Bedbug dust: advantages and disadvantages of the product

What is dust, properties and composition
Recommendations for using dust against insects
How to treat an apartment with dust, instructions for use
Processing rules
Advantages and disadvantages of using dust against bedbugs

Anti-insect drugs developed using the latest science are very effective, but they are also quite expensive. But you can use one of the good old drugs. From this category, you can pay attention to dust - at a minimal cost, it has remarkable effectiveness in the fight against bedbugs.

How do bedbugs appear in the house?

Some people believe that bedbugs come from dirt and can only settle in a house that is not cleaned.

In reality this is not the case. Parasites live well and reproduce even in clean apartments.

They get into the house in the following ways:

Along with things. Bed bugs can end up in equipment, furniture, clothing, etc. In old things, insects are found more often, but they can penetrate into the upholstery and parts even at the factory or in the store if the production or storage processes are disrupted. Guests can bring bedbugs into the apartment on their clothes.
From the neighbors. If parasites have begun to poison other houses, some of the bedbugs may hide from the toxins in yours.
Together with people or animals. Not only friends or neighbors, but also family members can bring insects into the house if the parasite clings to their clothes outside the apartment. Bed bugs are often caused by pets. Parasites cling to their fur and thus enter the home.

The principle of action of insecticidal powder

Dust is a white or grayish powder that is odorless. The effectiveness of its use and the characteristics of its effect on insects depend on the active substance. The active components of powder preparations are divided into several groups:

Pyrethroids

Preparations based on pyrethroids are most widespread. They have a nerve-paralytic effect on cockroaches. Synthetic compounds are analogues of natural insecticides. Among the common connections:

Cypermethrin is a contact-intestinal insecticide with high activity. Once in the body of cockroaches, it paralyzes their nervous system. Products based on it are approved for disinfestation in residential, children's and medical institutions. They belong to the least harmful hazard class 4. The residual effect appears for 1-1.5 months.
Permethrin is an insecticide that affects the central and peripheral nervous system. Accumulating in tissues it causes paralysis of arthropods.
Lambda-cyhalothrin is a white, odorless substance that is stable in light. It has contact, intestinal and repellent effects. It affects the motor centers of insects, ensures rapid destruction, the death of pests occurs within 24 hours.

Organophosphorus compounds (OP)

Phosphorus-based insecticides have intestinal and systemic effects. They cause paralysis and death of insects.

Chlorophos is a substance toxic to arthropods and has an acute intestinal effect on synanthropic insects. This is due to increased toxic properties in an alkaline environment.
Chlorpyrifos - the compound enters the body through the respiratory organs, stomach and body. The drug is resistant to the environment, has a paralyzing and acute intestinal effect. When used uncontrolled, it causes resistance in synanthropic insects.

Boric acid

One of the effective powders against cockroaches is boric acid. The substance is used independently and is part of the “Clean House” series of insecticidal preparations. The white powder is intended for antiseptic treatment, but is a deadly poison for insects. The acid acts through the digestive system, so the insect must eat it.

The substance is mixed into food baits; the base can be egg yolk or mashed potatoes. Poison balls are placed in pest habitats - under the sink, in the bathroom. The composition takes effect after a few days. Insects develop a disorder of nervous activity, paralysis and death occur. In places of movement, tracks of boric acid are poured. The powder gets on the paws and limbs, and is then transferred to food.

Attention. With frequent use of the drug, cockroaches develop resistance.

Borax has a similar effect; this substance can be used instead of boric acid.

Dusts that cause dehydration

Diatomaceous earth powder is crushed rock. Upon contact with the body of cockroaches, it causes damage to the chitinous cover. The fluid begins to quickly evaporate from the body. The process is accelerated by the absorption of water by the diatomaceous earth itself. As a result, insects die from dehydration.

Why are they dangerous?

At best, parasite bites cause discomfort; at worst, they cause allergies or cause the development of other diseases. Itching distracts a person, makes him irritable and nervous, and prevents him from concentrating on business. The result is stress, which causes changes in hormonal balance and other health problems.

Parasite bites can cause various diseases.

Some people suffer from bedbug allergies. Most often, this manifests itself in the form of a local reaction: redness, swelling, etc. Occasionally, more severe symptoms occur, for example, swelling of the mucous membranes of the throat or a sharp dilation of blood vessels with a subsequent decrease in blood pressure. This can cause a person's death.

Bed bugs can migrate quickly. During the journey, dirt and debris are left on their paws, which then end up in microscopic wounds on the human body.

