How to Safely Kill Bed Bugs

Decades ago, we thought that bed bugs were extinct because of the use of chemical insecticides. However, since the 1980s, bed bugs have made a comeback. The reason for bed bugs’ reemergence is that they have developed strong resistance to the existed insecticide ingredients such as DDT that was used before. Secondly, with the development of economy, domestic and international travel has become more and more frequent. Beg bug problem in one country can easily be spread to other countries. These two factors facilitate the widespread spread of bed bugs around the world.

Bed bugs are a particularly stubborn household hygiene pest. The problems they bring to us are itching and insomnia. Itching itself is not a serious problem, but it may lead to excessive scratching, which increases the likelihood of skin infection. Some people do have allergic reactions to bed bug bites. Their bodies are so small that they can easily hide themselves in narrow crevices. They can even hide themselves in areas little thicker than the width of a fingernail. They are tough since they do not have to eat very often to survive. They can even take food between months. Female bed bugs lay eggs frequently. Adult females are estimated to lay about 5-12 eggs per day. A female bed bug can lay a total number of over 500 eggs in its lifespan.

The way bed bugs live also contribute to their tendency to make an infestation. Female bed bugs tend to avoid other bed bugs before it lays the eggs. This will greatly speed up the migration of bed bugs from one room to another. Therefore, a bug problem in one single room can probably become an infestation in all the rooms in a family very quickly.

Common Treatment Methods for Bed Bugs

There is a variety of methods to deal with bed bugs. The most popular ones are whole room heat treatment, chemical treatment, the use of desiccants, insect growth regulator, or carbon dioxide ice, etc. Some use carbon dioxide to mimic a person’s presence to lure bed bugs out of their hiding places. However, among all these methods, heat and chemical treatment are the most adopted ones.

Heat treatment refers to the use of specialized equipment to raise the temperature of the room to achieve the killing of the bed bugs exist in the room. During the operation, the temperature in the room will be heated to about 135-145 F. Depending on the area to be treated, the treatment often lasts about 6-8 hours. Usually, it will take about 1-2 hours to kill the bed bugs and their eggs. The temperature of the room can be monitored and controlled by placing multiple thermometers in different locations of the room.

Chemical treatment methods for bed bugs refer to the treatment using chemical insecticide products. Pyrethroids are one of the most commonly adopted insecticide ingredient to kill bed bugs. By using insecticide products containing these active ingredients that are highly effective to eliminate bed bugs, a bed bug infestation can be fundamentally treated in a room or even the whole family.

Next, let’s take a close look at both the advantages and disadvantages of these two approaches.

Heat and Chemical Treatment Methods

One significant advantage of heat treatment is that when it is used, bed bugs can be quickly killed. And since this method is non-chemical, there will be no concern about any chemical residue. If handled thoroughly, only one-time treatment will be enough to solve the problem. But there are obvious drawbacks in this kind of treatment. Firstly, when it is applied, the temperature of the whole room will be significantly increased. Therefore, before the treatment, all items within the room must be checked carefully to avoid any potential heat damage. These items can include art works, leather furniture, fine clothing, photos, wax candles, and possibly some electronics. For the sake of safety, the whole room needs to be vacated if possible. Secondly, the heat generated by the machine will disappear quickly after the treatment. Therefore, heat treatment will be ineffective in preventing the return of bed bugs in the near future. Another infestation may possibly on its way after the treatment is finished.

The first advantage of chemical treatments is its high efficiency. Chemical methods can act quickly in the elimination of bed bugs. Moreover, after the treatment, as long as the chemicals used are within their validity period, the active ingredients in the product can ensure an effective elimination effect over time. This will be great to prevent another infestation of bed bugs in the future. Even though not everyone is comfortable with the long-term existence of certain chemicals in the home, there is no denying that by using highly effective and low-toxic chemical products with active ingredients, a long-term protection to the home environment can be provided while safety can also be ensured. Despite the controversy, to some extent, synthetic insecticides are still the best solution for many pest problems. Secondly, economically speaking, another advantage of a chemical treatment is that it generally costs less than a heat treatment.

To sum up, advantages for chemical treatment for bed bugs are:
1. Chemical treatment is highly effective. It can quickly eradicate bed bugs, especially when the problem is detected early.
2. Chemicals left over from chemical treatments can continuously kill bed bugs in a long period of time. It will last through the entire life cycle of bed bugs.
3. Chemical treatment can provide a long-term protection against bed bugs.
4. Chemical treatment cost less than the application of heat treatment.
5. The process of chemical treatment is easier than the operation of heat treatment. There is no need for professionals.

The Active Ingredient Contained in Our Products

Over the years, we have always been striving for the best balance between effectiveness, the ease of use and safety. Our bed bug killing and control products contain pyrethroids, which are highly active ingredients. Pyrethroids (EPA URL) are the most commonly used synthetic compounds for bed bug elimination. In the nature, pyrethrins exist in the flowers, leaves and stems of pyrethrums. They function as a series of naturally toxic components to insects. Pyrethroids are synthetic chemical ingredients that mimic the nature of natural pyrethrins. Pyrethroids are excellent substitutes for natural pyrethrins due to its limited availability. Both of them are deadly to bed bugs. Pyrethroids can force them out of their hiding places and then kill them. For more details about pyrethroids, please go to our previous Blog: What Are Pyrethroid Insecticides?

