How to Sleep Tight,and Not

Let the Bed Bugs Bite!

Photo by Dr. Susan Jones – Ohio State U.

By: David N. Gaines, Ph.D.VDH – Division of Environmental Epidemiology

Bed Bug HistoryBed bugs have probably been a companion of humans

since the time of cave dwellers.

Bed bugs feed entirely on blood and prefer human blood, but may also feed on poultry and other birds.

Bed bugs do their feeding at night when their sleeping human hosts are easier & safer to feed on.

Bed bugs were a common household pest until the 1940s when chemical pesticides were developed.

Bed bugs became rare in the 1960s and did not become a problem again until recently.

Bed bugs show considerable resistance to the pyrethroid insecticides that are now widely used.

Why Bed Bugs Have ReturnedChanges in pest management strategies in the 1980s

Introduction of bed bugs into U.S. on the luggage of foreign travelers, and re-infestation by native bugs.

We have a very mobile society that can carry the bugs to all corners of the U.S.

Adoption of IPM strategies – e.g., targeted home cockroach and ant control - less liquid insecticides sprayed around the home.

Introduction and use of pest specific baits instead of liquid insecticides (bed bugs don’t eat cockroach or ant baits!).

Widespread reliance on pyrethroid insecticides for pest control.

Bed Bug AppearanceAdult bed bugs are oval shaped, flattened, and are about 1/4

to 3/8 of an inch long.

Photo by Dr. Susan Jones – Ohio State U. Photo by Dr. Susan Jones – Ohio State U.

Photo by Dr. Susan Jones – Ohio State U.

Bed bugs go through an egg stage, and five nymph stages before they become reproductive adults.

Each nymph stage must have a full blood meal before it can grow into the next stage.

An adult female must have a blood meal to be able lay eggs & will lay 5 - 20 eggs over the period of a week (at a rate of 2 - 3 eggs per day).

She will then seek her next blood meal.

The Bed Bug Life Cycle

Photo by Dr. Susan Jones – Ohio State U.

nymph

Bed Bug Life CycleBed bug development rates are temperature dependent

Development is faster in warmer environments and slower in colder environments.

At typical household temperatures (70 - 80°F) bed bug eggs hatch in 6 to 10 days, and nymphs take a meal and molt every 5 to 8 days, making development time from egg to adult31 days at 80°F and 50 days at 70°F.

Photo by Dr. Susan Jones – Ohio State U.

nymph

A Bed Bug Life Necessity !A harborage that is relatively close to a sleeping source of blood.

Bed bugs live as close as possible to beds or chairs that are slept in.

Some Common Bed Bug Harborages

Along seams, folds and piping of mattresses, upholstered furniture, and between cushions.

In holes, cracks and crevices found in bed frames, bedside furniture, lamp bases, etc.

Other Common Bed Bug HarboragesUnder picture frames.

Behind loose baseboards.

In electrical outlets and electrical appliances (e.g., clock radio, lamp).

Behind peeling wallpaper.

Along curtain seams and in curtain rod fixtures.

In cracks and holes around window frames.

Under carpet edges.

In bureau and cabinet drawers.

Along the corner of the wall and ceiling above the bed.

1. Brown or black fecal stains around a harborage. Bed bugs take large blood meals and void digested blood in and

around their hiding place.

Photo by Dr. M. Potter – U. of Kentucky Photo by B. Ogg – UNL Extension, Lancaster Co.

Photo by Dr. Susan Jones – Ohio State U.

Common Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation

Common Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation2. Eggs, egg cases and shed exoskeletons (skins)

from molted bugsBed bugs glue their eggs to items on or near a bed.

Common Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation2. Fecal stains and bug aggregations.

Common Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation2. Eggs, egg cases, bugs and fecal stains.

4. Bed bug bites

A bed bug will move and bite repeatedly until it finds a good place to feed; bites often appear in a line or in a patch.

Bed bugs mostly bite exposed areas of skin that are not covered with clothing.

Other Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation

Photo by Dr. Susan Jones – Ohio State U.

Photo from Fletcher et al. , 2002

3. Blood spots or stains on bedding (sheets)

4. Bed bug bites Bed bug bites may (rarely) cause

severe bullous “blister-like” reactions in certain people.

Other Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation

Photo by Leverkus et al., 2006.

Bites do not always serve as good evidence of a bed bug infestation because:

a. anywhere from 30 % to 50% of Americans do not have any noticeable reaction to bed bug bites, and

b. bites caused by some other insects (e.g. fleas) may sometimes have a similar appearance.

Therefore, it is recommended that one find additional evidence of an infestation before taking action.

Bed Bug Control in the HomeBed bug infestations can be very difficult and

costly to eliminate and any control effort must be very thorough because:

a. Bugs can hide in places (e.g., inside walls) that are easily overlooked, and survive relatively long periods without eating.

b. Bugs and eggs can infest many parts of a room as well as personal effects (e.g., books, artwork, electronic gadgets).

d. The more personal effects and clutter in a home, the greater the control effort and cost will be.

c. Personal effects that cannot be laundered or treated with insecticides must be heat treated or fumigated.

Bedroom Clutter: A Bed Bug’s Dream Habitat

Bed Bug Control in the HomeThere are a number of different methods that can

be used in combination to treat an infested room.

Vacuuming - Removes live bugs, some eggs, and bug debris.

Steaming - Kills bugs and eggs on mattress, upholstered furniture and along edges of carpet.

Room Heat Treatment – Kills bugs and eggs in furniture, personal effects, and all areas of the room.

