EPA-Registered Bed Bug Products
EPA has developed a search tool that can help you choose an EPA-registered bed bug product that meets your needs. The products listed in this search tool are those that can be purchased by any consumer. There are other products that are only available for purchase and use by specially trained individuals. You can search for a product by its:- Name
- Company
- EPA-registration number
- Where you can use the pesticide
- Pesticide type
Bed Bug Search Tool
Enter the information as described in each section. The results will depend on how broadly or narrowly you define your categories.
As with all pest control situations, be sure to use a product that fits your needs, never use products indoors that are not approved for indoor use, and ensure that label directions are followed. For example, be sure to consider where you want to treat your bed bug infestation.
Foggers and bug bombs should not be used as the only method to attempt to control bed bugs.
When Treatments Don't Work
Bed Bug Pesticide Alert
- Never use a pesticide indoors that is intended for outdoor use. It is very dangerous and won’t solve your bed bug problem.
- Using the wrong pesticide or using it incorrectly to treat for bed bugs can make you sick, may not solve the problem, and could even make it worse by causing the bed bugs to hide where the pesticide won’t reach them.
- Check if the product is effective against bedbugs -- if a pest isn’t listed on the product label, the pesticide has not been tested on that pest and it may not be effective. Don’t use a product or allow a pest control operator to treat your home unless bed bugs are named on the product label.
- Before using any pesticide product, READ THE LABEL FIRST, then follow the directions for use.
- Keep in mind that any pesticide product without an EPA registration number has not been reviewed by EPA, so we haven’t determined how well the product works.
- Not finding all the bed bugs;
- Inadequately preparing area (failure to remove clutter, seal cracks and crevices, etc.);
- Overlooking treatment of any of the known resting areas (bed bugs may rest or hide in hampers, bed frames, even furniture);
- Failing to treat adjacent areas where bed bugs may have migrated (adjacent rooms or nearby apartments in multi-dwelling housing);
- Disregarding recommended label rates (applying pesticides at too low a rate may not kill bugs and may speed up development of resistance to that chemical)
- Not following up on treatment in an appropriate timeframe (many pesticides will not kill eggs, so treatment must be repeated after the eggs hatch or the infestation will not be controlled);
- Not allowing enough time for a pesticide to work (some pesticides, such as desiccators or growth regulators, may be very effective but take some time to kill the population); or
- Bed bugs’ becoming resistant to a specific type of pesticide (as insects, such as bed bugs, are exposed to a pesticide over time, the most susceptible ones are killed first, and only the less susceptible ones are left to breed, so that relative effectiveness of the pesticide rapidly diminishes).
Because of the potential for resistance, it is always important for homeowners and others trying to control bed bug infestations to use pesticides appropriately and according to the label. It is also important to be vigilant in surveillance, identification, and monitoring efforts, to hire trained, experienced, and reputable pest management professionals, and to use a comprehensive approach. For example, you may wish to choose different types of pesticides from the list of currently labeled ones for sequential treatments or you may wish to use pesticidal materials that insects have not yet been reported to become resistant to, such as diatomaceous earth, in combination with other control techniques.
For Additional Information:
To learn more about bed bugs and how to control them, please visit EPA's main Bed Bug information page.