OK to set off a bug bomb?

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Chris142

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Apple Valley, California
Our shop is being over ran by black widow spiders.i bought bug bombs but can I set them off with customers cars in the shop? Will it hurt the paint? Can't keep them outside as they will get stolen or stripped over night.

Moving the shop is not an option for me right now.
 
Do it. Most of them are dry as soon as they come out of the can. No problem with paint. I you have reservations call the manufacturer of the bomb.
 
I'd drape the cars with a layer or two of bed sheets to either protect the paint and/or keep the chemicals from getting into the car's interior.
 
I highly doubt that bug bombs would etch auto paint. If you break a flourescent light, you'd better wash that powder off the cars fast! But bug bombs are probably fine. And you can't be sending cars home with black widows in them....
 
Should be fine as long as no one eats off anything for a day or so.

Read the can for any warnings. Most are safe but best to read to see if any would damage anything. And buy more than you think you need. I have found they are over estimate the coverage area a little.
 
Are you closed on the 4th or over the weekend. If so...just go there early in the morning...move the cars out of the garage....set the bug bombs...come back later and put the cars back in.
 
I set off two I got off Amazon in a buddy's barn.
Caused no damage as it was loaded with machinery and so on.
However I'll have to look up the brand but it concerned me as it killed everything.
It was supposed to be just for insects but it killed mice- rats and snakes.
Wiped out everything- two years later nothing lives.

Makes you wonder...
 
Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
I set off two I got off Amazon in a buddy's barn.
Caused no damage as it was loaded with machinery and so on.
However I'll have to look up the brand but it concerned me as it killed everything.
It was supposed to be just for insects but it killed mice- rats and snakes.
Wiped out everything- two years later nothing lives.

Makes you wonder...


Wow! What brand were those?
 
Years ago we had a couple of occasions to set off bug bombs due to the dog picking up fleas. Basically, put away anything we ate off of, covered the counters, table tops, etc. Everyone and the dog out of the house for, I think it was 3 of 4 hours. And set off an aerosol can on each level (basement, 1st floor, 2nd floor), the cans had a lock-on trigger.

It killed everything that creeped or crawled. The house was absolutely bug free for quite some time after that.

Black widow spiders? I'm generally fairly tolerant of nature stuff, but, yeah, you gotta get rid of them.

Just a couple of thoughts. I'd make sure customer's car windows are fully up. Set the bug bombs off well away from the cars. Cover any coffee machines, snack areas, ash trays, etc. to the insecticide doesn't settle on them.
 
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I've bug bombed my house and put down Scotts Summerguard with insect control fertilizer and it helped with the creepy crawlies.
 
I'm pretty sure that some of them have a warning on the can that they can't be used beside an open flame, such as a pilot light. As with anything else, read the label. I've used some in the past and I don't think they mentioned anything about the contents removing paint. At least I had no problems with any kind of peeling paint.
 
What spasm3 said.
Black Widows tend to live about 18-24" off the ground.
Spray a residual pesticide around the shop from ground height to 2' and they'll stay away.
Bug bomb is a waste, as is most over the counter stuff.
 
I wouldn't bother with anything aerosol based tried em not so good. Ive gotten 3 packs of these small plastic cups with canisters inside. you peel off the tinfoil top and put a tiny bit of water in. then drop the canister in and a thermal reaction happens and smoke starts coming out. If you can trap the smoke long enough it will nuke everything. I bought them at K-Mart.

I used 4 of them in my house in the winter and left for the day. when I got back at the back door was about 100 dead flies that were hiding under the door trim waiting for spring. ...it works and no residue.
 
Spent 15 minutes with a flyswatter and a strong headlamp at night for a few nights and depopulate the area. It works well and no poison. They don't launch like a jumping spider and are easy prey for even a clumsily wielded flyswatter.

I depopulated the area where I park as there would be 20 webs between my vehicle and asphalt underneath in the morning. First night I must have gotten 50+, next night 20, next night only 5, after widening the hunting grounds, next night and I could not find any without extending hunting grounds to property lines.

They rarely are more than 18 inches from the ground in my experience.
 
don't let it spray directly on to the paint,
just put in in the corner away from vehicles.
I set them off in my garage, camper, downstairs office every fall and early summer. no ill effects other than smells for 2 days, so you might want to make sure the vehicles all have theirs windows up and doors shut
 
Bug bombs aren't a good way to target a specific pest like this. Rather, you should buy a pesticide concentrate that has bifenthrin, mix it in a pump sprayer, and spray along the outer perimeter of the building and inside where the pests tend to hide. A $17 bottle makes 16+ gallons. Much more economical than bug bombs, and highly effective
 
This time of year during the warm weather, I go out hunting black widow spiders every night. They're very easy to find because I know all the spots where they setup shop. I didn't plan on it, but I'm probably the best and most experienced black widow spider hunter in the entire world.
grin2.gif
 
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