Bedbugs and their proper control - United Exterminating Company

BEDBUG CONTROL
Bedbug control, in past years, was performed using different classes of insecticides than are used now, so the bedbug problem rarely reared its ugly head. In those 'Olden Days,' exterminators used DDT to combat these fellows. It was a very effective tool. In the years after DDT, we had the organophosphates, diazinon, Dursban and chemicals of that class.

They were also quite effective against bedbugs. Bedbugs now are, without a doubt, the most challenging pest that exterminators must deal with!

BEDBUG TREATMENTS
Treatments for our common bedbug, Cimex lectularius, are different now, and the insecticides we must use today, do not have the same action or effectiveness as the insecticides of old. Today, bedbug treatments are necessarily very thorough, (as they always were) but now we use several different insecticides, in powder, liquid and gas form, with an assist by several kinds of growth regulators and sometimes even steam cleaning. Exterminators vary the different treatments, to eliminate the possibility of bedbugs that may have developed a resistance to specific insecticide preparations. Therefore, a successful treatment for bedbugs can only be properly done by a knowledgeable professional. And several follow-up professional treatments will usually be required to completely eliminate a bedbug infestation.

"BOMBING" YOUR OWN HOUSE
This has to be said. Homeowners that pick up those aerosol cans at the local hardware store and "bomb" for these creatures will discover that the many survivors will scatter, making any future treatments much more difficult. You'll discover that the insects are now in those other areas - where they weren't before. Not only that, but if you don't follow the specific directions on the label, you'll have a greasy residue all over everything. Overdosing can become a fire and explosion hazard, so save your money and forget the bombs....

If you're going to use any kind of insecticide,

follow these directions.

WHAT DO THE BUGS LOOK LIKE?
Bedbugs are small, even tiny, insects that live on our blood. From a size about the size of the head of a pin, to the adults, which are still less than a quarter inch. Fast-moving little critters, they are wingless and hide during the day, coming out at night to feed. Hide they will, they are so small and flat that they can get into unbelievably small places. This is why the bombs don't work. The insecticide particles from aerosol cans are too big to enter those hiding places completely, so many bedbugs will survive even successive "bombing" episodes. Glueboards do not offer reliable control or detection of bedbugs.

THESE ARE TOUGH LITTLE GUYS....
Bedbugs can live for over a year and a half, and go without a blood meal for over a year. Bedbugs are oval-shaped and flat, reddish-brown, mahogany-colored insects, (they're often called mahogany bugs in some places) and their bites, initially, are virtually painless. Feeding bedbugs will inject some of their saliva into the bite, desensitizing you to their bite - it also keeps blood from clotting. People will usually experience multiple bites, often close together.

SO I GUESS THAT MEANS THEY'RE IN MY BEDROOMS?

Bedbugs are usually noticed first (surprise) in the bedroom. This, because you are at rest and even asleep in the bedroom, giving the bugs the time and opportunity to feed on YOU - when you probably won't notice until it's too late. The bedbugs are not necessarily there because it's "dirty" - they can survive just as well in a "clean" place. They feed on your blood and are attracted to you because you exhale carbon dioxide.

Naturally, this doesn't mean they'll ALWAYS be found in a bedroom. That's only the place where they are mostly found. They'll insert them selves into every nook and cranny of your bedroom and your bedroom furniture, mattresses, box springs, headboards, baseboards, door trim and even electrical outlets and picture frames. Bedbugs are not only associated with man, but they are also parasites to other mammals too. If you have bedbugs, you can often see the actual bugs, blood spots or sometimes the egg shells or skin casings. The same bedbugs that feed on you may also bite and feed on bats, birds, and rodents.

SO HOW DID THEY GET INSIDE MY HOME?
Bedbugs are brought in - usually by you, or by someone that enters your home. Or from places you (or your kids) have visited. They ride in on your clothing, on and in your luggage and storage boxes, from trains, buses and since they can live outdoors, they can even come in on firewood you bring in from the outside. Those bedbugs that infest other animals, can also feed on humans, if the preferred host is not available. They can ride in on furniture you bring in from, say, the local flea market, or even on new furniture, if it has been stored or kept with other infested furniture. Be especially aware that any second-hand item can be a danger. Since people have increased their travel, especially to places where these pests are endemic, bedbugs have again become a danger in our homes. Family members returning from school dormitories can easily vector bedbugs into your home because you figure your own family is "safe."

