Bed bug controlg Diet | Bed Bug Life Cycle | Bedbug Habits | Bed Bug Bites / Disease

A Little Bit About BedBugs:

Bed Bugs at one time were not as severe as a pest as in the past, due to insecticides and increased sanitation. However, due to the increased use of baits rather than insecticide sprays for ant and cockroach control in the past decade , bed bug infestations have increased.

Currently this insect can be a pest wherever sanitary conditions are poor, or if there are birds or mammals nesting on or near a house. International travel and commerce are thought to facilitate the spread of these insect hitchhikers, because eggs, young, and adult bed bugs are readily transported in luggage, clothing, bedding, and furniture. There are several species of bed bugs, all of which are pests of humans and domestic animals.

The Common Bed Bug prefers a human host. Related species, such as the bat bug and bird bug, prefer to feed on bats, birds, and other wild hosts, but will also feed on humans if the opportunity arises or the preferred host dies or leaves the roost.

How did I get Bed Bugs?

Since bed bugs hide in small crevices, they can travel with luggage, furniture, clothing, boxes, ect. This is how they move between hotels, homes and apartments. Used furniture, particularly bed frames and mattresses, are of greatest risk of harboring bed bugs and their eggs. They may be present in vacant apartments hiding in cracks and crevices since they may survive months without a blood meal. Bed bugs may travel between nearby apartments through voids in walls and holes though which wires and pipes pass. In a few cases, bats and/or birds may introduce and maintain bed bugs and their close relatives (bat bugs and bird bugs). All nests that harbor birds and bats should be removed.

How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs

Step I : Pre-treatment Procedures

Reduce clutter to inspection easier.
If you dismantle the bed frames, you may expose additional bedbug hiding sites.
Remove drawers from desks and dressers and turn furniture over, if possible, to inspect and clean all hiding spots.
Stand up the box spring and shine a flashlight through the gauze fabric to expose bed bugs.If the fabric is torn ( possible hiding place), remove fabric to prepare for spraying.
Caulk and seal all holes where pipes and wires penetrate walls and floor, and fill cracks around baseboards and moldings to further reduce harborages.
Since infested garments and bed linen can't be treated with insecticide they will need to be laundered in hot water (120°F minimum). If washing is not available, sometimes heating the garments or bed linen for several minutes in a clothes dryer may work.
Thoroughly clean the infested rooms .Scrub infested surfaces with a stiff brush to dislodge eggs.
Vacuum in area of bed bug harborages with an vacuum attachment. Vacuum along baseboards, nearby furniture, bed stands, rails, headboards, footboards,bed seams, tufts, buttons, edges of the bedding as well as the edges of the carpets(particularly along the tack strips) are key areas to vacuum. A good vacuum cleaning job may remove particles from cracks and crevices to encourage greater insecticide penetration.
Discard vacuum cleaner bag in a sealed plastic bag when finished.
Caulk cracks and crevices in the building exterior and also repair or screen openings to exclude birds, bats, and rodents that can serve as alternate hosts for bed bugs.

Do I Have to Throw Out the Mattress?

This question would be answered upon the condition of the mattress or size of infestation.

If there are holes or tears in the gauze fabric or fabric of the mattress, bed bugs and eggs may be inside, as well as outside. There are restrictions on how beds can be treated with insecticides.

The following residual insecticides or dusts are labeled to spray or dust mattresses: Tempo Ultra SC, Suspend SC and Drione Drust.

Demand CS Suspend SC 1pint

Drione Dust

Delta Dust has a label to dust the mattress, but must be vacuumed up before sleeping on it according to label directions, so you would be vacuuming up all the residual dust. A preferred dust for mattresses would be Drione Dust, which may be left on the mattress.

After the mattress is vacuumed , scrubbed and treated with either an approved concentrated insecticide or dust, it can be enclosed in a zippered mattress encasements such as that used for house dust mites. These zippered mattress covers , available at bedding and allergy supply stores deny bed bugs access to other hiding areas. It would be helpful to encase not only the mattress, but the box spring as well. It is important to treat the zipper area as well when you follow the spraying and dusting procedures. Any bed bugs remaining on the mattress or box springs will be trapped inside the encasement. Leave the cover in place for a year or so since bed bugs can live for a long time without a blood meal.

