What do foggers do

Safety — Cockroach foggers coat the surfaces in your home with pesticides, which can be harmful to your health. After use, pesticide residues may be on surfaces you, your family members and your pets routinely contact.

Additionally, the aerosol contained in these products can make them flammable. Precautions — According to the Environmental Protection Agency EPA , homeowners who use cockroach foggers should take several precautions, including vacating the premises to avoid inhaling pesticides. Homeowners and pets should stay out of the house for a specified period of time, typically two to four hours, depending on the product used.

Before using the fogger, food preparation surfaces should be covered, including counters and sinks. After use, windows should be opened to allow the house to air out, linens should be washed and carpets vacuumed. A nationwide study has shown that most DIY fogger-related injuries occur when people do not follow label instructions and either 1 re-enter the area too soon post-fogging or 2 use more than the recommended amount of insecticide.

Because of the effectiveness issues mentioned above, many homeowners may end up spending more money trying to solve their cockroach problem than they had anticipated. Cockroaches are a serious public health issue, and any homeowner dealing with these unwanted pests needs a solution. A professional pest control company can conduct a thorough inspection of your home and pinpoint the harborage areas that may be the source of cockroaches.

More importantly, pest control specialists have the ability to treat the hard-to-reach areas cockroaches seem to favor. Finally, they can identify the different types of cockroaches that may be infesting your home and, using integrated pest management techniques, recommend the appropriate course of treatment to combat each. We will also provide education about how you can help prevent cockroach infestations. Call to schedule your initial consultation today with a pest control technician. Bed bugs are travelers.

Before moving into your mattress or settling down in your nightstand, they may have lived in a hotel, office, school or other place where people gather. Because bed bugs can attach themselves to clothes, furniture, luggage and even your pets, they can also hitch a ride in your car, rental vehicle, taxi or rideshare. This gives them easy access to anything you transport with you and a free ride to everywhere you go, including your home.

But before you fog for roaches in your home, there are a few things you should be aware of. While cockroach bombs also known as foggers, bug bombs, or total release aerosols may seem like a quick and easy solution to your pest problem, it's important to remember that they rely on toxic pesticides to work properly.

It's important to take every possible precaution to avoid doing harm to you, your family or items in your home. If you have a heavy cockroach infestation in your house, a cockroach bomb may help to curb the pest population at least a little, but it likely won't eradicate it. It's a good idea to try other methods of getting rid of cockroaches. In many cases, it is more effective to eliminate food and water sources, seal up potential cockroach entrances and place bait traps in affected areas to monitor the infestation.

Roach bombs work by spraying a chemical insecticide into the air in a confined space. The pesticide stays in the air for a short period before it falls to the ground, coating surfaces and potentially killing cockroaches on contact. The following excerpt, written by extension entomologist Michael F.

Potter at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, explains how they work — or don't work , as the case may be.

The entire contents are released upwards, into the airspace, where the aerosol droplets remain suspended for a period of time and then gradually settle onto floors, countertops and other surfaces When applied in this manner, very little insecticide actually penetrates into cracks, voids, and other hidden locations where cockroaches, ants, silverfish, and most other household pests congregate and spend most of their time.

If you decide to use a roach bomb, it is extremely important to read the product label and follow the directions for how to use it very carefully. Roach bombs have a pesticide that is usually carried in a petroleum distillate, which is flammable.

The Environmental Protection Agency EPA , which regulates pesticides, including those used in roach bombs, has a list of safety precautions that should be taken if using a bug bomb in your home. Among them are calculating the number of foggers to use in a specific area, leaving the premises during the fogging, and airing it out thoroughly afterward. Safe use of these products requires that everyone, including pets, leave the treated space and close the doors after foggers have been released.

Stay out until the time indicated on the label has passed, usually two to four hours. Prematurely entering the treated premises may lead to illness. Before you decide to start bombing for roaches or fogging for roaches, there are plenty of things you should consider. It's highly recommended that you try other methods of getting rid of pests or that you call in the pros to take care of your problem.

There are very few, if any, instances where using a cockroach bomb would be preferred. Cockroach bombs can be a quick, cheap, DIY solution for people struggling with an infestation, but there are many more drawbacks than positives, including:. The chemicals in bug bombs can be toxic. As the residue coats surfaces in your home, this can be a problem if you're particularly sensitive to chemicals or if you have small pets.

Breathing in these chemicals can make you sick. Cockroach bombs emit flammable vapors into the air and have been known to cause explosions if there is a source of ignition such as a pilot light for a water heater or stove when released. Because the chemicals don't penetrate your home's walls, it often can't reach cockroaches who are hiding away. There are many more effective ways to treat cockroaches.

A fogging system can be used against a variety of bugs and is useful as a mosquito fogger, a flea fogger or even a bed bug fogger amongst many insecticide applications. Foggers are used by many hospitals and medical environments for infection control, particularly for decontamination of reusable medical equipment and as part of a process to clean and disinfect vacated wards and rooms.

Because fogging is a relatively quick process, it is suitable for regular application and the treated areas and equipment can be brought back into service straight away. Foggers can also be used for humidifying in greenhouses or other areas where high humidity is required, to deodorise areas such as sewage treatment plants or for dust control in industries like mining to prevent airborne pollutants.

In wet areas, where the presence of mould is likely, a fogger can be used to kill the airborne mould spores to prevent growth. Fogging machines can be portable or static, automatic or manual and have various designs suitable for particular applications. They vary in size depending on the operation required and normally have the chemicals or disinfectant contained within the body of the unit, however some units can be fixed directly on to a drum of insecticide or other chemical solution, for large scale operations.

There are also centralised automated systems electronically controlled for larger facilities. We supply a range of fogging machines, hand pump sprayers and ULV foggers, all of which are easy to use and cost effective. Article updated by Ian Hodkinson 14th May Fogging Machine Fogger What is a fogging machine and how does it work? Using fogging machines for sanitation — Coronavirus protection Foggers are effective for sanitising, something which has become a massive requirement as a result of the COVID outbreak in See all Fogging Machines here.

Other uses for fogging machines Food industry fogging Foggers can be used inside or outside in a variety of situations in agriculture or the food process industry where sanitizing is a vital element. Insect control fogging Insect control is an increasing problem inside and outside where, due to climate change, we are seeing a wider variety of unwanted creatures.

Other applications Foggers can also be used for humidifying in greenhouses or other areas where high humidity is required, to deodorise areas such as sewage treatment plants or for dust control in industries like mining to prevent airborne pollutants.