Do you have a bug infestation in your home? Are bed bugs keeping you awake at night? Are wasps or hornets setting up home under the eaves of your roof?
If your answer is ‘yes!’, then a fast and effective bug spray will do the trick and keep your home pest-free.
The 5 Best Bug Sprays
- Bed Bug Killer by EcoRaider 2oz Travel/Personal Size
- Ortho 0196710 Home Defense MAX 1-Gallon insect Killer Spray for Indoor and Home Perimeter
- MDX Concepts Magma Home Pest Control Spray
- Raid 14-Ounce Wasp & Hornet Killer 33 Spray
- TERRO T2302 Spider Killer Aerosol Spray
Our Top Pick for the Best Bug Spray
MDX Magma Home Pest Control Spray
A highly effective bug killer that is made by pest professionals, the MDX Magma Home Pest Control Spray will protect your home from a large range of insects.
Besides its broad-spectrum approach to eradicating creepy crawlies, it is an organically based spray that is non-toxic and does not leave a nasty lingering odor. For the best defense against bugs, the MDX Magma Home Pest Control Spray is the smart choice for indoor and outdoor pest control.
Check the price on AmazonTypes of Bug Sprays:
There are two types of bug sprays: a single aerosol spray or a home defense pest treatment that comes with a handy spray applicator.
Aerosol Can Spray
A bug spray that is packaged in an aerosol spray is a very good choice for pest control as it offers you a twofold approach to bug extermination. Aerosol sprays can be used to kill bugs on contact, while some products also act as a residual spray that can last up to three months for indoor use and up to 12 months for outdoor areas. A bug spray that kills the bugs on sight, while also killing any bugs that may dare to visit your property and walk on the pre-sprayed surfaces like doors and windows, will deter any future insects from visiting your property. All you need to do is to spray in and around your home to create an invisible barrier of protection.
Many sprays are designed to kill all kinds of insects like roaches, spiders, bed bugs, and other types of crawling insects, while some sprays are specifically designed for particular types of bugs, like bed bugs or wasps.
Aerosols are an effective killing machine. Some sprays are very powerful and are similar to 35,000 volts of electricity, while others target a bug’s nervous system and may be slow-acting in the extermination process.
Home Pesticide Spray
If you have a particularly bad insect infestation, why not try a more intensive home defense pesticide treatment? Instead of spending a lot of your hard-earned cash on your local pest exterminator, a good quality home pesticide defense spray can eliminate your insect infestation, for both indoor and outdoor areas.
How to Choose the Best Bug Spray
If you decide to choose an aerosol spray, there are two types of sprays: chemical-based or organic bug sprays. Some bug spray manufacturers may use synthetic chemicals, or they may use naturally-occurring chemical compounds, while others may take a fully organic approach to pest control and use plant-based ingredients or essential oils.
Chemical-based Bug Sprays
The most common chemicals that are used in bug sprays are Bifenthrin, Zeta-Cypermethrin, Deltamethrin, and Pyrethroids, which are widely used by pest control professionals and act as an effective form of insect control for commercial crops. These chemical compounds are considered to be broad-spectrum pesticides because they can eliminate a wide range of insects (ants, cockroaches, fleas, true bugs, aphids, scales, beetles, caterpillars, flies, and wasps).
While they are considered to be safe for domestic pest control purposes, they still have a high toxicity level. Some of these chemicals take longer to break down in the soil, except for pyrethroids that can break down in sunlight in one or two days.
Although most of these chemicals are naturally occurring insecticidal compounds that are derived from plants like chrysanthemum flowers, especially Pyrethrin or Deltamethrin, they can be highly toxic to fish and some mammals, and can cause allergic reactions in some people, and should not be used around pregnant women. Also, if you use a chemically-based bug spray, and have children and pets, the spray needs to be left to dry on surfaces before you can allow children and pets back into the room.
Organically-based Bug Sprays
If you prefer to choose a fully organically-based bug spray that is free from chemicals, you can still be guaranteed of a high insect kill rate. Organically-based insect sprays have come a long way and are incredibly effective at killing bugs.
Many organic bug spray manufacturers use a mix of plant-based ingredients or essential oils for their products like natural geraniol, cedar extract, peppermint, citronella, rosemary, and even white wine vinegar. As well as killing bugs, organic-based sprays are better for the environment as they break down in the soil quicker and are safe for use around children and pets.
While bug sprays can control existing insects in your home and those that seek to enter your private domain, here are some tips for using a bug spray and to keep your home free from crawling and flying bugs.
6 Safety Tips for Using a Bug Spray
- Before you use a bug spray, make sure that you remove bird cages, and fully cover fish tanks.
- Move cooking utensils or kitchenware out of the room that is to be sprayed and cover electric appliances like coffee machines or toasters.
