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Bed Bugs Pesticides in Sacramento
The US EPA has registered more than 300 products for use against bed bugs. Most of these can be used by consumers, but a few are registered for use only by specially trained professionals.
Our current favorite pesticide for bed bug control is Crossfire Bed Bug Concentrate. It is a liquid, water-based insecticide that controls the bed bug population wherever it is sprayed, especially pyrethroid-resistant bed bug strains. Crossfire kills within 5 minutes of contact and lasts for up to 30 days after application. It is a non-staining product that is designed to kill all of the different life stages of bed bugs, from eggs to adults, while producing no visible residue. It is approved for direct application on mattresses leaving no stains or residue.
We also like to use Delta Dust. containing deltamethrin. Delta Dust an ideal crack and crevice treatment. We apply it with a bellows hand duster which allows you to easily apply the dust in hard to reach areas like electrical outlets. One application of Delta Dust will keep on killing insects for up to six or eight months.
Crossfire provides the quick kill of the bed bugs and their eggs and then Delta Dust provides the longer term prevention to deter reinfestations.
Most all of the EPA registered products fall into seven chemical classes of pesticides that are currently registered and widely used for bed bug control:
Each chemical class kills bed bugs using a different mode of action. It can be helpful to use pesticides that differ in their mode of action because it can reduce the likelihood that the bugs will develop resistance. Here are some more details each of the more commonly used chemical classes for bed bugs.
Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids: Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are the most common compounds used to control bed bugs and other indoor pests. Pyrethrins are botanical insecticides derived from chrysanthemum flowers. Pyrethroids are synthetic chemical insecticides that act like pyrethrins. Both compounds are lethal to bed bugs and can flush bed bugs out of their hiding places and kill them. However, where resistant bed bug strains exist, these treatments may cause them to move to a new hiding place or temporarily flush them out of existing locations. An example is Cy-Kick Aerosol.
Some bed bug populations have become resistant to pyrethrins and pyrethroids. Sometimes using a combination product (either multiple pyrethroid or pyrethrin active ingredients, or one that combines different chemical classes into the same product) can improve bed bug control. It can also be helpful to switch to an entirely different chemical class to control resistant bed bug populations.
Desiccants: Desiccants work by destroying the waxy, protective outer coating on a bed bug's body. Once this coating is destroyed, the bed bugs will slowly dehydrate and die. Because desiccants work through a physical mode of action, the bed bugs cannot become resistant to desiccants as they can to pesticides with other modes of action. Additionally, they have a long-lasting effect and don't disturb normal bed bug activities. Examples of desiccants include: Diatomaceous earth and Boric acid. A commercial example is MotherEarth D..
Biochemicals: Cold pressed neem oil is the only biochemical pesticide registered for use against bed bugs. Neem oil is pressed directly from seeds of the Neem tree, a tropical tree found in Southeast Asia and Africa. The neem oil contains various compounds that have insecticidal and medicinal properties. It can also be used in making products including shampoos, toothpaste, soaps, and cosmetics. Performance trials conducted at the approved label rates show both products control bed bug adults, nymphs, and eggs.
Pyrroles: Chlorfenapyr is the only pyrrole pesticide currently registered for use against bed bugs. The compound is a pro-insecticide, i.e. the biological activity depends on its activation to form another chemical. The new chemical disrupts certain functions in the bed bug's cells, causing its death. An example is Phantom II Aerosol Spray.
Neonicotinoids: Neonicotinoids are synthetic forms of nicotine and act on the nicotinic receptors of the nervous system by causing nerves to fire continually until they fail. Because neonicotinoids use this different way of killing, bed bugs that are resistant to some other types of pesticides will remain susceptible to the neonicotinoid. An example is Temprid FX.
Insect growth regulators: Insect growth regulators are chemicals that mimic juvenile growth hormones in insects. They work by either altering the production of chitin (the compound insects use to make their hard external "shell" or exoskeleton) or by altering an insect's development into adulthood. Some growth regulators force the insect to develop too rapidly, while others stop development. An example is Gentrol IGR.
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