Insect Foggers, B&G, Burgess, Thermal and Cold Fog

An insecticide fog can be created with the use of propane foggers, electric foggers or by using a pyrethrin aerosol. For indoor use, fogging will give a quick knock down of many targeted pests: ants, roaches, spiders, fleas and ticks. Flying pests such as flies, gnats and mosquitoes are also targeted with fogging indoors. Outdoor applications usually target mosquitoes or other biting pests that ruin outdoor activities. With the spread of West Nile Virus and other diseases, many people are treating patios, lawns, shrubs and other outdoor surfaces for mosquitoes.

For small porches, a pyrethrin aerosol will suffice but for larger areas a machine that creates a fog or mist is more often desired. There are two basic foggers used for killing outdoor flying pests: thermal fogger and cold fogger.

A thermal fogger uses heat to create and disperse the insecticide mist. This mist resembles smoke as it dispenses from the device. Thermal foggers are generally considered unsafe for indoor use but are very popular for outdoors. Burgess and Bonide Thermal Foggers are among the most popular items used in outdoor mosquito control for home owners. Thermal Foggers are available in electric and propane driven fog machines. These economical machines can use 10% Permethrin concentrate, Ready to Use .5% Fog and Resmethrin Fogging Solution to kill mosquitoes, gnats, biting flies and other outdoor pests. When choosing a material for your thermal fogger, make sure that the product is labeled for this type of fogger. Not every insecticide can be used in thermal foggers.

A cold fogger is a machine that creates an insecticide mist without the use of heat. This application is cleaner than a thermal fog can be used both indoors and outdoors. Restaurants, warehouses and food processing plants will often fog to quickly knock down pests such as cockroaches, beetles, weevils (various pantry pests,) fleas and spiders.
Cold fogging can be done with a standard fogger ( Fogmaster Jr. or B&G 2300 My-Ti-Lite fogger) or with a ULV or ultra low volume device such as the B&G Flex-A-Lite fogger.
A ULV unit can be adjusted for different droplet sizes. Use larger droplets (which fall quickly) for outdoor use and smaller droplets (which tend to float longer) for indoor pests.
A wide variety of products can be used in a cold fogger: Exciter concentrate, Ready to Use .5% Fog and other insecticides labeled for indoor use. Resmethrin Fogging Solution can be used in this type of machine but should only be sprayed outdoors. When fogging indoors, use a pyrethrin material. Pyrethrins are preferred because of their low possible hazards to people and pets and because they do not linger in areas where they are not needed or wanted. Pyrethrin products give a quick knock down of bugs in large areas but quickly dissipate for fast re-entry to the treated areas.

For best results, use only 1 ounce of fogging solution per 1,000 cubic feet. Using too much material not only makes a mess and wastes money but actually is counter-productive. Fogging creates very tiny droplets that are supposed to float for a long time. Using too much material creates a very wet environment; the droplets then create a rain-like application that does not float well and can make quite a mess. You want your fog to float as long as possible to exterminate as many pests as it can reach.
Regular contact insecticides leave residue on indoor objects and should be avoided when fogging indoors. Do not fog with an insecticide unless the product states that it is safe to use in your type of fogger and can be used in the areas you intend to treat.