Hot Shot Bedbug Products

You’ve heard the phrase before: “Don’t Let The Bedbugs Bite.” But do products that make the promise to fight the creepy crawlers really get rid of them?

Spectrum Brands Holdings, a supplier of a wide variety of products, sells home pest control products such as Hot Shot Bedbug & Flea Fogger and Hot Shot Bedbug & Flea Killer Aerosol. The company claims that the Hot Shot Bedbug & Flea Fogger “kills bedbugs, fleas, lice and ticks” and provides “effective, long-term control.” The Aerosol supposedly  “kills bedbugs, fleas, dust mites and ticks” and “kills bedbug eggs before they hatch.”

But at least one study shows they are not effective.

Scientists at Ohio State University evaluated three over-the counter products – including Hotshot Bedbug and Flea Fogger – and found that the over-the-counter foggers or “bug bombs” do not kill bedbugs. Bed bugs may even be resistant to some of these products.

According to the FTC, “some populations of bed bugs have developed resistance to common pesticides, making some sprays ineffective.” And the National Pesticide Information Center says “Many insecticides are not effective at killing the eggs … Even worse, some populations of bed bugs have developed resistance to common insecticides, making some sprays ineffective.”

Others advise consumers against trying to treat bed bug problems themselves.

The Penn State Extension, which is a division of the College of Agricultural Sciences, says, “It is not advisable for homeowners to attempt to treat for bed bugs. Most of the necessary insecticides are only for sale to and use by professional pest-management companies. If homeowners try to control these bugs with over-the-counter products, the bed bugs likely will become dispersed, resulting in a more difficult treatment required at a later date.”

Even the EPA website states, “Foggers and bug bombs should not be used as the only method to attempt to control bed bugs.”

Consumers using the products indoors and consumers who have small children and pets may also want to think carefully before using bedbug products because they are flammable and poisonous.

For more information about bug products, click here.