Man blew up apartment while trying to self-treat a bug infestation
By nobugsonme on Jul 22, 2008 in NJ, PCOs, bed bug spray, bug spray, doing your own pest control, kill bugs, new jersey, pest control, pesticides, self-treatment
The accident occurred as [Isias Vidal] Maceda was spraying for pests in his kitchen. Somehow the bug spray ignited a blast that blew out the apartment’s front windows and triggered a fire that quickly spread, the newspaper said.
Eighty percent of the apartment was destroyed and the neighboring apartment suffered smoke damage.
There’s no indication of whether the problem was bed bugs, though it would not surprise me, as this is one pest people often try and self treat, rather than admit to their landlords that they need help.
I think this is more true with bed bugs than with other pests because people often feel embarrassed about having bed bugs, especially if they normally keep their homes pest-free. Since this is one pest that is not attracted to messy or dirty homes, it’s impossible to prevent.
Bedbugger doesn’t recommend self-treatment of bed bugs for a variety of reasons, one of which is that they can be dangerous if misused.
An even more tragic story featuring an attempt at self-treating for bed bugs is here.
If you’re still tempted to do it yourself, read this, and remember: if you must use pesticides, always use them carefully and as labeled.
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