Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Why are bed bugs so hard to kill?

Why does it seem almost impossible to get rid of bed bugs? For one thing they are stealth fighters. They use gorilla tactics. They are also very hardy pests. Unfortunately, many of the bed bugs infesting our homes and apartment buildings are resistant to the insecticides we have today. So we are experimenting with different products and combinations to try to get a modicum of relief. Bedbugs are resistant to synthetic pyrethroids, which most of our insecticides are. Some products like Phantom are not, and this is why it is one of the good guys. Alcohol based products like Sterifab is another good product for contact kill. Bedlam has also been known to work well. Most of these products are not available to the public unless bought through a pest control products website like epest supply or DIY pesticides, other than that, you have to hire a professional. Be careful how much money you spend on all the sensationalism that is being sold out there. You'll go broke trying to fight a survivor until the pest control industry comes up with a silver bullet, which they will, eventually.

2 comments:

Organic Gerry said...

I am responding as the owner of Hearts Pest Management, www.heartspm.com, in So. California.

The main reason it is hard to get rid of bed bugs is NOT because they are "hardy." They are easy to kill, but often hard to find. They can hide almost anywhere. The inspection must be extremely thorough and the treatment must be equally thorough. Additionally, instructions to the homeowner must be complete and followed completely.
Yes, there is some resistance to certain pesticides (not to an entire group of pesticides), but resistance is still not common.

Anonymous said...

You are mis-informed Gerry...ask any entomologist and he or she would agree with me. Resistance is a huge problem. They are in fact HARDY, with examples in the lab where bedbugs walk through pesticides and are not phased in the least bit. We need a bigger a boat.