Bed bugs bounce back
Bed bugs have re-emerged as the pest of the 21st century. Bed bugs pose a public health threat nationwide, especially in metropolitan centers including the San Francisco Bay Area. Pestec has been practicing innovative pest control using integrated pest management to combat the remergence of bed bugs in the Bay Area. Pestec's integrated pest management (IPM) plan for bed bug control uses economically viable and sustainable practices which reduce the risk of pesticide exposure by employing the bed bug heat treatment. As opposed to traditional pesticide applications, Pestec's bed bug heat treatment controls every aspect of the bed bug life cycle.
The stars of the Pestec bed bug team are our rigorously trained bed bug dog K9 units. Our bed bug sniffing dogs were trained at the Florida Canine Academy by master trainer Bill Whitstine. Bed bugs are not easily visible under ideal inspection conditions; however, the acute sense of smell of our beagles and the rigorous training they undergo all year round make them perfect bed bug detectives!
Pestec specializes in proactive bed bug management for residential buildings in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through regular bed bug inspections and a preemptive approach to potential bed bug infestations, Pestec can help you protect your reputation as a conscientious and responsible property manager. Pestec also provides building maintenance staff training on bed bugs and bed bug detection. Pestec can also develop proactive bed bug abatement programs for hotels and resorts.
Turn up the heat
Pestec is now offering heat treatments for bed bugs. Heat treatments are a low-impact treatment method that can kill all stages of the bed bug life cycle. Pestec uses large heaters to create an environment inhospitable to bed bugs. Elevating a room's temperature and it's contents to 118 degrees F for 90 minutes or 122 degrees F for one hour will eliminate every stage of the bed bug life cycle.
For more information on Pestec's bed bug services please contact us
The San Francisco Department of Health has developed a set of useful guidelines for controlling a bed bug infestation. These guidelines also provide information for tenants and property managers about bed bugs. The California department of health has a similar set of guidelines, a helpful slide presentation and more on their extensive bed bug page.
Cornell University has a very helpful FAQ on bed bugs.
For more information on our bed bug K9 units visit the Florida Canine Academy.
Also check out bedbugger.com for the scoop on the re-mergence of bed bugs.
Pestec is an EcoWise Certified and Green Shield Certified IPM provider.
Introduction to Cimex lectularius, the human bed bug
Cimex lectularius, commonly referred to as the bed bug, has been a pest to human beings for ages. It has been many decades since they have been a real threat to our quality of life, but recently bed bugs are becoming a nationwide, and worldwide problem.
There are a couple of theories to their return. For one it has been demonstrated that many strains of bed bugs in the U.S. are some serveral hundred times resistant to the insecticides that most pest control companies rely on. Secondly, bed bugs are more common in cities with abundant tourism. The theory is that bed bugs are possibly making their way over as "stowaways" in luggage from other countries as globalization has increased international travel.
We do know that most strains of bed bugs are resistant to the chemicals available today for control, that bed bugs become resistant to the chemical DDT within a decade of it's introduction and that further chemical resistance can be expected in the future. An integrated pest management approach that utilizes multiple non-chemical methods and materials is therefore the only sustainable, and right now, the only viable approach to bed bug management.
Bed bugs have been found infesting hotels, apartments, movie theaters and private homes. It is common to find infestations in highly populated cities with an abundance of international visitors from Europe, South America, and Asia where the bed bugs are more likely to thrive. Although bed bugs survive on blood -- not filth -- it is much easier to eliminate bed bugs from an orderly room than a cluttered, unsanitary one. Bed bugs can even spread into the cleanest of hotels, restaurants, residential homes and apartments undetected. Bed bugs have been known to spread through second-hand furniture, bus seats and other used articles. Because the hitch-hiking bed bugs spread so easily, their ability to infest so rapidly is a major concern.
Bed Bug Identification
- *Adults are broad, oval and flat, approximately 4-5 mm long and 3 mm wide.
- *They range in color from brown to reddish brown (after a blood meal).
- *Prior to feeding bed bug nymphs appear translucent or pale in color. Nymphs resemble adults but are not dark like adults.
- *Their bodies are covered with short, fine, golden-colored hairs that are almost invisible to the naked eye.
- *They have a 4 segmented antenna with the third segment being longer than the second or fourth.
- *The pronotum is deeply concaved to hold the head.
- *Bed bugs give off a distinctive, disagreeable, sweet odor from scent glands when crushed.
- *They will sometimes deposit undigested parts of their blood meals on bedding which leaves a "rusty" residue.
- *Their fecal stains are deposited in cracks in crevices in headboards, on mattress and boxpsring seams, and other crevices usually near the sleeping area.
- *They look like black ink stains and will smear when scratched.
Three stages of the bed bug life cycle. White casings are eggs, smaller, hay colored bed bugs are nymphs or moltings (cast skins), and big brownish redish bugs are adults. The felt tip ink like blotches are tell tale signs of bed bug activity on beds and furniture.
Bed bug identification
Egg!! Nymph!! Adult!!
Clear with white color
Brown to mahogany
Distinctive characteristics: Oval shaped eggs; Wingless with flat body; Wingless with flat body
Length: 1mm. or 1/32 in. 1-3 mm. or 1/6 in. 3-4 mm. or 3/16 in.
