WHO WE TREAT BEDBUG
BED BUG
Life Cycle of Bed Bug
the whitish egg (about 1 mm in length), five pale juvenile (nymph) stages that range from 1mm to 4.5 mm (1/4 inch), and the adult which can be as long as 7 or 8 mm(3/8 inch) when fed. The newly hatched nymph is very pale until it feeds. Then it looks like a tiny droplet of blood. Each nymph stage will feed and become filled with red blood. The adult is about the size and shape of an apple seed, and dark red to brown in color and as flat as a credit card before feeding.
Bed Bug Bites and the Bites of Other Arthropods
• Bed bugs tend to feed on exposed skin, but can feed under loose clothing.
• Bed bugs primarily feed at night in the dark, in a typical situation.
• Under stressed conditions bed bugs may feed during the day. Stressed conditions
include:
o Bed bugs have no access to hosts because people are not sleeping nearby
o When bed bugs are disturbed by cleaning or pesticides they may move to
other areas
o As the numbers increase, bed bugs may spread due to overcrowding
• Bed bug bite reactions can take a few minutes or as many as 14 days to appear.
• If bed bugs cannot be located in sleeping areas after multiple inspections, other biting
pests must be considered.
• If local temperatures are over 60° F and the individual is outdoors or has unscreened
windows open, mosquito bites must be considered. Mosquitoes can also breed in
standing indoor water in basements or unused sinks, toilets, drains, refrigerator pans,
pet water dishes, plants, or dirty fish or reptile tanks. A quick inspection will help
identify these conditions.
• Pets or wildlife, including raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, and rodents may carry fleas
that bite humans, especially in warmer months
Inspection
Signs of bed bugs:
• Live bed bugs of all sizes
• Confirm that what you find is a bed bug
• Droppings in the form of dark colored stains on cloth or bumps on hard surfaces
• Shed skins
• Eggs, although very small, will be found among droppings or in crevices where adults
hide.
Inspecting the bed:
Inspection for bed bugs starts in the place where people sleep and moves out from there to
other parts of the room. This should be conducted before room preparation steps are taken.
• Mattress inspection
o Along the top and bottom seams, and along each side of the piping material
sewn onto these edges
o Under mattress handles and along or inside air holes
o Between the mattress and box spring, platform or frame
o Inside folds of material and under buttons
o If mattresses are covered in vinyl plastic, look inside seams and rips in
material
o Use alcohol or baby wipes to rub suspected bed bug droppings. If the spots
dissolve into a reddish brown color, this could indicate bed bug droppings and
should be a reason to continue inspecting until a live bed bug is found.
Bed bugs may be found along piping seams, under pillow tops, between the mattress and box spring,
inside air holes, or underneath mattress handles. Do not overlook tears in the fabric or stitching holes
when inspecting for bed bugs.
Inspecting other furniture and storage areas:
• Empty drawers and shelves of the furniture
closest to the bed.
• Place items into plastic bags to be inspected
and cleaned.
• Pull out drawers and inspect every corner and
the undersides, using the crevice tool to
check under the metal drawer guide.
• Use the crevice tool to inspect gaps wherever
the tool will fit, such as between the shelf and
bookcase frame.
• Turn over all furniture to inspect the
underside.
• Be sure to inspect screw and nail holes.
• Plastic and metal furniture may harbor bed
bugs, follow the same inspection procedures
Electronics, such as lamps, remote controls, alarm clocks, and radios should be placed
into plastic bags for further inspection. If bed bugs are found in the frame of the
furniture where the radio or clock sits, further inspections of those items and possible
treatment are warranted.
• Office-style chairs should be inspected by turning them over and looking under seams
where fabric attaches to the frame. Also check screw holes.
Plush furniture, such as a couch, will harbor bed bugs, even if residents are not sleeping
there. In these cases, inspection will be more difficult due to the many inaccessible hiding
spots.
• Inspect pillows and cushions, particularly the
seams and the folds around zippers.
• Look at and under legs of chairs and couches.
• Turn over the furniture and remove the thin
cloth backing under each piece.
• Pay special attention to staples and where
material is stapled to the frame.
• Look inside at all wood parts of the frame.
• If the piece is highly infested, consider
disposing of it in a proper manner (see below
for furniture disposal guidelines).
