are suggested by research from Integrated Pest Management at Cornell University. So, it is hoped they are some legit things to do.
But, firstly, let’s talk about bed bugs in the air conditioners.
Related post : How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs in Cell Phones
Can bed bugs live in air conditioner?
Bed bugs can live in the air conditioner. Even though an air conditioner produces a cold temperature, it doesn’t kill bed bugs. In fact, they can come through the small space in the air conditioner, staying there at the warm parts of the air conditioner. So, this is why sometimes you do not expect that they actually stay in your air conditioner.
Besides, the air conditioner is the safest place for them to stay. It is like no one would realize that they hide there and it needs more effort to inspect the unit. So, there will be a period that the unit is untouchable and make it the perfect spot to hide.
Does AC kill bed bugs?
AC (Air Conditioner) doesn’t kill bed bugs. In fact, bed bugs can hide in the AC. Bed bugs love the warm temperature and can survive in a more cold temperature. The temperature change doesn’t kill them easily. This insect only dies at an extreme heat temperature. So, AC is not a big deal for them.
If you want to kill them by heat, it is better to put them at a high temperature. So, these bugs will die easily. People nowadays prefer to use a special heater designed to kill bed bugs rather than a kerosene heater. It is because you need at least 122°F heat to kill them.
How do I keep bugs out of my air conditioner?
Each of the techniques should be done carefully. It is because either the air conditioner is expensive or the bed bugs themselves can reproduce again. So, let us check it out.
Inspection
An air conditioner unit in an infested room has a potential risk to be also infested. It is because bed bugs will look for any place to hide, even it is inside the AC.
Bed bugs are well known to be attracted to heat. So, they may hide deeply inside the machine where the heat comes from the electric activity. It is not easy to just take a glance when you inspect it. You need a deep inspection.
In this case, you have to look for their fecal stains and shed skins as the signs of their activity in the air conditioner. Here, you can take the AC apart so you can inspect more for each part. If you find more than one of the signs, their existence may surprise you.
However, this kind of technique requires some skills to dismantle and assemble the AC unit. The more skilled you are, the better it will be.
Isolation
Isolation is well-known as an effective technique to kill bed bugs in air conditioners and other things. The concept of isolation is to make bed bugs die in starvation. It is because they cannot go anywhere.
In isolation, you only need to uninstall the AC and put it inside the plastic bag. Then, you have to seal it to make sure there is nothing that can be escaped, even the air inside. So, the bed bugs in the air conditioner will die faster at least after six months’ treatment.
Here, in addition, there are some good tips that you can apply to do isolation as follows:
- Use clear plastic bags to see them when they go outside from the air conditioner.
- Make sure there is no hole even it is just 1 mm because the larva is so small.
- Use high-quality plastic bags so they cannot be easily broken.
- Store the unit for more than six months in a warmer place.
Another pro tip you can use is that make sure you use high-quality plastic bags. It is because we need a long time to kill bed bugs by isolation.
Hand Washing
Not all the air conditioner parts are made from electronic things. There are some exterior parts and even the filter that are made from plastics or any nonmetal thing.
In a heavy infestation, they may tend to live and stick there. So, the spaces in the air conditioner can become the most comfortable apartment for them. It sounds bad, right?
So, after doing the inspection, you can wash the parts of the air conditioner that are possible to be cleaned up with hand wash. Do not ever try to wash the electronic parts if you have no idea about it.
Vacuuming
Vacuuming a whole unit of the air conditioner may become a new problem because it is not easy to reach the deepest part of the unit. So, it is better for you to dismantle it into parts. By doing this, you can reach the deeper space of the unit.
Well, the problem is that not all people can even uninstall the air conditioner, right? Therefore, at least you can vacuum the visible bed bugs. It may not kill all bed bugs, but it can reduce bed bugs. Also, it makes some of them unable to crawl anywhere.
Use the manual guide of the unit to help you to clean it. Usually, there will be some guides to clean the parts of the air conditioner as part of the maintenance system.
Using Heat
To kill bed bugs, you need at least 122°F heat. To this degree, you can kill both bed bugs in adult and egg forms. But, other research shows that 125°F heat is the best degree in the case of time’s effectivity. Use the heat for at least one minute of exposure.
Here, you must do the treatment in a very limited area so the bed bugs cannot escape anywhere. In this case, you can use a space or hairdryer to kill or make the bed bugs out of the air conditioner.
However, you need to read the manual guide to check the unit’s durability. It is not funny right if your air conditioner cannot withstand heat to a certain degree. So, do it carefully.
Well, you have read the 5 best ways to eliminate bed bugs in air conditioners safely. Visit the following article how to get rid of bed bugs in electronics to know other treatments for other electronic devices. Then, the last words, do you have any idea about this topic? Please share.