What temperature is used to kill bed bugs during freezing phase?

Prepare for the Certificate in Public Health Inspection exam. Utilize our flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each featuring hints and explanations. Ensure your success with our comprehensive resources!

Multiple Choice

What temperature is used to kill bed bugs during freezing phase?

Pushing bed bugs into a true freezing range and holding them there long enough is what guarantees kill. The threshold you want is well below freezing, specifically temperatures below about -19°C. At temperatures around or just a bit below 0°C, some bed bugs can survive for extended periods, and milder cold doesn’t reliably kill all life stages, including eggs. By reaching below -19°C and maintaining that level for the required duration, the cold is deep enough to cause lethal ice formation and metabolic disruption across the bugs and their eggs, making this the temperature most consistently associated with successful cold-treatment kill.

Pushing bed bugs into a true freezing range and holding them there long enough is what guarantees kill. The threshold you want is well below freezing, specifically temperatures below about -19°C. At temperatures around or just a bit below 0°C, some bed bugs can survive for extended periods, and milder cold doesn’t reliably kill all life stages, including eggs. By reaching below -19°C and maintaining that level for the required duration, the cold is deep enough to cause lethal ice formation and metabolic disruption across the bugs and their eggs, making this the temperature most consistently associated with successful cold-treatment kill.

More practice questions