--- title: Bed Bugs Are Becoming Resistant to Insecticides description: Bed bugs are developing resistance to two commonly used insecticides, bifenthrin and chlorfenapyr, according to a new study. canonical: https://time.com/4733708/bed-bugs-insecticide-resistance/ author: Amanda MacMillan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-10T21:57:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:04:16.111Z article:section: Health og:title: Why Bed Bugs Are Becoming So Much Harder to Kill og:description: Bed bugs are developing resistance to two commonly used insecticides, bifenthrin and chlorfenapyr, according to a new study. og:url: https://time.com/4733708/bed-bugs-insecticide-resistance/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb32882f3bb82a1a/6988c0d6f887dc5ab5e99a8d/time-health-stock-sleep-couple.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5616 og:image:height: 3159 og:image:alt: time-health-stock og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Bed Bugs Are Becoming So Much Harder to Kill twitter:description: Bed bugs are developing resistance to two commonly used insecticides, bifenthrin and chlorfenapyr, according to a new study. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb32882f3bb82a1a/6988c0d6f887dc5ab5e99a8d/time-health-stock-sleep-couple.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Bed Bugs Are Becoming So Much Harder to Kill > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Sniffing Out the Competition at Chicago's Bedbug Summit [Watch (HLS stream): Sniffing Out the Competition at Chicago's Bedbug Summit](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/6tZ3TK7m.m3u8) (6:34)  _Published 2010-09-27. Exterminators, inventors, scientists and dog detectives at BedBug University’s North American Summit present their best ways to find and kill the bloodsucking parasites_ by [Amanda MacMillan](https://time.com/author/amanda-macmillan/) ## Amanda MacMillan Apr 10, 2017 9:57 PM UTC  Closeup of young couple in bed covering their faces with bedsheet Closeup of young couple in bed covering their faces with bedsheet Getty Images by [Amanda MacMillan](https://time.com/author/amanda-macmillan/) ## Amanda MacMillan Apr 10, 2017 9:57 PM UTC Bed bugs are developing resistance to two common [insecticides](http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/23/with-bed-bugs-the-cure-may-be-worse-than-the-disease/?iid=sr-link1), according to a [new study](https://academic.oup.com/jee/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/jee/tox070) in the _Journal of Economic Entomology._ Experts warn that many infestations can no longer be defeated with chemicals alone. The common [bed bug](http://time.com/4305066/bed-bugs-home-remedies/?iid=sr-link3), _Cimex lectularius_, has previously shown considerable resistance to several other insecticides, including a commonly used one called deltamethrin. The reduced effectiveness of these chemicals is considered a main cause of the bed bug’s resurgence over the last decade, especially [in big cities](http://time.com/3686257/cities-with-most-bed-bugs/). To find out if bed bugs were also developing resistances to two other common insecticides, bifenthrin and chlorfenapyr, Purdue University researchers gathered 10 different bed bug populations from Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, DC, and exposed them to the chemicals for seven days. In five of these populations, they found reduced susceptibility to bifenthrin—meaning that more than 25% of the bed bugs survived. Three populations also had reduced susceptibility to chlorfenapyr. Concerns about insecticide resistance aren’t new, says lead author Ameya Gondhalekar, research assistant professor at Purdue’s Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Management. “The longer you use any product for the control of a particular pest, the more resistance issues you are going to have,” he says. In 2015, a University of Kentucky survey found that 68% of pest management professionals considered bed bugs the most difficult pest to control. Bifenthrin, like deltamethrin, is a pyrethroid that attacks the nervous systems of insects. Chlorfenapyr, on the other hand, is a chemical that targets the mitochondria of cells. While chlorfenapyr is mainly used by professional exterminators, bifenthrin is also used in over-the-counter insecticide sprays, granules, and aerosols. Gondhalekar points out that these products do work against some populations of bed bugs, and that they are still an important component of pest management. But in order to keep them from losing any more of their effectiveness—and to make sure they remain a useful option for years to come—they should to be used sparingly, he says, alongside non-chemical methods. People have a better chance of getting rid of all of their bed bugs—including those that have developed resistance—if they pair chemicals with alternative solutions that use heat, steam or silica gel, for example. “People from academia have been promoting the use of integrative approaches for years, but the cost of non-chemical methods can be prohibitive,” Gondhalekar says. Treating with pesticides, on the other hand, is easy and cheap. Bed bugs aren’t considered dangerous, but their bites can cause itching, allergic reactions and sleepless nights. Infestations can be difficult and time-consuming to eradicate, and can result in financial distress, anxiety and social isolation. Thankfully, you can take steps to prevent them. Vacuuming regularly, using an insect-proof mattress casing and being cautious [when visiting hotels](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20513823,00.html) can help keep homes bed-bug free. “If you’re frequently monitoring for bed bugs, then you won’t have the issue of them multiplying into large numbers,” he says. “It’s much easier to manage the problem early, when it’s just five or 10 bed bugs, rather than hundreds or thousands.” ## Transcript >> In order to get rid of bedbugs you first have to find them. >> We got started 18 months ago. We purchased 2 dogs. >> And that can take a detective with a really good nose. Both Jack and Barney have them. >> They find the scent of bedbugs. We have