Tuesday 12 February 2013

Fighting Bed Bugs with Fungus...?



I am not sure why but when ever I have any type of bug/insect infestation, the first thing I think is “OMG, I need to get to [insert favorite home improvement store here] and buy a spray”; hoping to spray the problems dead. But, I also forget (and I really do know better) that these sprays while they might work (kind of); are also carcinogens and are no good for anyone’s health in the long run. 

That’s the reason I believe that we all should leave the chemical treatment to the professionals, right?  If you are going to DIY, then the suggestion is always to stick to eco-friendly/ non-chemical methods. Besides, I think we all know by now that chemical treatment alone is no good for total elimination of your bed bug problem.

So, like most of our clients I am always looking out for emerging studies and information on anything bed bug/ bed bug treatment related.  On my bed bug information forage, I came across an article titled:  New hope in the fight against bed bugs.  Basically, this article is entertaining the idea that researchers are now studying a natural fungus (Beauveria bassian) that causes diseases in some insect populations and indicated that bed bugs that are exposed to the fungus becomes infected and die within five days.  The awesome thing about this fungus, apparently, is that the infected bug will take it to where they aggregate and expose it to the others. This means that this fungus will be able to kill bugs in places chemicals or maybe even steam treatments cannot get to. 

Are you as excited as I am? I am definitely excited about the prospects of that and will definitely be on the look out for any more news on that research.  In the mean time, check out that article. The link is below.

Read it on Global News: New hope in the fight against bed bugs