Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums Topic: Raid Max?

TheKnightRider on "Raid Max?"

TheKnightRider — Mon, 10 May 2010 23:38:35 +0000

Raid Max House and Garden bug spray has no residual lasting killing effects. Bed Bugs must be directly contacted with a soaking spray to kill them. A quick sweep spray of Raid Max won't kill Bed Bugs. I caught a Bed Bug recently. I sprayed it with Raid Max (pyrethrums 0.25%) I covered both sides of the bug with Raid until it was almost drowning in it. I then put it in an old pill bottle. The Bed Bug was still alive 3 hours later! The next morning (8 hrs later, it was dead. I have never seen another type of bug survive that long after being soaked with Raid. Bed Bugs are tough SOB's

Anonymous on "Raid Max?"

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:11:43 +0000

Hi insomnia- We all make mistakes, yours truly has made more than her share. Reading the FAQs can save you a lot of heartache. There are true tales of tears and woe behind each one of those FAQs. I'm not a PCO, but I can play one on TV. We've all read enough PCO rants about clients self-treating. I want to leave this for a real PCO to address, since they're more likely to be believed. But here's what I think. If the PCO does his or her job correctly, and doesn't get creative with the mixing or the application rate, bedbugs should not detect the presence of the pesticides applied and continue to seek out the host who continues to sleep in bed. In doing so, they will die. Eventually. Any mistakes that you made prior to engaging the PCO can be corrected with patience and a lot of work. It's unlikely that you have done irreparable damage. As long as you don't persist in your mistakes, bedbugs should eventually all come out to feed and be exposed to the treatments. However, one possible scenario is that they may stay in an out of the way harborage for a long time and only re-emerge after the pesticides have broken down. The more such tricky harborages exist, like, for example, inside the walls, the harder it is to kill them all. It is necessary to kill them all since even one or two survivors can restart an infestation. Bedbugs may indeed find such far-flung harborages through no fault of your own, and long-established infestations may spread on their own momentum. But we should not take any actions that could cause the number or location of their harborages to multiply. So, no need to despair. There is no perfect situation, there is only bad and worse. As for supplementing, you should follow your PCOs instructions and stick to what he or she recommends. Cleaning, caulking and isolating, steaming, using contact killers--these are all things you discuss with your PCO. Sometimes you just have to be patient. Needing multiple treatments until the infestation is eradicated is, sadly, very common. Patience up to a point: when several treatments go by and there is no improvement, the PCO has to consider rotating materials or using other adjunct methods and you, the client, review your options and consider making changes. Inspecting and treating adjacent units is sometimes the key that solves the mystery of an intractable infestation. Most of the time, we just need to be tough and take it for a while. A short while.

insomnia on "Raid Max?"

insomnia — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:08:09 +0000

Nomo, you mentioned that repelling the pests into the baseboards makes them much harder to treat. I understand that they would be sheltered from the products that the PCO uses. Are there any other reasons? I am hoping that they will eventually come back through the products at the baseboards at a later time in search of food. Does this type of dispersal force them into some hybernation? Please explain...I too made the mistake of trying to self treat before the PCO could arrive (hadn't found this site yet) Also, I am looking for any type of products (in addition to DE) that could supplement our treatment. The only thing our PCO recommended was sterifab.

Anonymous on "Raid Max?"

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:07:36 +0000

Well, you've already done this but for the benefit of others reading this. You are not supposed to use these products on a bed. I'm willing to bet that this product is a) not labelled for bedbugs, and b) not labelled for mattresses or beds. Also you don't want bedbugs to retreat to the floorboards and baseboards. That is not a plus. It's what dispersal means. And if they go deep into those locations, that is part of what makes it harder for professionals who come to treat later. If anyone is going to use insecticides, then at a minimum you have to use the right ones and wear protective gear and apply them exactly according to the label. So, in this context, no, Raid Max is not a good "cleaner/killer" for furniture and beds. I'm not picking on you, miserable, it's just that lots of other people read this forum and it's important to be clear about the issues and what is at stake. Good luck, I hope you get competent professional help as soon as possible. It's a difficult, emotional process but it's possible to get it done quickly and relatively painlessly if you act quickly and intelligently.

miserable on "Raid Max?"

miserable — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 02:34:23 +0000

Thanks, Nobugsonme. We have been careful about how we seal things, in airtight bags, but have not been marking them. Will start doing that immediately.

Nobugsonme on "Raid Max?"

Nobugsonme — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:31:27 +0000

Please read the FAQs (button below). If you throw anything out, be sure to wrap it (seal it, airtight) and mark it with a clear warning.

miserable on "Raid Max?"

miserable — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:16:09 +0000

Too late! My boyfriend already used it, but only on the bed, dresser and two nightstands. We didn't do the floors or baseboards, which leads me to believe that although the bugs may disperse, they may not wander too far away since they can retreat to the baseboards and in between floorboards in the bedroom. Raid Max is a pyrethrin-based product which is supposed to be the most effective type of insecticide. I'm hoping it just acted as a good cleaner/killer for our furniture while we are waiting for an appointment with a PCO. I think we will keep the vacuum we've been using, but we have been (and will continue to) replace the bags (have been putting used ones in sealed plastic bags) and throw them outside in the trash immediately after use. Hope this will prove effective enough. Thanks to you both for the tips and advice. I really appreciate it.

paulaw0919 on "Raid Max?"

paulaw0919 — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:04:21 +0000

From what I hear Raid is a REPELLANT. This will scatter the bugs and may make it worse to totally rid them later. Like Nomo said the best thing to do is to kill and vacuum up any live bugs you see. Then take the vacuum outside if you can, put hte vacuum bag in a 2 gal ziplock or plastic bag and totally seal (ziptie) and throw it away. (remove from the house if possible)

Anonymous on "Raid Max?"

Anonymous — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:01:46 +0000

Please don't. I don't know what the active ingredient in that product is, but I do know that people have used over the counter products like that one and made their problem infinitely worse, scattering bedbugs all over the place and making them that much harder to treat later. Take a deep breath and read the FAQs. There is a FAQ about why doing your own pest control is probably ill-advised for most. And be careful. Visible bugs should be cleaned and vacuumed away. Yes, kill them, but not with an over the counter chemical. Trust us on this one thing and get professional advice asap.

miserable on "Raid Max?"

miserable — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:42:50 +0000

Does this product work? My b/f bought a few cans and is going to try it tonight. We still plan on getting a PCO in, but wanted to be proactive before the first appointment. Also, since these bugs seems to be very new to our home, it seems like a good idea to kill off as many as possible so that they don't travel to other floors in the house. Is this line of thinking logical? Has anyone else used this product? Thanks all!