Our Products

3% Highly Efficient Tetramethrin and Cypermethrin Microemulsion

The active ingredients contained in this microemulsion are tetramethrin at a percentage of 1% and cypermethrin at a percentage of 2%. It stands out for its broad spectrum and low toxicity. It is widely applicable for the elimination and control of bed bugs in families, restaurants, guesthouses, trains, food preparation and storage sites, livestock farms, etc. It is suggested to use this microemulsion in the way of spray retention. The targeted pests include bed bugs, mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches and other sanitation pests. In the case of not being cleaned, the effect of the product can be maintained for 1-3 months. Besides spray retention, it can also be applied through the methods of brushing, animal body spray, area spray, sticky fly traps, etc. For a detailed introduction of this microemulsion, please go to: https://safe-killer.com/pest-pesticides-2/bed-bug-killer/#Household3

Poultry Pest-killing Water Emulsion

The active ingredients contained in this water emulsion are permethrin at a percentage of 10.4% and S-Bioallethrin. It can be used to kill a wide range of pests including mosquitoes, flies, fleas, chicken lice, bed bugs, mites, ticks, moths and others. On one hand, when used in livestock and poultry farms, it can be applied in the feeding areas through a conventional spray mode. On the other hand, it can also be applied through an ultra low volume spray mode for spraying onto the surface of animals. Advantages of this water emulsion are reflected in its rapid action and the absence of any irritating odors or harmful residues after it is used. For more detailed information about this product, please visit: https://safe-killer.com/insecticides/mosquito-killer/#Dedicated2

Exclusive Flea-killing Water Emulsion

The active ingredients contained in this water emulsion are cypermethrin and permethrin both at a percentage of 0.25%. It is capable of a complete elimination of bed bugs in sofas, curtains, wallpaper, mattresses, stuffed toys, pet beddings and some dark corners in a house. The mild and irritation-free nature of this water emulsion makes it suitable for use in the presence of pregnant women and infants. In addition, it can also be applied onto pets such as cats and dogs for bed bug control. For more information about this water emulsion, please visit: https://safe-killer.com/insecticides/bed-bug-killer/#Exclusive3

Water Emulsion

The active ingredients contained in this water emulsion are cypermethrin and permethrin both at a percentage of 0.25%. It is suitable for the killing and control of cockroaches, bed bugs, fleas, ants, psyllids and other sanitation pests. This water emulsion can be directly used for beds, sofas, wardrobes, bathroom and other places for the elimination of bed bugs. With its mild, non-irritating nature and mild fragrance, it is suitable for the use when pregnant women and babies are present at home. Since it adopts deionized water as the carrier, which is harmless to health, there is no need for cleaning after use. It is also applicable for spraying onto pets after bath. For more information about this water emulsion, please visit: https://safe-killer.com/insecticides/mosquito-killer/#Water2

About Safe-killer

Safe-killer is a professional manufacturer and supplier of insecticides and pest control equipment. It integrates research, development, production and international trade. Our product development aims at efficiency, environmental protection, safety and ease of use. Our insecticide products contain pyrethroids, imidacloprid, and indoxacarb. Pyrethroids such as tetramethrin, permethrin and bifenthrin are widely used in our products, as well as high efficiency and low toxicity insecticides such as Imidacloprid and Indoxacarb. They are effective in killing and controlling pests in many indoor and outdoor environments such as homes, offices, restaurants, food processing enterprises, building facilities and gardens. Our pest control equipment makes full use of solar energy, ultraviolet, high-frequency current and other methods to attract, kill and centrally dispose pests in a variety of environments. They include Bug Zappers & Light Traps, Yellow Sticky Glue Traps, Humane & Live Animal Traps, and Reusable Ranch Fly Traps. These products can be widely used for pest killing and control in agriculture, forestry, vegetable planting, tobacco, storage, brewing, garden, orchard, urban greening, aquaculture and other industries and fields.

We have a production factory with modern and multi-functional production line with a history over 30 years. We can ensure the high quality of our products through a strict quality control system. In addition, our self-owned production factory also helps to make our products more competitive at a better pricing level. In recent years, our products have been well received by more and more foreign purchasers. We pay close attention to pest situations and the emergence of new pest species around the world. By enriching our product range with our technical strength, we have continuously been providing high-quality, efficient and safe pest killing solutions to purchasers around the world. In the future, more insecticide products and pest control equipment will be online.

If you are in the purchase of insecticides or pest control equipment, please visit Safe-killer.com to browse our products. You can also consult our Customer Service for more information about certain insecticide or equipment. We hope that we can establish a cooperative relationship with you and become your product supplier.