Kill Super Bed Bugs With Steam

Super bed bugs.  Sounds terrifying, right?  Everyone should be scared of super bed bugs because they are insecticide resistant bed bugs that are even harder to kill than their predecessors.  These insecticide resistant super bed bugs are a major problem for the hospitality industry and ordinary people alike because they may follow hotel patrons home and take up residence where you rest your head every night.  If they are insecticide resistant that means they have found ways to build their immunity to certain chemicals that would have traditionally killed them, making it very hard to effectively remove them and, if even one bed bug is left behind, the problem is not gone.  Newsweek describes the growing super bed bug problem and what that may mean going forward, “Bed bugs are the stuff of nightmares for many (if not most) people, so perhaps the only thing worse than spotting these pests in one’s home is finding out the chemicals sprayed to kill them don’t work. New research suggests we may be headed in that direction. A study published Thursday in the Journal of Medical Entomology finds that bed bugs appear to be developing a resistance to neonicotinoids, which are frequently used to combat infestations. Neonicotinoids, also known as neonics, are a group of insecticides often combined with pyrethroids, another man-made insecticide. These combined products have become incredibly popular in the pest control market in the U.S. Neonics, a group of neuroactive chemicals that were first introduced to the market in 2009, cause certain receptors in the bugs to fire repeatedly until they fail, eventually leading to paralysis and death… Spraying insecticides needs to be just one component of addressing an infestation, says Romero. It’s important to do a thorough cleaning of all permeable items and clothing in a household, and use non-chemical approaches such as applying heat and steam, which both kill the bugs.”

Fortunately, one thing that bed bugs can never grow resistant to is the power of steam.  Steam cleaning bed bugs effectively kills them by penetrating every nook and cranny in which they might be hiding.  The water in high-quality steam cleaners, such as the Vapamore MR-100 or MR-1000, is heated to such a high temperature that is produces steam that ranges from 210°- 280°.  The steam continously flows through a nozzle that concentrates it right where you need it so there is no chance of bed bugs escaping.  Where insecticides fall short steam cleaning shines as the best option for killing not only bed bugs, but super bed bugs, and stopping a nasty infestation in its tracks.