Can you kill bedbugs by freezing them?

If specific temperature and time conditions are met, freezing serves as an effective method of killing bed bugs, according to the University of Minnesota. As the bugs freeze, ice forms inside their bodies, leading to injury or death.

To effectively kill bed bugs by freezing, the freezer must remain at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, and the bed-bug-infested item must stay in the freezer for at least four days. The center of the item, not just its exterior, must reach 0 F to ensure the frozen bed bugs die. Begin counting the four-day period starting when the item has reached the 0 F temperature at its center.