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Bed Bugs

Do Bug Bombs Kill Bed Bugs?

Foggers are one of the first things people reach for, and one of the few things we will tell you outright not to buy. Here is why they miss.

Do Bug Bombs Kill Bed Bugs?

When people first find bed bugs, a fogger, also known as a bug bomb, is one of the first things they reach for. Given we have fought bed bugs for years, we want to run through what a fogger actually does before you spend money on one.

Should You Use A Fogger?

Do not waste your money on buying foggers. Many people have bought foggers, believing them to be the secret to getting rid of bed bugs. However, there is absolutely no science to prove that foggers are useful for getting rid of bed bugs. It might sound like a useful idea, but there is a higher risk of you hurting yourself by using a fogger than getting rid of these annoying little pests. You can put them in the same bin as the other commonly claimed but useless home treatments, such as putting down essential oils.

Why They Miss The Bugs

The reason comes down to where bed bugs spend their time. To survive during the day, bed bugs hide in cracks, crevices, and similar other spaces. They usually stay undisturbed and unseen in these spaces. A fogger only settles a mist on the open surfaces of a room, so the bugs sheltering down in those tight spots, and the eggs waiting to hatch, are never reached. The handful of bugs out in the open might be affected, while the source of the infestation sits untouched a few inches away.

What To Do Instead

A simple thing that does help is to get used to vacuuming regularly, and to clean your bedding and anything around your bed with hot water, then dry those items using a high-temperature dryer. The high heat eradicates bed bugs better than any chemical or spray treatment you might consider. That, followed by professional treatment for the source, is what actually clears an infestation.

If you have bed bugs in Florida and want to skip the guesswork, you can contact us for a free consultation.

Dealing with bed bugs right now? Our local crews handle this every day, with a guaranteed one-day combination treatment.

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Written by Chase Matthews and reviewed for accuracy by Allan Bossel, Operations Expert, Bed Bug Exterminator.

Chase Matthews

About the author

Chase Matthews

Certified Pest Control Operator, Bed Bug Exterminator

Chase Matthews is a fully certified pest control operator at Bed Bug Exterminator. He brings his day-to-day experience on BBE's crews into the bed bug guides he helps write and fact-check, so the advice here reflects how these jobs actually run in the field.

More about Chase →

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