Application of Residual Insecticides – Applied along wall edges, and in cracks, crevices, holes, electrical outlets or wall voids to kill bugs and eggs and make treated areas un-livable for bugs in the near future.

Heat treatment or Fumigation in Chamber – Kills bugs and eggs on personal effects.

Laundering - Kills bed bugs on cloth items.

How Bed Bugs Come Into a Home

Bed bugs can be brought into a home when that home’s residents visit and sleep in hotels or homes that are infested with bugs.

During the night, resident bed bugs may lay eggs on the visitor’s clothing, shoes, suitcase, backpack or other personal items. These eggs get transported back to the visitor’s home where they hatch.

Bed bugs can also climb into the visitor’s suitcase, backpack, or coat and be transported back to the visitor’s home.

1. Travel-related infestations

How Bed Bugs Come Into a Home

Bed bugs and their eggs can come into a home in used mattresses or furniture that have been purchased or found.

Bug eggs may also be on used books or other items purchased at yard sales.

Bed bugs can easily move through cracks in walls, or along wire conduits and pipes from an infested apartment into an un-infested apartment.

2. By traveling on previously owned objects brought into the home

3. By crawling from adjacent apartments.

How to Avoid Bringing Bed Bugs HomeUse caution when bringing used objects into the

home by: 1. Knowing and trusting the source of the imported object.

2. Inspecting objects carefully for bed bug signs, and treating objects before they come into the home.

Sterifab ® can be purchased and sprayed on mattresses, or furniture upholstery to kill bugs and eggs.

Suspect objects should be cleaned thoroughly, and/or treated with insecticides or heat.

Objects can be bagged and sealed with a NoPest® Strip and left for a few weeks before use.

Objects can be bagged and sealed and left in a hot car (i.e., parked in the sun) for a week or two.

a. Carefully inspect any room where you sleep; carry a small flashlight to help with this process.

How to Avoid Bringing Bed Bugs or Their Eggs Home When Traveling Overnight

How to Avoid Bringing Bed Bugs Home When Traveling Overnight

b. Do not place clothes in dresser drawers, on the floor or anywhere near the bed; keep them in the suitcase or hang them on hangers if necessary.

c. Do not keep suitcase, bag or backpack on bed or furniture; place them on a baggage stand away from the bed and any walls.

d. Do not place shoes under bed; place them in the open or on the luggage rack.

How Long does it take Before a Bed bug Infestation Becomes Evident?

When bed bug eggs have been brought into a home that is kept at 70°F, it may be about 50 days before the bugs become reproductive adults.

Assuming that both male and female adults are present, it may be about another month before the offspring of these bugs become numerous enough to be noticed.

If no one in the house reacts to bed bug bites, another month may pass before the infestation becomes readily evident to a casual observer.

Bed bug eggs are more likely to be the source of a new infestation (in free standing homes) because of their small size and greater chance of surviving transportation.

How to Avoid Bringing Bed Bugs Home When Traveling Overnight

If you have slept or stayed in a hotel/motel or house that had signs of bed bugs, or was suspect, you should:

a. Remove all clothes from travel bags as soon as you get home, bag them (in trash bags) and take them directly to the laundry for washing and drying on high heat

b. Hard cover suitcases can be bagged with a NoPest® strip and stored until next use.

c. Back packs or soft travel bags can be tumble dried on heat for ½ hour to kill any eggs or bugs present.

Bed Bug Introductions at Public School Facilities

Students whose homes are infested with bugs may bring bed bugs into schools on their personal belongings.

Eggs could have been laid on the child’s clothing, shoes, backpack, books, or other personal items and brought to the facility where they hatch.

Student-borne bug introductions

Bed bug survival in a school environment is highly unlikelybecause bugs would not have a chance to feed on people in that active daytime environment.

Bed bug survival in school environment ?

Without blood-meals, immature bugs cannot grow into adults, and mated adults cannot lay eggs.

Bugs may be carried to school in a student’s backpack or coat and move from there to another person’s coat or bag and end up in a new home.

Bugs may hide in a library book, or eggs could be laid on that book in one student’s home and that book may end up in another student’s home.

Bug transferal from student to student or staff

Chance of transferred bed bugs starting a colony in other student’s homeOnly mated adult female bugs can lay eggs, so multiple

immature male and female bugs, or a mated adult female bug would have to be transferred.

Bed Bug Introductions at Public School Facilities

Bed Bug Introductions at Public School Facilities

Chance of transferred bed bugs starting a colony in other student’s home

Successful infestation of a new home might be more likely on an egg infested library book because there may be multiple eggs that hatch into male and female bugs which may eventually grow up and mate.

As transportation of bed bugs in coats and bags is hazardous to the bugs, and it is unlikely that more than one bug would transfer to another student’s coat or bag, that student is unlikely to carry more than one bug home and chances are low that it would be a mature, mated female bug.

Suggestions for Bed Bug Prevention at Public School Facilities

1. Students from infested homes should store their bags and coats in a sealable plastic container while in school, until home infestation is resolved.

2. Schools can purchase a clothes dryer to heat-treat a student’s coat or bag while they are at school; clothes dryers with drying racks can be used to heat-treat items that cannot be tumbled.

3. Librarians should carefully inspect all returned books for signs of bed bugs.

4. School libraries may also purchase a small heat-treatment chamber to de-infest suspect books that have been returned.

Acknowledgements Dr. Dini Miller, Ph.D. - Virginia Tech Department of Entomology,

Urban Entomology Laboratory.

Dr. Linn Haramis, Ph.D. - Illinois State Public Health Entomologist, Illinois Dept. of Health

Questions?