Bed Bug Control

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We can blame Natural Selection at the increasing resistance of a number of insects to pesticides. Biological traits and natural adaptation are the reasons why a number of weeds are resistant to some herbicides and some rodents still survive after digesting rodenticide-laden food or traps. The same can be said of people who seem to have better immune systems.

In the case of common, there are studies and proof that they have become resistant to synthetic pyrethroids. Synthetic pyrethroids are man-made version of pyrethrin and are made from petroleum derivatives. Pyrethrin, on the other hand, is an organic compound that attacks and paralyzes insects' nervous systems. Over the years, the insecticide industry has been dependent of synthetic products and in effect helping produce the next generation of bugs which are immune to its effects.

While pyrethrin is a better choice, there have been studies that showed cockroaches recovering from pyrethrin treatments. Recent insecticides that contain pyrethrin are now manufactured with one or two synergists for added efficacy. Other studies have shown that bed bugs have become immune to the deadly effects of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), a water soluble insecticide. And since pyrethroids and DDT share some similar modes of action in attacking nervous systems of insects, a number of bugs are also considered immune to pyrethroids.

However, the concern of most people is the effect of synthetic pyrethroids, Are they still effective against insect infestation? Can synthetic pyrethroids create "super bugs"? The answer is yes and no. The bugs may look like they are adapting to the affects - some species are hardly taken down by the treatments, while others take longer or stronger doses to die. What we are seeing is the survival of the fittest, their genetic composition may have the capability to block certain effects of the insecticide. When these surviving bugs reproduce, their offspring are likewise resistant to the insecticide.

It travel by breeding and finding temporary shelter in clothing. From there they could set up shop in almost anywhere in the country. Their survival has always depended on moving and breeding in places that could give them the most ideal living conditions and food sources. Their ancestors have survived through this strategy and must have passed on genes that have better resistance on the effects of pyrethroids.

Dr. Mike Potter of the University of Kentucky said that some populations of the common bed bug have shown 1000x factor of resistance to synthetic pyrethroids. This means that the effect of the said compound is likely to have no effect of the target insects.

Currently the best plan is to use insecticides interchangeably, that is using different kinds of treatments over a period of time. Through this strategy, insects will not be able build up resistance against the products. From pyrethroid, use a neonicotinoid or a Pyyrhole then an Oxadiazine. Use desiccant dusts like silica gel (Drione, Tri-Die) and diatomaceous earth (MotherEarth D) and other products that do not have an effect on the nervous system. They kill insects by seeping into the bugs' exoskeleton and affecting bodily functions through dehydration. Dessicant dusts also have long-term effects, and are still effective even after several years.

Moreover, their effects to humans and pets are almost minimal. Dessicants are not exactly new, but they are your best bet when it comes to confusing bugs' immune systems and are much safer that other products.

A.   There are a variety of reasons why you may have a re-infestation of bed bugs. It could be that your treatment plan was not thorough enough. Moreover, if you live in a complex with neighboring homes that are connected (apartment, townhouse, etc.), your neighbor's infestation may be causing a re-infestation in your own home. Also, if you have traveled recently and came back, you may have brought them home from another location. Keep in mind that just one treatment will not eradicate a bed bug infestation. You must treat regularly and continuously until the infestation is completely rid of.

A.   Unfortunately, there are not many residual products that you can use inside the car. The number of products you can use are very limited. Consider using such products like Bedlam which is sprayed every 1-2 weeks or Steri-fab, which has no residual at all.

A.   Although freezing temperatures will kill bed bugs, if you leave any material out in the freezing temperatures, it will take a few weeks for that sort of treatment to work.

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The physical attributes of the body of a bed bug allows it to be able to hide in many areas.

Bed bugs do not always show up on the surface and it is hard to actually spot one. The best places to start looking for bed bugs are cracks and crevices near or around the food source.

Bed bugs tend to stay out of the light which leads them to find such hiding spots in dark areas such as mattresses, bed frames, box springs, nearby furniture, carpeting, baseboards, inner walls, tiny wood holes, or bedroom clutter. Bed bugs are usually found in groupings near the host although they are known to be able to travel as far as 100 feet for a meal.

