How to Treat Books for Bed Bugs

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Bed bugs are experts at playing hide-and-seek. So much so that they can even hide in books (especially hardcover books with a gap between the pages and the spine). while this is rarer than finding them under your mattress, it can happen.

The most effective way to get rid of book bugs is to use heat. temperatures above 118 degrees will kill bed bugs, while paper burns at 451 degrees. alternatives include the use of pesticide sprays, although these can damage the book, so heat is preferred.

You are reading: How to treat books for bed bugs

Some people recommend putting your books in the oven, since you can set the temperature to (for example) 150 degrees. this kills bedbugs without the possibility of burning the books. however, books may contain other materials besides paper, and it is also not advisable to kill bed bugs where food is also prepared. There are other ways to quickly kill bed bugs in books.

Will bedbugs live in books?

Bed bugs are most comfortable when they are within a few feet of where their host sleeps. that usually confines them to your bedroom, unless you sometimes sleep on the couch too.

They also like dark, quiet places where no one bothers them. therefore, while they love to live under a mattress, they generally won’t choose to live under a pillow.

so what does that mean for the books? Well, many people keep bookshelves or small stacks of books in their bedroom. right off the bat, that makes them a potential “harbor” target (a haven is where bed bugs live).

Books also offer cracks and crevices where a bedbug might hide. there are the spines of hardcover books, for example, which can be easily slipped in and out.

and despite our best intentions, books often remain untouched for months. there may be one or two on her shelf that she bought and has never read. the fact that you don’t move them makes them a perfect place for bed bugs to hide.

On top of that, there’s the matter of library books. most infestations begin with public things: seats on public transport, for example, can harbor bedbugs.

hotel rooms are a very common vector. Library books, which can be shared many times a year, can actually transport bed bugs and their eggs from one place to another.

can bedbugs live on paper?

Bed bugs don’t dislike paper and can live on it if they need to. pocket book bugs have no choice but to live in contact with paper. they will happily live under or behind the book, although there is unlikely to be any space between the pages.

If you’re wondering if bed bugs eat paper, they adamantly don’t. bed bugs can only feed on blood. their mouths are like those of mosquitoes.

They have no teeth, just a long tube through which they can drink blood. Therefore, even if a bedbug is starving and hasn’t eaten for a year, there’s no way for her to eat anything but blood.

But bed bugs can live in and behind books, and even in library books.

what bugs live in books?

Book bugs are much more likely to be cockroaches. bed bugs only feed on blood. but a cockroach’s varied diet means a bookcase would make a good home for them.

They can feed on the glue that holds both paperback and hardcover books together. so while they may not live inside books, they will live in and around bookshelves. On top of that, they’ll live happily anywhere in a home, not just on bedding like bed bugs often do.

there are also some other errors that you can find in the books. you may find silverfish, which are very small silvery insects that move quickly, like fish swimming in water.

carpet beetle larvae can also live in books, especially if there is any fabric nearby. You may also have heard of book lice, though they feed on mold and mildew rather than books.

how to get rid of bedbugs in books

The main methods involve heat, physical insulation, pesticides, or a combination of all three.

Traps and lures can also be used to get rid of a bed bug infestation. Let’s take a look at which ways are best, and how to get rid of book bugs specifically.

can you put books in the oven to kill bedbugs?

Is there such a thing as a book oven for bedbugs? no, the idea is to use your normal oven. it can reach temperatures that will kill bed bugs in a matter of seconds. bed bugs do not tolerate heat.

According to insects magazine, any temperature above 118 degrees will kill them, preferably higher. and the higher the temperature, the faster they will die.

The oven is a closed environment where the temperature is guaranteed to stay above 118 degrees, for as long as it takes to kill each bed bug.

however, there is an obvious problem. putting books, or paper in general, in an oven is not a good idea. As any fan of literature knows, paper will ignite at temperatures above 451 degrees, which is as hot as an oven can get.

If you were to bake your book at a higher temperature than that, it would ignite and cause a fire. lower than that, and it will not ignite, unless exposed to an open flame.

However, that’s only when you’re talking about paper. books are made of other materials besides paper. there’s the glue that holds the pages together, for example.

Hardcover books often use string to hold the pages together, which will burn to a different temperature. and other books may have plastic covers.