Step II: Bed Bug Inspection: Use Flashlight and Magnifying Glass

Bedbug Pictures :What does a bed bug look like?

Bed Bug Nymph Adult Male Bed Bug Adult Female Bed Bug

The common bed bug is visible to the naked eye. Adult bed bugs are brown to reddish-brown, oval-shaped, flattened, and about 1/4 to 5/8 inch long. Their flat shape enables them to readily hide in cracks and crevices. After a blood meal, the body elongates and becomes swollen. Eggs are not known to be placed on the host's body but are found on surfaces near where the host sleeps.

Bed bugs have a beak- like piercing , sucking mouthparts. The adults have small, stubby, nonfunctional wing pads. Newly hatched nymphs are nearly colorless, becoming brownish as they mature. Nymphs have the general appearance of adults. Eggs are white and about 1/32 inch long.

Inspection:

Look in any place that offers darkness, isolation and protection. These bugs will often wander. Inspect adjoining rooms where an infestation is found. Even when the bed bugs themselves cannot be found, their hiding places can be located by looking for the spots of fecal material they often leave in easily visible places.

Dark spots of bed bug excrement on a mattress.
(M. Potter, Univ. of Kentucky)

Fecal spots and the bloody spots(looks like rust) left on sheets and pillowcases when engorged bugs are crushed serve as sure signs of infestation. Adult bed bugs are about 1/4-inch long and reddish-brown, with oval, flattened bodies. Bed bugs prefer to hide in cracks and crevices during the daytime and come out to feed on the host's blood at night, usually while the host is sleeping. Because they can flatten their bodies, they can fit in very small crevices, specially around the bed area. They are found in habitual hiding places, preferably close to a blood meal. Even though the their preference is to be close they will travel several feet However if necessary, they will crawl several feet to obtain a blood meal. Initial infestations tend to be around beds, but the bugs eventually may become scattered throughout a room, occupying any crevice or protected location. They also can spread to adjacent rooms or apartments.

Look for areas close by where the bed bugs are biting. Main areas of inspection are cracks and crevices in head and foot boards and attached side railings and supports. Look for any cracks or crevices where bed bugs may crawl into to hide. If the top of the mattress has any rips , the bed bugs may hide there as well. Look also in your bed springs, both top and bottom for any rips that might shelter these bugs.

Inspection Check List:

Cracks and crevices in head and foot boards, attached side railings and supports
Inspect mattresses top, sides and bottom. Check all buttons, seams and rips.
Inspect electrical switch plates, pictures on walls, wall posters
Inspect cracks in plaster or seams in wall paper.
Inspect electrical appliances-radios, phones, televisions, ect.,looking in hiding places.
Inspect tack strips under wall-to-wall carpeting and behind baseboards
Inspect secondhand beds, bedding, and furniture. The newer better built mattresses do not offer as much shelter and protection for the bed bugs to hide.

Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs-How To Kill Bed Bugs

Step III: Bed Bug Treatment : Sprays and Dusts

We recommend use of spray insecticides and dusts for bedbug treatment. It is important to use a residual insecticide. The residual stays for a length of time.

You can get these at discounted rates in be form of kits at Bed Bug Kits

Bed Bug Kit 2 Bed Bug Kit 3 Bed Bug Kit 1

Apply residual liquid, aerosol or dust residual insecticides such as Demand CS , D- Force HPX

Bedlam Insecticide Spray

and

Drione Dust Most likely, you will need to treat 3-4 times in a space of a couple months, as you cut the cycle.

