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UnExCo Home Pest Information Central Bed bug Links Look for a Local Pest Pro Bedbug Message Board |
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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 aerosol form, with an assist by several kinds of insect growth regulators. Some
exterminators will use steam or super-cold generators for killing these bugs. Exterminators will vary the different chemicals and treatment procedures, to help eliminate the possibility of bedbugs that may have developed a resistance to specific insecticidal preparations, or escaped treatment in some other way. Therefore, a successful treatment for bedbugs can really only be properly done by a knowledgeable professional. And several follow-up professional treatments, for variable amounts of time, will usually be required to completely eliminate a bedbug infestation. This is not a one-time, 'spritz and go' treatment.... |
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THESE ARE TOUGH LITTLE GUYS.... Bedbugs have been reported to live for almost a year and a half, and go without a blood meal for over a year. Some experts have begun to dispute this, attributing this to the inexact science from years ago. It appears that figure may be more like 6 to 9 months. Even so, this is a difficult pest to eliminate, and they can always return! Both the males and the females bite and they will both require blood meals to reproduce. OFF THE RADAR UNTIL LATELY... There really hasn't been that much interest in bedbugs for many years, as they have been largely off the radar screen until a few years ago. Ongoing scientific studies will soon confirm or deny many of the myths surrounding bedbugs. New methods, equipment and chemicals will also be developed for the problem. They are back on the radar screen! |
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They'll insert themselves into every nook and cranny of your bedroom, in your bedroom furniture, mattresses,
box springs, headboards, baseboards, door trim and even electrical outlets and picture frames. They just LOVE that wicker stuff people use to keep their laundry in! And do you keep a store of magazines in the bathroom? Throw 'em out! (But make sure you transport them outside in a sealed plastic bag.) |
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NEW FURNITURE CAN ALSO HAVE BEDBUGS Unfortunately, you cannot always count on new furniture not being suspect either. Used and new furniture are often stored or trucked together, we have seen several cases of that. Make sure you obtain all delivery and sales receipts of any upholstered items you purchase. Without those papers, you'll have a tough time getting the store to pay you anything. And the treatments for bedbugs are outrageously expensive. THE 'ICK' FACTOR Bedbugs are not only associated with man, 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. Hope you're alright with that. This fact, more than all the others, is what creeps most people out. The actual redeeming feature is that the lowly bedbug is a 'kind and harmless' parasite. It vectors nor carries any known disease, which, except for the maddening itching, harms no one. As opposed, say, to the common mosquito, which kills some two and a half million people per year, more than any other insect. The common bedbug is a good example of a benign parasite - one that does no harm to the host. |
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But then later on, after your bedbugs have feasted, had their fill of your blood, and are long gone,
those bites will probably start to bother you. For some people, bedbugs can cause severe itching and
allergic reactions. If you're one of those people, the bites will drive you crazy. But sometimes, two people, even sleeping together, can both have much different reactions from the bites. And sometimes the itching can be the first time you notice that there's something wrong. Often, by then, you can plainly see the blood spots on your pillows, sheets or bedclothes probably before you can actually see the bugs. CHECK THOSE SHEETS! If you can, make up the bed with white or light-colored sheets, so you can better see any blood spots. Take care to transport any suspect items in plastic bags, of course, and wash them in hot, soapy water. Fortunately, bedbugs are not now known to vector any diseases to man, but the constant scratching can often produce serious secondary skin infections that your doctor will need to treat. |
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In the last 30-40 years or so, people have increased their travel, especially to places where these
pests are endemic. Because of this, bedbugs have again become a danger in our own homes. Family members
returning from school dormitories and visitors to your home can easily vector bedbugs right into your
home (or vice versa) because you figure your own family and friends are "safe." An insidious pest like this can easily hide in your belongings and thus sneak into your home and be established quite well before you even realize it. And lately, movie theaters have had their own problems with bedbugs. And depending on the construction of your house, and your own living habits, they will easily migrate from room to room! This will make all of the rest of your upholstered furniture at serious risk of infestation. |
