Do Uv Lights Kill Bed Bugs

There are passive means of detecting bed bugs which are easier and work better than manually searching.

Do uv lights kill bed bugs.

Ultraviolet light and light of any kind doesn t kill the bed bugs but it does aid in identifying the problem. Bug zappers despite many improvements in safety and insect luring potential are basically the same as they were when first invented. Bug zappers or by their more technical name electronic insect control systems or electrical discharge insect control systems attract insects with light and then kill then with a zap of electricity. You can even kill bugs with uv light although it isn t an effective treatment.

The first link below tells you how to build an effective bedbug trap using dry ice. It s also been investigated as a way to kill stored product pests without resorting to pesticides. Although uv light can be a beneficial tool in both repelling and detecting bed bugs you have to know that light in and off itself will not kill them. According its description the purelight xd ultraviolet light wand features the most powerful 8 watt uv light on the market and guarantees a 99 9 kill rate of bacteria viruses including dust.

Bug zappers work by emitting a uv light that attracts bugs to the center of the device where they re electrocuted usually between two metal grids. They usually scurry away from light. There was a recent study that showed that c02 is the most effective attractant for bedbugs. They use ultraviolet light or neon or mercury lighting which insects seem to be drawn to.

An ultraviolet emitting light bulb attracts insects into a high voltage electrical wire mesh grid where the bugs are electrocuted. The bug completes the circuit and gets electrocuted. When a bed bug infestation occurs or is suspected homeowners immediately start looking for ways to kill the bugs. The main reason for this is that male mosquitoes usually feed on nectar from flowers.

I don t think uv light would work for attracting them though it might detect their excrement. Ultraviolet light does kill insects as well and it s commonly used in quarantine labs to keep potentially dangerous insects from escaping into the environment. Because of the irresistible lure of their light. The light bulb and the wires are housed in a protective plastic or grounded metal cage.

When the insects notice the patterns revealed on the uv light they enter in the space between the mesh grids. Uv light makes bed bugs more visible. But even if uv light does make bed bugs glow it isn t necessarily an effective strategy. How bug zappers work.

The main reason is heat generation.