Bed Bugs

Imagine... you're sound asleep in a soft, snuggly bed. In the middle of the night, you're awoken by an itch that needs to be scratched...like something is crawling on you.You sit up, you turn and see them, BED BUGS... they're everywhere, even on you... your nightmare just became a reality!

This doesn't just happen in underdeveloped nations. This is a reality for an increasing number of Americans. If you have ever experienced bed bugs, you may be embarrassed and frustrated, but it’s not your fault. Bed bugs can appear in anyone’s home - even the White House.

After bed bugs are brought into your home, they survive by feeding on any warm blooded animal. That includes your kids, your pets, and you. Bed bugs are more active at night when you’re sleeping. In the middle of the night when you are unable to defend yourself, bed bugs are crawling into your bed and biting you. The thought of this makes your skin crawl and now you have a clear understanding of the old saying, "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite".

What are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are small wingless insects that feed solely upon the blood of warm-blooded animals. Bed bugs and their relatives have evolved as nest parasites. Certain kinds inhabit bird nests and bat roosts and await the return of their hosts; others have adapted well to living in the ‘nests’ (homes) of people. Hatchling bed bugs are about the size of a poppy seed, and adults are about 1/4 of an inch in length. Looking from above they are an oval in shape, but are flattened from top to bottom when viewing them from the side. Their color ranges from nearly white (just after molting) or a light tan to a deep brown or burnt orange. The host’s blood may appear as a dark red or black mass within the bug’s body. Because they never develop wings, bed bugs cannot fly. When disturbed, bed bugs actively seek shelter in dark cracks and crevices.

What Do Bed Bugs Do?

Bed Bugs seek out people and animals, generally at night while they're asleep, and painlessly sip a few drops of blood. Bed Bugs prefer the dark. While feeding, they inject a tiny amount of their saliva into the skin. Repeated exposures to bed bug bites during a period of several weeks or more causes people to become sensitized to the saliva of these bugs; additional bites may then result in mild to intense allergic responses.

Female bedbugs lay about 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetime. They glue their eggs in the cracks and crevices in the harborage areas. Under ideal conditions, eggs hatch about every seven days and the nymphs molt five times, taking a blood meal between each molt. It takes about 50 days for them to become adults.

How Do Bed Bugs Get In Your Home?

Because Bed Bugs hide in small crevices, they may accompany luggage, furniture, clothing, pillows, boxes, and other such objects as stowaways when moved between apartments, homes and hotels. Used furniture, particularly bed frames and mattresses, are of greatest risk of harboring bed bugs and their eggs. Thus, you should carefully scrutinize and consider the history of any used furniture, particularly ‘street’ items so plentiful at the beginning and end of each academic year. Because they readily survive for many months without feeding, Bed Bugs may already be present in apparently ‘vacant’ and ‘clean’ apartments. Bed Bugs can wander between adjoining apartments through voids in walls and holes though which wires and pipes pass.

What do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Looking from above they are an oval in shape, but are flattened from top to bottom when viewing them from the side. Their color ranges from nearly white (just after molting) or a light tan to a deep brown or burnt orange. 

                       

Despite the fact that the bed bug can acquire many human disease organisms during feeding, there have been no documented cases of disease transmission as a result of bites. However, their bites can produce irritating, itching, and burning sensations. Bed bugs feed rapidly, becoming engorged in less than ten minutes. A colorless wheal or lump develops at the bite location; in contrast, flea bites have reddish centers. Discomfort from bed bug bites may last a week or more. Occasional bites indicate a beginning light infestation of adults; many bites result from a heavy, long-standing population of nymphs and adults.

Bed Bug Technical Information

Bed Bugs

Cimex lectularius
 
Color: Mahogany to rusty brown; red after a blood meal
Legs: 6
Shape: Flat; broad oval
Size: 1/4
Antennae: True
Region:  non-restricted

 Bed bugs get their name because they like to live and feed in beds.

Habits:

Bed bugs like to travel and will hide in suitcases, boxes and shoes to be near a food supply. They are elusive, nocturnal creatures. They can hide behind baseboards, electrical switchplates, picture frames, even wall paper. They come out at night for a blood meal.

Habitat:

Bed Bugs like to hide in small cracks and crevices close to a human environment. They can be found behind baseboards, wallpaper, upholstery, and in furniture crevices.

Threats:

Although bed bugs can dine on any warm-blooded animal, they primarily dine on humans. Bed bugs do not transmit diseases, but their bites can become red, itchy welts.

Prevention:

 

Bed Bugs - Myths and Facts

Myth: Bed bugs are too small to see.
Fact: Although they may be difficult to find because they hide well, bed bugs are big enough to be seen with the naked eye. Bed bugs look similar to an apple seed in size and appearance and are an orange/brown in color.

