Armed Forces
TECHNICAL GUIDE NO. 44
Bed Bugs - Importance, Biology,
and Control Strategies
Published and
Distributed by the
Armed Forces
Office of the
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense
for Installations
& Environment
August
2006
Technical Guide No. 44
Bed Bugs - Importance, Biology, and
Control Strategies
Foreword. The common bed bug,
Cimex lectularius L., the tropical bed bug, C. hemipterus (Fabricius),
and a few closely related species of blood-feeding true bugs (Hemiptera:
Cimicidae) have been persistent pests of humans throughout recorded
history. They may have evolved as
cave-dwelling nest ectoparasites of mammals (probably bats), with at least one
species later switching to feed mainly on cave-dwelling humans. As humans moved from caves to tents and, ultimately,
houses, bed bugs, especially the common bed bug, were probably brought along. Bed bugs appear in the literature and folklore
of many cultures and countries, from the Greeks and Romans to early Jewish and
Christian writings, and in the records of colonial Americans (Usinger
1966). After World War II, widespread
use of synthetic insecticides led to sharp declines in bed bug populations in
most industrialized countries. By 1997,
they were so scarce in the
Table of Contents
Biology and Behavior ......................................................................... 7
Appendix 1. Example Bed Bug IPM Template.................................. 15
Acknowledgments
This Technical Guide (TG) was prepared by Dr. Harold J. Harlan. Reviews of the first draft were provided by members of the Real Property Protection and Medical Entomology Committees of the AFPMB and the AFPMB staff. Thanks to Lt Col Terry L. Carpenter, LTC Mustapha Debboun, MAJ Lisa L. O’Brien, Dr. Richard G. Robbins, LTC William J. Sames, Mr. Donald A. Teig, and the many others who contributed to the development and improvement of this TG.
Disclaimer
Trade names are used in this TG to provide specific information and do not imply endorsement of the products named or criticism of similar ones not mentioned. Mention of trade names does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the products by the AFPMB, the Military Services, or the Department of Defense.
Introduction: In recent years, bed bugs have become much more common worldwide, especially in developed countries. The purpose of this TG is to provide general information about the main pest species of bed bugs, including their importance, key aspects of their biology and behavior that can affect control efforts, and strategies and techniques that pest management professionals (PMPs) and others may wish to implement to achieve desired levels of control. Management strategies and techniques chosen will usually be dependent on important details of the local situation, such as physical conditions (especially temperatures), the condition of the human population, military activity, and available control resources and expertise. Unless otherwise stated, the focus of this TG is the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L.
Corrections or suggestions to improve this TG should be addressed to: Editor, TG # 44, Bed Bugs – Importance, Biology, and Control Strategies, Defense Pest Management Information Analysis Center (DPMIAC), Forest Glen Section – WRAMC, Washington, DC 20307-5001, Phone: (301) 295-7476, FAX: (301) 295-7473; or DSN: 295-7476.
Purpose: To provide background information on the importance, biology and behavior of bed bugs that can impact control efforts against them, and to suggest a range of current control strategies and techniques that are known to be effective, with emphasis on integrated methods, timely resolution of the pest problem, and maximum education of, and involvement by, members of the affected human population. Also, to provide additional references to assist decision makers and local PMPs in resolving and preventing bed bug infestations.
Blood feeders. Bed bugs only consume blood, usually feeding
on a mammal (e.g., human, bat) or
bird. They need at least one blood meal
of adequate volume in each active life stage (instar) to develop to the next
stage and to reproduce. There are five
nymphal stages, and each one may feed multiple times if hosts are readily
available. Fig. 1 shows the egg and
nymph stages; Fig. 2 depicts the adult stage.
Fig. 1. Bed bug eggs and nymphs. Photograph by H. J. Harlan.
Fig. 2. Adult female bed bug feeding. Photograph by G. D. Alpert.
Adult bed bugs may feed every
three to five days throughout their estimated six to 12 month life span. The act of biting a host can cause both
physical and psychological discomfort, and can result in local allergic skin
reactions to injected salivary proteins (Feingold et al. 1968).
