The industry of pest control has evolved and it now offers a number of extermination methods for bed bugs. All of them have their own pros and cons as well as efficacy rates.
Fungus treatments are not as popular as traditional extermination methods and people don’t know how effective they can be in eliminating bed bugs. One of the few companies that provides fungus based bed bug extermination products is Aprehend.
They have a range of bed bug sprays that use natural bio septic pesticides to kill bed bugs. In this review, we’ll take a look at Aprehend products, what they are, how they are made and how effective they are to kill bed bugs.
What is a Bioseptic Pesticide
Aprehend is a bio septic product. Bio septics are certain pesticides that are derived from natural material such as animals, bacteria or plants. The good thing about bio septic products is that they are not harmful to humans, unlike other chemical extermination methods you might have used in the past.
With chemical extermination you have to be really careful not to get in direct contact with chemicals. Any level of exposure to regular chemical exterminants can be hazardous for adults, kids, pets and even plants.
In case you are planning to use fumigation to kill bed bugs. You might have to leave your house for a few days after fumigation, just so the environment could calm down to a human friendly level.
With Bioseptic pesticides, you don’t have to worry about such precautions during and after treatment.
What is Aprehend Bed Bug Spray
Aprehend makes use of a natural fungus called “beauveria bassiana”. This fungus grows on soil all around the world and acts as a parasite on insects. This fungus infects more than 200 different species of insects, including bed bugs.
Beaveria bassiana takes some time before it rapidly grows inside insects. Meanwhile, producing a large amount of toxins inside the insect. It is also contagious for the bed bug population, so the more bed bugs it comes in contact with. The more effective it is in killing bed bugs.
The severity of this fungus can be measured when the insect dies, as it covers his whole body in mold, and produces more toxins that infect other bugs that get in contact.
A major advantage of this kind of using fungus treatments is that they are generally much safer for humans to use than chemical products. Infact, they are widely used in the agriculture industry on crops before harvesting.
Is Beaveria bassiana Harmful to Humans?
According to the EPA, Beaveria bassiana is naturally found in soil and does not have adverse effects on human health. It is approved for indoor usage to kill household pests including bed bugs because the fungus simply only grows at a temperature that is lower than the human body.
Is Aprehend effective for bed bugs?
Scientific Studies
Beaveria bassiana has shown positive results in killing insects in many studies. A recent study at Penn State University, measured its efficacy against bed bugs. The study was staged in a way to measure the indirect effect of the fungus on bed bugs. Which is an important factor for a pest control treatment.
No bed bugs were sprayed or had direct contact with the fungus.
An oil formation of the fungus was applied on a jersey knit cotton. A group of bed bugs were exposed to it for 1 hr, and then they were shifted back to their artificial harborages. The experiment included bed bugs from all strains, sex and stages of their life. The activity and mortality rates were measured for up to 21 days
The study concluded a 95% mortality rate in the whole colony after indirect exposure to Beaveria bassiana. Keep in mind, the whole colony was never even exposed indirectly to the fungus. The fungus spread itself with mere contact between bed bugs making the colony almost extinct.
Aprehend Customer Reviews
The most genuine place to find user experience about a product is amazon. However, Aprehend is not available on amazon, so it’s hard to find genuine people using the product and expressing their opinions about it.
However, there is a whole community on reddit that is willing to do the same.
A user on Reddit shared her story of how she struggled with bed bugs for quite a few years. She had spent quite a few thousands dollars on treatments that did not work. Until she tried Aprehend, according to the reddit user. She had observed a complete activity stop from bed bugs on the 10th day. The bed bug bites were stopped and she did not observe any more bugs wandering around her bed. The preparation for the treatment was also minimal, since the exterminator only asked her to put the bedding in for a hot dryer. After the spray, she only had to leave the room for 4 hours, until it was safe once again for use.
Where can I buy Aprehend Bed Bug Spray?
According to the official Aprehend site, the product is not yet available for homeowners. It is strictly sold to professional exterminators.