Any contact with human blood carries a risk of infection.

Bedbugs carry the following diseases:

tularemia;
typhus;
tuberculosis;
yellow fever;
hepatitis B;
HIV;
syphilis.

Physicochemical characteristics

DDT or dichlorodiphenyltrichloromethylmethane is a substance in the form of white crystals, poorly soluble in ordinary water, better diluted in organic and other solvents. Dichlorodiphenyl trichloromethylmethane has a sharp, characteristic odor. DDT is also called another insecticide - dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, which has a similar effect.

Various inert materials are used as fillers in the preparation: kaolin, chalk, talc, clays, silica gel and others. The amount of active substance is regulated by the activity of the drug and its purpose; it is 1-10%.

The dust has a long shelf life compared to many other pesticides; it can be stored in a cold room and at elevated temperatures.

Efficiency of dusts against parasites

Dusts are effective, but may not help if the treatment was carried out incorrectly or preventive measures are not followed in the room. Even if dust is used correctly, insects can return if the room is cluttered. With repeated procedures, the products work less effectively, since surviving individuals acquire partial resistance and pass it on to their offspring.

Dusts are very effective against parasites.

Composition and properties

Dusts contain 1 or more types of insecticidal agents. It is advisable to use multicomponent preparations, since they are more effective against bedbugs that have become resistant to certain toxins. It is recommended to use dusts that contain organophosphates and pyrethroids.

Fragrances, talc, etc. are used as auxiliary ingredients. This is necessary to prevent caking, maintain texture and mask the unpleasant dust odor.

Synergists are often added to the composition - substances that increase the effectiveness of insecticides.

Types of chemicals

Today, dust is used quite often, but other chemical compounds are used. This term is used to refer not to a drug or active substance, but to a powder - a finely ground mixture of the active component and filler.

Chalk, gypsum, talc, silica gel, kaolin, and various types of clay are used as fillers. The most convenient components are talc and pyrophyllite - they stick well to plants.

The amount of the main substance in the dust is determined by its activity and purpose. As a rule, its share accounts for 1-10%. The active ingredients for modern insecticidal powders can be:

FOS are organophosphorus compounds. They have been used since 1965 instead of DDT, hexachlorane and other organochlorine compounds. Such substances are easy to produce and effective against a variety of insects. Currently they are often used. The active components of insecticides from this group include malathion, chlorpyrifos and others.
Inorganic substances - this can be boric acid, sodium tetraborate, zinc phosphide.
Neonicotinoids are nitromethylene heterocyclic compounds. As an example, it is worth citing the Stozhar RP product.
Pyrethroids – this includes the well-known drug “Iskra”. It is also permissible to use the powder product “Fas-Double for ants”.
Phenylpyrazoles – this group includes finpronil. In particular, it is present in the drug “Hector”.

Advantages and disadvantages of the drug

The advantages of dusts include:

Convenient to use. You can use the powder immediately after purchase; no complicated preparation is required. The instructions are simple, so you don't need to call an exterminator.
Economical. The cost of the powder is low, and 50 g is enough to process 10 square meters. m.
Long shelf life. Most dusts can be stored for up to 5 years if the recommendations are followed.
Relatively low level of toxicity when compared with other insecticides. The compounds are not released into the air. Most of the substances belong to the 4th hazard class. After the treatment you can stay in the apartment.
Wide spectrum of action. The products destroy not only bedbugs, but also fleas, ants and cockroaches.
Presence of residual effect. The dust continues to work for some time after the procedure, preventing re-infection.

Disadvantages are relatively low efficiency and delayed expiration.

Dust will not help with severe infection, only at the initial and intermediate stages.

Purpose and use of DDT

Paul Müller's discovery can be considered a revolution in the field of pesticides. DDT became the first reliable agent with a stable effect on grain, vegetables, industrial and other crops, in gardens and greenhouses against a wide range of insect pests. DDT is one of the few truly effective means of killing locusts.

The use of DDT in agriculture at that time, thanks to the total destruction of insect pests, significantly increased yields. The results were truly impressive.

In addition to effectively controlling the number of insect pests (cockroaches, moths, mosquitoes, Colorado potato beetles, etc.), DDT has a number of merits on a global scale:

in 1944, a typhus epidemic in Naples was prevented with the help of DDT;
in India, thanks to DDT, about 5 million lives were saved from malaria in 1965, while in 1948 almost 3 million people died from malaria;
in Greece in 1938 there were a million people with malaria, and in 1959 there were only 1,200 people;

By the way, as before, the official position of the WHO on the use of DDT to combat malaria vectors (The use of DDT in malaria vector control): it is recommended to use DDT for the prevention of malaria.