Potential to transmit human pathogens. Bed bugs have been
found naturally infected with at least 28 human pathogens but have never been
proved to biologically or mechanically transmit any of them (Usinger 1966,
Cooper and Harlan 2004). Shedding of
viral DNA fragments in bug feces and retention of hepatitis B virus through a
normal molt seem to support the possibility of mechanical transmission, as when
bugs are crushed onto abraded human skin (Jupp et al. 1991, Blow et al.
2001).
Bites and health effects. Bed bug bites are usually almost
undetectable, but their saliva contains biologically and enzymatically active
proteins that may cause a progressive, visibly detectable allergenic skin
reaction to repeated bites. Depending on
bite intensity and frequency, there are typically five post-bite effect stages:
no reaction (no or too few antibodies developed), delayed reaction, delayed
plus immediate reaction, immediate reaction only, and no visible reaction (due
to excess circulating IgG antibodies). Typical
symptoms include a raised, inflamed, reddish wheal at each bite site, which may
itch intensely for several days (Fig. 3).
“Immediate” immune reactions may appear from one to 24 hours after a given
bite and may last 1-2 days (Fig. 4) (Feingold et al. 1968).
Fig. 3. Reaction from bed bug bites, 30 minutes after
feeding. Photo by H. J. Harlan.
Fig. 4. Reaction from bed bug bites, 48 hours after feeding. Photo by H. J. Harlan.
"Delayed” immune reactions
usually first appear one to three (up to 14) days after a bite and may last 2-5
days (Feingold et al. 1968). Humans who are frequently bitten by bed bugs
may develop a sensitivity “syndrome” that can include nervousness, almost
constant agitation (“jumpiness”), and sleeplessness. In such cases, either removing the bed bugs
(physically or chemically) or relocating the person can cause the syndrome to
disappear over time. Several additional
cimicid species are known to bite humans, including tropical bed bugs, poultry
bugs, various species of bat bugs, and swallow bugs. A social stigma may be associated with bed
bug infestations (Usinger 1966), but there is currently no requirement to
report infestations to any public health or government agency.
Importance as pests. Because they are nocturnal, use cryptic
harborages, are very small and elusive, and can detect and avoid many
chemicals, including cleaning agents, bed bugs are often difficult to
control. Complete elimination of an
established bed bug population is nearly impossible to accomplish in a single
service visit by most PMPs. They are easily transported on or in luggage,
furniture, boxes, and clothes. Except after
a blood meal, they are very thin and can fit through, or hide in, very narrow
cracks. Unfed adults can live for
several months (sometimes longer than a year), while second through fifth stage
nymphs can survive for at least three months without feeding. The numbers, geographic distribution, and
severity of bed bug infestations are rapidly increasing in Europe, North
America,
Dispersal of bed bugs from one structure or infestation site to another is usually passive – the bugs or their eggs are unknowingly carried in or on pieces of furniture, bedding, luggage, clothing, electronic devices or cardboard boxes. Furniture rentals and purchases of used furniture are rather common, especially in poor communities, and this probably helps rapidly and repeatedly spread bed bugs to new sites and redistribute them back into places from which they may have been eliminated earlier.
Large multi-unit buildings can be
very difficult to rid of bed bugs. Once
they become established, any control effort that does not include concurrent
inspection of all units, together with a coordinated program of treatment and occupant
education, is usually doomed to fail, because the bugs will frequently move
from any partially treated, potentially repellent active site to adjacent rooms
or floors. They readily move through
wall voids, along utility lines, heating ducts, elevator shafts, and laundry or
mail chutes.
Because of their ability to adapt
and survive in any environment suitable for their human hosts, bed bugs can
become established and develop significant populations even in long-term deployment
sites involving only tents as troop shelters.
In more permanent military housing, they can quickly become pests wherever
they are introduced.
