New York City pest control experts can attest to the difficulty that homeowners have encountered when they try to treat a bed bug infestation on their own.  There are many products that have entered the market that consumers can buy, all claiming to do wonders at killing the masterful bugs that bite in the night.  Many of these products are giving false hope to residents across the United States and in some instances, causing bed bug infestations to spread.

The state of Ohio continues to be hit hard by bloodsucking bed bugs.  The Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force Summit was well attended last week as many people are anxious to find out information about these tenacious bugs.  NBCi.com reports that studies have been ongoing on Ohio’s bed bug problem.  According to reports, researchers have found that Ohio’s bed bugs are more resistant to household insecticides than other bed bugs in other parts of the United States.  “That is definitely one of the main reasons why the problem is a little worse in Ohio jurisdictions than in other areas of the country,” said Gene Harrington, vice-president of National Pest Management Association.

Over-the-counter aerosol bed bug products have undergone extensive testing by an entomologist at Ohio State University.  These products claim to kill bed bugs, but in the case of Ohio’s bed bugs, the products have proven to be ineffective.  According to Dr. Susan Jones, entomologist, “They don’t work against bedbugs. This is a product that people are buying, and it says bed bugs right on the bug bomb, but you’re wasting your money.”

You can read the article here.

Studies of Ohio bed bugs have proven that because bed bugs have a short life cycle, they have been able to develop a resistance to pesticides, and have been able to change their genes so that they can detoxify the chemicals used.

The only proven way of treating bed bugs in Ohio has been to hire a licensed pest control professional who must use a cocktail of insecticides to kill these chemically resistant pests.  It stands to reason that is likely only a matter of time before these “super bed bugs” are transferred throughout the United States as well.  Everyone must be careful about avoiding these bugs!