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Bedbugs were once a common public
health pest worldwide, which declined in incidence through the mid 20th
century. Recently however, bed bugs have undergone a dramatic resurgence and
worldwide there are reports of increasing numbers of infestations. Bed bugs
are one of the great travelers of the world and are readily transported via
luggage, clothing, bedding and furniture. As such, they have a worldwide
distribution.
Some
Basic Facts:
- Bed bugs are persistent. Eradicating,
exterminating or just killing an entire infestation requires persistence.
- Bed bugs can hide in extremely small
cracks and crevices making it difficult to locate breeding sites.
- Bedbugs are rarely seen in daylight.
They emerge from their hiding spots at night.
- Bed bugs can live a year or longer
without food (blood) and thus stay in their hiding places.
- Bed bugs can travel long distances and
survive in suitcases, clothing, vehicles, aircraft, cruise ships and other
modes of transportation.
- Bed bug females lay about 300 eggs.
- Bed bugs hatch from eggs in 10 days.
Bed Bug Bites
- Bed bugs feed by piercing skin with an
elongated beak.
- Saliva is injected, containing an
anesthetic to reduce pain, and an anticoagulant to keep blood flowing.
- The reaction to bed bug bites varies
among individuals, from no reaction to sever skin inflammation and
irritation.
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The stigma attached to these parasites is influencing some hotels and
other accommodations to ignore infestations or treat them without professional
help. Lack of professional treatment comes with great risks, notably
the possibility of litigation.
In a landmark case a motel chain in the United States was
successfully sued for [U.S.] $382,000 after guests were bitten by bedbugs [Matthias
v. Accor, 2003] |
Who's sleeping with you
tonight?
 Symptoms of a Bed Bug
Infestation
Most bug bug problems are not
detected until someone has been bitten. The bite is painless. The salivary
fluid injected by bed bugs typically causes the skin to become irritated and
inflamed, although individuals can differ in their sensitivity. A small, hard,
swollen, white welt may develop at the site of each bite. This is accompanied by
severe itching that lasts for several hours to days.
A bed bug infestation can be recognized by blood stains from crushed bugs or
by rusty (sometimes dark) spots of excrement on sheets and mattresses, bed
clothes, and walls. Fecal spots, eggshells, and shed skins may be found in the
vicinity of their hiding places. An offensive, sweet, musty odor from their
scent glands may be detected when bed bug infestations are severe.
Disease and Health Risks
Skin
reactions are commonly associated with bed bugs, which result from the
saliva injected during feeding. Some individuals however, do not react to
their bite, whereas others note a great deal of discomfort often with loss
of sleep from the persistent biting. The most commonly affected areas of the
body are the arms and shoulders. Reactions to the bites may be delayed; up
to 9 days before lesions appear. Common allergic reactions include the
development of large wheals, often >1cm, which are accompanied by itching
and inflammation. The wheals usually subside to red spots but can last for
several days. Scratching may cause the welts to
become infected. Bullous
eruptions have been reported in association with multiple bed bug bites and
anaphylaxis may occur in patients with severe allergies. In India, iron
deficiency in infants has been associated with severe infestations. It has
been suggested that allergens from bed bugs may be associated with asthmatic
reactions.
Bed bugs
have been implicated in the transmission of a wide variety of infectious
agents, although their status as vectors is uncertain. It has been suggested
that they might play a role in the spread of hepatitis B, however,
experimental evidence does not support this.
Some individuals respond to bed bug infestations with anxiety, stress, and
insomnia.
Impact of Bed Bugs on Public Health (CDC.)
Although bed bugs are not known to transmit disease,
they are a pest of significant public health importance.
Bed bugs fit into a category of blood-sucking
ectoparasites (external parasites) similar to head lice
(Pediculus humanus capitis). Bed bugs, like
head lice, feed on the blood of humans but are not
believed to transmit disease. Other ectoparasites, such
as body lice (Pediculus humanus corporis), are
known to transmit several serious diseases. Differences
in the biology of similar species of pests, such as body
lice and head lice (or bed bugs) can greatly impact the
ability of pests to transmit disease.
