From Commercial Kitchens to Global Pest Innovation: The Francisco Pazos Story

Few people look at a stubborn, insecticide-resistant bed bug infestation and see an opportunity to rethink pest control solutions, especially when their background is in culinary arts.

Yet, Francisco Pazos did exactly that.

In a short documentary, Giridhar Pai Associates (GPA) chronicles the journey of Francisco Pazos, Managing Director of ChinChex Ltd. and also a founder of NoBedBugs-HK.

The GPA documentary tracks how a former professional chef built one of the most effective, safe, and disruptive bed bug control solutions available today:

ChinChex Amorphous Silicon Dioxide Dust.

A Chef’s Tenacity Meets a Relentless Pest

In 2013, Francisco launched NoBedBugs-HK with a single-minded mandate: treat bed bugs and only bed bugs. Rejecting calls for common structural pests like rodents, termites, and cockroaches, the company focused exclusively on mastering the eradication of the world’s most frustrating nocturnal hitchhiker.

Committed to non-toxic methods, Francisco initially deployed standard green pest-control tools:

• Diatomaceous Earth (DE)
• Commercial dry steam
• Targeted heat treatments

While these methods reduced infestations, none offered a repeatable, 100% eradication rate. Heat and steam lacked residual protection, meaning any missed bed bug or newly introduced nymph could trigger a re-infestation. Diatomaceous earth, while natural, acted slowly and often failed against heavy, pesticide-tolerant strains.

Frustrated by treatments that left even one or two bugs behind, Francisco refused to revert to synthetic insecticides. Instead, he spent years researching material formulations, seeking a solution that was non-toxic to humans, lethal to insects, and mechanically incapable of breeding insect resistance.

The Breakthrough: ChinChex Amorphous Silicon Dioxide (SiO₂)

Francisco’s breakthroughs led to the formulation of ChinChex, a dust composed of synthetic amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO₂).

Unlike traditional neurotoxic insecticides, ChinChex works via purely physical/mechanical action:

• Rapid Desiccation: The ultra-fine amorphous silica particles adsorb the protective waxy epicuticle layer of the insect’s exoskeleton upon contact.
• Zero Resistance: Because it acts by rapid physical moisture loss rather than metabolic interference, bed bugs cannot evolve physiological or genetic resistance to it.
• Unrivalled Residual Life: Once applied in cracks, crevices, void spaces, and harbourages, the dust remains active indefinitely as long as it stays dry and undisturbed.
• Human & Mammalian Safety: Amorphous silica of this grade is non-crystalline and widely utilised in food-grade and personal care manufacturing, ensuring high occupant safety when applied correctly.

The field results were immediate. After NoBedBugs-HK replaced conventional measures with ChinChex, customer complaints dropped to a mere 1 or 2 per 1,000 treatments. The company became confident enough to issue a full one-year warranty after a single ChinChex application.

ChinChex’s field efficacy earned Nobedbugs-HK widespread recognition across Hong Kong:

• Happy Hongkonger Awards: Named among the Top 5 Pest Control companies (2022) and Top 5 Bed Bug Removal Services (2025).
• Expat Living Readers’ Choice Awards: Progressed from Bronze (2022) to Gold (2023, 2024), culminating in Best Pest Control Company in 2026.

Endorsed by leading Independent Bed Bug Researchers

ChinChex was not merely a field discovery; it caught the attention of leading global urban entomologists and independent bed bug researchers.

Independent university and lab trials repeatedly confirmed that high-purity synthetic amorphous silicon dioxide outclasses conventional dusts and insecticide sprays:

• Efficacy Over Diatomaceous Earth: Research published by renowned urban entomologists, including seminal work by Dr Stephen Doggett, Dr Richard Naylor, Dr Alvaro Romero, Dr Richard Cooper, Dr. Zachary Naylor, and other entomologists worldwide, demonstrated that synthetic amorphous silica dusts achieve 100% mortality in bed bugs significantly faster than natural diatomaceous earth, even against strains heavily resistant to pyrethroids and neonicotinoids.
• Rapid Kill Times: Laboratory evaluations demonstrated that bed bugs exposed to amorphous silica desiccate and die within 24 to 48 hours of contact, providing the residual barrier pest controllers had spent decades searching for.

A Global Megatrend: The “David vs. Goliath” Shift

Francisco’s trajectory mirrors a broader, structural transformation across modern Integrated Pest Management (IPM). As consumers demand safer indoor living environments and bed bugs continue to render synthetic chemicals obsolete, ground-up innovation from outside corporate agrochemical giants is leading the way.

What began in a Hong Kong workshop is now the world’s fastest-growing bed bug control solution. By partnering with leading local distributors worldwide, ChinChex has established an active operational presence in Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, India, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Qatar, and Norway.

Hands-On Leadership: Watch the GPA Documentary

Despite the international footprint, Francisco remains a hands-on operator. He oversees manufacturing, tracks field protocols at NoBedBugs-HK, sometimes doubling as a technician to treat homes and businesses for termites. He travels to train pest management and housekeeping professionals personally. Whether setting up mock hotel rooms to show technicians how to dust mattress seams and bed frames without over-applying, or explaining particle dynamics to hotel facility directors, his gregarious energy and culinary-trained work ethic shine through.

At Giridhar Pai Associates, our mission centres on Inspection, Prevention, and Monitoring through sustainable, non-hazardous pest technologies. Francisco’s work embodies that exact ethos: uncompromising efficacy without toxic compromise.

ChinChex in India

ChinChex has been available in India since 2025 and has thus completed one year since its introduction.  Indian Pest Control Operators (PCOs) have widely adopted ChinChex for its safety, effectiveness, affordability, and long-lasting performance.  With a large population and crowded cities, and plenty of opportunities for bed bugs to hitchhike across homes, hotels, hostels, hospitals, buses, trains, aircraft, and even cruise ships, we are confident India will be the biggest market for ChinChex over the next decade