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SEVERAL TYPES OF TREATMENTS First of all, don't be sucked in to the idea that only one of these following methods works, or is any better than any of the others. They can ALL work, and if someone tells you that only THEIR method works, that's not true. It really depends more on the thoroughness of the operators, and how you, as the customer, prepares for your own treatment. Your preparations and the exterminator's treatment go hand-in-hand, if either one slips up, then any successful treatment will take much longer. STEAM TREATMENTS These treatments, by professionals, are generally used in conjunction with other chemical treatments. As long as professional steam generators are used, they can be very effective. Professional steam generators (a good one) can cost a thousand dollars or more. This is a little out of the league of ordinary homeowners. The proper equipment generates a continuous, high temperature, low pressure dry steam. Your steam iron won't work and don't expect those $99 steam machines you see on the Internet to work either. HEAT TREATMENTS For clothes, and anything you can put in a clothes dryer, 40 minutes on HIGH temperature will do it. Wash your clothes in hot, soapy water. And it would be best if you also used borax at the regular label rate in your wash, along with the soap. Get borax at the grocery store in the laundry soap aisle. It makes your laundry soap work better and you don't need to use as much soap. Clothes that can't be washed should go to the dry cleaner. The solvents used for dry cleaning kills all bugs of any type. Also, as mentioned before, small items can be put in your oven. Maintain at least 130 degrees for 24 hours to kill all life stages of bedbugs. |
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PROS & CONS OF HEAT TREATMENTS Some things are damaged or changed by too much heat. Musical instruments should be removed, and sometimes arrangements must be made for large musical instruments such as pianos and drums. There are sometimes problems with mold forming afterwards, especially if steam is used.in treatments. Usually, the steam is not hot enough for this kind of work, and it doesn't dry completely. Professional steamers are best for this. The biggest problem with heat treatments is that it leaves ZERO residual. So you can be re-infected as soon as the heat is gone. There is no residual action as there would be with a chemical application. Most of the heat guys also use chemicals too. Personally, I think, as of now, it is necessary. |
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COLD TREATMENTS No, ice cubes and most refrigerator/freezers are just not gonna hack it... You need SUPER-cold to do the trick. Liquid nitrogen and carbon dioxide snow seem to be the most effective of what's being used. But cold can damage many items, such as electronics and wood, so it isn't always a good total answer. Leaving the items out in the cold, in the wintertime, isn't going to do it either. It just isn't cold enough, even in Alaska. The temperatures from day to night will vary too much and the bugs will most likely survive quite easily. They DO have bedbugs in Alaska.... If you want to use a freezer, it must maintain a temperature of MINUS 30 degrees F for at least a week. I have seen some places recommend 'a few days,' but I recommend a week. And remember, it must STAY at that low temperature for the entire time. I've not seen a home freezer that can do that. ABOUT DIATOMACEOUS EARTH Does it kill bedbugs? Yes, it kills all insects - by drying out their exoskeleton. Only thing is, you have to put it EVERYWHERE! And you also have to use the DE that comes from fresh water diatoms - not what you get at the swimming pool store - those are from salt water diatoms. Make sure you have the right kind and make sure you use it correctly. It is expensive, BTW... Don't think of it as a cure-all, think of it as a tool. EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS Now, here in the second decade of the 21st century, effective treatments are a continually changing combination of tools, and that includes chemicals, depending on the individual situation. For the most part, that means you'll probably need a professional exterminator, someone with those tools, whatever they may be, to fix the problem. |
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In multi-family settings, bedbugs can spread steadily from unit to unit, so with multi-families there
are special instructions and procedures for the tenant AND the landlord, I have listed some of my favorites
below. It is especially important to consider adjoining units as possible problem areas, and the fact
that they may also need treatment and/or inspections to contain the problem. DON'T HIDE OR IGNORE THE PROBLEM Naturally, the complete cooperation of all occupants of each building is an absolute must for a successful end to the problem. Immediate notification to all the tenants in the treatment area should be contacted regarding the problem and your efforts to remedy the problem. Hiding or trying to disguise the problem can lead to real problems down the road, expensive exterminating bills and expensive legal bills. |