Myth: Bed bugs are only found in shelters; only poor people or dirty people get them.
Fact: Bed bugs can be found in hotels, motels, dormitories, apartments, condos, private homes, and even in some public places, such as businesses and offices. Anyone can get bed bugs.

Myth: Walking into a room that has bed bugs means you will get bed bugs.
Fact: Bed bugs do not jump. They spend 90% of their time hiding and are usually active at night. Bed bugs avoid light and do not like to be disturbed.

Myth: Bed bugs cause disease.
Fact: Bed bugs are not considered a health hazard and do not transmit disease. Bed bug bites, however, can cause allergic reaction in some people similar to a mosquito bite. Frequent scratching of the bite marks or picking the scabs can cause infections. And people with severe and/or repeated infestations can feel anxious, worried or ashamed.

Myth: Chemicals/pesticides will kill bed bugs.
Fact: Pesticide application alone will not kill bed bugs at all stages. Successful treatment depends on an Integrated Pest Management approach to bed bug control which involves, vacuuming, and steaming, laundering belongings, sealing areas and gaps where bed bugs can hide. Do not use over the counter pest control products or home remedies such as kerosene.

 

Step-by-step Bedbug Treatment

The Complete Bed Bug Treatment

Step-by-step.


Bed Bugs are a growing problem in the United States, and we continually get questions from customers on how best to eradicate them. We hope the following step-by-step article will help you in your fight for a comfortable night's rest!

1.  Do Some Investigative Work

When looking for Bed Bugs, pay close attention to where people have sat or slept for long periods of time. Be prepared to inspect all areas using a bright flashlight and a magnifying glass if you have one available. Bed bugs, eggs and fecal deposits will go unnoticed with just a casual inspection. You should leave nothing unturned when doing your inspection and no site should be ignored that may be a bed bug harborage. Bed Bugs could be hiding anywhere! Examples are: wall sconces, behind electrical switch plates, behind wall posters, between books and magazines on shelves and in racks. Be prepared to inspect all the places near sleeping areas, which may mean taking the bed frames apart!

2.  Prepare The Area

A thorough cleaning of the premises will make control efforts much more effective. Strip all beds down to the bare sleeping surface. Bedding (sheets, blankets, comforters, covers, and shams) should be laundered or professionally cleaned. Personal items (stuffed animals, soft toys, blankets) should be removed and cleaned. Clutter should be removed from furniture tops and bed stands. Open up the clock radio and phone (that's right, Bed Bugs may be hiding in there too!). Tap the open ends into a bag or on sticky tape so the bed bugs can’t jump and hide.

Clothing should be removed from dressers and chests. Utilize a crack & crevice tool to remove bed bugs from deep harborage such as: under baseboards; under carpet edges (pull up along the tack strip); around switch plates (you may have to remove the plate first); from the bed frame; inside box springs; inside furniture; and from floor cracks.

Use a hand-brush attachment to vacuum: mattresses and box springs (especially along seams and folds); upholstered furniture; and behind drapes. After vacuuming, remove the bag from the vacuum, tie it tightly, and remove it from the premises. If you have anything that can’t be cleaned, vacuumed, or treated then consider either freezing it for a week or two, or putting it in a dark bag outside for several days where the temperature inside the bag will reach at least 120 degrees.

3.  Attack the Bed Bugs Where They're Hiding

"In other words, treat all of the perimeter walls/voids of the infested room first". This is accomplished by removing the switch plates and wall fixtures to gain access between the wall where bed bugs like to hide. If it is possible to gain access underneath the baseboards so no dust will remain in the living space, inject dust under the baseboards using a hand duster for safer and easy application of the dust. Delta Dust (waterproof and good for damp climates), and Drione are effective for these types of applications. Wall void dusting is especially recommended when treating apartments and multi-unit housing.

TIP: Treat perimeter wall voids on adjacent rooms first. This will prevent the bugs from escaping out the other side into rooms that are not infested.

Dust may also be applied more easily along baseboards by pulling the carpet up from the tack strip and then putting it back into place. DO NOT spread dust over the carpets or under the carpets. Dusts are only for cracks and crevices, in wall voids and under baseboards, not where people or animals are.

Certain liquid insecticides that we sell will provide quick knock-down and long residual control of bed bugs with low hazard to occupants when applied correctly. Liquid residuals, such as Suspend SC can also be applied as a crack and crevice treatment under baseboards. However, dusting is still preferred as it lasts from 6-8 months. Spot treatments may be appropriate around fixtures.

Another highly suggested treatment option is the Gentrol IGR products. These come in a concentrate or aerosol. The Gentrol IGR is an Insect Growth Regulator. It will stop the Bed Bug from maturing and reproducing and will be a great aid in stopping the infestation. The concentrate comes in a 16 ounce size, 1-ounce vile which can be added to one gallon of water in a pressurized sprayer and applied to all areas of the room. For a double dose spray, apply the vile directly to a diluted gallon of Suspend SC or other liquid insecticide concentrate. The Gentrol IGR Aerosol can be used if you don’t want to use Gentrol concentrate in the sprayer. The aerosol comes out of the can as a foam and is easily absorbed into the carpet and other areas.

