The 3 biggest reasons why pesticides are not effective for bed bug extermination.

1. Every pesticide approved in the USA market under FIFRA ( Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act ) and used for bed bugs, was specifically developed for insects other than bed bugs. Only when those pesticides’ patent protection was about to expire, bed bug use was added to the list of insects on the label to extend the patent protection effectively giving the product a couple more years. Bed bugs are unique in many ways beginning with feeding habits, resistance building, harborage, and reproduction to name a few.
2. Every pesticide on the market utilizes a deterrent component. The deterrent component simply alerts the insect to the existence of the pesticide sending a message to the insect “It is dangerous for you here. Go elsewhere “. So far no problems, as long as you are dealing with insects entering your house from the outside. You apply the product on the exterior walls and all is fine. Well, bed bugs don’t live outdoors and don’t crawl into your home through doors and windows. Bed bugs can be transported into our homes on our clothing, furniture, and potentially any item that is brought in by us or our visitors. Or, in a multifamily building setting or a hotel, they can travel from one unit to the adjacent unit.

Therefore, if you apply a pesticide in one area you will simply push the bed bugs into the other area of your home where the pesticide was not used practically spreading the infestation. If you apply the pesticide throughout the entire house, the bed bugs will look for shelter in wall voids, cracks and crevices that the pesticide did not reach into, making proper bed bug extermination far more difficult and expensive. Btw. cracks and crevices are bed bug’s favorite places to live as they love to feel pressure on both sides of their bodies.

1. Imagine for a moment there was a pesticide that was effective for bed bugs and safe for you, your family, and your pets. If somehow, the bed bug or bed bug egg was exposed to but survived the treatment with that pesticide, within 2 generations the offspring will be 100% resistant to that pesticide. That translates to around 150 days on the long side or as little as 30 days under some conditions. 

Hopefully, by now you realize why there are no effective and safe pesticides on the market and why pesticide manufacturers are not rushing to develop new products.

Here, at K&A Pest Control we recognized that 14 years ago and this is when we dedicated ourselves 100% to the safe, effective, and non-toxic treatment of bed bugs using mostly mechanical methods and a true IPM ( Integrated Pest Management ) against which bed bugs simply can not defend or adapt.

Steam Treatment For Bed Bugs

 Proper steaming is essential if you wish to get rid of bed bugs quickly, safely, and without dangerous pesticides. The temperature of the steam must be high enough and the pressure high enough to penetrate cracks and crevices but not too high so it doesn’t just blow the bed bugs around before steam kills them. If you are treating hard-to-reach, deep creases on upholstered furniture generally the pressure should be higher. A variety of nozzles should be used as well to penetrate deep or to trap the heat more on the surface. The speed with which you move the nozzle should be uniform and around 12-15 seconds per foot. Going slower will not hurt but going too fast might adversely affect the steaming process.