Residual Insecticide : (Demand CS , D- Force HPX ,Bedlam Insecticide Spray and Drione Dust) Usage:

Demand CS : Adjust the spray pattern to a mist by turning the nozzle. A fine mist is best for most spraying, but you may need to use a stream to get into some cracks and crevices. Spray around and under the bed and along the baseboards near the bed. After removing the drawers from the furniture, the inside of the cabinetry should be sprayed as well as the bottom and sides of the drawers. Do not treat the inside of the drawers. If needed the clothes in the drawers should be removed and laundered. Apply as a coarse, low-pressure spray to harborage areas including crevices, baseboards, loose plaster, behind bed frames and headboards, beneath beds and furniture, and to bedsprings and bed frames. Do not apply to furniture surfaces or mattresses where people will be laying or sitting. Infested bedding should not be treated, but should be removed, placed in sealed plastic bags, and taken for laundering and drying at high temperatures.

STERIFAB is so easy to use, with no dilution or prep required. Just spray STERIFAB on mattresses, bedding, furniture, carpets, vehicles, and any other inanimate surface to control bed bugs, fungus, germs, mildew, mold, and odor-producing bacteria. STERIFAB kills bed bugs fast and dries crystal clear in 15 to 20 minutes with absolutely zero messy residue. Available in pint and one gallon sizes.

Target pests: bed bugs, lice, ticks, lice, fleas, dust mites, fungus, bacteria, mold, mildew and it deodorizes too!

D- Force HPX :This residual aerosol is ready to use, and you don't have to mix it. Spray in the same areas you would use the Demand CS

Drione Dust Usage: Drione Dust is a ready to use dust that is ideal for use on the mattress and box springs.

Delta Dust has a label to dust the mattress, but must be vacuumed up before sleeping on it according to label directions, so you would be vacuuming up all the residual dust. A preferred dust for mattresses would be Drione Dust, which may be left on the mattress.

How to Dust:

Fill the bulb duster about half full and use it with the rubber stopper facing down. Shaking first and then squeezing the duster will produce a fine dust that resembles smoke. This is just what you want for dusting the mattress with Drione Dust. Pay particular attention to seams, folds, and stapled fabric under the box springs. The joints where the rails and headboard connect are also prime hiding areas for bed bugs. You may need to remove the fabric under the box springs to access the inner springs. Cover the mattress with a sheet and it is safe to sleep on.

Next dust behind pictures and wall hangings as well as switch plate and outlet covers. Look for any cracks or crevices in which bed bugs could hide and treat them. You may use either Delta Dust or Drione Dust for application outside of beds.

Use a Bellow Bulb dusterto really get into the cracks and crevices with the Drione Dust. Another tool used for dusting would be a small paint brush. Put a small amount of dust on the tip of the brush, brushing into cracks and crevices.
Drione Dust with natural pyrethrins, will last about 6 months when left undisturbed
Repeat the applications if you see signs of bed bugs again after two weeks.

Direct residual sprays or dusts such as Demand CS , D- Force HPX : or Drione dust into areas where the bed bugs hide during the day.

Broad surface bedbug treatments should be kept to a minimum if they are used at all; bed bugs are most likely to get lethal doses in cracks and crevices.

A re treatment is advisable after 10-14 days
Remember to read and follow all label instructions

Non Residual Insecticide Treatment Usage(May be used daily):

V One Pyrethrum Aerosol is a contact kill insecticide that will not leave any residue to continue to kill. It should be used to kill any bed bugs that are seen after treating with the residual chemicals listed above. This will keep you from having to mix chemicals each time you do see a bed bug.

Bedbug Diet

Although the preferred host is human host, it will feed on other animals, such as poultry, mice, rats, canaries, dogs, and cats if necessary. They normally feed at night, but may feed in the daylight in rooms that are not used at night.

Bed Bugs Life Cycle

Bed Bugs Life Cycle Diagram

The life cycle stages of a bed bug are egg, nymph, and adult.

