Category Archives: Do it yourself Bed Bug

(CBS News) Got a bedbug infestation?Many people turn to do-it-yourself "bug bombs" or "foggers" to rid the creepy crawlers from their bedrooms, but a new study shows the products that have been sold for decades might not even work.

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"There has always been this perception and feedback from the pest-management industry that over-the-counter foggers are not effective against bed bugs and might make matters worse but up until now there has been no published data regarding the efficacy of foggers against bedbugs," said study author Susan Jones, an urban entomologist with the Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, said 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."

Ohio State University researchers tested three commercially sold foggers, Hot Shot, Spectracide, and Eliminator for the study, published in the June 3 issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology. After testing the brands on five different groups of live bedbugs for two hours, the scientists saw the foggers had little if any effect on the insects.

Jone said bedbugs hide in cracks and crevices such as under sheets and mattresses, or deep in carpets where foggers won't reach. Bugs that do come in contact with the mist may be resistant to the pesticide and can survive, she said.

The bottom line? You might be wise to leave it to the pros.

"Bed bugs are among the most difficult and expensive urban pests to control. It typically takes a professional to do it right," Jones said. "Also, the ineffective use of these products can lead to further resistance in insects."

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also says to steer clear of bug bombs or foggers, saying they can make the problem worse by scattering bedbugs throughout your home.

Bedbugs feed off blood and survive for months without a meal, according to WebMD. Infestations often occur in hotels, nursing homes, hospitals and cruise ships where lots of people sleep. People can be allergic t o the bites, experiencing itching or in rare cases life-threatening anaphlyaxis.

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Foggers, "bug bombs" are no match for bedbugs, scientists say

Alex Brandon/AP

Bedbugs on display at the National Bed Bug Summit held in Washington in early 2011.

Bedbug infestations can be maddening. So readily available bug bombs that fill the house with a pesticide fog are understandably tempting. But research shows they're not likely to work.

Writing in the Journal of Economic Entomology, researchers from Ohio State University say they tested three popular bug bomb products on five different populations of bedbugs, collected "in the wild" from homes around Ohio. All three products failed miserably.

A bug bomb is basically an aerosol can that fills a room with insecticides called pyrethrins. They didn't exactly have a stellar reputation before, either. There are anecdotal reports that the products stir up the bugs, causing them to leave their hiding places and potentially scatter to new locations. And as NPR's Jon Hamilton reported last year, many bedbugs are becoming resistant to pyrethrins.

"If [bug bombs] don't work in the first place, that's what people need to know," lead author and entymology professor Susan Jones tells Shots. So she tested three products, including two general-purpose bug bombs, Spectracide Bug Stop Indoor Fogger and Eliminator Indoor Fogger, and one marketed specifically for bedbugs, Hot Shot Bedbug and Flea Fogger. All three are manufactured by Spectrum Brands.

The bombs were detonated while bugs were either exposed in open containers, or hidden under strips of paper or cloth that simulated, in a minimal way, the fabrics, mattresses and pillows in which they normally hide. That should have made the foggers' job easy. "This is like giving them the most favorable conditions in the world" for killing bedbugs, Jones says. But even when the bugs were denied shelter, nearly all of them survived, the tests found.

Charlie Duckworth, who does research and development for Spectrum Brands, says only the Hot Shot product is designed specifically for bedbugs. "That one has data that it does kill bedbugs," he says, citing information the Environmental Protection Agency reviews before approving insecticides.

Duckworth says EPA will soon require products not proved effective on bedbugs to carry a label saying as much. EPA didn't confirm that assertions. But in an email, an agency spokeswoman said that pesticide resistance, available hiding spots, and other factors can make it hard to treat bedbugs successfully. "Foggers and bug bombs should not be used as the only method to attempt to control bed bugs," the EPA website says.

The Federal Trade Commission's website goes even further. "Steer clear of bug bombs or foggers," it warns, citing the scattering effect.

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Beset With Bedbugs? Don't Bother With Bug Bombs

Martha Mador, Bonita Springs

Come see for yourself

Here's a suggestion for letter-writer Lloyd Zimmerman, who expressed legitimate concerns on May 5 about the conditions found in overcrowded homeless shelters (not pretty).

Gather a group of friends and neighbors and call to make a reservation at St. Matthew's House for a tour of the facilities in East Naples.

Bring a donation of personal goods like razor blades, deodorants and tooth brushes.

Tell them you would like to stay for lunch (suggested donation $10).

The tour guide will address all your concerns; he has read the same article you quoted in your letter. He will even discuss the "bed bug" issue you mentioned. The St. Matthew's House resolution to that issue is the envy of the hotel industry.

My guess is that your opinion will not change on what a community should do about housing the homeless. But it will be an informed opinion and perhaps St. Matthew's House will make a few bucks in the process and add a few items to its storage cabinet.

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Letter: Come see for yourself

The bed bugs are alive and biting in Los Angeles, so much so the city vaulted Wednesday into the top five of an exterminators Top 50 Bed Bug Cities List.

According to the pest-control company Orkin, Los Angeles climbed 25 spots to place No. 5 in its annual list of bug-infested cities.

Cincinnati and Chicago held on to the top spots, finishing No.1 and 2 respectively, but several large metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles showed increases in the number of bed-bug treatments in 2011.

The Bay Area, for example, jumped 35 spots on the top-50 list to No. 12.

I think everybody in the county ought to be concerned, Harrison said. You have to be cautious where you travel and not stay in hotels where you have bed bugs. The worry isnt as much about getting bit as it is about bringing them into the home.

Harrison said bed bugs carry human pathogens and can leave itchy welts on victims but do not carry diseases. He estimatedOrkin has treated thousands of homes and businesses in California, and the company owns only about a 20% market share.

Orkins study reportedthe bed-bug extermination business was up 33.6% last year. Harrison said treatments in Los Angeles range from several hundred dollars to more than $1,000.

If you find yourself in a situation with an infestation, its not pleasant, he said. Changing your life for months is not fun.

The Northern California cities of Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto were grouped together for the study and collectively finished 41st. It was the third and final California area on the top 50 list.

ALSO:

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L.A. places No. 5 on list of 'Top 50 Bed Bug Cities'

joanne tilden From Wednesday's Globe and Mail Published Tuesday, Mar. 20, 2012 4:40PM EDT Last updated Tuesday, Mar. 20, 2012 4:53PM EDT

During a recent phone call with my mother, I mentioned the possibility of selling my new home, where I have lived for less than two years.

Once you get your bugs organized, you will be happy to have a house in downtown Montreal, my mother assured me.

I said nothing, but wondered how to organize bedbugs. Do you post miniature bulletins on the baseboards announcing fixed meal and bed times?

Just make sure not to leave any food lying around, my mother said.

But Mom, I am the food!

After that conversation, I began thinking about how indeed one should go about organizing ones bugs.

First thing is to come out of the bedbug closet. Tell everyone you know that you are infested. Otherwise you will never get any sympathy, and sympathy may be the only form of affection you receive for a very long time, so enjoy it.

Another advantage of sharing your plight with others is they will admire you for your bravery in dealing with such a formidable adversary. Remember, most people associate bedbugs with horror stories and macroscopic photos of the monsters injecting their enzymes into hapless victims (sometimes causing anaphylactic shock). If you just got a few minor bites on your shins and thats all, they will never know. Let them imagine the worst, and you will seem God-like in your equanimity.

I should add that not everyone endorses this approach, including my friend Christina. Stop telling people you have bedbugs! She thinks I should march back into the closet immediately.

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How to live with bedbugs