4. Next, Treat the Bed

The bed area needs to be treated next. Inspect mattresses, especially around seams, folds and tufts in the mattress. If you find something, clean the area with a small brush and treat the mattress with Sterifab. Inspect the box spring around seams and stapled areas clean as needed with Sterifab, then treat all cracks and crevices of the bed structure with a residual such as Suspend SC. 

Mattresses may be treated with labeled non-residual products such as the following: Sterifab liquid concentrate or aerosols: CB-80 extra, 565 Plus XLO, or D-force HPX. Some of the residuals like Suspend SC can be applied directly to mattresses and sleeping surfaces along seams, tufts and folds. Box spring tops should be treated in a manner identical to mattresses. The underside of the box spring may be sprayed with liquid insecticides as well; spot treated with Sterifab or labeled aerosols or for long residual, treated with dusts such as Drione, or DeltaDust.

TIP: After treatment of the bedding and after it has dried thoroughly, covering the mattress with a plastic or allergy-proof cover will help prevent re-infestation.

5. Last, Treat the Furniture (Night Stand, Chests, Dressers, Couches and Chairs)

The last step is to do a very thorough crack and crevice treatment of the furniture in the room. For wooden furniture pieces, you can not miss any cracks. Apply liquid residual Suspend SC, or aerosol residual sprays such as D-Force HPX. For upholstered furniture, use a similar treatment as the mattress and box spring. Always turn infested furniture over and treat from the bottom. Look carefully underneath all the legs of the furniture! Some furniture may have hollow metal framing (children’s bunk beds are an example). Treat inside the metal tubing with dusts, aerosols or liquids as discussed in the bedding paragraph above.

TIP: Please read the label carefully when applying directly to furniture. You may want to spot treat in an area of the furniture piece that is not visible to make sure that no staining occurs.

6. Finally, Follow Up

You will need to plan on retreating within 2 weeks. Do a thorough inspection again and treat any area where Bed Bugs are persisting or where they have moved. You may be-able to avoid reusing the insecticide concentrates and just use a contact spray such as the Sterifab, 565 Plus XLO or CB- 80. Your wall voids will not need to be re-dusted. If you treated your bedding properly and covered it in plastic, you may just need to retreat spot areas of the room.

TIP: Heavy infestations may need more than a second treatment. Be persistent!

Bed Bug Product Recommendations:

We'd recommend purchasing at least one of each type of product below for a complete treatment:

  1. Dusting agents: such as Drione, or Delta Dust for inside all wall voids. Use the hand duster for easier and safer application.

  2. Sterifab for first step cleaning of bedding, furniture and areas where bed bugs can hide as well as spot treatment.

  3. IGR's (Insect Growth Regulators): Gentrol IGR in concentrate or Gentrol IGR Aerosol prevent bed bugs from reproducing. The concentrate can be used in a gallon sized pressurized sprayer filled with water or added to a sprayer filled with liquid insecticide concentrate.

  4. Liquid Insecticide Concentrates: Use a Residual (long lasting) liquid concentrate such as Suspend SC, or an aerosol like D-Force HPX. Use each as their respective label directs for applying to mattresses and carpets as not all can be applied to these areas.

  5. Contact Kill Liquids and Aerosols: Contact sprays such as Sterifab, CB-80 extra, or 565 Plus XLO kill bed bugs immediately, on contact. These are great for treating mattress tops or for spot treatments.

 

Media coverage of bed bugs

The latest media coverage of bed bugs:

NBC's Today Show

National Public Radio

Fox News Channel

Washington Post

Wall Street Journal

National Geographic Channel

WWL-TV Cincinnati

Federal Bed Bug Legislation

"Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite" Act of 2009

"Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite" Act of 2009, federal legislation aimed at helping to more effectively manage ever-growing infestations of the blood sucking pest.

Virtually non-existent in the United States from the 1950s through the late 1990s, the bed bug population has rebounded dramatically over the last several years, and infestations have now been reported in all 50 states and in a myriad of settings. Experts cite the use of more targeted pest-specific control methods and increased international travel as the primary reasons for the resurgence.

Introduced by Congressman G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, the multi-faceted legislation provides critical resources to state and local officials to combat bed bug outbreaks in lodging facilities, residential housing and other settings. Specifically, the bill:

The bill’s introduction comes on the heels of last month’s National Bed Bug Summit. Hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the event drew almost 300 state and federal regulatory, public health, and housing officials, academics, landlords/property managers, pest professionals, and other key stakeholders.