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NOTIFY THE RENTAL OFFICE 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 detailed instructions for tenants experiencing bedbug problems should be furnished by the landlord or the landlord's exterminator, but they will generally follow the guidelines I have outlined on this page. DON'T MOVE STUFF AROUND... Most important in multi-family buildings is to refrain from moving infected items through common areas, thus endangering other units in the same building. All infected items should be moved only after being sealed in plastic bags. This, no matter which position you're in, that of a landlord, or that of a tenant. |
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Dr. Changlu Wang, of the Rutgers Department of Entomology, focuses on developing new and improved
urban pest management technologies through the study of biology, behavior, and ecology of urban pests,
insect behavior, insecticide resistance, and urban pest management. Dr. Wang has designed a bed bug trap that almost anybody can make themselves, from supplies you can probably get in your own town. Dr. Wang has studied bed bugs in the environment and has published a paper, Detecting Bed Bugs Using Bed Bug Monitors. |
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CAN I DO THIS WHOLE BEDBUG TREATMENT THING MYSELF? The answer to that is "probably not" or better yet, "No, you probably can't." Even the pros have problems, equipped with every tool (some that you can't get) at their disposal. Besides, there's always the risk of causing some sort of problem that crops up unexpectedly... 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 might pick up at a 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 ever done, I have seen this many times. If you do this in a multi-family dwelling, the other units will be probably be contaminated with bedbugs or chemicals - or both. And even though I've said it before, I'll say it again: don't drag infested items through your house, or through apartment common areas, not even to put it out in the trash. You'll spread those little guys around as you're dragging it outside. There are special bags for this, you can get them at hardware and department stores. And after all that, call that "good guy" exterminator! |
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| The sheets probably won't tell you anything, they are (supposedly) changed before you checked in. Look BETWEEN the mattress and the box spring. And just because it's a well-known or 'classy' hotel/motel, means nothing to the bedbugs - they go anywhere. I'm sure there are several reasons, I can think of a couple myself, but I usually see more bedbugs on and in the box springs, than I actually do on the mattresses. |
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CHECK THOSE HEADBOARDS! Check NEAR the beds too, pull out the night table drawers and look CLOSELY, with a light, underneath the drawers and shelves - examine any little crack or crevice they might hide in. They like to be close to you, so the night table next to your bed is a better bet than some place across the room. If you found them across the room, you should have no trouble finding them in your bed. Two of the most important places are the night table and the headboard. For the most part, these items remain undisturbed by routine housekeeping. The headboards are usually mounted on the wall with clips and can often be lifted right off the wall. Check everything CLOSELY. Remember that the bedbugs will stay close to you, within a couple of feet, if they can find a place to hide when you're not there. GETTING BEDBUGS AND BRINGING THEM HOME DON'T use the drawers for your clothes and NEVER store your luggage under the bed. Bring your own hanging bag, that's the best. (Forget moth balls, they have no effect on the bedbugs.) And when you get home, open your luggage outside and bring all clothing in (use plastic bags) for the washer and dryer, even if it's still clean. Also on your return home, place the appropriate size pest strip in each piece of luggage, store the luggage (store upright - the chemicals in the pest strip are heavier than air) somewhere besides inside your house, and inside a heavy duty plastic trash bag, until you know for sure it's okay. Consider the pest strips DOA after the label suggested date. Make sure you date it so you know how long it's been there. Get these pest strips direct from your exterminator. Sound complicated? Sure it is, but I didn't I say super-careful? And even after all of that, they can still come back! |
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| Special luggage encasements are available, and good ones are expensive. You will need to have the outside dimensions of each suitcase to order the suitcase encasements, and they MUST be bedbug-proof and it must say it on the label. Otherwise, you're wasting your money and setting yourself up for failure. |
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| You can get a "luggage spray" or the special insecticde pest strips for your luggage. The strips use DDVP, and even though it's pretty nasty stuff, it is effective, and that's what you'll need! Personally, I have questions on the effectiveness of any of the present luggage sprays that I have seen. Just reading the active ingredients, I know there are bedbugs that will survive this stuff. |
