Don't Get Bitten by
the Resurgence of Bed Bugs
Properly identifying a bed bug
infestation is the key to quick control.
By Laura Krueger
Laura Krueger is an entomologist and technical trainer at Western
Exterminating Co., Irvine, Calif.
Contributor
The bed bug has plagued America since its introduction
into the New World by colonists. Prior to World War II, bed bugs were fairly
common in dwellings with a high occupant turnover and questionable sanitation
practices. After the advent of DDT and increased regulation of the used
furniture market, the prevalence of bed bugs greatly decreased.
Over the last five years, however, pest management
professionals (PMPs) across the United States have been experiencing an increase
in bed bug complaint calls. Pest management technology has evolved significantly
in many areas over the last 50 years, with the development of baits, heat
technology and insect growth regulators (IGRs). However, the methods used to
control bed bugs have not changed since the 1960s.
The increase in bed bug treatments by pest control
companies is evident across the U.S. Kevin Moran, a Residex Corp. technical
sales representative based in Norwood, Mass., reports that he has noticed a
tenfold increase in bed bug complaint calls in 1999 from 1998.
At Western Exterminator Co. in Los Angeles, Calif.,
entomologists usually identify one to three bed bug specimens per year. In 1999,
entomologists identified 10 specimens of bed bugs. Michael Chapman, technical
director for Western Exterminator Co., points out that prior to 1999, he had
only identified two specimens in his nine-year career.
The industry-wide increase in bed bugs is not only
centered in metropolitan areas. Jay Bruesch, technical director for Plunkett's
Pest Control, Inc., Fridley, Minn., has also noticed a general increase in bed
bug complaint calls over the last five years.
In the past, bed bugs were only associated with
dwellings whose sanitation was less than adequate. This generalization is no
longer adequate. Gayle Van Gordon, a public health entomologist with the Los
Angeles Public Health Department, noted that many of her bed bug calls over the
last year have come from upscale hotels and private homes that have good
sanitation practices. This observation suggests that poor sanitation may no
longer dictate where a bed bug infestation will take hold. A much more
reasonable explanation is that bed bugs are likely to be found in dwellings with
a high rate of occupant turnover.
To what can this increase in bed bugs be attributed?
Although there is no definite answer to this question, there are many ideas
about the resurgence. The most feasible hypothesis is that people are traveling
internationally much more frequently and are likely to encounter more insects,
such as bed bugs. Recent infestations in New Jersey have been attributed to
nannies coming from Eastern Europe. In addition, notes Pat Hottel, technical
director at W.B. McCloud and Co., Springfield, Ill., some infested apartment
complexes have high immigrant populations.
Bed bug infestations are not just transported by
people, however. They can also be dispersed on furniture, and residential
infestations are often traced to used furniture purchases. As human culture
becomes more global, so will human ectoparasites.
Public Health Concerns
The human bed bug is primarily an ectoparasite
of humans. Bed bugs are suspected carriers of a variety of diseases, including
leprosy, oriental sore, kala-azar, Q-fever, relapsing fever and brucellosis.
However, transmission of these diseases to humans has not been scientifically
proven.
The bed bug, like most parasites, causes a nearly
painless bite, with only a slight tingling sensation when the insect feeds.
Immediately after feeding, the bite area turns red and itches for several hours.
This reaction is an allergic one that is stimulated by the saliva that is
injected during the bite.
Approximately 20 percent of the population will show no
reaction to the bite. In rare cases, individuals may have an adverse reaction,
producing massive swelling around the bite area. Bed bugs will feed on poultry,
English sparrows, mice, rats, guinea pigs and bats when a human food source is
not available.
Bed Bug Biology
Immature bed bugs require a blood meal before
each molt, with a total of five nymphal instars. One bed bug will need at least
six blood meals to complete development, and then will actively feed as an
adult. Because of this feeding pattern, a serious infestation can cause anemia
in small children. The development time from egg to adult is approximately 21
days, however, this number is temperature-dependent.
Under 61 degrees Fahrenheit, the bed bugs will enter
semihibernation until the temperature reaches around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The
developmental period also depends on the insect's last blood meal. If a nymph is
unable to feed, it can still survive up to 51 days waiting for a blood meal.
This means that a vacated structure can still harbor large populations of bed
bugs waiting for the next potential meal.
Adult bed bugs can live around a year when provided
with a stable food source. Females lay anywhere from one to 12 eggs per day,
which are "cemented" in cracks and crevices. An adult female bed bug
lays approximately 541 eggs during her lifetime.
Insecticides are not active on the egg stage, and
often, small cracks and crevices are missed during application. For this reason,
a residual insecticide should be applied to kill emerging nymphs.
Although serious infestations of bed bugs can contain
thousands of insects, they remain hidden during the day when PMPs or tenants are
likely to look for them. Because of this tendency, an infestation is not readily
apparent. Oftentimes, an indication of an infestation is blood speckles on
bedding. In large infestations, an obnoxiously sweet odor, emitted from the
insect's scent glands, is noticeable. If bed bugs are suspected, a careful
inspection of mattress buttons and beading, in boxsprings and in bed frame
crevices should produce the insects. Other places to look for bed bugs include
picture frames, night stands, stuffed furniture, baseboards, floor board cracks,
behind loose wallpaper, light switches, door and window frames, conduits and
wall voids.
Customer Cooperation Needed
The measures used to control bed bug
infestations have not changed over the last 30 years. The control of
infestations requires cooperation between the pest technician and customer. The
tenants or homeowners should launder bed linens and vacuum rooms and mattresses
daily.
Potential bedbug harborage areas need to be removed to
eliminate hiding areas. This includes removing pictures from walls, cleaning up
cluttered storage and removing area rugs. The mattress, box springs and
upholstery should be treated with an appropriately labeled pesticide.
It is important to read the pesticide label before
treatment. Few pesticides are labeled for bed bugs, and no residuals are labeled
for use on mattresses. However, mattresses can be fogged with an aerosol
pyrethrin to kill adults. These treatments should be done in the morning to
allow proper aeration time before the resident returns to sleep that night.
Never treat a bed without removing the linens.
Major infestations might involve treating underneath
carpeting and fumigating mattresses and box springs. Vikane gas is labeled for
bed bugs at two times the rate for drywood termite infestations. If possible,
have the fumigator erect a fumigation chamber outside of the building so the
mattresses can be fumigated on-site.
Care should be used when applying pesticides in a large
institutional setting. Wall voids should be dusted with a pesticide dust to
eliminate harborage areas.
When inspecting a facility with a bed bug infestation,
proper identification of the bed bug is necessary. There are other two species
of bed bug, the barn swallow bug and the bat bug. Both species will enter
structures and feed on humans if the nests are disturbed. Western Exterminator
Co. has identified these insects infesting buildings after fall migration of
birds, when the insects enter the home looking for another blood meal. In these
situations, removing the nest and vacuuming live insects will stop the problem
from persisting.
As bed bugs resurface in the general population, it is
important that PMPs are able to recognize the pest and advise property owners of
solutions to the problem. The first step in this process is to correctly
identify the bed bug problem and implement integrated pest management (IPM)
principles for control.
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