Can Bedbugs Survive in a Cold, Unheated House in Enfield?

A house with the heating off in winter still feels cold to us, but it is nowhere near cold enough, or cold for long enough, to kill bedbugs. What it does is slow them down. That can make a problem look as though it has gone, when it has only gone quiet.

What Cold Actually Does to Bedbugs

Bedbugs are cold-blooded, so their pace follows the room. In a cold house they feed less often, move less and develop more slowly. Eggs take longer to hatch and young bugs take longer to grow.

• They can go a long time between feeds when it is cool, far longer than in a warm room.
• They move less, so they stay tucked in seams and joints.
• The eggs survive and hatch later, once it warms up.
• Fewer bites can make people believe the problem has ended.

Why Switching the Heating Off Does Not Work

To kill bedbugs with cold, every part of every item would need to stay at a severe freezing temperature for a sustained period. A house never gets there. Walls, floors and furniture hold warmth, the rooms around a bed are never even, and bugs tucked deep in a frame or behind a skirting are insulated from the air.

Meanwhile, anyone still living in the house is cold, uncomfortable and still being bitten, just less often. For families with children or older relatives, turning the heating off is a real cost with no real result.

What About Leaving Things Outside or in the Shed?

The same problem applies. A mattress in the garden or a bag of clothes in the shed does not reliably get cold enough for long enough, and it may be warmer on a mild day than you expect. It also means carrying infested items through the house, and risks bugs finding their way back in on the next trip.

A household freezer can work for a few small items, such as a book or a toy, if they are sealed in a bag and left in long enough, but it is slow and not something to rely on for anything that matters. Hot washing and tumble drying are far more dependable for fabric.

Empty Houses Over Winter

Some houses stand empty for months: between tenants, while a relative is in hospital or care, or while an estate is being sorted out. Leaving a house empty does not starve bedbugs out quickly. In a cold, empty house they can wait a long time, and they start feeding again as soon as someone moves back in or stays the night.

1. If you know there were bedbugs before the house emptied, have it treated before anyone moves back.
2. Do not move furniture or bedding out to another home in the meantime.
3. If you are not sure, book an inspection for the house before it is let, sold or reoccupied.
4. Tell whoever is taking over the house what you know, in writing.

Heat treatment does not rely on the house's own heating, since the equipment brings the room up itself. Tell us if the house is cold or the power has been off, because it affects planning for the day. The heat treatment page for Enfield and the chemical treatment page for Enfield explain what each asks of you.

What Actually Clears Them

A professional treatment, heat or chemical, is the dependable way. Heat takes the whole room up to a temperature bedbugs cannot survive, eggs included, usually in one visit. Chemical leaves a residual in the places they hide and usually needs two or three visits; the London guide on how many treatments explains why. Treatments start from £220, priced by the rooms involved.

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