You could also look for egg cases, dark stains (that come from the blood they've consumed and exposed of), or shells of bed bugs that were shed (also known as exuviae). It is imperative to look at every crack and crevice possible when inspecting for bed bugs.

A.   Unfortunately, we do not carry a fogger that will kill bed bugs. Since they are so small, they can virtually hide almost anywhere and this is why it is best to use a residual spray like Suspend SC or Cyonara on most broad surfaces and in cracks and crevices, aerosols like Bedlam or Phantom Aerosol in the cracks and crevices on the bed, and dusts like Alpine Dust or Mother Earth Dust can be applied in wall voids for optimal protection.

A.   For surface treatment on couches or any area where people may come in to direct contact with often, Bedlam or Sterifab would be highly recommended. Bedlam contains a 2 week residual time and is used by many professionals. However if you or anyone else who will come in contact with the treated surface has sensitive skin you may want to try Sterifab.

A.   Fortunately, you do not have to shave to get rid of bed bugs. Unlike fleas or lice, bed bugs cannot easily reach a person's scalp or maneuver through hair as easily and so they will not be found in the hair or head. However, there are many places in a room that can be potential hiding spaces for bed bugs. Therefore, it may be difficult to get rid of them with just one treatment depending on the size of the infestation. With our bed bug kits though, you can jump start your treatment plan. We can help you with product information or bed bug control if you email us at info@pestmall.com or give us a call at 1-800-788-4141.

A.   The cheapest way to go about treatment is to thoroughly wash all clothes in hot water and continue to follow up with chemical treatment

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Working on a bed bug prevention plan depends on the kind of businesses your customers have and efficacy of the plan to control the spread of pests within the treatment area.

While most customers are homeowners, the real challenge for pest management professionals (PMPs) is bug prevention in hotels, inns, resorts and bed & breakfasts. Guests and travelers who come from different areas of the country are considered main carriers of bugs. And although there are no machines to identify if the luggage and suitcases coming into a hotel are bug free, administrators and owners would want to train their housekeeping staff in identifying the havoc that these pests have done while cleaning the room. The plan should also include hiring an in-house PMP that can treat the affected area as soon as the presence of bugs is declared.

There is only so much that can be done to prevent bug infestation. However, the owners should always have a plan B if there is already an infestation in the one or more rooms. If bugs are discovered, the hotel staff should immediately quarantine the room and implement prevention treatments in nearby rooms. The owners cannot risk having the other rooms infected, so they have to act fast and efficiently. PMPs and hotel staff can place different kinds of traps: glue traps, pitfall traps, etc. Wear light-colored work clothes is important to see if there are bugs that have taken shelter in the clothes. Immediately discard work clothes or send them to the laundry area as soon as soon as the treatment is over. Rinse them with hot water and use hot dryer to make sure that the bugs or eggs are removed.

There are no surefire ways to totally prevent bug infestation, but owners can start with the basics. These measures include installing box spring encasements, thorough washing of pillowcases, blankets, and other sheets, daily housecleaning and vacuuming of the rooms, and placing traps in the usual areas where bugs might breed and survive.

A.   For either fleas or bed bugs, it does take several treatments to eradicate an entire infestation. One of the very first steps in pest control is to identify the pest. You must identify what the pest is before you apply pesticides since all pests will react differently to each product. Moreover, pest control products are often times, made for a specific target pest. After you identify the pest, feel free to contact us again and we can help you select a product that will best fit your treatment plan.

A.   Unfortunately, we do not do pest control services but we do supply the pest control products. If you would like a quotation on any of our products, you can email us at info@pestmall.com or give us a call at 1-800-788-4142.

A.   I do not believe bedbugs are attracted to UV lights. They are however attracted to heat.

A.   Yes.Hot water wash and the Hot dry will kill bed bugs.

A.   Bed bugs require different insecticides for optimal control due to their small size. They are able to hide anywhere including the mattress, sofa, other furniture, hanging frames, and even the wall void area. Our kits have been put together by our technicians to provide you with all the different types of insecticides that will treat different areas accordingly.