Bed bugs cause a variety of negative physical health,
mental health and economic consequences. Many people
have mild to severe allergic reaction to the bites with
effects ranging from no reaction to a small bite mark
to, in rare cases, anaphylaxis (severe, whole-body
reaction) (2). These bites (Photo 2)
can also lead to secondary infections of the skin such
as impetigo, ecthyma, and lymphanigitis (3,4). Bed bugs may also affect the mental health of people
living in infested homes. Reported effects include
anxiety, insomnia and systemic reactions (1).
Research on the public health effects of bed bugs has
been very limited over the past several decades, largely
due to the noted decline in bed bug populations in the
latter half of the 20th century. Now that bed bug
populations are rapidly increasing, additional research
is needed to determine the reasons for the resurgence,
the potential for bed bugs to transmit disease and their
impact on public health.
Hiding Places
Bed bugs can live in almost any crevice or protected location.
They will usually stay close to their food source (blood) but can rapidly
spread through a multiple residence building, hotel or other accommodations. The most
common place to find them is the bed. Bed bugs often hide within seams,
tufts, and crevices of the mattress, box spring, bed frame and headboard.
Finding Bed Bugs
Some Bed bug symptoms are not obvious to the untrained
eye. A thorough inspection requires dismantling the bed and standing the
components on edge. Things to look for are the bugs themselves, and the
light-brown, molted skins of the nymphs. Dark spots of dried bed bug
excrement are often present along mattress seams or wherever the bugs have
resided. Oftentimes the gauze fabric underlying the box spring must be
removed to gain access for inspection and possible treatment. Successful
treatment of mattresses and box springs is difficult, however, and infested
components may need to be discarded. Cracks and crevices of bed frames
should be examined, especially if the frame is wood. (Bed bugs have an
affinity for wood and fabric more so than metal or plastic). Headboards
secured to walls should also be removed and inspected. In hotels and motels,
the area behind the headboard is often the first place that the bugs become
established. Bed bugs also hide among items stored under beds.
Nightstands and dressers should be emptied and examined inside and out,
then tipped over to inspect the woodwork underneath. Oftentimes the bugs
will be hiding in cracks, corners, and recesses.
Upholstered chairs and sofas should be checked, especially seams, tufts,
skirts, and crevices beneath cushions. Sofas can be major bed bug hotspots
when used for sleeping.
Other common places to find bed bugs include: along and under the edge of
wall-to-wall carpeting (especially behind beds and furniture); cracks in
wood molding; ceiling-wall junctures; behind wall-mounts, picture frames,
switch plates and outlets; under loose wallpaper; amongst clothing stored in
closets; and inside clocks, phones, televisions and smoke detectors.
The challenge is to find and treat all places where bugs and eggs may be
present. Bed bugs tend to congregate in certain areas, but it is common to
find an individual or some eggs scattered here and there. Persistence and a
bright flashlight are requisites for success. Professional Inspectors sometimes also
inject a pyrethrum-based, "flushing agent" into crevices to help reveal
where bugs may be hiding. A thorough treatment of a home, hotel, or
apartment may take several hours or days.
"Kill
Bedbugs Instantly !!!!!"
With all the media
hype about bedbugs, some unscrupulous manufacturers are promoting products that
infer an instant, almost magical solution to bedbug problems. The authors of these
promotional ads must assume most of the readers are very gullible. Once you find
them It does not
take the intelligence of a rocket scientist to kill bed bugs. It's easy.
Consider some of the following solutions:
 Simple
Ways to Kill Bedbugs:
1. Find bedbugs. Take to judge
and have the death sentence read. Place bugs on judge's desk. Results are
instant.
2.
Find bedbugs. Remove bugs to safe
place. Point spray can at bugs and push button.
Almost anything will do. Paint, fry pan oil coating, oven cleaner, lubricating
oil, hair spray, deodorant, toilet cleaner. The secret is to use enough
that it stops the bugs from breathing. They suffocate. You do not need to
purchase a magical bed bug spray to kill the bugs you find.