a few training well here today at the conference and what we're gonna do is show you how the dog is alert and the passive alert. They go into homes, businesses, offices, retirement communities. >> David Bohannan and Shelly Beno run Detective Bed Bug. They're among the more than 350 people at the 2010 Bedbug Summit in Chicago and many here in this hotel ballroom near the airport are seeing brisk business as the parasitic insects make a comeback. >> It's very interesting. I mean I haven't thought we were crazy but it's a great service. >> Our biggest thing is you know I'd rather have a dog going through my dresser drawers looking instead of a human eye because, you know, dogs won't care what's in there and they don't tell secrets. >> David, Shelly, Jack, and Barney will help you find the bugs but there are many ways to kill them. You can bake them. >> 122 degrees is the instant kill temperature for adult bedbugs and for eggs. >> You can steam them. >> You just slowly go along the seams. You know they like to hide in the seams. You won't have to throw the mattresses away then. >> You can freeze them. >> Basically you use the CO2 dry ice snow to kill bedbugs on contact. >> You can even try to outsmart them. >> It's made of the most slippery, second most slippery substance on earth after ice, so the bedbugs crawl up the leg and they can't go any further. >> What makes keeping them away so hard is these little bloodsuckers like to travel. >> This can be very difficult to stop in my house or at anybody's house. I mean when you're going and sitting on a soft piece of furniture in a public place like in a bookstore, at a library, how do you know who was sitting there before you and how do you know they didn't leave that. >> Anyone who has had a bedbug infestation will tell you it can be frustrating even frightening to deal with these stealthy invaders, but entomologist Jeffrey White cautions that much of the bedbug hysteria is overblown. >> All the media attention that we received recently from bedbugs has a lot of people, you know, very scared about this bug, and I think there's a line to walk where you need to be aware but you also need to calm the hysteria. I don't know that every household in America is gonna necessarily deal with bedbugs directly but I do think everybody needs to know about bedbugs and how to avoid them and what these bugs look like because you can encounter these bugs anywhere. >> Bedbug conference is at the hotel. There is a little bit of a bedbug problem. >> Many here have had personal encounters with bedbugs. Lorne Chadwick is not the only vendor who have had to use his own product at home. >> As a matter of fact I personally use it this past weekend. My wife came home from Cleveland and there she found bedbugs in our bed. It was good to know my product really works but it was enough. It was really fun. >> Detective Bed Bug was started after Shelly Beno had her own run in with the bugs. >> I was in property management field and what had occurred was I experienced the infestation and the pest control operator kept on not finding them and my resident kept on bringing them packed in bags and so I heard about the dogs and that's how we got started. >> Many of those in attendance here are exterminators looking for tips on how to best find and kill the bugs. As the problem grows there's plenty of work for both dog and man. >> I protect the bedroom. We want to remind you that every mattress needs protection. >> You know business is good for us because we make the Nuvan Prostrips and they pretty much use them in every job now because they take the clothing, put it in the bag, put the strips in there and it basically fumes the clothes and it kills the eggs. You gotta kill the eggs. Otherwise you know they'll just emerge out and you know mate up. >> 2 years ago we are getting 1 or 2 bedbug jobs a year. Now we're getting 1 or 2 bedbug jobs a week with our exterminating portion of the business. Some literature you read says that 500 percent increase in bedbug jobs over the last year we've experienced more than that and what we're finding is that once bedbugs get into a community they spread. >> Summit organizer Phil Cooper was surprised by the number of people getting into the bedbug business. He had to turn hundreds of folks away this year. >> BedBug University's North American Summit, this is the first one and this was started out as a small stepping stone. We set up 300 people. We are at 360 standing room only. Next year it is moving down the street to the Chicago Hyatt O'Hare and that will go from this year of 360 up to 1200 people. >> As vendors here take notes about bedbug- fighting strategies, Virginia Tech entomologist Dinni Miller cautions that not all treatments for bedbugs are equal and some can be harmful. >> All right. Some of the things I've seen out in the field have been really inherently dangerous as people trying to yield with bedbugs on their own, mainly using things like bug bombs, using way more than you're allowed to use where you have the potential to blow the windows out of your apartment or if you leave the pilot light on to really give yourself some nasty burns, certainly we have seen that these things are completely ineffective whether you use 3 or you use 30. >> Miller says the best offense in the battle with the bug is prevention. >> We should all be asking ourselves what are we gonna do differently, how are we gonna change the way we'd go through our daily activities to prevent ourselves from bringing bedbugs home. Are we gonna take a bunch of stuff with us, set it down in chairs, set it down in empty seats, or are we gonna tear down the amount of stuff that we take out of our home and bring back. >> So whether you are a homeowner, an apartment dweller, a dorm resident, whether you work for the government, in the hospitality industry or mass transit, if you sit down in bookstores or lounge in comfortable chairs at the library, heed the advice of bedbug experts. Educate yourself. And to paraphrase what many a grandmother has said at bedtime, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite, and hire a professional. 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