Does Ozone Kill Pests? Do Ozone Machines Kill Insects and Pests?

The use of ozone in air cleansing and filtration has attracted a lot of attention in recent years, especially with regard to its efficacy and safety. Yet, it is impossible to deny its effectiveness in the eradication of airborne particulate and gaseous pollutants in a room.

In fact, a 2007 study by Purdue University showed that ozone can do more than just gases and fine particles, but is also effective at killing microorganisms such as bacteria, fungus and bugs.

But many homeowners have often put out the question if ozone can kill pests, and it’s about time to address it.

One 2011 study published in the National Library of Medicine looked at the possibility of using ozone as a fumigant in the control of pests in honeycombs and bee hives.

For the researchers, it wasn’t exactly a question of whether ozone is effective against pests, but more about how much exposure to ozone will result in the death of such insect pests.

The study found a high level of effectiveness of ozone against Galleria mellonella, Greater wax moth, especially among neonates and adults who were killed only after a few hours of exposure. Different forms of fungi, bacteria, and pathogens were also killed at various levels of concentrations and exposure.

Several other homeowners and users of ozone generators have also reported great successes at pest control using ozone. Its ability to alter, bond, and break down chemical compositions in both living and non-living things makes it a very potent solution against pests.

Will Ozone Generator Kill Mice?

Well, unless the mouse is trapped in a box and exposed to high ozone concentration and exposure, it’ll be hard to kill it using ozone.

Mice and other rodents will only be deterred by ozone, and not necessarily killed if they’re free to move to other places.

Once they perceive the presence of ozone in the air, mice tend to be irritated and will naturally move to make their homes elsewhere. The few seconds of exposure to ozone will have little or no effect on mice and will certainly not kill them.

Mice, just like humans, have a pretty complex internal mechanism and it will take more than just a short exposure to ozone to knock them down except if such a mouse has some preexisting respiratory disease that inhibits breathing and normal cardiovascular function.

Do Ozone Generators Kill Bed Bugs?

Yes, they certainly do. Some manufacturers of pest-control ozone products tend to achieve an ozone-heat combo which is used for bed bugs treatment.

This doesn’t take anything away from the proven effectiveness of ozone to address bed bug infestation.

However, you must be sure that you’re deploying a commercial-grade or industrial ozone generator if you want to achieve good success. Also, it’ll be important to remove every other thing that needs to stay alive from the house.

Your aquarium, pets, some rubber-laced furniture and bleachable items as well must be removed from the house. You should also remove plants from the house. Be sure to use an oxygen concentrator alongside for best results.

This will not only ensure the bugs are killed, but their eggs as well (if a long exposure is achieved). Furthermore, ozone is effective against bugs because of the super dry feed air released during big ozone production.

The water vapor content of this air is almost 4ppm and it’s almost impossible for any insect to survive, as it will desiccate the bugs, their eggs, and larvae and totally eliminate the infestation.

Do Ozone Generators Kill Fleas?

Just like bed bugs, fleas generally do not stand a chance against ozone exposure. Flea infestations will be totally eradicated by ozone application.

There’s a reason ozone is considered the second most powerful oxidant, due mostly to its unstable nature. But fleas are more or less parasites and often always live on hosts.

In this case, your pet- dog or cat- could be the host of the flea and randomly releasing ozone in the room may kill the pet along with the fleas. So, you need to be careful and strategic in dealing with fleas.

The most practical way to handle the situation is to bag your pet in an ozone-safe material, leaving its head outside. Ensure it is properly sealed to prevent ozone from sipping through and affecting your pet.

They are certainly strong enough to kill fleas. Some people use air dried to about 100°F dewpoint because it is the same kind of air fed to industrial ozone generators.

This will desiccate and eventually kill the fleas and eggs on the pet’s skin without harming the pet, as long as its head is left outside the bag.

Will Ozone Generator Kill Spiders?

At high concentrations, ozone is a fatal gas for insects and pests, and that includes spiders.

Spiders are in the category of insects and there are many studies and laboratory experiments that have shown they cannot resist the fatal effects of ozone.

Again, you must be mindful of the environment. Using ozone in your home can harm humans, pets and plants, so you must ensure that the room is unoccupied and without plants before turning on your ozone generator. Only a few hours should do.

Will Ozone Generator Kill Roaches?

Certainly, roaches are part of insect pests that can be totally eliminated by ozone. Using an ozone gas in the right way and quantity will kill cockroaches and may even eliminate some of their eggs.

Whether it’s your garage that’s infested or a basement or just about any part of your house. Be sure the room or space doesn’t have anything that can be affected by ozone before you turn on the ozone generator.

A 2018 study carried out to determine the toxicity of ozone gas against adult cockroaches revealed that 33.3 mg/l of ozone gas only required about 45 minutes of exposure time to kill every single adult cockroach after 24 hours.

There have also been numerous user testimonies indicating the potency of ozone against cockroaches.

Will Ozone Generator Kill Termites?

Only surface termites can be killed by an Ozone generator, but, not the termites inside the dry wood or walls. Termites can be pretty deadly, eating up your dry wood and destroying its integrity from within.

So, will ozone kill termites? Can you use an ozone generator to get rid of termites affecting your furniture? Partly yes, you can get rid of surface termites using an ozone generator.

The truth is, termites that have found their way into the heart of the wood with no visible opening may not be affected.

Ozone, like most other gases, cannot penetrate dry wood or hard walls. So, for best results and to ensure not just surface termites are killed, you need to find an opening into the heart of the wood to expose the insides and apply high levels of ozone in the area.

Will Ozone Generator Kill Ants?

In high concentrations, ozone is likely to kill ants if they remain in the same space and are exposed to the gas for several hours.

The likelihood of this happening is slim because ants are pretty fast and will more likely be deterred by ozone than killed.

However, the straight answer is Yes. Ozone generators can kill ants and many other insects exposed to its gas for at least 4 hours.

Does Ozone Kill All Bugs?

Ozone generators are not originally formulated to serve ad pesticides or fumigants. They are produced to fight odors and allergies in a room. However, its chemical composition puts it in an advantaged position to cause deadly harm to insects and bugs.

Virtually all types of bugs can either be killed or deterred by ozone because the gas will interact with their chemical compositions in a fatal way, while it irritates others to find shelter elsewhere.

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that between 75% and 95% of all bugs can be killed by ozone.

Final Words:

Ozone generators, like the Home Sanitizers Solution unit, can do some serious damage to pests if applied correctly and in the right concentration. You don’t have to get a headache over disturbing pests any longer, especially those ones that are somewhat immune to insecticides.

Pests like bed bugs, fleas, roaches, termites, ants, and even spiders can be eliminated using ozone as an alternative fumigant. Just be sure to protect yourself and your loved ones, as well as your pets and plants when you use ozone generators.