When you have cockroaches, multiple options can remove these unsanitary pests from your home.
However, what pest control option works best for you? When you check the shelves of your local home improvement store or even scan the pages of an online shop, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the choices!
Cockroach bombs are popular DIY pest control alternatives, but are they the safest choice for your home? Would aerosol sprays or bait keep your family safer?
If you’re looking for the right pest control solution for cockroaches, you’ve come to the right place! Check out our blog to learn more about cockroach bombs and if you should consider this pest control solution for your pest problem!
How do They Work?
While their name suggests otherwise, cockroach bombs aren’t explosives. Also called foggers, these products discharge a mist of assorted chemicals designed to eliminate handfuls of insects quickly.
Depending on the product selected, consumers can either puncture the canister, press a button, or remove something from the container to stimulate the mist.
Instead of spraying the chemicals around the room, homeowners can place the product on tall surfaces to allow the product to spread throughout the room. As the mist settles along floors and counters, cockroaches will interact with the chemicals and die soon after.
The aerosol solution can spread evenly throughout your home and coat any surface an insect may visit. Cockroaches are prolific foraging insects, so this product aims to eliminate these pests as they search for food.
Fogging devices work for many different types of bugs. If you glance at a hardware store’s shelves, you can easily find dozens of products for cockroaches, fleas, ticks, and ants. Some options are all-purpose solutions with strong chemicals designed to stop any bugs in their tracks.
Are Cockroach Bombs Effective?
These products aren’t an effective solution to many pest problems. While these products spread a mist around your home, they may not reach all of the hidden insects.
According to the National Pesticide Information Center, the bombs cannot penetrate cracks or crevices where cockroaches may hide. Instead, these products widely spread the pesticide spray throughout a room in your home, coating all of the available surfaces.
While popular, cockroach fogging devices may not eliminate larger cockroach infestations. Because these pests prefer to breed and congregate in hard-to-reach areas, the pesticide solutions will only impact foraging insects.
Unless you directly spray pesticides within hidden areas, there’s a good chance the main cockroach population could continue unabated. Finding dead roaches may indicate that the cockroach bomb is working, but the rest may remain undisturbed in your cabinets, under appliances, or within walls.
The Danger of Cockroach Bombs
Besides their dubious efficiency, the fogging canisters are also dangerous products to use in your home. If incorrectly used, insect fogging devices could impact your health or even damage items in your home.
Like many store-bought pesticide options, these chemicals can make you sick when ingested. A cockroach infestation can take a toll on your health, but these products may cause more harm than good!
Because these chemicals can eliminate insects, they can easily cause irritation or breathing difficulties. When accidentally ingested, the Washington State Department of Health reports that people may experience the following:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Coughing
- Headache
- Dizzinesses
- Difficult breathing
- Eye, throat, or skin irritation
For people with asthma, fogging pest control solutions can cause breathing complications. Individuals who inhale copious amounts of chemicals typically fall sick if they remain inside their homes as the cockroach bombs are working.
Unless you apply protective coverings to your furniture, counters, or other appliances, the mist will spread to all open areas.
Most treatments state that staining isn’t a concern, but these chemicals may still negatively impact your leather or cloth furnishings. Unlike other pest control services, you often must thoroughly clean up after using a fogging solution to avoid illnesses and damage.
No one wants to sit or walk around in a sticky chemical mess!
Check out this news video that explains the dangers of using bug bombs incorrectly!
These products are also highly hazardous. Store-bought insect fogging treatments are flammable and may cause fires.
Never use it while running a gas stove or heater. Additionally, avoid lighting a match or having lit candles in your home while using insect fogging solutions. Because these products are combustible, you could accidentally cause an explosion if the mist interacts with an active flame.
When using multiple products, the mist may even cause fires or sparks as it settles onto your electrical appliances.
The product’s instructions will inform you of the hazards and provide a list of appliances to turn off, but you are still at risk of a fire if the chemicals interact with your fridge, water heater, or even your thermostat!
Alternatives to Cockroach Bombs
Instead of relying on an unpredictable pest control treatment, use guaranteed methods to wipe out the cockroaches in your home.
However, no DIY solution is foolproof. Cockroaches are hard to eliminate, and you’ll need a heavy-duty option to keep these pests at bay.
Let proof. alleviate your pest control problems with our trusted cockroach pest control service! We’ll eliminate current cockroaches in two visits and return to ensure no adults have matured. Contact us today to learn more!
