Bed bug infestations in cars are not as common as those in houses or furniture, but they do happen. Often, these blood-sucking pests hitch rides on clothing and luggage and end up in our cars after the person in them returns from a trip away from home. The good news is that car beds bugs can't survive in the heat of your vehicle if you know how to treat them.
In fact, they can't survive at all if your car is heated to temperatures above 115 degrees Fahrenheit. It takes at least 90 minutes of constant exposure to 113 degree heat to kill all the bed bugs, eggs, and larvae in your car.
If a bed bug finds a host in your car who it can suck blood from regularly, it will start laying one to seven eggs each day. The hatched eggs will start reproducing within two weeks, and the bed bugs themselves will be ready to infest your vehicle in no time.
Bed bugs don't like hot temperatures, but they also can't survive in extreme cold for long periods of time. If you expose your car to extremely cold temperatures, it may take four days for the bed bugs in your car to die.
You can also kill car bed bugs with a non-pesticidal product such as Nuvan strips, DDVP spray, or Diatomaceous earth (DE powder). This natural powder is made from the fossilized skeletons of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms. It contains silica, which is a chemical that is toxic to insect exoskeletons. The DE powder can be applied to the inside of your car and in crevices to kill bed bugs and their eggs.