Infestation is usually triggered as soon as the bed bugs reproduce and females are able to lay eggs throughout their new home. Bed bugs are drawn to tight, enclosed spaces, such as cracks in floors and walls, closets and the undersides of mattresses. Respondents noted that they are most likely to detect bed bugs in the following environments:.
Recognizing evidence of bed bug infestation is crucial for controlling and exterminating these resilient pests. Bed bug bites leave raised, red bumps on the skin that produce a severe itch for several days. Many people use bite marks to identify bed bugs, as well. However, the NPMA notes that many insects and other pests cause bites similar to that of a bed bug. Those who suspect a bed bug infestation based on bites should also look for the other warning signs listed above. In many cases, travelers unwittingly transport bed bugs after returning from a trip.
Overnight stays in hotels, motels and other lodgings have also been linked to bed bug introduction. Travelers should carefully check their shoes, luggage and other personal items for bed bug warning signs before bringing them into their home. They should also wash all clothing and dry in a hot setting for at least 30 minutes. Those traveling within the U. Other common sources of bed bugs include used clothing and furniture.
Any used items should be inspected before they are purchased. As an added precaution, wash all used clothes and dry them on a hot setting before wearing them for the first time; avoid trying on used garments in stores, if possible. Home and property owners are encouraged to exercise the following precautions:. Finally, the NPIC discourages the use of pesticides as a bed bug prevention method.
Studies have found that residues and other substances are not effective deterrents; pesticides must be sprayed directly onto live bed bugs in order to exterminate them. Read more about pesticide treatments and other tried-and-true methods of bed bug eradication in the next section. Live insects and fecal stains on mattress surfaces are two telltale signs of a bed bug infestation. There are several effective techniques for exterminating bed bug populations and restoring your home to a pest-free environment. Also, avoid throwing away your mattress and bedding, furniture and other household items that may serve as harborage areas.
These belongings can be quite expensive to replace, and complete disposal will be unnecessary as long as you use proper extermination methods. Next, scour the entire building to determine which rooms are experiencing the highest rates of infestation. First check bedrooms, living room sofa beds and any other places where people sleep. Once the primary harborage areas have been located, you can attempt to exterminate your homegrown bed bug populations using these do-it-yourself methods:.
If your entire home is infested, your best option for dealing with bed bugs will involve the assistance of a pest control specialist. Professional services may also be required for those living in rental units, since other residents may also be at risk; any apartment tenants with bed bug concerns should contact their landlord immediately.
Some bed bug specialists have also embraced the less conventional method of canine bed bug detection. Dogs can be trained to find the scent of bed bugs; according to Bed Bug General, there are more than bed bug canines working in the U. Several insecticide treatments for bed bugs are available. The Environmental Protection Agency EPA has registered more than chemical products used to exterminate bed bug populations. These materials fall into seven general classifications:. A wide range of products on the market are used to kill bed bugs.
Fumigation is often used as a last-resort method of bed bug control. This method involves raising temperatures throughout a home or building. Eventually the heat will enter cracks, crevices and other areas where bed bugs thrive. Heat sensors placed in different rooms will monitor the temperature, and also ensure proper airflow. Like fumigation, this method is somewhat expensive and should only be administered by professionals.
Once the infestation has been contained and all bed bugs have been killed, you must monitor your home to ensure the little pests do not return. Check mattress and box spring encasements on a regular basis, and use alcohol to kill any lingering bed bugs you encounter. Also consider installing some interceptor traps throughout your home. These shallow, cup-shaped devices are placed beneath all bed posts and furniture legs; since these features are usually slippery, the interceptor will act as an inescapable moat for bed bugs that slip and fall.
Glue traps may be useful, as well. These devices can be placed in dark areas of the bedroom, as well as spaces behind pictures, furniture and bed headboards. If your encasements, interceptor traps and glue traps are mostly bug-free, then your infestation has probably been controlled; if a large number of bed bugs still appear, then you may want to consider another inspection and chemical treatment. According to the Bugs Without Borders survey, pest specialists conduct an average of 2. Bed bugs are only found in dirty places.
While clutter and unsanitary conditions may contribute to bed bug infestation, the animals can thrive anywhere. Bed bugs may be initially drawn to mattresses and box springs, but they will quickly spread to other areas of a house without proper treatment. Bed bugs hate light, so keeping the light on while I sleep will prevent them from biting me. While bed bugs are nocturnal, most studies have shown that artificial light is not effective as a deterrent to nighttime bed bug bites.
Bed bugs can make me sick. Bed bug bites are painful and itchy, no question. But leading scientific experts have concluded that the animals do not spread any diseases, nor can they transmit blood-borne pathogens between human hosts. My pet could get sick from bed bug bites. Dogs, cats and other animals may transport bed bugs into different rooms and areas of a house. However, bed bugs only bite human hosts. Bed bugs are resistant to most store-bought pesticides, including sprays and residues.