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GETTING A PROFESSIONAL INSPECTION Exterminators usually charge a fee for a bedbug inspection, and a proper and professional inspection is tedious and time-consuming. The bedbugs are so successful at hiding they can easily escape detection by you or your exterminator. Make sure you know the cost of your bedbug inspection up front. Most exterminators will apply your inspection fee to their treatment price, for a reasonable amount of time following their inspection. And, of course, if you already HAVE an exterminator, give him a call first! Lastly, don't spring for a bedbug treatment unless the exterminator can show you proof that you indeed have bedbugs. You need to see the adults, the eggs, nymphs or the cast-off debris and skins. Just because you're "itchy" and seem to have "bites" doesn't mean you have bedbugs. You need to identify the bug to be sure. |
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Well, possibly... Certainly, a properly trained dog can locate infestations of bedbugs by a much more
reliable method than us lowly humans can employ. A good dog, on a good day, can often find the bugs within
minutes, (sometimes seconds) whereas a human cannot depend on his sense of smell and must actively search
all the areas he knows that can harbor these parasites. For humans, that can possibly take hours, depending
on the areas of inspection. But there's the rub. There are so many important variables when it comes to depending on an animal for a job such as this, the most basic and important (to start with) would be "proper" training by a good trainer - it's kinda like training horses for racing. And naturally, some dogs are better at this than others - not necessarily certain breeds, but usually due to each dog's individual characteristics and their own personalities. A good handler and a good dog, on a good day is what you need. |
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| All in all, it works great if you have a good dog teamed up with a good handler. The "team" part is important. If either one is not up to snuff, like anything else, their performance will be affected. Nothing is 100%, but dogs, or other animals, can be close! Make sure your inspector/handler is also a state-licensed exterminator. This is important too. |
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DO YOU HAVE A SAMPLE? Naturally, if you have an actual sample of the insect, it's easy for the exterminator to tell if it's a bedbug, and you probably won't have to pay any inspection fee. Once you know it is a bedbug, you won't have any problem identifying one in the future, it's the kinda thing that stays with you. Make sure your sample isn't squashed and unrecognizable and have your exterminator examine it. If you don't have an exterminator to call, make sure you get a good guy! |
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MATTRESS ENCASEMENTS Usually on their first treatment visit, exterminators will often require the installation of bedbug-proof encasements for your mattresses and box springs - we often do. These special encasements will not allow bedbugs in OR out, so they can be a MUST for an effective part of your control effort. The encasements are sized according to the size of your mattress and box springs, so you will need to measure each one. Cost depends on the sizes, of course. These are not difficult to install, we can include them with any bedbug job that we do. They should be left on for AT LEAST two years. Personally, I wouldn't call the encasements at all "intrusive," they're not like the thick, sticky, plastic seat covers of yore.... They are tightly sewn using a fully flexible mesh, with bedbug-proof zippers and seams that the bugs just cannot get through. Bedbugs do not have the proper mouthparts to chew into anything, but they are definitely small enough to get through standard zipper closures. If you purchase encasements yourself, you should make sure that any encasements you purchase are guaranteed to be bedbug-proof. Know your supplier - because I've seen what's out there, and on the market, I only purchase from one manufacturer that I know backs up his products. |
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Think you might have bed bugs? And you're within our service territory? Just contact us any way you
want, all of our contact information is on our main contact page. And, if you're NOT in our service area, there's always my "Good Guys" page, where you might even be able find a "Good Guy" exterminator near you! No sharks allowed. |
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The following are links to further information on bedbugs, for your pleasure - or displeasure. (All links open in a new window.) |
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Check this out, Dr. Wang, from the Rutgers Department of Entomology, tells you how to construct a home
made bedbug detector yourself! 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 |
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