Speed
Heat is one visit, 4-8 hours, sleep in the bed that night. Chemical is two to four visits spaced two weeks apart, six weeks minimum total, and most operators ask you to vacate beds during that window. Score: heat by a large margin.
Kill rate against eggs
Eggs are the reason chemical treatments fail. Pyrethroid sprays struggle to penetrate the eggshell, so the spray cycle relies on killing newly-hatched nymphs before they breed. Heat at 55-60°C for two hours kills eggs outright. Score: heat.
Resistance
UK bed bug populations are now widely resistant to the most-used pyrethroid actives (deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin). Resistance is the leading cause of chemical treatment failure today. There is no resistance to heat — physics doesn't evolve. Score: heat.
Cost
Upfront, a chemical treatment quote looks 30-60% cheaper. Across the full eradication (including return visits, replacement furniture, time off work and the risk of a failed cycle) heat is usually the cheaper total. Score: heat on total cost, chemical on first invoice.
When chemicals are still the right call
There are scenarios where chemical is the better fit: very large communal buildings where heating every room is impractical, properties with vulnerable occupants who can't vacate for the day, and outdoor or roof-void infestations where heat won't hold. A good pest control company will tell you when chemical is the right answer — and we do.
FAQs
Can I combine both?
Yes. We sometimes apply a thin residual barrier at entry points after heat treatment, purely to catch any bed bug re-introduced over the next 12 weeks.
Is heat treatment safer for children and pets?
Yes — no chemical residue is left in the living environment. Children and pets return to a chemical-free home.
Want a chemical-free single-visit fix? Call 0204 569 0701.
0204 569 0701