Most mattresses, box springs and other furniture can be fully treated for bed bugs and restored to pristine condition. Only throw out your belongings if multiple treatments prove ineffective. It is important to research the use, potential health effects and EPA regulations for different bed bug treatment products. However, most are available for private use and will not cause serious problems if properly administered.
Fumigation is the only sure-fire way to get rid of bed bugs.
Fumigation is highly effective for controlling bed bug populations, but this method should only be used as a last resort for extermination. The improper disposal of infested furniture also facilitates the spread of bed bugs. Marking the discarded items as infested can help prevent infesting new areas. Bed bugs can go without feeding for 20 to days, depending on temperature and humidity. Older stages of nymphs can survive longer without feeding than younger ones, and adults have survived without food for more than days in the laboratory at low temperatures.
Adults may live up to one year or more, and there can be up to four successive generations per year. Vacuuming helps with reducing bed bug infestations, but does not eliminate bed bugs hidden inside of materials. Also, unless the contents of the vacuum are emptied immediately after each use, bedbugs may crawl out through the vacuum's hoses and re-establish themselves. Vacuuming with a large bristle attachment can also aid in removing hidden bugs as well. Steam treatment can effectively kill all stages of bed bugs.
To be effective, steam treatment must reach — degrees Fahrenheit 65 - 75 degrees C for a sustained period. Unfortunately, bed bugs hide in a diversity of places, making steam treatment very tedious, labour-intensive and time consuming. There is also the risk of the steam not penetrating materials enough to kill hidden bed bugs. The steam may also damage materials such as varnished wood, or cause mold from the moisture left behind.
Effective treatment requires repeated and very thorough steaming of the mattress, box spring, bed frame, bed covers, pillows, not to mention other materials and objects within the infested room, such as carpets and curtains. Infested clothes can be effectively treated by a high-temperature ironing with vapor.
If performed meticulously, this method yields faster disinfection compared to high-temperature washing in a washing machine. However, attention should be paid in order to avoid bedbug escape from the ironed clothes. For volumetric objects e. In this manner, the lethal temperatures propagate with certainty deep inside the object, which is not necessarily the case of a washing machine cleaning cycle.
For smaller objects, pouring boiling water from a kettle onto the object located in a basin may be enough to kill bed bugs and eggs.
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Clothes dryers can be used for killing bed bugs in clothing and blankets. Infested clothes and bedding are first washed in hot water with laundry detergent then placed in the dryer, and then after the items are completely dry, continue drying for at least 20 minutes longer at high heat.
Bed bug control techniques
Sterilized fabrics from the dryer are thus easily re-infested. Continually treating materials in this fashion is labour-intensive, and in itself does not eliminate the infestation. Placing belongings in a hot box, a device that provides sustained heat at temperatures that kills bedbugs, larvae, and eggs, but that does not damage clothing, is an option. Pest control companies often rent the devices at nominal cost and it may make sense for frequent travelers to invest in one.
Heat treatment is generally considered to be the best method of eradication because it is capable of destroying an entire infestation with a single treatment. HEPA air filtration is normally used during any heat treatment to capture particulate and biological matter that may be aerosolized during the heating process.
This temperature range should be effective at killing eggs as well as all stages of bugs. Most home freezers are capable of maintaining this temperature. Preliminary research has shown the fungus Beauveria bassiana , which has been used for years as an outdoor organic pesticide, is also highly effective at eliminating bed bugs exposed to cotton fabric sprayed with fungus spores. It is also effective against bed bug colonies due to the spores carried by infected bugs back to their harborages.
Unlike typical insecticides, exposure to the fungus does not kill instantly, but kills bugs within five days of exposure. Some people, especially those with compromised immune systems, may react negatively to the concentrated presence of the fungus directly following an application. Early research shows that the common drug taken to get rid of parasitic worms , ivermectin Stromectol , also kills bed bugs when taken by humans at normal doses. The drug enters the human bloodstream and if the bedbugs bite during that time, the bedbug will die in a few days.
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Ivermectin is also effective against mosquitoes , which can be useful controlling malaria. Natural enemies of bed bugs include the masked hunter or masked bed bug hunter insect, [38] cockroaches , [39] ants , spiders particularly Thanatus flavidus , mites , and centipedes particularly the house centipede Scutigera coleoptrata. However, biological pest control is not considered practical for eliminating bed bugs from human dwellings.
While there have been few studies, the known predators of bedbugs are listed in the section on "parasites and predators" of a academic paper on bedbugs and public health. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. February Learn how and when to remove this template message. Retrieved 2 March Retrieved 10 April Insecticide resistance in the bed bug: Szalanski; Rebecca Trout; Jackie A. Retrieved 21 December Explicit use of et al.
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Bed Bugs Tip Sheet: Office Property Managers - Orkin
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