Adult bed bugs are about 6-7 mm (3/16-1/4 inch) long, broadly oval, flat, brown to reddish-brown true bugs, with a 3-segmented beak, 4-segmented antennae, and vestigial wings. They have very thin, vertically flattened bodies covered with short, golden-colored hairs. They give off a distinctive musty, sweetish odor, due to certain chemicals that are produced by glands in their ventral thorax. The tips of their abdomens are usually pointed in males but rounded in females. They feed only on blood, usually of mammals or birds, and mate by “traumatic insemination.” It may take 3-12 minutes for one bug to feed to repletion. About 20% of the time, adult bed bugs and large nymphs will void remains of earlier blood meals while feeding. This produces the typical rusty or tarry spots seen on bed sheets or in bug hiding places (Fig. 5). They feed repeatedly, but each of the five nymphal stages must have at least one blood meal before it can develop to the next stage. As well, females must feed in order to produce eggs.
Fig. 5. Bed bug adult on sheet, showing typical fecal spots. Photo by H. J. Harlan.
Bed bugs will travel 5-20 ft. from an established harborage to feed on a host. Although they seem to prefer humans, they readily feed on birds, rodents, or other mammals. Their life cycle from egg to egg may take four to five weeks under favorable conditions [e.g., 75-80% RH; 28-32oC (83-90oF)]. They can survive and remain active at temperatures as low as 7oC, if they are held at an intermediate temperature for a few hours, but their upper thermal death point is 45oC (113oF). Bed bugs are nocturnal but will seek hosts and feed in full daylight when hungry. Females attach their small (1 mm long) cylindrical (about four times as long as their diameter) pearly-white eggs to any nearby surfaces, usually in crevices (harborages), where they hide in loose groups or clusters. Each female may lay 200-500 eggs during her lifetime, which may be 6-12 months or longer. Cast bed bug skins usually accumulate in harborages.
Common bed bugs can be found all
over temperate areas of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres almost anywhere that
humans have established houses and cities.
They thrive at temperatures and humidities that are considered
comfortable by most people, who usually afford them ample blood meals and
plenty of good harborage nearby. The
tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus (Fabricius), is widespread at tropical and subtropical latitudes worldwide,
and it accordingly requires a higher average temperature than does the common
bed bug. In continental Europe,
established infestations of this species are rare; in the Western Hemisphere,
it is seldom found north of
Control Strategies and Techniques
Inspection. Detailed inspection by a qualified person is the
essential first component of any effective bed bug control program. If found, the bugs must be detected,
accurately identified (IDed), and their harborage sites and a rough estimate of
the population size must be determined as quickly as possible. There is no device for attracting or trapping
bed bugs, so a thorough visual inspection must be performed. Certain pyrethrin-based flushing agents can
help stimulate the bugs to move around, making them easier to detect where populations
are limited. Cimicids that feed chiefly
on bats or birds can usually be controlled by removing those hosts and all
their nesting materials, then treating their hosts’ roosting or nesting areas.
Detection. A bed bug infestation is usually revealed
through signs, such as finding live bugs, observing dark fecal deposits or
lighter rusty spots on bed linens or in harborages, discovering eggs or cast
skins in harborages or near feeding sites, recording where and when alleged
victims have been bitten, or smelling the bugs’ characteristic odor (Fig. 6). Any combination of two or more of these signs
can help verify an infestation, and help determine the bugs’ distribution and
prevalence. Monitoring may be augmented
by using sticky traps and insecticidal aerosols that produce a flushing or
excitatory effect. For cimicid species
that mainly feed on bats or birds, detecting and locating their usual hosts’ roosts
or nests is important. The presence of such
hosts may signal a possibility that their removal or exclusion could trigger or
facilitate an infestation of human living areas.
Fig. 6. Bed bug-infested mattress showing typical
signs of infestation. Photo by B.
Pannkuk.