On top of that, it’s unsanitary to treat any bed bug-infested item in a place where food is also prepared. bed bugs that just ate will have a belly full of blood, and if that gets on surfaces or in the oven, it could pose a health risk.

You could also damage your books. If you don’t mind damaging your books, throw them away instead of treating them. using an oven to kill bed bugs is not a good idea.

bugs in microwave books

You may have seen a tip about library books. bed bugs + library books + microwave = dead bed bugs. again, the high temperature might kill them, but that’s not a good idea.

Putting books in the microwave has essentially the same drawbacks as putting them in the oven. the temperature in a microwave is more difficult to control than in an oven.

again, it’s unhygienic, because any bed bugs found inside would die there. they could crawl into the microwave mechanism or leave traces of blood that you could later ingest.

There are other specific risks associated with microwaving books. if the book has any metal on it, then that could start sparking and start a fire.

If the book has some plastic on it, there’s no telling how it might react. it could start to melt and if inhaled, you could experience serious health complications.

use of heat to kill bedbugs

While these methods have their drawbacks, there are other ways to use heat to kill bedbugs. Pest control agents use a process called “heat treating,” which raises the temperature throughout your home to a level where it will kill any pests that are there.

This kills bed bugs the same way you put your books in the oven, but without the dangers or health issues involved.

the pest controller will bring in a small heater, which will raise the inside temperature to over 118 degrees. it will be quite a bit hotter, maybe up to 150 or 160 degrees.

The purpose of these extremely high temperatures is to help the interior of furniture and bedding to reach the necessary warmth. even so, the heat treatment will take several hours to work.

Not all pcos offer heat treatment. most rely on pesticides, as they always have. the required equipment is expensive and time-consuming to use, as the temperature takes time to rise.

Not only that, but they will have to seal the entry or exit points to keep the heat inside. it takes a lot of time and money, and is often more expensive than regular pest control.

this may make it too expensive for you, but ask around and call a few pcos to find out how much it might cost.

put away your books

You could also try to physically isolate your bed bug population. This involves putting your books somewhere your bed bugs can’t get to you. Over time, this will starve the bed bugs, though that can take a long time.

As for where, we don’t recommend placing them in paid storage. storage lockers often contain bed bugs, as some people store their mattresses and bedding there.

The bed bugs then spread from the bedding to other people’s belongings. this means that if you messed up and your books didn’t have bugs, you might have bugs from storage.

Instead, you should keep them isolated in your own home. all you need is a plastic container that’s big enough to hold all your books and has a lid that seals.

Then you can store the box wherever you like, although a place where it gets sunlight would be a good option, as bed bugs die more quickly in high temperatures. For best results, tape the lid completely shut.

Putting your belongings in a warm place is good, as is a cold place. If it’s the dead of winter, bookbugs freeze if left out overnight in snow and ice.

They won’t die right away, though the cumulative effect of the cold will kill them faster than if they were comfortably indoors.

Unfortunately, this method can take several months or even a year to completely eliminate the infestation. bed bugs can survive without a host for a year or more, especially if they have recently fed. so if you store your stuff, don’t expect to get it back anytime soon.

other ways to get rid of bedbugs in books

Pesticides are still a very common way to treat bed bugs. And you don’t have to rely on an exterminator to do it for you, either. you can use bed bug sprays that you can find for sale online or at home improvement stores across the country.

These sprays often contain permethrin, a very effective type of insecticide. while bed bugs are developing some resistance, it is still capable of killing and repelling an infestation if used correctly.

You can buy a “bed bug bomb” or a spray that looks like a bathroom or kitchen cleaner. Bed bug bombs are not a good idea, since you have to leave them in your house for several hours.

Because it can’t direct the spray, it also won’t reach inside furniture or under bedding. as such, it is relatively useless. a handheld sprayer is much more effective and there are many on the market.

you could make your own spray. Tea tree oil has been shown to have an insecticidal effect. if you want to use tea tree oil, be sure to buy a 100% pure oil from a reputable source.

The only problem with sprays like these is that they can damage your books, so it’s up to you whether you think it’s worth it or not.

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How to Treat Books for Bed Bugs – Bed Bugs Insider