Bedbug Treatment Can Make You Sick

Although bedbugs won't make you sick, what you do to get rid of them might.

The concerning thing is that over 100 people have gotten sick and one has died because of the treatment they used to try and get rid of bedbugs. And the treatment in common to all of these cases were the use, or in most cases misuse, of insecticides to try to get rid of the pests.

According to the CDC, these cases occurred in seven different states over the last eight years. Insecticide poisonings occurred either because too much was used, the wrong type was used or the treated bedding wasn't changed after. In most cases the insecticides were applied by the home occupant themselves or by a non-certified exterminator.

The one death occurred in an elderly woman with multiple medical problems whose husband used 18 cans of an insecticide fogger over a two day period. The couple did not air out the house before reentering.

Although this is an extreme example of what can happen, the CDC does go on to say that this and other cases highlight the misinformation about bedbug treatment. They recommend using professional exterminators and what they call an integrated pest management system that uses a variety of different methods to dispose of what is becoming a more common problem... the bedbug. The main goal here is to get rid of this pest without hurting you or your family members.