3.
Find bedbugs. Brush into a pail of boiling hot water.
4.
Find bedbugs: Suck them into your vacuum cleaner.
You may notice all the
solutions require one very important step. "Find
bedbugs". This is the hard part. It requires the knowledge of a
well trained and experienced person to find ALL of the adult and junior
bedbug stages plus hiding places where eggs have been laid. If insecticides are
used, they must have a long lasting residual effect and should not be sprayed on
the mattress or bedding. . (Not something you will find in the local hardware
store.) Anything less than this will give only temporary relief. They will
be back.
The best solution:
Find an experienced pest
management professional.
If you insist on doing it yourself be prepared for failure.
Treatment & Control
Just spraying pesticides is not the solution
Control of bed bugs is best achieved by
following an integrated pest management (IPM) approach that involves
multiple tactics, such as preventive measures, sanitation, and chemicals,
steam or heat
applied to targeted sites.
Bed bugs are challenging pests to control. They hide in many tiny places,
so inspections and treatments must be thorough. In most cases, it will be
prudent to enlist the services of a professional pest control firm.
(see professionals who specialize
in bedbug control)
Experienced companies know where to look for bed bugs, and have an
assortment of management tools at their disposal. Owners and occupants will
need to assist the professional in important ways. Affording access for
inspection and treatment is essential, and excess clutter should be removed.
In some cases, infested mattresses and box springs will need to be
discarded. Since bed bugs can disperse throughout a building, it may also be
necessary to inspect adjoining rooms and apartments.
Bed bugs were treated years ago by wholesale spraying of pesticides. This practice is no longer permitted.
Thoroughness is still important, but treatments today are generally more
targeted and judicious. It often takes hours to properly inspect and treat a
bed bug infestation, and follow-up visits are usually required.
Infested bedding and garments will need to be bagged and
laundered (120°F minimum), or discarded since these items cannot be treated
with insecticides. Smaller items that cannot be laundered can sometimes be
de-infested by heating. Individual items, for example, can be wrapped in
black plastic bags and placed in a hot, sunny location for at least a few days (the
120°F minimum target temperature should be monitored in the centermost
location with a thermometer). Bedbugs also succumb to cold temperatures
below freezing, but the chilling period must be maintained for at least two
weeks. Attempts to rid an entire home or apartment of bed bugs by raising or
lowering the thermostat will be entirely unsuccessful. Vacuuming can be very
useful for removing bugs and eggs from mattresses, carpet, walls, and other
surfaces. Pay particular attention to seams, tufts and edges of mattresses
and box springs, and the perimeter edge of wall-to-wall carpets. Afterward,
dispose of the vacuum contents in a sealed trash bag. Steam cleaning of
carpets is also helpful for killing bugs and eggs that vacuuming may have
missed. Repair cracks in plaster and glue down loosened wallpaper to eliminate bed
bug harborage sites. Remove and destroy wild animal roosts and bird nests when
possible.
While the former measures are helpful, insecticides are important for bed
bug elimination. Pest control professionals treat using a variety of
low-odor sprays, dusts, and aerosols. (Baits designed to control ants and
cockroaches are ineffective). Application entails treating all cracks and
crevices where the bugs are discovered, or tend to hide. Eliminating bed
bugs from mattresses and box springs is challenging. If there are holes or
tears in the fabric, the bugs and eggs may be inside, as well as outside.
There also are restrictions on how beds can be treated with pesticides. For
these reasons, pest control firms often recommend that infested beds be
discarded. If disposal isn't an option, encasing the mattress and box spring
will be helpful if bugs are still present. (Allergy supply companies sell
zippered bed encasements for dust mite prevention). Some pest control firms
treat seams, tufts, and crevices of bed components, but they will not spray
the mattress surface, bed sheets, blankets, or clothing. Vacuuming and
brushing will further help to remove bugs and eggs from mattresses and box
springs that cannot be discarded. Some pest control firms also treat beds
with portable steam machines. The technique is useful, but does not kill
bugs or eggs that are hidden inside the box spring or mattress.