- If you are using a residual spray, avoid using it on furniture and only use it along skirting boards, under cupboard or doors, on the edge of windows, in cracks and crevices where bugs can hide.
- After you have sprayed a room, fully ventilate the room to clear the air.
- Wait until the spray has dried before letting children or pets back into the room where you have sprayed.
- If you are going to be using the spray outdoors, avoid spraying in wet conditions as this can lessen the effectiveness of the bug spray.
Best Bug Spray Reviews
1. Bed Bug Killer by EcoRaider 2oz Travel/Personal Size
There is nothing more annoying than settling down to a good night’s sleep in a hotel on a well deserved holiday, only to have your quality sleep disrupted by nasty bed bugs. The level of the room’s cleanliness may well be below par, but instead of vacating the room, you can rid your hotel room fast of these nasty, serial biters with the travel size Bed Bug Killer by EcoRaider.
The bed bug spray comes in a very handy 2oz (60ml) bottle, and it can kill adult bed bugs and their eggs fast! EcoRaider is an all-natural insecticide that contains natural geraniol and cedar extract, and it is recommended by USDA IR-4 Public Health Pesticide Program for public housing. It can kill bed bugs with 100% efficiency, and as it is certified as a minimum risk pest control product by EPA regulations, you know it is eco-friendly.
Because of its outstanding performance at killing bed bugs, EcoRaider® has become a preferred choice by many pest management professionals to reduce the use of synthetic chemicals. The spray is non-toxic but lethal to bed bugs as its plant-based active ingredients penetrate the bug’s exoskeleton and attack its nervous system, which causes immediate paralysis and death.
If you are looking for an effective organic alternative to a synthetic pesticide, EcoRaider is safe to use around children and pets, and it is dermatologically safe, and it has extended residual protection even after it has dried, up to 14-days.
The travel size bottle is a must for any traveler as it is the approved size for carry-on luggage. EcoRaider is easy to use, just shake the bottle well before use. Remove bed linen, and spray directly onto the hotel mattress, the bed frame, headboard, base and legs of the bed, or any dark spots that indicate the presence of bed bugs. Spray at least 1-2 hours before sleeping.
The EcoRaider 2oz bottle will effectively treat one bed, so you may need more than one bottle. To make sure that bed bugs do not hitch a ride home in your luggage, spray inside and outside of your suitcase for extra protection.
Pros
- Very good value for money
- Very effective
- Fully Organic
- Compact travel size
Cons
- Strong odor
- Not ideal for a large infestation
2. Ortho 0196710 Home Defense MAX 1-Gallon Insect Killer Spray for Indoor and Home Perimeter
If your home is under attack from a full-scale bug invasion, the Ortho Home Defense System will kill nasty creepy crawlies and protect your indoor and outdoor areas by creating a bug-free perimeter for up to 12 months.
One of the top-selling pesticides, Ortho is designed to kill a large range of insects like ants, roaches, spiders, stink bugs, beetles, moths, crickets, earwigs, fleas, silverfish, ticks, spider mites, beet worms, centipedes, millipedes, scorpions, and insect eggs, as well as 130-plus crawling insects.
The fast-acting formula contains 05% Bifenthrin and 0125% Zeta-Cypermethrin, two insecticides that work by attacking the insects’ nervous system. Once you have sprayed inside your home, on non-porous surfaces like baseboards, windows, and door trims, the Ortho Home Defense Max Invisishield barrier technology will create a protective barrier, which gives you long-term peace of mind and a home that is pest-free.
The spray can also be used outdoors, around building foundations, sidewalks, driveways, patios, porches, and other places where pests like to hide, by placing a protective perimeter around your home for up to 3 months, depending on the weather.
The home defense system is easy to use. Just plug in the Comfort Wand® into the top of the 1-gallon bottle. With one spray you can protect your home against pests. Ortho is odor free, non-staining, and quick-drying. As this a toxic product and can stay active for up to 12 months indoors, do not spray where animals are likely to walk and get the residue on their feet.
This product is also toxic to bees and grazing animals, so avoid spraying near any foliage or where animal feed is stored. The effectiveness of the spray on outdoor surfaces will depend on the weather as the product can biodegrade faster in hot temperatures.
If you run out of spray, Ortho also offers a 1.33-gallon refill bottle.
Pros
- Ideal for indoor and outdoor bug extermination
- New, fast-acting formula
- Effective
- Indoor protection for up to 12 months
- Outdoor protection up to 3 months
- Works well on a wide range of insects
- Odorless
- Non-staining
Cons
- Not as effective in outdoor areas that are exposed to the harsh sun
- Cannot be applied on wet surfaces
- Toxic
- Not to be used near bees or livestock
3. MDX Concepts Magma Home Pest Control Spray
For an effective organic and chemical-free approach to bug eradication, MDX Concepts Magma Home Pest Control Spray is the perfect solution for keeping your home free of pests and insects without the dangers of toxic sprays, baits, and pesticides commonly found on the market.
