9 ms·

Bug Bombs Don’t Get Rid of Bugs, Study Suggests

43 points by Pharmakon 8y ago

cascom 8y ago
I don’t understand why people would poison themselves like thi (bug bomb), especially when safe alternatives like Diatomaceous Earth are available
- casion 8y ago
  Likely because people don't know it exists. I worked in pest control when I was younger (friend's family business) and I live in an area where there's 2 very common unwanted pests. Pest control is a somewhat common topic and nearly every person I know (except myself) has "bombed" their house multiple times. Your post is the first time I've heard of DE.
  - mikeash 8y ago
    I highly recommend the stuff. Works great, supposedly harmless for us mammals, and ridiculously cheap. I bought a bag for a few bucks years ago and I’m maybe a quarter of the way through it now. Any time I see unwanted bugs, I dust around likely entrances and they stop coming.
    - andrewl 8y ago
      Breathing certain forms of diatomaceous earth can cause silicosis and other lung problems: http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html Apparently breathing the amorphous form causes only mild and reversible lung inflammation. Breathing the crystalline form can be more dangerous.
      - mikeash 8y ago
        Good to know. It sounds like normal household use is fine, but frolicking in the stuff might be good to avoid.
- josephpmay 8y ago
  The problem with DE is it takes awhile for the bug to actually die, where as poison is instant
  - masonic 8y ago
    DE is for exterior boundary use.
- dawnerd 8y ago
  Also have to be careful with DE. If you try to vacuum it up you’ll probably end up with a ruined vacuum, at least according to a lot of people online - I don’t want to find out for myself.
  - cannonedhamster 8y ago
    My wife vacuumed it daily for 2 weeks. It didn't seem to affect our Dyson, that's still going strong months later.
    - dawnerd 8y ago
      Dyson should be safe, they filter out a lot more than cheaper vacs. Some more info: https://www.saferbrand.com/articles/clean-up-diatomaceous-earth https://www.saferbrand.com/articles/clean-up-diatomaceous-ea...
- cannonedhamster 8y ago
  Doesn't work all that great on fleas. We had a bad flea infestation and it basically took my wife on her hands and knees with a can of Hot Shot flea killer. Bug bombs did nothing. Took us nearly 2 weeks of this to get the area clear, but it eventually worked.
mhb 8y ago
Even before the treatments, the middles of countertops, floors, and other areas heavily trafficked by humans (but not bugs) had residue There's pesticide in the middle of countertops before the bug bomb was used?
- ceejayoz 8y ago
  I imagine the residents had previously tried such things outside of the study.
clubm8 8y ago
The only bugs I've had issues with are fruit flies and cockroaches. Fruit flies are easily dealt with by putting cider vinegar in a container and rubber banding saran wrap over it (with a couple holes) - they get in but not out. That, combined with taking out the trash twice a week solved the issue. For cockraoches, there are bait traps so that they take poisoned food back to their buddies. Both resulted in no bugs for the rest of my lease. The key for both was utilizing the solution when you see the first bug.
- HillaryBriss 8y ago
  just a footnote: boric acid, which is a common cockroach poison taken back to the nests, is that it's toxic to human kidneys
  - azinman2 8y ago
    Do bait traps leave it behind in such a way to be toxic to humans?
    - clubm8 8y ago
      > Do bait traps leave it behind in such a way to be toxic to humans? They're like little domed things the roaches go into... I don't see how it could spread the stuff around. Just wash your counters and cutting boards regularly.
    - HillaryBriss 8y ago
      idk about bait traps. a long time ago I used the boric acid that is sold in a big squeeze bottle and i just put lines of the stuff near cupboard doors and on the floor. looking back now, i don't think that was a great idea. i wouldn't want to ingest any of it.
      - clubm8 8y ago
        >idk about bait traps. a long time ago I used the boric acid that is sold in a big squeeze bottle and i just put lines of the stuff near cupboard doors and on the floor. looking back now, i don't think that was a great idea. i wouldn't want to ingest any of it. then uh, don't lick them?
ourmandave 8y ago
They may not work on bugs so well, but when it's time to clean out the pantry of food I don't want to eat I've been known to leave a counter door open "by mistake". "Sorry honey, must not have been closed all the way. Guess all this Hamburger Helper has gotta go."
- gruez 8y ago
  Can you explain this more? How does leaving a pantry door force you to get rid of food?
  - throwawayloco 8y ago
    ourmandave does not like hamburger helper. He leaves the pantry door open so it's plausible that little critters could have gotten in the pantry and ruined the hamburger helper. Dave tries to sell this to his wife. Wife is smart. She sees through his deception. She does not tell Dave this, but lets him throw hamburger helper away anyway because she loves him.
rasz 8y ago
These is also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_chalk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_chalk I was introduced to this product in early 2000 (my keyboard developed an ant nest after a lan party), seemed shady AF and a typical Chinese scam, but worked great and got rid of ants in a ~week.
- masonic 8y ago
  Not legal in the U.S., and very toxic. Borax solutions like Terro work very well. Diatomaceous earth is a natural solution for exterior boundary use.
  - cannonedhamster 8y ago
    Diatomaceous earth doesn't work well in wet areas unfortunately. Bug bombs are useless.
masonic 8y ago
"Even before the treatments, the middles of countertops, floors, and other areas heavily trafficked by humans (but not bugs) had residue" How can there be residue from the bombs before they were used?