Inspecting the room perimeter:
Once established, bed bugs will spread toward the perimeter of the room, including walls,
moldings, and rugs.
• Look at moldings or the joint between the
floor and wall closest to the bed.
• Use the crevice tool to check behind
moldings. The tool will chase bed bugs out
of hiding if used in a sweeping upward
motion.
• Fold back the edges of wall-to-wall carpets
to inspect for signs of bed bugs.
• Pay attention to the tack strip of carpets.
• Look under the edges of area rugs.
• Using a screwdriver, remove electrical
switch and outlet, and phone jack plates to
inspect. If bed bugs are hiding in these areas, signs may be evident along the edges
and on the back of the plate.
• Inspect everything hanging on the walls. If framed art or photos are present and there
is evidence of bed bugs nearby, open the frame to inspect inside or under the paper
backing.
• Check under loose wallpaper and areas of
peeling paint.
• Take down curtain rods and inspect inside them
and underneath hardware on the walls.
• Look at closet, bathroom and other door frames, along hinges, and in the bore hole for
the latch on each door.
• Make a note if bed bugs are found on walls. Ceiling lights and fixtures with bed bugs
could indicate that they are moving from the upper floor unit.
• If bed bugs are on walls, they may hide under
ceiling moldings and in smoke detectors.
Treatments for Bed Bug Elimination
Vacuuming:
• Once the room has been “stripped” of all personal belongings, begin vacuuming the bed, paying special attention to the mattress seams.
• Use a crevice tool and a scraping motion.
• Remove the mattress and box spring from the bed frame and inspect and vacuum all surfaces, removing all loose debris and visible bed bugs.
• Flip the bed frame over and vacuum and crevices where bed bugs may hide. This is especially important for wooden bed frames and captain’s beds.
• Vacuum inside and under drawers of night stands, dressers, and other furniture in the room.
• Turn over each piece of furniture and vacuum the under sides of each.
• Pay attention to screw and nail holes, using a credit card crevice tool.
• Vacuum along the bottoms of all walls and the moldings. If molding or wallpaper is loose lift or remove and vacuum beneath.
• Make sure to vacuum around heating units.
• Vacuum along carpet edges.
• Vacuum plush furniture with a carpet beater attachment or by patting the furniture while vacuuming to flush out bed bugs.
• If a vacuum brush attachment is used it is possible some live bugs or eggs could be caught in the brush bristles. Wash the vacuum brush with hot water and detergent if this is a concern
Use of Pesticides
Pesticides are an important tool in the fight against bed bugs, however they should be applied
by a licensed and well-trained pest management professional. Many legal over-the-counter
and some illegal products are readily available to the public. When working with residents it
is very important to stress that they should not apply pesticides to city owned and operated
buildings. Residents should not attempt to do their own pest control. They should contact
their building management to report pest problems and should be reminded to follow the
guidelines for cleaning and room preparation.
Incorrect use of pesticides for bed bugs poses several risks:
• Overexposure to pesticides can cause or exacerbate already existing health issues.
• Children are more susceptible to toxic effects of pesticides than adults.
• People tend to treat places where they see bed bugs, including the bed, which may
result in more pesticide exposure.
• Unskilled use of pesticides can result in the spread of bed bugs into adjacent rooms.
• Bed bugs are developing resistance to pesticides used against them.
When bed bugs appear in a communal living facility, it is best to hire a pest management
professional and work closely with their technician to manage bed bugs safely and
effectively. The technician will conduct an inspection to confirm and locate bed bugs. This
person will them make recommendations for preparing the room for treatment. Cleaning
should be performed before pesticide treatment.
Only a few types of pesticides are available for use against bed bugs. They come in different
formulations (liquid, aerosol, dust) but many have the same mode of action. Some low-risk
products are available. Consult a pest management professional for information about
treatment choices. The types of pesticides that are commonly used for the control of bed bugs
include:
• Liquid insecticide for treatment of moldings, carpet edges, cracks and crevices.
• Aerosol insecticides for treating bed frames, box springs, furniture, cracks and
crevices.
• Dusts (that may or may not include an insecticide compound) used in cracks and
crevices, inside walls, behind electrical outlet covers and switch plates.