Thinking of doing your own
pest control or bug extermination?...

...you might want to think twice.

It might seem like a simple solution:

Set off a few ‘bug bomb’ foggers and you're bug free.... right?

Well...

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     In December 2003, an overly-determined householder in San Diego, California, took on the bugs and lost her home in the process.
"Bug bombs" are aerosol insecticide foggers used to exterminate a residence's insect population, commonly purchased in home improvement stores by those intent upon ridding their domiciles of cockroaches, fleas, and the like. After the homeowner has cleared his house of kids, pets, and other residents, he sets off the fogger by pressing down on a tab atop the can; the "bug bomb" then begins to produce a fine mist of insecticide, continuing this "fogging" at a slow and steady rate until the canister is empty. After a few hours, the residents of the house (adults, kids, pets) can return to their (presumably) insect-free home, air it out, and take up residence again. One canister is generally sufficient for a 600 square foot space. Sounds simple, right? It is — provided you don't overdo it...

Nineteen of these foggers were set off in Aurelia Oliveras' 470-square-foot home in San Diego. Everything might have turned out well in spite of the excess had the pilot light in a water heater not ignited the fumes concentrated in this small space. The resulting explosion blew apart the structure and hurled Christmas decorations into the street, strewed shards of glass (from broken windows) and nails (from torn walls) like shrapnel, blew the back door off its hinges, ripped gaping holes in the ceiling, spread insulation over the yard like confetti, and crashed the south wall of the house into the side of the home next door — all in all resulting in damages estimated at more than $150,000. Fortunately no injuries resulted, as Oliveras, her husband, and her 2-year-old daughter were in the back yard at the time of the KA-BOOM.

This type of accident had occurred before in San Diego. In April 2001, another fog of insecticide from eighteen bug bombs was similarly set off by a pilot light, this time blowing up an apartment in the City Heights neighborhood. No one was injured, but several cockroaches managed to survive the blast. Elsewhere in southern California, another pilot light ignited the fumes from three bug bombs set off in a Los Angeles apartment in September 2003, blowing out windows and splintering kitchen cabinets. Also in Los Angeles, in April 2001 a woman suffered second-degree burns to her legs from the heat of a blast resulting from the ignition of thirty bug bombs she set off in her home. That explosion shattered windows and lifted the dwelling's roof three inches.

Given the force of these blasts, it's surprising that more people aren't injured.

According to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR), a number of such explosions occur every year, typically when homeowners use too many foggers and don't shut off ignition sources (particularly pilots lights in ovens, stoves, and water heaters). In this battle between man and insect, more is certainly not better. Those still contemplating the use of an arsenal of bug bombs in their wars with six-legged foes should consider this: If the possibility of a horrendous explosion doesn't talk you out of it, the fact that roaches often survive the megabombing should. Little can compare to seeing your home in ruins, its windows and walls blasted out, its roof lifted, and the whole of the house shifted off its foundation . . . but with roaches still scurrying about the ruins. Yet a number of foolhardy homeowners have created just such a scenario.
Barbara "bombs away" Mikkelson

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   In April 2005, various news outlets reported that three men were hospitalized for burn treatment after they attempted to fumigate a Thai restaurant in Perth, Australia, with 36 insect bombs. The fumigants released by the spray cans reportedly created a huge blast that blew the roof off the building when they were ignited by a pilot light in one of the restaurant's ovens:

A massive explosion rocked suburban Duncraig today after chemicals released during last night's do-it-yourself fumigation ignited, blowing out the back wall and lifting the roof off the Tamarind restaurant.
The blast caused an estimated $500,000 damage, fire authorities said.
The restaurant owner and two staff members had closed the premises to set off 36 insect-control bombs throughout the building.
Eight bombs would have been enough, West Australian police and fire and emergency personnel said.
Investigators believed a pilot light in one of the restaurant's ovens ignited the huge amount of chemicals released by the bombs to kill insects such as fleas and cockroaches.

Clarke, Tim. "Restaurant Blown Apart by Roach Bombs."      Australian Associated Press. 7 April 2005. Hughes, Joe. "19 Bug Bomb Foggers Blast a House Apart."      The San Diego Union-Tribune. 18 October 2003 (p. B1). Hughes, Joe. "Dwelling Explodes, Bugs Live."      The San Diego Union-Tribune. 12 April 2001 (p. B1).

Moran, Tim. "Read the Label, Then Bomb the Bugs."      Modesto Bee. 29 July 2002 (p. B4). Associated Press. "News Briefs from San Diego County."      18 December 2003. Associated Press. "Insect Foggers Cause Apartment Explosion."      The San Diego Union-Tribune. 10 September 2003 (p. A4).

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More you should know:

Oregon Department of Agriculture - Consumers warned to use caution with "bug bombs"

Oregon State Department of Agriculture taking aim on ‘bug bomb' safety - Rogue River Press

Bug bombs and pesticides have proven highly ineffective against Hobo Spiders - but rather are prone to help them because they result in killing their natural predatory spiders, allowing their population to expand unhindered!

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation warns against the careless use of insect foggers and offered safety tips for consumers who may use foggers and other pesticides.

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