Education. Educating the occupants of any living space
infested by bed bugs is essential to ensure that they actively and voluntarily
cooperate in the control program. Occupants
will be expected to improve and maintain sanitation, minimize clutter, and perhaps
also seal harborages to exclude or restrict the movements of the pest
population. It will help if people
understand bed bug biology and behavior, as well as proposed control strategies
and techniques. Education may include
verbal explanations, answering questions, posting notices, and broadcasting Web
sites or distributing handouts in the local language. Throughout a control program, continuous communication
should be maintained between occupants, housing managers, and any involved
government agencies.
Physical removal. Bed bugs can be vacuumed from exposed
harborages or resting sites, such as box spring edges or mattress seams, but
their eggs are stuck tightly to harborage surfaces and are usually hard to
remove. Using a high efficiency
particulate air (HEPA) filtered vacuum, which removes >99% of all particles
>0.3 micron diameter, will ensure
that many allergens associated with bed bugs and their debris are also removed. Vacuuming, especially during inspections,
will immediately remove a significant portion of the pest population and will
usually kill some of the bugs. Bed bugs
may also be removed from exposed resting sites by pressing down on them with
the sticky side of a commercially available tape, hand-picking them, or
brushing them into a container of rubbing alcohol or soapy water (Potter 2004,
Gooch 2005).
Exclusion. Bed bugs have weak, flexible, piercing-sucking
mouthparts, and weak, simple feet (tarsi) and claws. They are incapable of chewing or clawing
through even a very thin coating of sealant or an unbroken layer of paper or
cloth. Sealing a layer of almost any
material in place, to completely cover a harborage opening, can halt bed bug
movement. Once sealed inside a void or
harborage, living bugs are effectively removed from the pest population and
will die in place. Sealing most of the
openings between a harborage and bed bugs’ usual host access site(s) will at
least restrict the bugs’ movements and help temporarily reduce the intensity of
their feeding. Storing clothes and other
items in plastic bags or tightly sealed containers can greatly reduce potential
harborage sites.
Mattress covers. Commercially available plastic covers, at
least 0.08 mm thick, usually with a zippered edge, can completely enclose a
mattress or box spring and prevent any bed bugs harboring in them from accessing
hosts. Originally developed to reduce
human exposure to allergens in mattresses infested with house dust mites, such
covers both seal in and exclude bed bugs.
They may also be homemade using plastic sheeting that is sealed shut
with durable, flexible tape (e.g.,
nylon fiber tape, duct tape) (Cooper and Harlan 2004).
Physical killing
techniques (heat, cold, controlled atmospheres, steam)
Heat. Since the early 1900s, bed bugs have been
controlled by heating infested rooms or whole buildings to temperatures of at
least 45oC; the thermal death point for these pests. For heat treatment to be effective, it is
critical that high temperature and low relative humidity be attained for a minimum
length of time. Some species of stored
product beetles, which are often difficult to kill, have been eliminated by
exposure to a combination of 49-52oC (120-125oF) and
20-30% relative humidity for 20-30 minutes.
Heat treatment provides no residual effect, and bed bugs can re-occupy
any site so treated immediately after temperatures return to suitable levels. Potential physical distortion of structures
or their contents, as well as flammability risks associated with some kinds of
heat sources, may be a concern in particular situations (Usinger 1966). Laundering infested linens or cloth items in
hot water with detergent, followed by at least 20 minutes in a clothes dryer on
low heat, should kill all life stages of bed bugs but would not prevent their
reinfestation.
Cold. Exposure to low temperatures can kill bed
bugs if they are kept cold enough long enough.
Bed bugs can tolerate -15oC
(5oF) for short periods and, if acclimated, they can survive at or
below 0oC (32oF) continuously for several days (Usinger
1966). Cold treatments of rooms or
buildings to control bed bugs have not been well studied or often employed, but
freezing furniture or other items within containers or chambers [e.g., below 0oF (-19oC) for at least four
days] may be a practical alternative for limited infestations or to augment
other control measures. A new commercial
technology uses CO2 from cylinders deposited as a “snow” to kill bed
bugs and a variety of pests by rapid freezing.
