Phoenix summers are famous for being incredibly hot. When the temperature hits 110 degrees, a car sitting in the sun can feel like a giant oven. Most people in the Valley think this heat is a natural way to kill pests. They assume that if a bed bug gets into their car, the sun will simply bake it away. It seems like a simple fix for a scary problem.
However, bed bugs are much tougher than most people realize. Even in the middle of a record-breaking heatwave, these pests can find ways to stay alive inside your vehicle. To keep your car and your home safe, it is best to hire a professional.
Do not let a false sense of safety lead to a bigger problem in your home. Protect your family and call Green Mango Pest Control for a specialized vehicle and garage audit.
Table of Contents
Hiding Deep Inside the Soft Padding
The first reason the heat fails is because of how cars are built. Modern car seats are filled with thick foam and soft padding. This material is designed to keep you comfortable, but it also works as a great insulator. While the metal roof of the car might be burning hot, the middle of the seat cushion stays much cooler. It works like a protected cave for the bugs.
Bed bugs will crawl deep into the seams of the seats or under the carpet. They stay in the “shadow zones” where the temperature never gets high enough to kill them. Even if the air inside the car is very hot, the spot where the bug is hiding remains safe.
They can stay in these cool pockets for days without moving. This is why a car can sit in the sun for an entire weekend and still have living pests inside on Monday morning.
How the Air Conditioner Saves the Bugs
Most Phoenix drivers turn their air conditioning to the highest setting as soon as they get in the car. Unfortunately, this cold air is exactly what the bed bugs are waiting for. They can feel the temperature drop, and it tells them it is safe to come out. They stay hidden while the car is an “oven,” but they move around as soon as the AC starts blowing.
Once the car is cool, the bugs follow the carbon dioxide that you breathe out. They move toward the driver’s seat or the passenger’s seat to find a meal. Since people use their cars almost every day, the bugs are never exposed to high heat for very long. The constant cycle of “hot and cold” allows them to survive through the entire summer.
The Problem with Heat and Bed Bug Eggs
One of the most surprising facts is that heat can actually make things worse. While a very high heat can kill bugs, a “medium” heat can sometimes make their eggs hatch faster.
If the car gets warm but not hot enough to kill, the baby bugs might come out of their eggs earlier than expected. This means the family of bugs grows bigger because of the Arizona sun.
Keep Your Phoenix Commute Safe and Clean!
You spend a lot of time in your car, and it should be a place where you feel relaxed. The thought of sharing your seat with a biting pest is enough to make anyone feel stressed.
Protecting your car is a big part of keeping your whole home safe from the pests that live in our city. This is why you should always rely on professionals to help you out.
Green Mango Pest Control is a trusted name in the Phoenix area. They work with you to build a guaranteed plan that stops the bugs and keeps them from coming back.
