Bed Bug Bombs: Dangerous and Ineffective

With increases in bed bug infestations all over the country–and the distress and anxiety caused by them–people are trying more kinds of do-it-yourself solutions, with little or no effect. Sometimes the problems caused by DIY bed bug remedies are worse than the bugs!

Sprays on TV

The “natural” sprays you see advertised on late-night TV sound great, don’t they? Spray every couple of weeks and keep the bed bugs away. Unfortunately, those sprays don’t treat the actual infestation at all. They might keep bugs off your pillow for a while, but they don’t get them out of the house or out of their hiding places. They will find food–that’s you!

Those sprays also claim to “kill on contact,” which is great for the bed bugs you can see, but do nothing for the ones who are hiding, and that is the majority of the pests.

Bed Bug Bombs

Pesticides packaged in pressurized cans that you set and leave to create a fog of killer chemicals while you go out sound great. That fog must get everywhere, right? Unfortunately Ohio University researchers have found that the pesticides in foggers don’t even kill bed bugs out in the open, let alone the ones hiding in cracks or upholstery. They also leave nasty chemical residue all over the surfaces in your home.

Bug bombs can also scatter insects rather than kill them. According to experts, they can cause bed bugs to find new locations, spreading an infestation. Frequent use can also lead to pesticide resistance. The bugs that survive a fogger will lay resistant eggs.

Insect foggers can also be dangerous in another way–if you don’t follow the directions carefully. This past weekend a Glendale renter managed to cause an explosion which shattered all the windows in his apartment complex and sent him to the hospital. He neglected to turn off the pilot light on the stove before leaving his bed bug bomb to do its work.

Bed bugs can cause a tremendous amount of anxiety and make people do things which can harm their health. People have become sick from putting spray insecticides on their own bodies or spraying the chemicals in their beds before sleeping.

What is the best way to kill bed bugs?

The safest, most effective and quickest way to kill bed bugs is with heat. At Alliance, we use ThermapureHeat to raise interior temperatures over 130 degrees long enough to kill adult bed bugs, nymphs and even bed bug eggs in one treatment, with no pesticides needed. That means they won’t come back. And you won’t have to deal with any chemical residue or lurking pesticides that could affect your health after your bed bug problem is gone. High temperatures work. Let Alliance show you how!

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