Termites are an incredibly difficult pest to get rid of due to their elusive behavior. Like bed bugs, termites are generally hidden from view, spending all their time inside of a wooden structure which is where their colony and nutrient sources are. Due to this behavior, treatment procedures can be mixed in effectiveness due to the need to penetrate deep into a termite colony to effectively spread the poison in question; therefore, not all pesticides are good choices for battling termites.
Do bug bombs and foggers kill termites?
Bug bombs and foggers are not an effective treatment method for killing termites due to their inefficient application method which targets termites out in the open and not contained inside of a colony where the main infestation is nesting.
Bug bombs, or “foggers†are sometimes effective for killing certain types of pests, but many household pests prefer to hide as opposed to wondering out in the open. What works for one type of pest will often prove ineffective for another and the only true merit with bug bombers is that the process can save a lot of time for busy people, who simply cannot spend hours on end fighting against household pests. Additionally, a recent study by BCM Public Health found that bug foggers can also be detrimental to human and animal health in controlled, isolated environments such as homes and businesses.
How Do Termite Foggers Work?
Foggers and bug bombs work by concentrating a liquid insecticide inside of a can that releases the chemical in the form of an aerosol which is then distributed throughout the surrounding room inside of a home. The chemicals inside of different termite foggers can vary from the highly toxic to the generally mild, yet the poison is distributed so widely and to virtually every item inside of a room that saturation becomes an issue if proper tenting and prepping is not followed. The poison coats all the surrounding surfaces of a room and makes the room a toxic environment for any present pests.
What is the Best Fogger for Killing Termites?
Apart from distribution and potential health problems associated with foggers and bug bombs, there are some products that have proven results. If you can leave your home, or just treat a problem room in your home for about six weeks, Hot Shot No-Mess Fogger is a powerful and long-lasting residual fogger that will penetrate deep into cracks and crevices inside of wood to kill termites.
This termite fogger is one of the best on the market for killing hard-to-reach pests and if you have the time and resources to leave the poison alone in a dwelling, the results are well worth it.
- KILLS ON CONTACT: Hot Shot No-Mess. Fogger With Odor Neutralizer kills on contact – and keeps killing for up to 6 weeks
- KILLS HIDDEN BUGS: Creates a fine, penetrating mist that reaches deep into cracks and crevices to kill the bugs you see and kill the bugs you don't see
- NO NEED TO TURN OFF PILOT LIGHTS: Deeper-reaching, dry fog technology
- WHERE TO USE: Use in enclosed spaces such as apartments, attics, basements, barns, boat cabins, cabins, campers, crawl spaces, garages, homes, households, sheds, storage areas and trailers
- NON-STAINING: This non-staining, odorless formula won't leave a messy residue
Last update on 2023-02-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
It is no easy feat to try and kill a termite colony with foggers, but if the product is strong enough and the application is plentiful, there is a good chance of achieving elimination. No matter the product, it is crucial to leave your home for no less than 24 hours after application to ensure the product has penetrated problem areas and dissipated from the atmosphere inside of the home.
There are many bug bombs on the market, and if you are determined to try this approach, always go for a powerful product to make the work involved worth the effort.
Can Foggers Kill Termites?
The answer to this question is vague, since trial and error is the only true way to know if foggers alone can eliminate an active termite colony. Termites prefer to harbor inside of the product that they are also using as a nutrient source—wood. This makes the efficacy of foggers problematic since the aerosol gas must be able to penetrate inside of the wood to kill the termites.
Structural difficulties are not the only problems with using foggers to kill termites as the very nature of the gas can cause termites to scatter to get away from the poison, or burrow deeper into structures to escape it. Although foggers will certainly kill worker termites that are constantly exposed to the outside world, the soldiers, kings and queen will likely never encounter the gas and thus the colony will not be destroyed. Isolation of a free-standing structure is a great way to utilize foggers against termites, but for termite colonies in large and connecting structures within a home will likely not be destroyed by foggers.
For drywood termites who have infested free-standing wooden furniture, you can utilize isolation techniques with foggers to treat the furniture. Using large, industrial-grade contractor bags, enclose the infested furniture inside of the bag and release the fogger inside. Be sure and completely seal the bag of all exit points to trap the termites with the gas; within 72 hours, the termite colony will likely be dead since the gas will have penetrated into the furniture and killed the colony since there was no way to escape from the poison.
Take a look at: Top 5 Best Termite Killer Sprays
Related Questions
Can I Bomb My Entire Home for Termites?
You can bomb your entire home for termites, but there are complications that will likely arise from trying to utilize this method for termite eradication. If the termites inside of your home have infested the main frame structuring of your home, it will be incredibly difficult to get the gas into the structures to eliminate a colony. Furthermore, subterranean termites will likely escape the structures they have infested and burrow back into the ground to wait out the poison.
The same applies to drywood termites, which will simply burrow deep into the infested structure and wait for the gas to dissipate. In addition to these potential problems, you will turn your entire home into a chemical zone, and the more poisonous gas you release, the longer it will take the poison to escape from your home. Foggers are certainly a good method if you decide to spot treat certain areas but bombing your entire home for an elusive insect colony is likely a waste of time and a large amount of poison into your home’s atmosphere with little to no pay off.
Will Bug Bombs for Cockroaches Kill Termites?
Any type of bug bomb of fogger will likely work to kill any insects that are exposed to it. Certain products are targeted against a certain type of pests, such as cockroaches, of which termites are distant cousins. It is certainly feasible that bug bombs formulated for cockroaches can also kill termites, but it will be much harder for the fogger to reach areas where termites harborage as opposed to the more widely distributed nature of cockroaches.
Are Bug Bombs Dangerous to Humans and Pets?
Unlike other types of insecticides that are more evenly controlled in administration, termite foggers release the chemical into a widely distributed aerosol which covers the atmosphere of a home. This gas is impossible not to breath in and makes even a low-toxicity chemical potentially hazardous due to the gas circulating in the atmosphere. Humans and pets will breath this poison in with potentially severe consequences and it is crucial to leave the home for at least 24 hours and to cover and secure dishes and regularly used items.
In Summary
Bug bombs for termites (see at Amazon) is an attractive option for homeowners who have time to leave their homes to let the poison seep into the areas where termites nest. There are many problems that come with trying to use bug bombs against termites since termites are hidden inside of the structures they are eating and nesting in. Foggers are potentially dangerous and not very useful against termites, but the poisons will kill any termites that are exposed to the gas; it is really a matter of trial and error to see if bug bombs are an option that can work against your termite infestation.
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References
- J Colt et al. (2006). Residential insecticide use. Retrieved from https://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/15/2/251.
- Z DeVries et al. (2019). Exposure risk and ineffectiveness of total release foggers (TRFs). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6348656/.
