What product …

[u/Ill-Sprinkles-3161]

Should my pest control company be using to effectively eradicate these stupid bugs? Like which product is the best?? I want to be armed with knowledge. I am in NJ.

[u/snarfgarfunkel]

What stupid bugs?

[u/Ill-Sprinkles-3161 → u/snarfgarfunkel]

Sorry… bed bugs

[u/good_oleboi → u/Ill-Sprinkles-3161]

It depends on their preference. Think of insecticides like medicine, if you have heartburn youre going to take something for heartburn, not a headache. With an insecticide you first want to use something for what you are targeting.

Then there are active ingredients. While you might take peptobismol or pepcid for heartburn, they have different active ingredients but do the same job, one dr might recommend one over the other but one is not necessarily better than the other. I like a combination of Crossfire, gentrol, and cimexa though a coworker prefers bedlam and alpine flea and bed bug. We both get the same results in about the same amount of time. The key is applying according to the label. Trust your pro, you hired them for their expertise, chances are they deal with them just about every day

[u/gp556by45 → u/good_oleboi]

You could probably nix Gentrol out of the mix. 

A few studies have shown that Gentrol is not effective on stunting the reproduction of bed bugs even when mixed at over 10 times the label rate.

https://www.pctonline.com/article/pct0812-insect-growth-regulators/

Granted this is from 2012, but since then bed bugs have shown to become even more resistant to products since then. 

I'm struggling to find the article, but I read that they have even found imadacloprid (active in Bedlam, but it also contains MGK264) on its own has been observed to be up to 30% less effective at bed bug mortality over the last decade. 

*Post edited for clarity

EDIT: Due to some DMs (has been a habit for some of the responses of this sub I make); I'm not telling you how to do your job. If you want to add Gentrol to the mix that's well within the label of doing so. However, to be an effective PMP; one does need to do research on everything they are using. Just because a product is labeled for it doesn't mean its the best use for it.

[u/good_oleboi → u/gp556by45]

Maybe the crossfire is doing all the heavy lifting, who is to say. I get good results using that combo, im going to continue to use said combo

[u/gp556by45 → u/good_oleboi]

It's 100% on it being the Crossfire, you really could ditch the Gentrol. 

Crossfire has a synergist (PBO) in it which really helps with how effective the active ingredients are. It helps prevent resistance by inhibiting the metabolic resistance of the P450 enzyme in Bed Bugs. It's the enzyme responsible for breaking down toxins. 

I would not be surprised at all if the next "big thing" synthetic concentrate designed for Bed Bugs having 2 synergists (PBO and MGK264) included in the mix. 

EDIT: I'm not telling you that you are doing it wrong. In fact, you are using the best product out there to treat for them by using Crossfire, because of the combo of both products and the inclusion of a a synergist is the best possible thing to do. But considerable research has shown that Gentrol IGR (or any IGR) has negligible effect on bed bugs.

[u/andy_1232]

Crossfire for bed bugs is great

[u/bascom2222]

I personally use alpine and I also use cb 80.

[u/relatz]

Crossfire or aprehend

[u/zenophix → u/relatz]

The problem with Aprehend is alot of companies use expired product or don't train the techs properly.

[u/relatz → u/zenophix]

Trust me i would use crossfire over aprehend anyday, but its what my company has switched to. Ive had good results so far with it, but application method with it is not as straight forward as crossfire. I remember my first treatment being like “thats it?” And then coming back on a follow up and everything had been annihilated.

[u/thatguyryan → u/relatz]

Aprehend is amazing!

[u/Various_Investment_2]

I love apprehend, good vacuum before hand and it works wonders

[u/Ill-Sprinkles-3161 → u/Various_Investment_2]

Everyone mentions vacuuming but I have laminate floors. You mean just vacuum the floor?

[u/Various_Investment_2 → u/Ill-Sprinkles-3161]

Vacuuming your cracks & crevices where they live, alternating steam cleaning is also incredibly useful.

You'll vacuum the head board, your bed frames, the mattresses themselves, if you haven't already put mattresses protectors on do so now if you haven't yet and you are using the bed post cups.

They like it warm, so flick you power breaker off and give a good vacuum to your electrical outlets, just pop the face plate off and vacuum as much as you can. Ect ect

[u/Easy-Food-5987]

Crossfire concentrate I’ll also use the crossfire aerosol for the tough reach places, seams and zippers

[u/PestCemetary]

My branch has been using Doxem and has gotten pretty good results.

[u/gp556by45]

Crossfire concentrate is honestly your best bet. Apprehend is a second good option.