As this bug spray is formulated by professional exterminators who have tried and tested it, you can be confident that this fast-acting and long-lasting 16-ounce pump-action spray will kill the bugs 100% dead. Not only does it kill and repel insects like roaches, spiders, ants, fleas, earwigs, stink bugs, mites, scorpions, and silverfish on contact, but it can also be used to create an outdoor eco-defense barrier to keep these nasties from invading your home.
A great alternative to harmful toxic bug sprays, the Magma Home Pest Spray is made from naturally derived ingredients like rosemary oil, spearmint, and peppermint oil, so it is 100% safe to use around your kids and pets. It has no irritating fumes, so it is kind to your nose. This bug spray is backed by MDX Concepts 100% Money-Back Guarantee, so you can try the spray risk-free for 60 days and if you are not completely satisfied, MDX Concepts will refund your purchase.
Pros
- Very good value for money
- Organic and chemical-free
- Non-toxic
- Very effective on most bugs
- Children and pet-friendly
- Pleasant odor
- Can be used indoors and outdoors
Cons
- Not so effective on large roaches
4. Raid 14-Ounce Wasp & Hornet Killer 33 Spray
Raid is one of the most well-known bug sprays on the market and their 14oz aerosol spray is very effective at killing paper- and yellow jacket wasps, hornets, mud daubers, and bees on contact inside your home. It is also ideal for killing stinging insects outside your home and the high-powered spray makes it very easy to target insects that nest in hard to reach areas.
Raid can cover up to 22 sq ft and can be sprayed from up to 20 ft away, so you can safely eradicate those nasty wasps and hornets without having to worry about being stung.
If you have wasp nests under the eaves, Raid can kill an entire nest population if you spray the nest until it is fully saturated. The active ingredients are prallethrin and cypermethrin, as well as other chemical ingredients, but there are no chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), so while this fast-acting spray is safe for the environment, it is deadly to biting and stinging insects that can make your life a misery. If you have children, the spray has a childproof cap for extra safety.
Pros
- Fast-acting, high-powered spray
- Ideal for wasps, hornets, and bees
- Can be used indoors and outdoors
- Very effective on insects’ nests
- No CFC’s
- Childproof cap
Cons
- Not organic
- Strong odor
5. TERRO T2302 Spider Killer Aerosol Spray
Strike terror into the hearts of those annoying and sometimes dangerous arachnids with the very affordable Terro Spider Killer Aerosol Spray.
If your home is under siege from eight-legged creepy crawlies, the Terro Spider Killer gives you a dual approach to eliminating all kinds of spiders like the black widow, hobo spider, and the brown recluse. Terro can be sprayed directly onto spiders and can also deliver long-lasting residual repellency for up to 12 weeks, for all areas around your home, from the bedroom to the basement. This product is also effective against ants, cockroaches, scorpions, ticks, silverfish, Asian lady beetles, and bedbugs.
The easy-to-use aerosol spray bottle can be used as a broad spray treatment over a large area as well as allowing you to get up close to spray into cracks and crevices, underneath shelves and drawers, and inside bookcases, all the places where spiders love to hide. Terro can also be used outdoors, to rid your patio, outdoor furniture, or trash can from lurking spiders.
A very versatile bug spray, Terro is also effective on ants, so to get the best effect spray directly on doors and windows where ants enter your home or spray directly onto ant trails to stop them in their tracks. Terro contains pyrethrin, a naturally-occurring ingredient that is derived made from chrysanthemums, and deltamethrin, which is a neurotoxin that kills insects on contact, via their digestion. The spray is a water-based formula, so it will not leave a greasy residue on surfaces, and it has a low odor. Terro is also available in a two-pack.
Pros
- Good value for money
- Effective spider killer
- Dual protection: contact and residual spray
- Ideal for other crawling insects
- Easy to use aerosol spray bottle
- Low Odor
Cons
- Fine mist instead of a steady stream
- Slow-acting
Our Pick for the Best Bug Spray
MDX Magma Home Pest Control Spray
A highly effective bug killer that is made by pest professionals, the MDX Magma Home Pest Control Spray will protect your home from a large range of insects.
Besides its broad-spectrum approach to eradicating creepy crawlies, it is an organically based spray that is non-toxic and does not leave a nasty lingering odor. For the best defense against bugs, the MDX Magma Home Pest Control Spray is the smart choice for indoor and outdoor pest control.
Check the price on Amazon