Reproduction and growth: Eggs hatch in 4-21 days depending on room temperature. Gradual metamorphosis. Nymphs molt 5 times during growth, requiring a blood meal before each molt. Adult females lay 1-5 eggs per day and will lay 200-500 eggs in their lifetime
Food: Feed on blood. They prefer human blood, but have also been known to feed on birds bats and chickens
Adults will not lay eggs on humans. Eggs can be found in cracks and crevices, bed frames, and carpeting. Eggs need the right temperature to hatch. below 55.5°F and above 98.5°F eggs cannot hatch and will die. Can be found living in the same areas of adult bed bugs In any stage bed bugs are found in bedrooms, carpets, closets, inside walls, cracks and crevices.
Depending on the availability of food, 4-9 weeks is required from the egg stage to a healthy egg-laying adult. The average life span is 10 months. In a few surprising and interesting cases, bed bugs have been known to live over one year without food.
Why the common bed bug is considered a pest
- *Bed bugs primarily feed on humans but will also attack birds and other mammals.
- *The bed bug bite is usually painless however many people are allergic to their bite and therefore react with itchy welts.
- *Infestations can quickly multiply and spread throughout residential buildings.
- *The common bed bug has been known to carry the causative agents for several diseases, such as anthrax, plague, tularemia, yellow fever, and typhus. However, no conclusive, scientific proof has been found linking bed bugs to these diseases.
Special Regulatory Conditions
*Article 11 Section 581 of the San Francisco Department of Public Health code states that: “No person shall have upon any premises or real property owned, occupied, or controlled by him or her, or it any public nuisance.
*Public health nuisances are defined as: Any noxious insect harborage or infestation including, but not limited to cockroaches, bed bugs, fleas, scabies, lice, spiders or other arachnids, houseflies, wasps and mosquitoes.
Biology and Behavior of the Common Bed Bug
To be successful, management strategies must take into consideration the biology and behavior of the common bed bug. Understanding the biology of a pest can reveal weaknesses and vulnerabilities that can be exploited when trying to manage the pest.
General Biology and Behavior
- *Bed bugs go through several developmental stages including egg, and adult stages. Nymphs will molt 5 times before reaching adulthood. Between each molt, bed bugs need at least one blood meal.
- *Bed bugs feed on blood, mainly from humans but also birds and other animals.
- *Females can lay 1-5 eggs per day deposited in cracks, crevices, or other dark, hidden places.
- *Eggs are very small (1 mm) in length, oval and are white. The eggs are sticky and will remain in the same place they are laid.
- *Eggs are found in cracks, bed frames, box springs, and carpeting.
- *Eggs need the right temperature to hatch. Eggs will die below 55.5° F and above 98.5° F.
- *It takes between 4-21 days for eggs to hatch, depending on temperature.
- *At 70 to 90 degrees F bed bugs can complete the egg to adult cycle in as little as 1 month.
- *It takes about 3-10 minutes for bed bugs to get a whole blood meal.
- *Adults and nymphs can be found in carpets, side walls, bedding, clothing, drawers, headboards, light fixtures, baseboards, pillows, backpacks and luggage.
- *Bed bugs are nocturnal and usually feed while the person is sleeping.
- *They prefer to hide where they feed, but will move to adjacent rooms if necessary.
- *Bed bugs cannot fly but they can crawl quickly.
- *The average lifespan is 10 months however with certain conditions bed bugs have been known to survive over a year without food.
Feeding Behavior
Bed bugs feed on the blood of humans and animals, having a preference for human blood. Their growth development is dependent upon this feeding. Bed bugs cause an allergic reaction in 80% of the cases. In extreme cases with many bites, nervousness, fatigue, sleeplessness, irritability, nervous and digestive disorders can occur. These symptoms are in addition to the itchy, uncomfortable white bumps caused by the bite. However 20% of people may show no physical symptoms to bed bug bites, and some develop immunity to the ectoparasites. Bed bugs can harbor disease organisms (i.e. relapsing fever, plague, Q fever), but have not been shown to spread viruses or disease.
Common Harborage
Because of their small size, bed bugs are capable of hiding in the smallest of places. Common locations where they are sighted include: mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, light fixtures, baseboards, cracks and crevices, carpets, clothing, blankets, pillows, books, luggage, backpacks, light switches, smoke detectors, wall hangings, etc. Bed bugs are not limited to these places however.
In cases of severe infestation bed bugs have been found crawling on the occupant of the infested residence at which point their is a high-risk of bed bugs "hitch-hiking" to new areas in search of a host. In small infestations where a blood meal is not readily available bed bugs are more prone to hitch-hiking on items, persons, or by crawling away through wall voids, into hallways, etc. to find a more suitable living environment.
Factors that favor the common bed bug
- *Poor sanitation makes inspection and treatment difficult but cleanliness has little to do with the presence of bed bugs.
- *Clutter creates more harborage for bed bugs and makes inspection and treatment difficult.
- *Cracks and crevices in wooden furniture and structural components like baseboards, as well as fabric lined furniture provides the preferred harborage for bed bugs.
- *High people traffic areas creates more opportunities for bed bug introduction.
- *Storage of personal belongings that are not regularly washed and exposed to many public and sleeping areas such as backpacks, luggage, and jackets.
References
*Bennett, Gary; Owens, John, Corrigan, Robert. Truman's Scientific Guide to Pest Control Operations, Fifth Edition. Advanstar Communications. 1997
*Mallis, Arnold. Handbook of Pest Control, Ninth Edition. GIE Media, Inc. 2004.
*Olkowski, William; Daar, Sheila; Olkowski, Helga. Common-Sense Pest Control. Least-toxic solutions for your home, garden, pets and community. The Taunton Press. 1991.
*Smith, Eric; Whitman, Richard. NPCA Field Guide to Structural Pests. NPCA. 1992.
