Ozone & the Effects on Common Bed Bugs

EnviroTech Exterminating
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
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Effects of Ozone on the Common Bed Bug (Cimex lectularius)

Ozone & Bed Bugs

EnviroTech Exterminating Inc. strives to stay abreast on all research pertaining to bed bugs, especially in light of the recent outbreak of bed bug cases throughout Tulsa, Oklahoma within the past few years.  The following study of the effects of ozone on bed bugs was conducted by Purdue University.
The feasibility of using gaseous ozone to manage insect pests has received increased attention in recent years. Research in this area has focused primarily on stored product pests (Kells et al. 2001, Sousa et al. 2008, McDonough et al. 2011). Given the resurgence of bed bugs in the U.S. and other countries over the last decade, the question of whether ozone could be used in bed bug integrated pest management programs has been raised. Research designed to address this question is currently underway in our laboratory. Data presented here show that adult male bed bugs are susceptible to ozone, depending on the concentration of ozone used and the length of time that insects are exposed. Two devices capable of delivering ozone to laboratory fumigation chambers were used for this study; one delivered a high ozone concentration with short exposure times, and a second utilized a low ozone concentration with long exposure times. The overall goals of this research are to 1) determine the time and ozone concentration needed to reach 100% mortality in all bed bug life stages, and 2) learn more about the mode of action of ozone in insects and strategies insects might use to survive ozone exposure.
You can read the report by Purdue University here including the materials and methods used, the results and the conclusions of the study here.

EnviroTech Exterminating, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (918) 282-7621