Controlled Atmospheres. In preliminary laboratory tests by the German
Federal Environmental Agency, all life stages of common bed bugs were
reportedly killed by constant exposure to very high concentrations of carbon
dioxide (CO2), at ambient atmospheric pressure, within 24 hours or
less; however, high concentrations of nitrogen gas (N2) were not
very effective under the same conditions (Herrmann et al. 2001).
Steam. Steam treatments have been used effectively by
some PMPs to quickly eliminate live bugs and their eggs from the seams of
mattresses and other cloth items. However,
this technique requires practice and care.
Manufacturer’s instructions must be followed concerning the steam
generating devices’ operation, maintenance and safety precautions. The steam emission tip must usually be about
2.5-3.8 cm from the surface being steamed.
If the tip is too far away, the steam may not be hot enough to kill all
the bed bugs and eggs that it contacts.
If the tip is too close, excess moisture may be injected into the
treated material, which may lead to other problems (e.g., facilitating dust mite population survival and increase;
growth of surface molds).
Sticky Monitors. Sticky traps are a simple way to monitor many
crawling insects, and have been used to augment other techniques for control of
spiders and cockroaches. Although bed
bugs will often get caught on such monitors, many recent reports from PMPs in
North America have indicated that they are not very effective at detecting
small to moderate populations of bed bugs, even when infestation signs are
obvious, bugs are easily observed, and people are being bitten routinely.
Pesticide Applications
Residual applications. Currently, non-chemical products and
techniques are incapable of efficiently or quickly controlling or eliminating
established bed bug populations. Precise
placement of a suitably labeled, registered and formulated residual chemical
insecticide is still the most practically effective bed bug control. Effective control consists of applying
interior sprays or dusts to surfaces that the bed bugs contact and to cracks
and crevices where they rest and hide.
When using residual insecticides, care should be taken to select the least-toxic
active ingredients and formulations, following an IPM approach. Microencapsulated and dust formulations will
have a longer residual effect than others.
Synergized pyrethrins are often highly lethal and produce a flushing
effect, allowing faster analysis of the infested area. If the label permits, addition of pyrethrins
at 0.1-0.2% to organophosphate, or carbamate (where these active ingredients
are legal and labeled for this use), or other microencapsulated insecticide
formulations may increase efficacy by irritating the bugs, initiating an
excitatory effect, and causing them to leave their hiding places, thus
increasing their exposure to the fresh insecticide layer. Modified diatomaceous earths with hydrophobic
surfaces can also be used to treat cracks and crevices. Retreatment, when needed, should be carried
out after the shortest interval permitted by the label until the pest bug
population has been eliminated. The
choice of chemical products and specific application techniques can depend on
many factors, including the physical location and structural details of the
bugs’ harborages, the product’s labels (which can vary by political
jurisdiction), the immediate environment, and local or national laws.
Crack-and-crevice applications. Because of their
habit of hiding clustered together in cracks and narrow harborages, precisely
applied crack-and-crevice treatments are among the most effective control
techniques against bed bugs. Active
ingredients change over time, and several are currently available, as well as some
products that contain multiple ingredients labeled for use against bed
bugs. Various formulations and devices are
also available for applying insecticides to bed bug-infested areas. For example, dust formulations should be used
in electrical outlet boxes and in other places where it is desirable to employ
low-risk (low volatility and toxicity), long-lasting insecticides.
IGRs. When properly applied, insect growth
regulators (IGRs) have essentially no effect on vertebrate metabolism because
of their mode of action and low application rates, but they can have a significant
impact on bed bug fertility and egg hatching success (Takahashi and Ohtaki
1975).
Fumigation. Fumigation of furniture,
clothing, or other personal items can kill all bed bug stages present. However, such treatments will not prevent
reinfestation immediately after the fumigant dissipates. Fumigation of an entire building would be
equally effective but, again, would not prevent reinfestation, and would seldom
be necessary, practical, or affordable (WHO 1982, Snetsinger 1997, Gooch 2005).
