Boric acid is a commonly used pest control treatment on a variety of household and agricultural pests. Residual contact with boric acid products, such as dust and sprays, effectively kill cockroaches and other insects. Boric acid dustis widely used on common bed bugs.

1. Study: Ingested Boric
Acid is More Fatal to
Common Bed Bugs
Custom Bedbug

2. Boric acid is a commonly used pest control treatment on a variety of household and
agricultural pests. Residual contact with boric acid products, such as dust and sprays,
effectively kill cockroaches and other insects. Boric acid dustis widely used on common
bed bugs.
Findings suggest, however, that boric acid may be more effective against bed bugs when
ingested. The study, published in the Journal of Economic Entomology, found that bed
bugs that were fed at least one percent of boric acid died within four days. Bed bugs that
consumed lower concentrations of boric acid, meanwhile, lived no more than seven days.
On the other hand, researchers report that exposure to boric acid dust was only 33
percent effectiveagainst bed bugs. Moreover, it took 14 days for the bed bugs to die. A
ten-fold increase of the boric acid concentration resulted in only 15 percent bed bug
mortality.
The authors note that while residual application of boric acid dust or sprays is generally
ineffective for pest control, it shows promise as an active ingredient for ingestible bed bug
bait.

3. Pest Control Professionals Report Growing Prevalence of Bed Bugs
The 2018 Bugs Without Borders survey from the National Pest Management Association
notes that 97 percent of pest control professionals were called to treat bed bug
infestations in 2017. Moreover, 66 percent of those professionals reported a growing
occurrence of bed bugs.
The survey results also show that pest control professionals received more than half ofthe
bed bug calls were made during summer. Single-family homes, apartments or
condominiums, and hotels or motels were the top three places for bed bug infestations.
Bed Bugs’ Resistance to Insecticide
Bed bugs are resistant to other insecticides aside from boric acid dust or spray. Previous
studies have shown bed bugs’ increased resistance against deltamethrin, a common
insecticide used on gardens and indoor crevice treatments.
A recent study in the Journal of Economic Entomology also found that common bed bugs
are developing resistance against bifenthrin and chlorfenapyr. Its author notes that
prolonged use of any particular pesticide helps the pests become less susceptible to it.
The study recommends using both chemical and non-chemical bed bug control strategies,
such as heat treatments, to reduce the chances of resistance development.

4. Sources:
https://academic.oup.com/jee/advance-
article/doi/10.1093/jee/toy260/5085321#120607817
https://entomologytoday.org/2018/10/10/boric-acid-kills-bed-bugs-only-when-eat/
https://www.custombedbug.com/
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/boricgen.html
https://www.pestworld.org/all-things-bed-bugs/bed-bug-facts-statistics/
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/DeltaGen.html
http://time.com/4733708/bed-bugs-insecticide-resistance/
https://academic.oup.com/jee/article-
abstract/110/3/1195/3112039?redirectedFrom=fulltext