Instructions for using dusts

The powder should be sprinkled throughout the house. You can dilute DDT with water and treat the room with the liquid. It is either sprayed or applied with a sponge to baseboards, window sills and sofas. DDT is scattered on horizontal surfaces. If the item is made of a rough material, it can be sprinkled in a vertical position. Due to the uneven texture, some of the dust will linger.

The dust is sprayed with a spray bottle.

The following areas should be treated:

seams on mattresses;
baseboards and the space behind them;
the inner parts of the sofa, as well as seams, the area under the upholstery, folds in the material, etc.;
space under the carpet;
floors;
wallpaper joints if the coating has come off;
the inner surface of cabinets, their rear walls;
laminate and parquet, peeling coating.

Effect of dust on bedbugs

A bedbug is not a cockroach that feeds on scraps of food and may accidentally ingest poison. Apart from piercing the skin and sucking blood out of it, the bug cannot do anything else, so an insecticide in powder form will not work. But then how does dust act on bedbugs? It’s very simple: the powder is diluted with water, and a poisonous solution is obtained.

Microparticles of the diluted dust settle on the surfaces along which the bug runs. The poison sticks to its legs and proboscis, so as soon as the insect decides to make a suction, the dust will get inside the bug and kill it.

How to prepare for processing

Before processing you need to do the following:

Do some general cleaning. Before processing, you need to remove all dirt and dust to increase the effectiveness of the dust. It is necessary to open all hard-to-reach places, since bedbugs most often hide in cracks. If you don't do this, the powder won't work.
Move, or better yet, disassemble and remove the furniture. Insects often hide in upholstery, under mattresses, etc. For this reason, you need to carefully treat not only floors and baseboards, but also furniture. This also applies to dog and cat beds.
Remove the mattress from the bed. Place it at an angle to the wall.
Turn over the carpets. Bedbugs often live on the back side, so it must be accessible for treatment.
Remove any decorations from the walls. Insects are often found behind paintings.
Open the outlets. Bedbugs can live inside.
Remove skirting boards if necessary.
Wash all textiles. To destroy parasites, high temperature conditions should be used.

Before processing, you need to carry out general cleaning.

Actions after processing

Immediately after treatment, you should wash your face and hands. If you are wearing a robe, get rid of it, put it in the wash or dry clean it. After 3 hours, you can clean: remove any remaining product and ventilate. Rugs and carpets begin to be washed within a day. DDT is removed from hard-to-reach crevices only after 2-3 months. It will take 3-4 days for the dust smell to completely disappear.

After treatment, you need to wash your face and hands.

Terms of use

The substance can be used in various ways. The most effective options include:

Dusting is ground pollination. This method was actively used in the eighties of the last century. It was most often used for plants that had dense foliage. Today this method is used extremely rarely in agriculture.
Pre-sowing seed treatment is called dry dressing. Today, powders for dusting seed are used quite often. They are used to treat seeds, seedlings and seedlings. This helps protect plants from diseases and prevent attacks from pests living in the soil. In this case, the part of the active component can reach 90%, and the filler is used only in a minimal amount. This helps to improve the grinding of the drug and prevent it from caking during storage.
Medical and household pest control - powders and dusts are often used to control crawling pests. Such substances have an excellent effect on parasites, since small particles of the product stick to the body when moving along the treated surface. As a result, there is constant contact with a toxic substance. It provokes the rapid death of arthropods.

How long will one procedure last?

If you follow the processing rules and preventive measures, you will be able to completely get rid of bedbugs in one go. Subsequent infection will occur only if you again bring the insects along with things or clothing. If neighbors have bedbugs, the risk increases. If they do not poison the parasites, the latter will constantly crawl into other apartments.

The dust may not have an effect on the larvae, so in case of severe infestation, it is recommended to re-treat it after a week. The powder that remains in hard-to-reach crevices will remain effective for another month.

Impact on pests

The pesticide specifically affects the transmission of nerve impulses in pests; it disrupts the interaction between sodium and potassium in the membranes of nerve cells. After long-term use of a chemical substance, insects can develop an addiction, as well as to other COCs. Various types of insects can become resistant, such as potato beetles, house flies and mites.

Expert opinion

Zarechny Maxim Valerievich

Agronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best country expert.