Here is a link to one of our kits:Bed Bugs Control Kits

This kit includes a pressurized aerosol spray, a dust product, a liquid concentrate, an IGR (insect growth regulator) and also a duster to apply the dust. The aerosol remains active for 2 weeks to a month and you apply this in intimate areas like your furniture (mattress lining, head board, couch, etc.).

The liquid concentrate can be applied to larger surfaces like the base boards of a room, the surface around the bed, etc. and has a longer killing effect for up to 3-4 months.

Dust products have the longest residual time for about 5-6 months, however, it is restricted to areas of minimal or no contact like the wall void area, under and behind furniture, and hanging picture frames.

A.   It can crawl into anywhere if it is a crack and crevice. It may be that the insulator for refrigerators and ovens are too hot for it survival and we have never had any incidences where the bed bugs have come out of insulation, however, we can not guarantee that they can't crawl inside the insulation.

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Bedbugs reproduce at a very fast rate and is hard to control and treat fully.

One key ideas to keep in mind is that you do not want to over spray any area for they will just avoid the area and since all the pesticides are a form of contact kill, it will do you no good.

For mattress and furniture or anyplace or thing you will come into direct contact with it is best to use steri fab or bedlam. These are the only two pesticides labeled to be able to use on the mattress itself. Steri fab is a non residual so once the pesticide is dry it is no longer affective. The bedlam is a residual and lasts up to 3 weeks in one application.

Gentrol IGR is a very good product to use for it will deduct the population rate.

As for the suspend and cyonara they both work very effectively but these are delayed action kill pesticides therefore it takes time to kill the bed bugs.

The dust works a little bit differently. Every dust is different but the mother earth d works by taking a layer of the shell off at a time. Therefore the is a delayed kill as well. one application of the dust lasts up to six months unless there is pesticide sprayed over the dust or it is brushed off.

Hope this information is useful and please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.

Eco-Keeper Bed Bug Tent

A.   We recommend using our bed bug kits for a thorough treatment. We have various kits that can be viewed by the following link:Bed Bug control kit

The kits include various products such as an aerosol spray, liquid concentrate, IGR, and dust products.

The aerosol spray is used for intimate areas like furniture, mattress seams, head boards, etc. The residual on the spray lasts about 2 weeks.

The liquid concentrate is used on larger surfaces such as the surface around the bed. It has a longer killing effect of 3-4 months.

The IGR is an insect growth regulator that prevents the insects from reaching a state of maturity at which they can reproduce.

The dust product is restricted for use in areas of minimal or no contact, such as the wall void area, under/behind furniture, etc.

A.   With the assumption that this inquiry is in regards to bed bugs, here are a few tips that we can give you for traveling. You must inspect. Inspect such areas like between the mattress and boxspring, hanging fixtures on walls, behind the bed frame, under cushions in armchairs or other pieces of furniture, and etc. Hang your clothes and keep the luggage on a metal stand that is separated from wall. Lastly, we have a newly stocked item that is great for traveling. The bed bug tent was made precisely to give you comfort during rest so that you are not bit up by bed bugs at night. Since you cannot be completely positive that the room is not bed bug infested, you want to make sure that you won't be hosted on in case you are living in a room that is infested with bed bugs, even for a short period of time.

A.   Talstar can be used to treat the cracks and crevices of box springs but not as an entire surface treatment. This will also apply for mattresses and other pieces of furniture as well. Please allow the product to completely dry before you come in contact with the treated area again.

A.   Yes you can. If you are looking for a commercial registration with us, you can email us at info@pestmall.com with the item desired and the quantity. In order to become a commercial customer though, your initial purchase must be $500 or more and you must fill out a commercial application form that we will send to you with the quotation for the items desired.

A.   The bed bug kits that we feature on our website have been specially arranged by our professional exterminators to fit the needs of people with different sized homes and for different locations of treatment due to some pesticide restrictions in a few states such as NY. Most of our pages for the kits include a shortened version of how to use and where to use each pesticide contained in the kit. The full version can be located on the actual product label or the pdf file of the product label on our website. All this information can be directly referenced from the specific product pages, when clicking on the actual item and scrolling down to its descriptions.

A.   You should not apply more than what is labeled. If more than 1 is required to cover the entire room, then it is alright to use more than 1, but only apply what is labeled.