43 points by Pharmakon 8y ago

I don’t understand why people would poison themselves like thi (bug bomb), especially when safe alternatives like Diatomaceous Earth are available

casion 8y ago
Likely because people don't know it exists. I worked in pest control when I was younger (friend's family business) and I live in an area where there's 2 very common unwanted pests. Pest control is a somewhat common topic and nearly every person I know (except myself) has "bombed" their house multiple times. Your post is the first time I've heard of DE.
- mikeash 8y ago
  I highly recommend the stuff. Works great, supposedly harmless for us mammals, and ridiculously cheap. I bought a bag for a few bucks years ago and I’m maybe a quarter of the way through it now. Any time I see unwanted bugs, I dust around likely entrances and they stop coming.
  - andrewl 8y ago
    Breathing certain forms of diatomaceous earth can cause silicosis and other lung problems: http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html Apparently breathing the amorphous form causes only mild and reversible lung inflammation. Breathing the crystalline form can be more dangerous.
    - mikeash 8y ago
      Good to know. It sounds like normal household use is fine, but frolicking in the stuff might be good to avoid.
josephpmay 8y ago
The problem with DE is it takes awhile for the bug to actually die, where as poison is instant
- masonic 8y ago
  DE is for exterior boundary use.
dawnerd 8y ago
Also have to be careful with DE. If you try to vacuum it up you’ll probably end up with a ruined vacuum, at least according to a lot of people online - I don’t want to find out for myself.
- cannonedhamster 8y ago
  My wife vacuumed it daily for 2 weeks. It didn't seem to affect our Dyson, that's still going strong months later.
  - dawnerd 8y ago
    Dyson should be safe, they filter out a lot more than cheaper vacs. Some more info: https://www.saferbrand.com/articles/clean-up-diatomaceous-earth https://www.saferbrand.com/articles/clean-up-diatomaceous-ea...
cannonedhamster 8y ago
Doesn't work all that great on fleas. We had a bad flea infestation and it basically took my wife on her hands and knees with a can of Hot Shot flea killer. Bug bombs did nothing. Took us nearly 2 weeks of this to get the area clear, but it eventually worked.

mhb 8y ago

Even before the treatments, the middles of countertops, floors, and other areas heavily trafficked by humans (but not bugs) had residue There's pesticide in the middle of countertops before the bug bomb was used?

ceejayoz 8y ago
I imagine the residents had previously tried such things outside of the study.

clubm8 8y ago

The only bugs I've had issues with are fruit flies and cockroaches. Fruit flies are easily dealt with by putting cider vinegar in a container and rubber banding saran wrap over it (with a couple holes) - they get in but not out. That, combined with taking out the trash twice a week solved the issue. For cockraoches, there are bait traps so that they take poisoned food back to their buddies. Both resulted in no bugs for the rest of my lease. The key for both was utilizing the solution when you see the first bug.

HillaryBriss 8y ago
just a footnote: boric acid, which is a common cockroach poison taken back to the nests, is that it's toxic to human kidneys
- azinman2 8y ago
  Do bait traps leave it behind in such a way to be toxic to humans?
  - clubm8 8y ago
    > Do bait traps leave it behind in such a way to be toxic to humans? They're like little domed things the roaches go into... I don't see how it could spread the stuff around. Just wash your counters and cutting boards regularly.
  - HillaryBriss 8y ago
    idk about bait traps. a long time ago I used the boric acid that is sold in a big squeeze bottle and i just put lines of the stuff near cupboard doors and on the floor. looking back now, i don't think that was a great idea. i wouldn't want to ingest any of it.
    - clubm8 8y ago
      >idk about bait traps. a long time ago I used the boric acid that is sold in a big squeeze bottle and i just put lines of the stuff near cupboard doors and on the floor. looking back now, i don't think that was a great idea. i wouldn't want to ingest any of it. then uh, don't lick them?

ourmandave 8y ago

They may not work on bugs so well, but when it's time to clean out the pantry of food I don't want to eat I've been known to leave a counter door open "by mistake". "Sorry honey, must not have been closed all the way. Guess all this Hamburger Helper has gotta go."

gruez 8y ago
Can you explain this more? How does leaving a pantry door force you to get rid of food?
- throwawayloco 8y ago
  ourmandave does not like hamburger helper. He leaves the pantry door open so it's plausible that little critters could have gotten in the pantry and ruined the hamburger helper. Dave tries to sell this to his wife. Wife is smart. She sees through his deception. She does not tell Dave this, but lets him throw hamburger helper away anyway because she loves him.

rasz 8y ago

These is also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_chalk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_chalk I was introduced to this product in early 2000 (my keyboard developed an ant nest after a lan party), seemed shady AF and a typical Chinese scam, but worked great and got rid of ants in a ~week.

masonic 8y ago
Not legal in the U.S., and very toxic. Borax solutions like Terro work very well. Diatomaceous earth is a natural solution for exterior boundary use.
- cannonedhamster 8y ago
  Diatomaceous earth doesn't work well in wet areas unfortunately. Bug bombs are useless.

masonic 8y ago

"Even before the treatments, the middles of countertops, floors, and other areas heavily trafficked by humans (but not bugs) had residue" How can there be residue from the bombs before they were used?