Daily Archives: August 14, 2022

People commonly use bed bug bombs - commonly known as insecticide foggers- to fend off bed bugs and other pests in their home and other areas. But do they work? Like most DIY treatments, it depends. Factors like environmental conditions, intensity of infestation and method of treatment application can all play a role in determining control success. Read about the three DIY bed bug foggers below for a better understanding of their efficacy. Essential Oils

Volatile essential oils are frequently used as a treatment option due to their less harmful effects on bed bugs and on humans. However, consumers tend to over-apply natural and other insecticide treatments due to a general lack of training on proper application techniques. Hence excess insecticides may wind up in areas like beds and couches where humans and pets may inhale them, potentially causing non-target effects.

In 2013, researchers conducted a study to determine the efficacy of a variety of essential oils to treat bed bugs. While findings indicated that essential oils could kill the bed bugs, researchers identified many other factors that may influence efficacy of control. By containing the bed bugs in a lab, the essential oil could be applied directly onto the bed bugs, allowing the bed bugs to completely absorb the oils. In a home or other natural environment, however, bed bugs hide in cracks and crevices, making direct contact impractical.

Additionally, essential oil products include other substances that may contribute to killing the bed bugs. Since natural products are exempt from the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, they do not have to disclose all ingredients on their packaging. Consumers using essential oils should consider that they may not know exactly which ingredients they are actually using.

Researchers believe that the smell of bed bug nymphs (immature stage) may deter other bed bugs. Bed bugs emit one scent when theyre babies and a different scent when theyre adults. Researchers from Lund University discovered that the smell of nymphs was discouraging to other bed bugs, including both adults and nymphs. This method requires extensive knowledge of bed bug smells and is therefore not a recommended bed bug solution.

Another home-treatment option often suggested involves store-bought bed bug foggers. Ohio State University researchers found that foggers were unable to infiltrate bed bug hiding spots. The ingredients in the foggers caused the bed bugs to divide and migrate to other areas. This can make treatment more difficult. Additionally, foggers often contain DDT, a chemical compound that bed bugs have built resistance to. Its also dangerous to use multiple foggers in the same location, as the products may explode if too many are used in one area. Since there is no proof of the effectiveness of bed bug foggers, they shouldnt be sought after as a reliable treatment.

So, do bed bug bombs work? DIY solutions may not be effective for areas with high infestation levels. The more bugs that are present, the longer it will take to see success with these solutions. To help get rid of bed bugs quicker, appropriate methods must be used to target the infestation and environment. This requires prior knowledge and experience of handling bed bugs and treatments.

Since DIY solutions cannot guarantee success, call Terminix to help get rid of bed bugs. Our customized treatment plans can aid in tackling infestations around your home so you dont have to worry about experimenting with your own solutions.

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Bed Bug Bombs & Foggers: Do They Work? | Terminix

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) We have all heard the nursery rhyme, Dont let the bed bugs bite, but what happens when that becomes your reality?

For Charleston-Kanawha Housing residents like Chad Robinson, it so happens that bed bugs are real, and they have taken over his own home.

They jump on you, and they stay on you, said Robinson, who lives at Carrol Terrace. They attack you. They prey on you, and also, they suck your blood and they wont stop.

Robinson said he went to the hospital after a bed bug dug into his leg. Now, he is asking that management does something to permanently squash the problem.

We do have a number of cases of bed bugs from time to time in our units that we have to address, said Jeff Knight, Chief Operations Officer of Charleston-Kanawha Housing. So, we try to do our best, but we got to know about it before we can deal with it.

Knight says they see the most issues in their high-rise apartments, like Carroll Terrace, located on Kanawha Boulevard.

In our lease agreement, we place the requirement on the family to inform us so that we can treat because obviously, unfortunately, bed bugs can move from unit to unit if its not quickly treated, he said.

Carroll Terrace residents said that is not good enough.

It has been an ongoing problem, said Melissa Cagle, Carroll Terrace resident. In one apartment I was in here, I was sprayed at least three times.

Cagle said she has lived there for 13 years, and no matter how many times they spray, it never gets better. She said there is only one solution.

You have to get rid of furniture because spraying isnt good enough, and its really awful, Cagle said. The best thing to do is tear down the building and build it back up.

Other residents, who have no where else to go, are wishing for something less drastic.

I just wish and pray that we can get the solution solved because it scares me to stay here, and this is the only place that I got to stay, Robinson said.

Knight said they already have a protocol in place to remove bed bugs, which includes residents having to remove all of their belongings from their apartment before it can be inspected and treated.

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Bed bugs take over public housing complex in Charleston - WOWK 13 News