BEDBUGS IN MULTI-FAMILY DWELLINGS
In settings such as this, bedbugs can spread slowly from unit to unit if the control efforts are not successful. There are special instructions for multi-family homes and apartments. Especially important, would be to treat adjacent units, to arrest the spread of bedbugs to other units. Cooperation of all occupants of each building is an absolute must. It would be best if you have one exterminator responsible for all the units in one contiguous building.

In most places, if you live in a rental unit, your landlord is responsible for extermination in your unit. You're not. So this means that you DO NOT attempt any control efforts on your own. No spraying, no bombing, no nothing. The exterminator will be able to do a much better job than you will, and the landlord pays for the exterminator. Make sure he sends a REAL exterminator, no maintenance men.

Give your rental or maintenance office a call to get on the exterminator's list. MAKE SURE you have a sample bug for the exterminator to examine. If your landlord won't respond, call your local health department. Bedbug infestations can easily spread, and are always a serious problem that must be addressed by a licensed exterminator. The actual instructions for tenants experiencing bedbug problems should be furnished by the landlord or the landlord's exterminator, but they will generally follow these guidelines.

INSPECTING YOUR HOME FOR BEDBUGS

Usually, your first indications are bites on your own body, or someone else in your family. At that point, an inspection of your bedding is first and foremost. The mattress, bedframes and night stands should be inspected closely, under a strong light. On your bedding, you're looking for the spots of blood and sometimes the insects themselves in the seams and folds of these items. Check under the bed, too. Bedbugs prefer wooden and cloth surfaces, so that's where you concentrate.

Small appliances, clocks, radios and phones on night stands, in any infested room, should be examined and set aside for treatment. Bedbugs like dark, secluded places, so they'll seek out dark closets, behind and under beds, behind and under doors and under carpeting. Tip over furniture and look underneath everything in an infested room.

Your laundry room, and anywhere else you store dirty laundry, should be checked carefully. Travelers should check their hotel/motel rooms for any signs of bedbug infestation. Pull out a night stand drawer and check underneath for hiding bugs. When you get home, all contents of your luggage should be washed (or dry cleaned) in hot, soapy water, and that includes your clean clothes. Examine your luggage closely.

CAN I DO THIS MYSELF?
I saved this for last. The answer to that is "probably not" or better yet, "no, you can't." Even the pros have problems, equipped with every tool (some that you can't get) at their disposal.

Believe me, save your time, money and trouble and get a good exterminator to do this. This is NOT a simple "spray job" with the stuff you pick up at Home Depot. This is a serious pest problem that you will most definitely need a professional to take care of for you.

Whatever you do, remember, DO NOT BOMB! Just because someone told you to do it, it will turn out to be the worst thing you could have done, I have seen this many times.

Same with infested bedding, don't drag it through the house even to put it out in the trash. You'll spread those little guys around as you're dragging the mattress outside.

WHAT YOU CAN DO YOURSELF

If you travel, and/or stay in public accommodations, you can use a spray to kill and repel insects, including bedbugs, from your luggage. Properly applied, it can last 4 to 6 weeks. Spray your empty bags, inside and out, then let everything dry before packing up. Sometimes you can find this product locally, if you can't, we sell and ship this product from our Online Store. Scroll on down to "Bedbug Spray."

Harvard has an excellent page on bedbugs, and answers to many of your questions.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/

And this is Cornell's imaginative Insect Diagnostic Laboratory, a comprehensive FAQ on all insect pests, scroll down to bedbugs.
http://www.entomology.cornell.edu/public/IthacaCampus/ExtOutreach/DiagnosticLab/Factsheets.html

And good ol' Texas A&M, our hero, has published a special bulletin on bedbugs.
http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/l-1742.html

The University of Kentucky, school of Entomology has a REALLY good page describing, in detail, all about the bedbug, it's control, history and I'm definitely jealous.
http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp

And I just couldn't leave out MSU's excellent color brochure, they have pictures here too..
http://www.pested.msu.edu/Resources/pdf/Bedbug.pdf

And last, but certainly not least, is Jim O'Brien's site, a bedbug specialist in the New York-New Jersey area, does a great job of explaining the ins and outs of modern bedbug control in our great northeast.
http://www.pestquest.info/bedbugs.htm