DIY bed bug treatment options

Mr. Andrew Christman, The Ohio Exterminating Co.

Mr. Dale Hodgson, Rose Pest Solutions

Dr. Susan Jones, The Ohio State University

Sanitation Measures(Typically are used to supplement additional treatment measures.)

• Removing clutter• Laundering and drying items

• Steaming• Vacuuming• Using encasements for mattress & box springs

Disinfect Items by Laundering & Drying

(kills all bed bug life stages)

Launder clothing• Wash in hot water (>120ºF) • Use drier on hot setting (>30 mins.)• Dry clean items

Bag disinfected items

Pest Management Science 69: 1061-1065 (Sept 2013)

Developing bed bug expelled from egg

during steam treatment.

Vacuuming to contain bed bugs

cockroach feces

cockroach shed

skin

bed bugs nearby

Over-The-Counter Fogger Efficacy

Hotshot® Bedbug and Flea Fogger Pyrethrins 0.05%, Esfenvalerate 0.1%,

Piperonyl Butoxide 0.1% (synergist), MGK® 264 0.167% (synergist), Nylar 0.1% (IGR)

Spectracide® Bug Stop® Indoor Fogger Bed bugs are not listed on label Tetramethrin 0.1%, Cypermethrin 0.6%

Eliminator® Indoor Fogger Bed bugs are not listed on label Cypermethrin 0.515%

“Kills on contact”“Kills bugs you see, kills

bugs you don’t see!”“Kills biting and crawling

insects (as listed)”

“Kills on contact”“Effective long-term

control”

“Kills on contact”“Kills flying, crawling,

and biting insects”

— OSU Research Study —

DO NOT use “bug bombs”

against bed bugs! - ”Bug Bombs” don’t work - Few bugs will be killed!

- “Bug Bombs” can cause bed bugs to scatter!!!

“Bug Bombs” may worsen the

bed bug problem!!

A Personal Favorite- Fumigator?

That’s Not a Fumigation

THIS is a Fumigation

A Word about Alcohol……

DON’T !!!!!

• Must be sprayed directly on the bed bugs (‘kills on contact’)

• Most bugs are hiding and WILL NOT be killed• Little or no residual activity (the chemical

breaks down quickly)

BUYER BEWARE: Grocery store insect sprays won’t eliminate a bed bug infestation!

Some Basics of Bed Bug Management Using

Insecticides• There is no single “magic bullet”.• Bed bug control typically takes

several treatments.• It is important to use several different

formulations, and often, several different insecticides.

• A residual insecticide is necessary.• Don’t keep using the same

insecticide (rotate insecticide use)

CimeXa

Don’t Do This!!!!

Photos by Andrew Christman

University of Kentucky Laboratory Study

August 31, 2012

‘Shedding Light on IGR’s and

Bed Bugs’

By: Mark H. Goodman, Michael F. Potter, and Kenneth F. Haynes

Average number of eggs laid by adult bed bugs of two different strains reared from third-instar nymphs on surfaces treated with 2x or 3x label concentrations of Gentrol and water (control).

Gentrol (an IGR) affected some bed bugs, but only at very high rates (not

legally allowed)!

Thank You!Sleep tight,

and don’t let the … … well, you know the rest