Which means it is not available as a DIY extermination approach. There are a ton of technical guidelines mentioned on the manufacturers website for using this product. Which shows why the manufacturers do not want their product to be ineffectively used.
If you want to try Aprehend in your home. You can find pest control companies in your area that support Aprehend on the official website.
What is Aprehend Bed Bug Treatment Cost?
The cost of Aprehend Treatment depends on your location, the severity of infestation and the size of your property. Generally a 12 oz Aprehend bottle can treat multiple 1-3 bedroom apartments. Keeping in mind the infestation is low to moderate.
The usage of the solution would be more if the infestation is severe.
Combined with the inspection and treatment charges of the PMP. It can cost $300-$450 for Aprehend Bed Bug Treatment for a 1-3 bedroom apartment.
Depending on the PMP you choose, you would be recommended the number of sessions for your property. Many companies will also protect their services with a 50-90 day warranty.
How Long Does Aprehend Take to Work?
Aprehend uses Beaveria bassiana as an active ingredient. Being a natural fungi it takes some time to germinate and affect other members of the harborage. Firstly, Aprehend is sprayed on household items that are regularly visited by bed bugs.
This could be furniture, your bed or any wall or floor cracks.
Once a bed bug gets in contact with the sprayed area. The spores of the fungi clings to bed bugs. It can take up to 24 hrs for the fungi spores to germinate on bed bugs. After germination it grows and multiplies quickly releasing toxins in the process. Typically, a bed bug dies within 7 days of Aprehend exposure, and infects many other bed bugs that it comes in contact with.
Aprehend treatments can take from 8-12 weeks to eradicate the whole colony with one treatment. Meanwhile, the spray also acts as a barrier for future infestations, and is effective for 3 months.
Can Aprehend Work on Other Insects?
Aprehend can also work for other household pests such as termites, fleas and mosquitos. The effectiveness of this fungi on mosquitos is still undergoing investigation.
Biologicaly, beauveria bassiana – the main active fungi that kills bed bugs, is a more generalized form of the pathogen. It’s behavior and effectiveness on different pests depends heavily on its strain.
Some strains are specific to a lower range of insects and only use them as hosts. While other strains can attack a larger group of insects and have a better efficacy of killing them.
Some of the common pests that can be killed by beauveria bassiana are as follows. You can visit the wikipedia page for a full list of insects.
- Aphids
- Whiteflies
- Mealybugs
- Grasshoppers
- Beetles
- Caterpillars
Does Aprehend Kill Bed Bug Eggs?
No, Aprehend does not kill bed bug eggs directly. All bed bug eggs in the harborage would hatch. This will definitely create a delay in exterminating the whole population of bed bugs. But eventually all bed bugs that hatch out of the eggs would be exposed to Aprehend.
Which will kill them in a span of 7-10 days. Aprehend is applicable for bed bugs in all stages of life including nymphs and adults.
A single application repels bed bugs for upto 3 months. Which is more than enough to eradicate a complete cycle of bed bug generation. As soon as they make their way out of their egg shells, death by fungi will be their fate.
Recommended Read: Does Isopropyl Alcohol Kills Bed Bugs
How Long After Aprehend Treatment Can you Return Home?
Aprehend Treatments require minimal pre and post treatment preparation from homeowners.
For Pre-treatment preparation:
- Remove all the open clothing spread in the room, chairs or hanging openly. You also have to remove all bed sheets, comforters or any other bedding covers you have. Wash all of these with hot water, and put them in a plastic bag after cleaning.
- Declutter your rooms and infested areas to make it possible for the PMP to spray efficiently.
- Move all the furniture away from walls to allow access to baseboards in the entire room.
Post-Treatment Checklist
- Wait for 4 hours before entering the sprayed rooms.
- Do not remove the spray by mopping or cleaning the barrier. Let the spray sit and work for up to 3 months until you can observe eradication of bed bugs.