Impregnated fabrics and bednets. Fabrics and
bednets, factory- or self-impregnated with formulations of residual chemical
insecticides, can help deny bed bugs access to hosts, and may kill some of the
bugs that crawl on them. This can be
economical because spray, dipping or coating formulations of products
containing permethrin will often remain effective through many launderings,
some for the life of the fabric (Lindsay et
al. 1989). However, one West African
population of tropical bed bugs was recently reported to be resistant to a
particular pyrethroid used to impregnate bednets (Myamba et al. 2002).
ULV, aerosols, and foggers. Insecticides currently
labeled for ULV, aerosols and foggers have little or no residual effects on bed
bugs. Most will seldom penetrate cryptic
bed bug harborages. If directly injected
into harborages, these products may stimulate some of the bed bugs to become
active and move out into the open, allowing them to be seen by inspectors. Otherwise, bed bugs are seldom killed, even
by prolonged or repeated exposure to such products.
Follow-up. At least one follow-up inspection of infested
sites should be conducted at a suitable interval (e.g., 10-21 days) after each control effort or treatment in order to
detect any of the typical signs of continued infestation, such as live bugs,
cast skins (after those present earlier had been removed), fecal spots on bed
linens or harborages, and unhatched eggs.
1.
Blow, J., M. Turell, A. Silverman, and
2.
Cooper, R., and H. Harlan. 2004. Chap. 8. Ectoparasites, Part three: Bed bugs &
kissing bugs. pp. 494-529, In 9th
ed. (S. Hedges, ed. dir.), Mallis' Handbook of
3.
Doggett, S.L. 2006. A Code of Practice for the control of bed bug infestations
in
4.
Doggett, S., M. Geary, and R. Russell. 2004. The resurgence of bed bugs in
5.
Feingold, B., E. Benjamini, and D. Michaeli. 1968. The
allergic responses to insect bites. Ann. Rev. of Entomol. Vol. 13: 137-158.
6. Gold, R., and S. Jones (eds). 2000. Handbook of Household and Structural Insect
Pests. Entomol. Soc. of Amer.,
7.
Gooch, H. 2005. Hidden profits, there’s money to be made from
bed bugs – if you know where to look.
8. Herrmann, J., C. Adler, G. Hoffmann, and C. Reichmuth. 2001. Efficacy of controlled atmospheres on Cimex lectularius (L.)
(Heteroptera: Cimicidae) and Argas reflexus Fab. (Acari: Argasidae). Proceedings of the International Pest Control Conference,
9.
Hwang, S., T. Svoboda,
10. Johnson, A. 2005. The hotel industry is beginning to wake up to
bedbug problem. The Wall Street Journal,
Vol. CCXLV (No. 78): A-1, Column 4; A-12, columns 5-6 (April 21).
11. Jupp, P., R. Purcell, M. Shapiro, and J.
Gerin. 1991. Attempts to transmit hepatitis B virus to
chimpanzees by arthropods. South African Medical Journal 79:
320-322.
12. Lindsay, S., R. Snow, J. Armstrong, and B.
Greenwood. 1989. Permethrin-impregnated bednets reduce nuisance
arthropods in Gambian houses. Med. Vet. Entomol. 3(4): 377-383.
13. Myamba, J., C. Maxwell, A. Asidi, and C.
Curtis. 2002. Pyrethroid resistance in tropical bedbugs, C. hemipterus associated with use of
treated bednets. Med. Vet. Entomol. 16(4): 448-451.
14. Potter, M. 2004.
Your guide to bed bugs.
15. Snetsinger, R. 1997. Chapter
9. Bed Bugs & Other Bugs. pp.
392-424, In 8th ed. (S.
Hedges, ed.), Mallis' Handbook of Pest
Control., GIE Publ., Inc.,
16. Takahashi, M., and T. Ohtaki. 1975.
Ovicidal effects of two juvenile hormone analogs, methoprene and
hydroprene, on the human body louse and the bed bug. Jap.
J. Sanit. Zool.
26 (4): 237-239.
17. Usinger, R.
1966. Monograph of Cimicidae.
Thos. Say Foundation Vol. VII, Entomol. Soc. Amer.,
Lanham, MD.