Bed bug females lay about 200 eggs, usually at the rate of three or four a day, in cracks and crevices in the floor or bed. Eggs are placed in cracks, crevices and other isolated and protected shelters. Females lay eggs after a blood meal. Eggs will hatch in one or two weeks into Nymphs. Newly hatched bugs(Nymphs) begin feeding immediately. At room temperature, and with an available food supply, the nymphal period will last 14 to 30 days. They shed their skin (Instar)five times before becoming adults. Bed bugs will mate soon after becoming mature, so the time from egg hatch to egg laying will be 4 to 9 weeks, under favorable conditions.

Bedbug Habits

Bed bugs hide in cracks and crevices during daylight hours.

They hide in the folds and tufts of mattresses, coils of springs, cracks and hollow posts of bed stands bed rails and headboards. They may be found in box springs, inside the cabinetry of furniture and the bottom and sides of drawers.

They also can be found behind loose wallpaper, behind pictures on the walls, under door and window casings, and behind baseboards.

They also hide in upholstery of chairs and sofas.

They are not restricted to these places, however.

What do bed bug bites look like and do they carry disease?

Bed bugs are not usually considered to be disease carriers.

They do suck blood from their host with piercing mouth parts but the bite is painless.

The skin may become irritated or inflamed due to the salivary fluid injected by the bed bugs .A small, hard, swollen, white welt may develop at the site of each bite.

It is important to recognize that not all bites or bite-like reactions are due to bed bugs. Bed bugs or their signs will be present if it is a bed bug bite.

Bed bugs do not live under the skin. If you experience biting sensations during the day, it may be an allergy related condition.

(Other possible sources of irritation are discussed in University of Kentucky entomology fact sheet Invisible Itches: Insect and Non-Insect Causes).

Preventing Bed Bug Infestations

bed bug proof AllerZip® TWIN Mattress Pad

It’s important to inspect used furniture, particularly bed frames and mattresses before bringing it into the home. Mattresses, in particular, carry the greatest risk of harboring Bed Bugs and their eggs. You should be wary of acquiring used furnishings, especially beds and couches.

A practice that we have incorporated in our traveling is to inspect for bed bugs in hotel rooms. If possible, carry a flashlight with you and inspect the bed area completely as described above. Also, you may want to inspect or vacuum luggage when you arrive home to prevent any transference.

A second common source for bedbug infestation occurs in homes where bats, swallows, chimney swifts, pigeons, or other wild hosts have been roosting. Although similar in appearance, these bedbug species that normally feed on bats and birds can be differentiated from the Common Bedbug that prefer humans.
The bat bedbug can and often feeds on humans. The bat bedbug has long hairs on it's body. Eliminate their bat hosts from the building and seal all openings so that bats cannot enter.

Bed Bug

Elimination, Description of Common Bed Bugs

Bed bug elimination is best accomplished by first understanding the pest that has invaded your home - especially where bedbugs hide. Knowing bed bug habits and description of bedbugs will give you knowledge needed when choosing and applying the best control products.

The most common mistake made when controlling bed bugs: not knowing which type of insecticide to use in the correct areas. Most of the people who read this article will skip the most important step: dusting cracks and crevices with Drione Dust. Just as in controlling ticks, you must apply a professional insecticide dust into tiny cracks and crevices where the targeted pest hides. Many household pests can be controlled or prevented by a simple insecticide bug spray on baseboards and exterior surfaces of the home. This is not the case when dealing with an infestation of bed bugs.

Once bed bugs have invaded your home, they can be a little tough to eliminate. Their habits, size and their hardy nature help contribute to their persistence in homes that they have invaded.

An adult bed bug is not very large; it is usually about 1/4 an inch long. The small body size helps this pest to hide in areas that make their elimination difficult. The bed bug nymph succumbs to pest control products easier than their adult counterparts but (just like adults) can go for long periods without food. Blood taken from humans is the preferred food of young and adult common bed bugs.

There are other species of bed bugs (besides the common bed bug) that prefer other hosts (bats, swallows, pigeons, starlings, etc.) but these blood feeding pests will also feed on humans if given the opportunity.

