Study: Over-the-counter foggers ineffective against bed bugs

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Ohio State University entomologists have found that over-the-counter foggers or bug bombs commonly used by consumers are not effective at killing bedbugs -- providing the first scientific evidence that such products should not be recommended for control of this increasingly worrisome, bloodsucking pest.

The study appears in the June 2012 issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology, a peer-reviewed publication of the Entomological Society of America.

There has always been this perception and feedback from the pest-management industry that over-the-counter foggers are not effective against bedbugs and might make matters worse, said Susan Jones, an urban entomologist with the universitys Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) and a household and structural pest specialist with Ohio State University Extension. But up until, now there has been no published data regarding the efficacy of foggers against bedbugs.

Bedbug (Cimex lectularius) numbers have increased in the past decade as much as 500 percent in North America and other parts of the world. Reasons behind this spike include a boom in international travel and commerce; a shift from powerful but dangerous insecticides, such as DDT, to more selective control tactics; the publics lack of awareness about these insects and how easily they spread; and the development of resistance among bedbug populations to currently used pesticides, especially pyrethroids.

In the study (funded entirely by OARDC and OSU Extension), Jones and research associate Joshua Bryant evaluated three different fogger brands obtained from a nationwide retailer, all of which have pyrethroids as their active ingredient. Only one of the foggers is specifically labeled against bedbugs. The other two are labeled for use against flying and crawling pests in homes, but can be used to treat bedbugs in many states, Jones said.

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Study: Over-the-counter foggers ineffective against bed bugs

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