Insecticides
Just spraying pesticides is not the solution!
Residual insecticides (usually pyrethroids) are applied as spot treatments to
cracks and crevices where bed bugs are hiding. Increased penetration of the
insecticide into cracks and crevices can be achieved if accumulated dirt and
debris are first removed using a vacuum cleaner.
Many readily available aerosol
pesticide sprays will cause bed bugs to scatter making eradication more
difficult.
Dust formulations
may be used to treat wall voids and attics. Repeat insecticide applications if
bed bugs are present two weeks after the initial treatment since it is difficult
to find all hiding places and hidden eggs may have hatched.
Insecticides should not be used on bedding or
linens.
These items should be dry cleaned or laundered in hot water and dried
using the "hot" setting.
"Bug Bombs" or total release aerosol insecticides never work for bed
bugs and can be very dangerous when used.
Prevention
The mobile nature of bed bugs limits their prevention. Avoidance
is especially challenging in hotels, motels, and apartments because
occupants and their belongings are constantly changing. This affords many
opportunities for the bugs to be introduced. Householders should be wary of
acquiring secondhand beds, bedding, and furniture. At a minimum, such items
should be examined closely before being brought into the home. When
traveling in countries where bed bugs are prevalent, it might be prudent to
examine the bed and headboard area for signs of the bugs, and elevate
luggage off the floor.
Warehouses, storage facilities, trucks and railroad cars may be infested so
common bed bugs can infest homes by stowing away on new furniture stored or
shipped from these places. Familiarity may help to avoid infestation, or at least prompt earlier
intervention by a professional.
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Got a bug in your bed?
Call Nimby Wildlife and Pest
Control for fast and efficient service.
1-888-681-6266
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Identification
The mature bed bug is a brown- to mahogany-colored, wingless
insect. Its size depends on how recently it has eaten a blood meal. An unfed
bed bug is between 1/4 and 3/8 inches long. The upper surface of its body
has a papery, crinkly, flimsy appearance. When engorged with blood, its body
becomes elongated and swollen, and its color changes from brown to dull red.
The color, size, and shape change from an unfed to a full bug is remarkable.
Life Cycle
Female bed bugs deposit 3 to 8 eggs at a time. They are fastened with a
cement to cracks and crevices or rough surfaces near adult harborages. A
total of 200-500 eggs can be produced per female. The eggs hatch in 4-12
days. The newly emerged nymphs will feed immediately. After getting a
blood meal, the nymph turns red or purple in color because of the blood in
its body. A bed bug goes through five molts (shedding of its skin)
before it reaches maturity in 35 to 48 days. Each stage requires a
blood meal.
Adult bed bugs can survive for 6-7 months
without a blood meal and have been known to live in abandoned houses for 1
year.
Adults (A) are reddish-brown, oval, flattened insects
from 6 to 9 mm long and 1.5 to 3 mm wide before feeding.
Engorged Adults (B) are swollen and dull red.
Though wingless, adult bed bugs do have small wing pads. The eyes are deeply
pigmented and the sides of the collar-like pronotum curve slightly around
the head.
Egg (not pictured)-- The white, oval egg is about
1 mm long.
Nymph (C-E) -- The five nymph instars resemble the
adult though they are smaller in size. A newly hatched nymph is almost
colorless.
Engorged Nymphs (E) are reddish and swollen.
Health Canada provides basic bed
bug information, prevention tips and control suggestions on a fact sheet
that may be viewed here. |
Find a professional to eliminate your bedbug
problem.
Directory of Pest
Professionals in Canada
Michael F. Potter,
Extension Entomologist
University of Kentucky College of Agriculture:
"Bed bugs are challenging pests to control. They hide in many tiny
places, so inspections and treatments must be very thorough.
In most
cases, it will be prudent to enlist the services of a professional
pest control firm. Experienced companies know where to look for bed
bugs, and have an assortment of management tools at their disposal."
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