What Really Happens When You Vacuum Up Insects Around The House

Seeing a gathering of insects in your home can be alarming. Your gut reaction might be to vacuum them all up, but there are some things to know if you choose this method. Though vacuuming can instantly scoop up insects, what happens when you vacuum and try to get rid of insects depends on the bug itself. In many cases, it won't eradicate the whole problem.

Vacuuming up bugs can be an easy way to immediately get them out of your home. By using a long and thin attachment you can reach into places you might not otherwise be able to get to, such as the ceiling or higher sections of walls and curtains. It can also help you get behind furniture in a split second before the insect has much time to move and can be blind-sighted by being scooped up.

However, vacuuming up the bugs is just the beginning of ridding the insects from your home for good. While it can scoop them up, it may not kill them. That being said, there are some ways to get rid of them by using a vacuum.

Though you might think being sucked up into a vacuum would be enough of a forceful suction to kill something as tiny as insects, that isn't always the case. Insects such as fleas, spiders, flies, and roaches may survive being sucked into a vacuum. Fragile bugs, on the other hand, can die from the suction alone.

One option is to spray the area with insecticide and then once they are dead vacuum them up. If you vacuum up live bugs, they can just crawl right out of your vacuum once they get inside. That is easier with a bagless vacuum since the insects can just stay in the plastic cylinder until they find a way to crawl out. A vacuum that uses bags will make it more difficult for a bug to leave.

The worst way to use a vacuum to kill insects is to use it and then leave the insects to sit inside the vacuum after you put it away. Whenever you vacuum up insects, you should remove the bag or clean out the vacuum filter immediately. This will ensure that no bugs can stay inside, where they can not only crawl out but also lay eggs.

Before you vacuum up the insects, you can sprinkle talcum powder on the floor and vacuum it up. When bugs are vacuumed up, they will be met with a cloud of talcum powder that will suffocate them. Another way is to spray inside the vacuum canister with insect spray which can also kill them once inside the vacuum.

Vacuuming can come in handy when removing eggs and insect excrement from carpets. It can pick up insect dropping as well as skin shed by insects. Vacuuming can also eliminate web and egg casings. It can also pick up insect remnants or wheel insects that have died, which can attract more insects to infiltrate the area.

Beyond picking up the insects themselves, regular vacuuming can be a good deterrent to keep bugs away and some areas of the home need to be vacuumed more. Insects are attracted to food sources, even the smallest of crumbs and food that has fallen on the carpet or in cabinets can be an attraction. Vacuuming for food, crumbs, dust, and debris will deter insects by keeping carpets and surfaces clean.