Top 10 Facts: Bedbugs and Vikane^® gas fumigant

Everybody knows bedbugs are a nasty pest, but not everyone knows that a proven solution is a fumigation using Vikane^® gas fumigant. To educate pest management professionals, Dr. Ellen Thoms, global technical leader for the pest management division of Douglas Products, spoke at the Global Bed Bug Summit held Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2016, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“Because bedbugs can defy nonfumigation treatments, fumigation is re-establishing itself as a go-to solution,” Thoms says. “Insecticide resistance, egg tolerance to selected insecticide treatments and finding all bedbugs to treat are important control issues. In contrast, these are not control issues with fumigation, which is proven effective for bedbugs. What sometimes surprises PMPs is that fumigation can be cost-competitive with heat and residual insecticide treatments.”

What do pest management industry professionals need to know about fumigation for bedbugs? Here’s a top 10 list from Thoms:

1. There is no proven way to detect every bedbug, which is not necessary with fumigation. The fumigant penetrates into furniture and into every nook and cranny, including clutter. Clutter in particular makes heat and residual insecticide treatments difficult or even impractical.
2. A fumigation with Vikane controls all life stages of bedbugs. Research done by Kansas State University proves that a 1.9x dosage rate of Vikane kills all life stages of bedbugs, including eggs.
3. Resistance to insecticides, especially pyrethroids, can mean a spray or dust treatment using these active ingredients has reduced efficacy. There is no known resistance to Vikane.
4. Vikane is a “one-and-done” treatment. Multiple insecticide treatments are often required when residual insecticides are used.
5. Vikane is a nonresidual treatment, in contrast to insecticides that may have label limitations on where they can be used.
6. Vikane poses no threat of damage to electronics or other sensitive materials. In contrast, a heat or insecticide treatment may cause damage. Vikane can even be used when high-value items, such as antiques or artworks, are present.
7. Use of a lethal dose of Vikane can be confirmed by measuring fumigant concentrations.
8. Treatment options for Vikane are flexible. A home or other building and contents can be treated using tarps and/or the tape-and-seal method. Additionally, furniture and other belongings can be treated in a truck, a storage pod, a fumigation chamber or under tarps.
9. Vikane can be part of an Integrated Pest Management program when done in conjunction with customer education, inspections, monitoring with traps, encasements and/or other treatments.
10. Pest management companies can contact a fumigator qualified to use Vikane for help to solve a bedbug problem.

For more information about Vikane for bedbugs and other labeled pests, reach out to your local Douglas Products business development manager, call Douglas Products at 800-338-8812, or visit the bedbug page on vikanefumigant.com.