A bed bug's secretive nature makes it a difficult pest to identify and eliminate. These insects are not seen crawling around in the daylight hours where they would be easily identified. They hide in various areas during the day and come out at quiet times of the night to feed on human blood. Since they usually wait for their host to go to sleep, the host does not see or feel their presence. The obvious sign that a bed bug infestation is in a room is the presence of small drops of blood on sheets and pillows or pillow cases.

Bed Bug Elimination Bed Bug Pest Control Products

Bed bug elimination procedures, methods and products closely resemble those used for indoor tick elimination, due to their size, harborage areas and habits. Thorough inspection of the premises will save you time and money. These tiny bugs can be found in any small crack in proximity to where humans rest or sleep. These cracks and crevices are generally behind and beneath baseboards, beneath area rugs, between carpeting and walls, in power areas of appliances or even in the folds of curtains and drapes in the infested room. A thorough vacuuming of cracks, crevices and other areas where bed bugs hide is an essential part of an integrated pest management program targeting this particular pest.
A combination of odorless insecticide spray and insecticide dust is needed to eliminate bed bug populations with special attention given to dusting all bug hiding places. Once mattresses and box spring setups have been thoroughly cleaned and (if necessary) treated with an odorless dust, plastic covers on the mattresses will help keep bugs in as well as keep others out.

A general purpose spray can be used on carpets, furniture and baseboards to help cut back on some of the population but the most important pest control tool you can use is an insecticide dust. Many pest control service technicians are now using premium fogging solutions in addition to other suggested pest management procedures for bed bug control. When fogging with a cold fogger is required for stubborn or re-occurring bed bug infestations, BP100-Plus is giving best fog results. BP100-Plus contains a high amount of natural pyrethrins (1.00%) and also contains an IGR called Hydroprene. Fogging is rarely considered to be great controller of pests when used alone. Only use a fog when a very fast kill of existing bugs is needed. Fogging mainly kills exposed bugs that are not hiding in cracks or crevices. With the addition of Hydroprene, BP100-Plus does give an extra residual effect.
Elimination of a bed bug infestation takes some patience. These pests live in tiny cracks that are sometimes difficult to reach with pest control products and they can live a longer time without food than can other blood feeding bugs such as fleas. Apply your spray to baseboards, carpets, flooring, throw rugs, area rugs or other areas where bed bugs might crawl at night. This insecticide will also kill spiders, fleas ticks, ants and other household pests.
After allowing your pesticide spray solution to thoroughly dry, you may now begin the important application of dust. Any area of possible bed bug harborage (especially those areas where your spray cannot reach) should be treated with Drione Dust.

Bed Bug Sprays

General purpose sprays such as Suspend SC that are water safe for fabrics are preferred for elimination of bed bug populations. Suspend SC is odorless and (when used as directed) is safe to use in homes where children and pets live. (The active ingredient in Suspend is Deltamethrin, the same material found in Delta Dust) Use this insecticide to spray carpets, flooring, rugs and baseboards. Do not spray bedding, mattresses or pillows with this product. If you want to spray these objects, use a spray that is labeled for such use. Claire Lice Killer can be sprayed on inanimate objects such as bedding, stuffed animal toys, etc. in homes.
Other professional concentrates that work when spraying for bed bugs: Tempo SC and Demand CS. Both of these products will give a good residual and (like Suspend SC) have little to no odor. The main advantage of Suspend SC is its broadcast label, allowing more liberal application than most professional insecticides.
Sprays used for killing bed bugs are listed on Bed Bug Control Products page.

Bed Bug Dust

Once your insecticide spray has been allowed to dry, it is time to apply your insecticide dust. Drione Dust is the very best product for killing bed bugs where they hide, in cracks and crevices. Use a Crusader Duster for applying this product. Bed bugs can hide in many places where your dust must be applied properly or you will have a failure in your effort to control the bugs.

Dusts used in bed bug elimination are listed on Bed Bug Control products page.

Areas to dust include seams or joints in the construction of bed frames, inside boxed springs, flooring beneath beds, behind and beneath baseboards and baseboard moldings - any area small enough for bed bugs to enter and hide. Once