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Bed
Bug Spray/Dust Insecticides
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Summary: Spray
and dust insecticides can be used to
eliminate any bed bugs and eggs that may
have been missed during the cleaning of bedding
and bedside furniture.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist
(ret.)
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Using a bed bug spray/dust
The most important part of any bed bug
treatment is to thoroughly clean places where bed
bugs hide and lay their eggs. These areas include
mattress seams and folds, cracks and crevices in
bedroom furniture, baseboard molding, and other
places near beds where bed bugs might hide (see Bed Bugs for additional
information). Cleaning can be done with an
ordinary vacuum cleaner and mild upholstery
cleaner, but steam
cleaners may be the most effective.
Once hiding places are as clean as
possible you can apply some type of residual
insecticide to control any bed bugs and
eggs that you might have missed with cleaning
alone. This application is tricky, however,
because products applied to bedding or bedside
furniture has the potential to contact anyone who
subsequently sleeps in the bed. For this reason
the material applied must be safe and used
strictly in accordance with the label
instructions.
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Bed bug (4th instar larva,
unfed) - about 1/5". After feeding bed
bugs become less flattened, more rounded.
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Insecticidal dusts (see below) should be
used to treat
crack and crevices around baseboard moldings,
bedside furniture and the like. Dusts are
easy to apply to small cracks and openings without
danger of over-application and spillage. Dusts also
exhibit longer residual activity than most other
types of insecticides.
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Is bed bug spray necessary?
Surfaces like mattresses can be treated
with a residual spray insecticide but only use
products that are specifically labeled for this use
(check package instructions). The table below lists
products that are current as of Feb. 2010 but this
list can change so check product labels carefully.
Residual spray insecticides are not
absolutely necessary if all surfaces are thoroughly
cleaned. However, it is easy to miss a few areas
where bed bugs might be hiding, or a few eggs that
are tucked inside the fold of a mattress. This is
where a residual insecticide comes in, to eliminate
the last few survivors of the cleaning process.
Apply a very light spray to
mattress seams and folds, the undersides of bedside
furniture and the bed frame. Do not saturate, a
light spray is all that is necessary. Bed bug sprays
alone should NOT be substituted for thorough
cleaning of mattresses and treatment of cracks and
crevices with a dust insecticide.
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Bed Bug Sprays & Dusts (see Bed Bug
Control below for sources)
Aerosol sprays for surfaces
- Bedlam (tm)
- Sprayway Bed Bug Spray (tm)
and similar products
- EcoEXEMPT KO (tm)
Hand-pump sprays for surfaces
Dusts for "crack & crevice"
treatments
Products like Kleen Free (tm) are
enzyme-based cleaners, and are not registered or
tested as insecticides. They work like other soaps
that have insecticidal properties (see Insecticidal
Soaps for more information), and like other
soaps they don't exhibit any residual insecticidal
activity.
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Bed
Bug Control In Homes, Dorm Rooms, Motels/Hostels
Using
the following steps you should be able to easily
clear, and prevent, most bed bug infestations so
long as you catch the infestation at an early stage.
- Launder
bedding as normal.
- Treat
cracks and
crevices where bed bugs hide in rooms and
around beds with a dust insecticide containing
pyrethrin. "Crack and crevice" treatments should
include baseboards and furniture, and other small,
protected places where bed bugs can hide during
the day. Dusts should be applied with a duster
that allows you to puff dust into tight places.
- Clean
soiled mattress fabric with steam.
- Apply
an aerosol spray or wettable powder insecticide to
mattress surfaces and seams, follow
label
instructions
for approved uses.
- Supplies
for these treatments as well as Bed
Bug
Control
Kits are available here
(DoMyOwnPestControl) and at our 'Bugs
Store.
See
How To Treat Bed Bug
Infestations for additional details.
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Bed Bugs - Identification & Life
History
Eliminating Bed Bugs From
Personal Items
Using Insecticidal Soap For
Insect Control
Using Natural Dust Insecticides
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Mission: To provide accurate,
up-to-date and unbiased information for solving
common insect and mite problems around your home,
business and landscape using least-toxic methods.
Jack DeAngelis, Ph.D.
Please see the Disclaimer statements as
well.
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