Foggers No Match for Bedbugs

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'Bug Bombs' Ineffective Against Bedbugs

June 3, 2012 -- Bug bombs and other insect foggers may be no match for pesky bedbugs.

A new study confirms that these commonly used pesticides are ineffective against the current bedbug invasion.

"These foggers don't penetrate in cracks and crevices, where most bedbugs are hiding, so most of them will survive," researcher Susan Jones, an urban entomologist at Ohio State University, says in a news release. "If you use these products, you will not get the infestation under control, you will waste your money, and you will delay effective treatment of your infestation."

During the last decade, a growing number of bedbug infestations has been reported in hotel rooms, dormitories, and homes, prompting concern from public health officials.

Although the cause of this resurgence is unknown, experts suspect the tiny bugs are becoming increasingly resistant to pesticides.

In the study, published in the Journal of Economic Entomology, researchers evaluated the effects of three different over-the-counter insect foggers against bedbugs.

Researchers exposed five different groups of live bedbugs to the products for two hours, and found few adverse effects on the bugs. When the bugs had a place to hide, as in real-world conditions, few died as a result of exposure to the foggers.

The only exception was one group of bedbugs that died in significant numbers five to seven days after being directly exposed to one of the foggers.

But the researchers say it's very unlikely that bedbugs will be directly exposed to the mist from insect foggers because of their uncanny ability to hide in small spaces. In addition, many bedbug populations are resistant to at least some extent to the active ingredients in these products.

Excerpt from:
Foggers No Match for Bedbugs

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