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Constantly worrying about bedbugs is common among homeowners and pest management professionals. Bed bugs apparently have become resistant to synthetic pyrethroids, which paralyze the insects' nervous system similar to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and synthetic ingredients that are often used to kill bed bugs. So far you are on the right track in rotating treatments and products against these insects. Using different products and prevention programs discourage bed bugs to build immunity and resistance, and are more likely to eliminate these pests.

Using diatomaceous earth when treating voids and small cracks may also help the efficacy of the products that you are using. Diatomaceous earth is organic and it causes the insects to develop water pressure deficiency, eventually killing them by dehydration.

Looking for excellent and updated reading materials might be harder than you think as developments and innovations change and improve so often. However, I recommend The Bed Bug Handbook from Univar, since it has the most comprehensive information of the bugs and discusses important details on how to prevent and eradicate these pests.

I would suggest that you keep yourself in the loop for the most recent innovations in pest control by reading online journals and trade magazines. You may also want to attend seminars and lectures, which are usually sponsored by pesticide manufacturers. Some academic institutions also publish articles and studies related to pest control and management. Other universities develop organic, less harmful ways and treatments to wipe out specific insects.

One supplier of entomological publications is BioQuip Products, which include books about pesticides, has several interesting titles in their catalogs like books on pest management and surefire measures to get rid of insects. I advise that you choose books that are not older than eight years from date of publication, because as I said earlier, improvement and new technologies are made every day to sustain this growing industry.

Another way keep updated is by communicating and getting feedback and recommendations from peers, sales representatives , and local colleges.

A.   The best recommendation that we could give to you would be our Bed Bug Kit Commercial. This will include all the products that are needed to control bed bugs and they are put together by our technicians so that they may target all areas of the structure.

Bed Bugs can not survive outdoors, if weather conditions are too hot or too cold, they will die after a certain amount of time.

However, if you would like, you may use the liquid insecticide or aerosol to treat the garage. When beginning treatment, you may want to start by treating the rooms you have been bitten in and then for precaution, treat the other rooms as well.

You must understand that bed bugs can "hitchhike" to any area, therefore, its important that you try not to sleep in a new room because they may just as easily infest the new room as well as continue infestation in the previous rooms.

Upon receiving the kit, you may contact us for more detailed instructions on how to use each product.

A.   Bed bug treatments require a variety of bed bug products so that you can target all areas of the home with the different products.

We always recommend our kits because kits include all the necessary products that you need. These products are pressurized aerosols, liquid concentrate, IGR, dust, and duster. The kits will vary, but you can find one that best fits your needs.

We also have non-chemical means of controlling bed bugs. Keep in mind that these are not to be depended on to completely eliminate bed bugs, but it will radically help in controlling the population. These materials are things like the mattress encasement, box spring encasement, and the steamer.

Moreover, we have a new product called Eco Keeper Bed Bug Tent that will protect you during the night so that you are not bothered by bed bug bites. You can rest well without the worry of being bit by the bed bugs.

If you have detailed questions on bed bug treatment, you can always give us a call at 1-800-788-4142.

A.   You don't necessarily need to throw away the bed. A great way to save your mattress and box spring is to purchase an encasement that has been proven to be bed bug and/or dust mite proof. Encasements are definitely not as expensive as purchasing a new mattress or box spring so it's a great way to approach a cost friendly and efficient bed bug treatment.

A.   There is no real preventative for bed bugs. However, if you are in an apartment complex and the infested apartment is adjacent, above, or below your apartment, you will need to think about treating the wall voids and all cracks and crevices because the wall void is the primary means of travel for bed bugs and adjacent apartment may easily become infested. You can treat the wall void area with a dust product like Alpine Dust Insecticide and try to bed bugs monitor trap.

A.   For a complete bed bug control, it does require a variety of products due to the fact that it can hide virtually anywhere.

We always recommend our Bed Bug Kits which will include all necessary insecticides for all target areas.

Each of the products come with strict product labels and as long as you are thorough, consistent, and following the product label directions, you can eradicate your bed bug infestation.

You can find our best selling kits here:bed bug kits