Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was shocked when I saw the advertisement for this product on TV tonight. The TV commercial and the blurb on the product claim that this product is both safe and effective. These are the ingredients listed on the label: Geraniol ....................................... 1.00% Peppermint Oil............................. 0.02% Soybean Oil .................................. 0.02% Citric Acid .................................... 0.01% Inert Ingredients*....................... 98.95% Total ........................................... 100.00% *Water, Polyglyceryl oleate, Glyceryl dicaprylate These ingredients are certainly safe, however, they are not effective for killing bed bugs. Geraniol is a fairly useful, plant-based mosquito, tick, and flea repellent, as is peppermint oil. But anyone infested with bed bugs wants to exterminate them, not try and repel them, as one would for pests encountered outdoors. I did a great deal of research on bed bugs a few years ago when a relative of mine found herself lodged in a motel with bed bugs at a conference she attended. I learned that bed bugs are highly resistant to insecticides and are very skilled at hiding in tiny crevices. Any area infested with bed bugs needs high-heat treatment. On the plus side, high-heat treatment is non-toxic. On the minus side, it is not cheap, and it isn't long-lasting. Bed bugs can re-infest a day after treatment--unless the professional doing the treatment has the means to make sure every last bed bug is dead (more on that below). Dini M. Miller, Ph.D., Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, has extensively studied and written about bed bug treatment. He states that "thermal death" (death by heat) of bed bugs is determined by two things, how high the temperature is, and how long the bed bugs are exposed to it. His research indicates that bed bugs exposed to 113°F for at least 90 minutes will die, and they will die in 20 minutes if exposed to 118°F. The eggs are harder to destroy. They must be exposed to 118°F for 90 minutes for all of them to die. For clothing and bedding, 30 minutes on High in a clothes dryer will kill all stages of bed bugs, including the eggs. Dr. Miller states that currently there are two effective professional heating systems used for bed bug elimination, the ThermaPureHeat® and the Temp-Air Heat Remediation System®. It is necessary to hire a professional pest-control company to do whole-room or whole-house treatment using one of these heating systems. Ideally the company hired will also use bed bug-sniffing dogs to insure all bed bugs have truly been eliminated to prevent re-infestation. Be aware, though, there is some controversy about the dogs. There is a huge epidemic of bed bug infestations in many cities in the U.S. Philip G. Koehler, an entomologist at the University of Florida, states there is disagreement within the pest-control industry as to which independent association should certify the dogs to avoid incompetency and chicanery (such as owners of the dogs urging them to give false positives of bed bugs so expensive treatments will be unnecessarily provided). The main certifying board currently appears to be the National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association. Dr. Miller recommends the PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heater Unit to treat suitcases and other household items that cannot fit into a clothes dryer or would be destroyed by one. If you search for Dr. Miller's article on the Internet, "Using Heat to Kill Bed Bugs," he provides instructions on how to build a Do-it-Yourself heat chamber at relatively low cost in order to treat furniture and large household items. For those who live in the desert, where in the summer temperatures can rise to 120°F and above, simply setting household items and furniture outside for the times listed above would be enough to kill bedbugs. Finally, Michael F. Potter, Extension Entomologist of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, states that cold temperatures below 32°F will also kill bed bugs, but the freezing temperature has to be maintained consistently for at least one to two weeks. For frequent travelers who live in climates with cold winters, as a precautionary measure they could leave their suitcases outside wrapped in plastic (or in a shed, car trunk or garage) in between trips for at least a week when the weather is consistently below freezing as a means to kill any possible bed bugs picked up inadvertently during travel. It might be a bit more inconvenient (and unsightly) to set household items and furniture outside for a full week or more to have cold kill any bed bugs on them.