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In tank mixtures, dust is used together with hexachlorane; when used together, the effect of the substances is enhanced.

Popular bed bug powders

The most popular dusts include Riapan, “Clean House”, Klopoveron, etc.

Fas-Double

The drug helps get rid of not only bedbugs, but also fleas, flies, ants, cockroaches, etc. The treatment method does not differ from the standard one. First, DDT is scattered over surfaces and rubbed into fabric, then the remains are removed along with dead parasites. The main active ingredients are es-fenvalerate and zeta-cypermethrin.

Fas-Double is a universal, broad-spectrum insecticide.

Riapan

Riapan is a gentle remedy against crawling insects. It has no smell. The active ingredient is permethrin, which is contained in the powder in a small amount - 0.5%. The manufacturer claims that the product is safe for pets when used correctly.

"Clean house"

The advantages of the drug “Clean House” include low cost and the presence of several types of insecticides. The manufacturer uses cypermethrin and tetramethrin as active substances. These compounds belong to the category of pyrethroids.

The insecticide “Clean House” is sold in the form of a spray.

Pyrethrum

Pyrethrum is presented as a natural remedy for bedbugs, since the components for its production are extracted from plants. The latter secrete pyrethroids to protect against insects. Pyrethrum rarely causes the development of resistance in parasites and is safer for humans. However, the remedy does not help much with moderate and severe infections. It disintegrates in light after 36 hours.

Phenaxin

Phenaxin is a bedbug repellent containing fenvalerate, kaolin, lubricating oil, boric acid, etc. The drug additionally destroys other flying and crawling insects. It continues to act for 1.5-2 months after treatment, but has a relatively short shelf life of 18 months.

Phenaxin is a powder insecticide.

Klopoveron

Klopoveron is the most powerful of the dusts. It was previously used in the navy and armed forces. However, Klopoveron is difficult to find in the open market. Another disadvantage is its high price: the cost of a package (250 g) reaches 2000 rubles.

"Tornado"

“Tornado” is a budget-friendly way to kill bedbugs and other crawling insects. The dust is sold in small bags of 50 g, which are enough to treat 20-25 square meters. m. Packaging costs only 30-40 rubles.

Tornado is a highly effective remedy.

What is DDT (dust)

Dust is a preparative form of the drug, and not the active substance itself.

DDT is a classic example of an insecticide. DDT - dichlorodiphenyl trichloromethyldi(p-chlorophenyl)methane. Chemical formula of the insecticide: C14H9Cl5. It is prepared by condensing chlorobenzene (C6H5Cl) with chloral (Cl3CCHO) in concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4).

In form, DDT is a white crystalline substance that is tasteless and almost odorless. Preparative form – powder. In epidemiological situations, an aqueous solution was used.

The widespread common name for DDT is “dust”. So, initially “dust” was the name given to the powdered form of the insecticide DDT.

DDT is an externally acting insecticide, that is, it leads to the death of the insect upon external contact with the substance, affecting its nervous system.

Important Tips and Recommendations

To increase the effectiveness of the dust, follow these recommendations:

Try to find out where the insects are most numerous. Add more powder there.
Rub dust into upholstery and fabric if you need to treat furniture. DDT can be applied with a brush.
Avoid treating areas where dishes are stored. This is unsafe, because some of the powder may later enter the body.
Carry out 2 treatments with a break a week. Even with a small infestation, there may be larvae left somewhere that the dust will not have an effect on.
If you encounter bedbugs again, do not use the product that has already been used to destroy the colony. Replace it with another one, since there is a high probability of parasites having resistance.

Is it effective to poison bedbugs with dust?

When bedbugs attack, the first thing that comes to mind is to poison them with dust. This powder is associated with killing insects, so it would be logical to use it in the fight against biting pests. But does dust help against bedbugs, is it harmful to humans, and how to use it correctly?

Properties of dust against bedbugs

We will tell you later how to poison bedbugs with dust correctly and without harm to humans. First, a little educational information about the poison itself.

Dust is a group of insecticides produced in powder form. Hence the name: from the English dust - dust, powder.

Dust is especially harmful to birds. But they still use it, because... The insecticide is highly effective and inexpensive.

The difference between the dust intended to combat bedbugs is that it contains pineronyl butoxide.

This component is responsible for increasing the duration of the damaging effect of the active components of the dust on bedbugs. Those. It is enough to treat the room once to ensure a poisonous effect for a long time. Next, we’ll look at how to use dust in such a way as to eliminate pests not just for a long time, but forever.