It shouldn’t take long to take care of bed bugs if you’re using the right product. Let’s take the best bed bug foggers & bombs as an example. In rooms with limited furniture and nice, open spacing, these can sanitize the room for you in just a few hours.
In other cases, you may need more than one treatment to get the job done. However, my point is that you don’t always need to pay a premium to a professional exterminator to enjoy a good night’s sleep.
Top 3 - Bed Bug Bombs
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Best Bed Bug Foggers / Bombs & Alternative Solutions
The Hartz UltraGuard Plus is an all-in-one solution for most homes with serious parasite infestations. Its formula has been designed to kill fleas, ticks, bed bugs, mosquitoes, and other annoying pests during all life stages.
You can get the UltraGuard in a two or three-pack, depending on the seriousness of your infestation. Each canister is large enough to treat up to 2,000 cubic feet or a 16’ x 16’ room with an 8ft. ceiling. The formula contains multiple insect growth regulators that are able to make short work of eggs and larvae, thus preventing future infestations.
I like that these foggers can be used manually and also set to automatic. If you press down on the valve, you’ll be able to lock it in an open position. It will take up to two hours for the formula to work its magic, so make sure you keep the room sealed.
A total of four hours should be more than enough to complete the job, starting from the moment you set the fogger off. Due to the density of the dispersed mist, there should be no need to use two foggers in the same room.
This bed bug and flea fogger is there for medium to large-sized rooms. It can treat rooms up to 15’ x 16’ x 8’. The fog is very dense, so you should avoid using the Hot Shot AC1688 in smaller rooms. Due to the potency of the formula and the insect growth regulators contained in it, one application should provide residual control for up to seven months.
You can find the fogger in packs of six or get it in individual cans, depending on the level of infestation. The rate of dispersal is slow, which does make the Hot Shot AC1688 safer to use than other foggers.
However, due to the slow dispersal rate, the coverage may be limited by large pieces of furniture and other obstructions. You may still want to use it in combination with a heat treatment or at least a diatomaceous earth treatment.
The Bedlam Plus comes in 17oz cans that are equipped with nozzle extensions. This will be very helpful when dealing with tight spaces.
Unlike many other products, this spray can be used on any type of surface, including ceramic, wood, and carpeting. It also offers a good amount of residual control, up to two weeks on wooden surfaces. And, it doesn’t stain, which is always very good.
The formula contains insect growth regulators. That’s how it provides residual control - by killing eggs and larvae as well as adult bed bugs. You should also know that the formula is quite toxic and shouldn’t use it in areas where food is prepared and served.
The Eco Defense Bed Bug Killer has one of the fastest-acting formulas designed for residential use. It’s surprisingly less toxic than similar pesticides and it contains many natural ingredients.
It’s also an economical solution for most homeowners, due to the low pricing and how little spraying is needed to kill bed bugs at all life stages. One of the best things about it is the fact that it’s a non-staining product.
You can safely use it on white mattresses, carpets, and even wooden surfaces. The fact that it creates no fumes is also convenient and makes the formula a good choice for households with pets.
However, keep in mind that it has a potent scent. It’s best to spray it with a mask on your face. Even a cheap, disposable one from your local pharmacy should do the trick.
The Ortho Home Defense Bed Bug Killer comes in 3oz and 18oz spray cans. Its formula is unique and specifically designed to target pyrethroid-resistant strains of bed bugs. This can come in really handy since more and more of these strains are infesting residential areas.
The use of insect growth regulators helps improve the residual control by targeting bed bugs during all life stages. To get the most out of this formula, it’s best to spray it directly on furniture, bed posts, mattresses, and even on luggage.
It’s important to know that the spray can is very basic and that the dispersal pattern is not adjustable. Given the fact that it’s quite narrow and highly concentrated, you may want to spray from further away to ensure that you cover the affected area faster.
The Bed Bug Patrol Bed Bug Killer is one of the safest products you can use to kill bed bugs if you have pets. It’s a non-toxic formula, mostly based on clove oil, soy, peppermint oil, and citric acid. These ingredients give it a powerful though pleasant smell.
The formula can quickly dehydrate bed bugs and it can also work on more resistant strains, since it doesn’t use any synthetic pesticides that the insects may have developed immunity to.
What’s perhaps best about this product is that it comes in many forms – single 24oz can, two-pack, gallon container, and even in a travel-sized spray container. While the 24oz spray can should be enough to treat most rooms, I also recommend checking out the travel spray, so that you can avoid bringing bed bugs home in the first place.
The formula doesn’t stain and its light mist can be safely applied to wood, carpeting, sheets, furniture, ceramic objects, and pretty much anything else.
All You Need to Know About Bed Bug Foggers
You may be wondering why there aren’t that many decent bed bug foggers or bombs on the market. The reason is actually quite simple and it has nothing to do with the formulation. In fact, the formulas used in foggers can be highly effective, that is if the mist can actually reach the pests.
The main problem with bed bug foggers and bombs is the actual dispersal rate. Foggers shoot out a light mist at a controlled pace. But while that mist can spread throughout the entire room, it won’t be propelled by enough force to penetrate into small cracks and crevices where bed bugs often hide.
It’s also not ideal to rely on foggers to penetrate deep enough into mattresses, as opposed to an aerosolized spray that you can direct manually and that shoots out the mist at a higher speed.
Bed Bug Sprays vs Granules, Powder, and Heat Treatments
A heat treatment is the best way to get rid of bed bugs, but commercial heat treatments aren’t always cheap and may be time-consuming too.
If you’re lucky and you’re not dealing with a massive infestation, then you should be able to control the bed bug population with bed bug sprays. With that said, you should also consider using diatomaceous earth or other powder form treatments at the same time.
Natural vs Synthetic Pesticides
Bed bugs can either be very resilient or very sensitive critters, depending on their species and the ingredients of the pesticide’s formula.
As such, I recommend looking into both natural and synthetic pesticides. One can often do what the other cannot. However, this involves some trial runs to determine what type of bed bugs you are dealing with.
Note that even natural bed bug foggers and sprays can still be dangerous to ingest in large quantities.
Kill Your Bed Bugs Sooner Rather Than Later
Whether you want to use foggers for the convenience that comes with the automatic dispersal process or you prefer a more traditional method, a bed bug infestation is something to be taken care of right away.
You’ll have noticed by now that there are quite a few solutions for killing the pesky critters quickly and efficiently. With that in mind, your final decision should be based on your budget and the severity of the infestation.