5 Devastating Failed Attempts At Bed Bug Extermination
In Recent News there have been many cases where people who are suffering from bed bug infestations try taking the mission of extermination into their own hands, with catastrophic results. This extermination experimentation will usually end up causing much more harm and damage then the person expects. The homeowners/tenants use the information they read on the internet and apply it to every day life not thinking of repercussions. Below we will list the 5 most recent evens of failed catastrophic DIY bed bug extermination attempts, just to show you its starting to become a real problem. Northeastern Exterminating takes our customers and the general publics safety very seriously which is why we posted these stories. Please don’t try this at home.
- On January 4, 2016 a Detroit man set himself, as well as his apartment, on fire while trying to self treat his apartment for bed bugs. Its known that rubbing alcohol in certain percentages will kill bed bugs on contact, this guy thought it was a smart idea to completely soak his sofa in rubbing alcohol. He soon there after laid on his couch to light a cigarette. After lighting a cigarette he saw a bed bug on the arm of the chair next to him. He relit his lighter to burn the bed bug when the alcohol soaked couch engulfed in flames. Not only did he burn down his apartment but he also effected 9 other apartments, rendering them inhabitable. He also caused himself serious burns. The fire sprinkler that was set off due to the fire caused flooding in an additional two dozen apartments. This recent story is why its never a good idea to self treat. Rubbing alcohol can kill the bugs on contact but it will not eliminate the bed bug eggs or kill bugs that it does not come into contact with. Professional grade products will leave a residual that will kill bugs even after it is sprayed.
- Last year in April, a Omaha man, fed up with bed bugs destroyed his house. He was using gasoline to get rid of bed bugs when the fumes were ignited by the water heater pilot light. The man injured him self and could have killed everyone in the home. Luckily everyone survived. Using gasoline is a very foolish way to get rid of any bugs, so please never do this.
- Also in April of 2015 a Long Island, New York man blew up his car in an attempt to eradicate the bed bugs from his rental car. Apparently the gentleman has been living in his car and inherited a case of bed bugs. A friend reccomended that rubbing alcohol would work. Desperate for relief he dumped bottles of rubbing alcohol all over the rental car. Similar to the man in Detroit he then lit a cigarette which ignited the fumes and engulfed the car in seconds. He received second degree burns from the explosion.
- Back in July of 2013 an explosion due to improper application of over the counter bed bug aerosol foggers (also known as bug bombs) caused an explosion in NYC’s Chinatown. These foggers are widely used by do it yourselfers trying to eradicate bed bug issues. The problem is the users do not read the label which states to turn off all pilot lights and open flames. These foggers are highly flammable and ver dangerous to use. In this particular case it is not clear how many foggers were set off. Three people were badly injured from the explosion and it cased a partial building collapse.
- Back in November of last year, a Detroit woman, who was fed up with dealing with bed bugs for a year devised a plan of action to get rid of the bugs. She tried to perform her own heat treatment by turning on the oven and the stove top. She left the apartment and slept in her car in hopes she would perform a DIY heat treatment. When she arrived and realized the heat treatment did not work, she started to pour rubbing alcohol all over the apartment including herself (Twenty bottles in total). During this frantic application of rubbing alcohol she turned around and saw flames. This caused 9 fire engines and 60 personnel to fight the flames.
These are just 5 examples of many failed Do-it-yourself bedbug treatments that went terribly wrong. When dealing with a bed bug infestation please always consult a professional prior to any self treatment. Inform the PCO of what you plan on doing so they can explain the dangers and risks you are taking. Pest Control is no joke and when people are stressed and sleep deprived they will try anything to get rid of bed bugs in change for a quiet nights sleep.
