1

Thermo Lignum "Warmair" Heat Treatment with Controled Humidity

• The utilization of heat as a method of controlling pests is not new. Heat treatments were introduced in the United States as early as 1911. With restrictions on fumigants, and the upcoming ban on methyl bromide, the future of safe and effective pest control is heat.
• The key to a chemical and gas-free alternative to fumigations lies in the fact that the majority of insects at any of the various stages of their life cycle will die if they are subjected to temperatures between 50-55 degrees C for an extended period. It is this biological fact that lies behind the Thermo Lignum 'Warmair' system.
• The principle behind using heat to kill insects in objects, was that by accurately controlling the relative humidity (RH) of the atmosphere around them, organic materials could be prevented from dehydrating during the heating cycle. In this way the resultant splitting, twisting and warping of wood, for example, is eliminated.
• In addition to extensive trials on a range of timbers, the method was tested successfully on organic and synthetic adhesives, veneers, paintings, leather and skins, ethnographic and natural history specimens, herbaria, paper and a wide spectrum of textiles.
• Where many items of furniture and smaller fittings in a house need to be treated, the use of the mobile ‘Warmair’ chamber provides the ideal means for delivering environmentally benign treatments which are 100 per cent effective against all infesting insects, at any stage of their lifecycle, and in any organic material.

Here are Some of the Advantages of Heat vs. Chemicals

• Heat kills pests at all stages of the life cycle (eggs, larvae, pupae, adults).
• Sections of a facility can continue to operate while a treatment is occurring.
• Heat treatments reduce total shutdown time to less than 36 hours.
• Heat leaves no harmful residue.
• Heat reaches places that harmful fumigants cannot.
• Heat doesn't corrode machinery.