18. WHO. 1982.
Vector Control Series. VI. Bed
bugs. World Health Organization. WHO/VBC/82.857. 9 pp.
Web sites offering bed bug information. Please note
that web sites may sometimes contain incorrect information. Government and university web sites are
usually more reliable than sites created by commercial or private interests.
National Pest Management
Association, www.pestworld.org
PCT Magazine, www.pctonline.com
Pest Control Magazine, www.pestcontrolmag.com
www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef636.htm
Harvard School of Public
Health, www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/
Australian Environmental
Pest Managers Association, www.aepma.com.au
Appendix
1. Sample Bed Bug IPM Template
This template outlines IPM strategies for
controlling bed bug infestations in many military housing situations. Additional or alternative strategies and
techniques are discussed elsewhere in this TG.
The following sequence of steps should facilitate control of bed bugs in
troop or family housing.
1.
Inspection. Prompt, careful,
thorough inspection by a qualified individual of sites reported or suspected to
be infested by bed bugs. Start at the
site where biting was reported and work outward for at least a 5-20 ft.
radius.
2.
Correct identification (ID) of any pest species present. A sample of the pests present should be
collected and identified (IDed) by a qualified person using suitable keys or
other ID aids.
3.
Education of occupants(s) and manager(s) of the infested
structure(s). Occupants and managers of
the infested structure(s) should be provided concise, clear information about
the ID, biology, and general behavior of any pest bugs found. They should be informed of the need for their
cooperation and of any self-help steps they might take to reduce or limit the
infestation, or that would help prevent re-infestation. Information can be provided by direct
explanation, fact sheets (handouts), reference to a Web site, or a combination
of these.
4.
Physical control measures.
a. Using
a vacuum cleaner (preferably HEPA-filtered), remove the bugs and their cast
skins from all observed and suspected harborage sites during the initial inspection,
and periodically afterward (e.g.,
once weekly as a self-help action). The
vacuum bag should be removed immediately afterward, sealed tightly inside a
larger plastic bag, and that bag incinerated or placed in the next normal trash
collection.
b.
Launder all infested cloth items in hot water [>120oF (49oC)] for >10 min., with
soap or detergent, then dry in a warm or hot dryer [>140oF (60oC)] for >20 min., or dry
clean to kill all bed bug life stages present.
c.
Consider enclosing each mattress and box spring in a sealable plastic
cover, such as those sold to limit exposure to house dust mites.
d.
Place all recently laundered cloth items (e.g., bed linens, clothing) in large plastic bags or tightly closed
bins to prevent any bed bugs from re-infesting them.
e.
Seal shut all cracks, crevices, and entry points to wall voids, using a high-quality
silicone-based sealant, especially within a 20-ft. radius of any spot where bed
bug bites have occurred.
f.
Additional or alternative physical control measures against bed bugs may
include: heat, cold, steam, controlled
atmospheres, and sticky insect monitors.
5.
Chemical control measures.
a. A
residual insecticide should be applied, according to label directions, to each
infested site and preferably to a small area around each site. Such applications often involve treating cracks
and crevices. When planning and
conducting any such treatments, consider examining, if not treating, the
opposite side of any involved wall, floor or ceiling.
b.
Electrical outlet boxes, and similar voids that cannot be readily
sealed, should be treated with an appropriate insecticide dust.
c.
Consider including some type of insect growth regulator (IGR) as a
concurrent treatment (usually as a tank mix).
d. Limited
use of an aerosol or ULV pyrethroid may facilitate the detection of hidden bed
bugs and cause them to move around, and may also potentially increase their
exposure to any previously applied residual insecticide.
e. Fumigation
of batches of furniture, clothing or other items within chambers may be warranted
and affordable in specific cases, but whole-structure fumigation to control bed
bugs is very seldom practical or economically feasible.
6.
Follow-up. Re-inspection of
infested structures and sites should be done about 10-21 days after any initial
treatment, and (if needed) again about 10-21 days later, to detect, and to precisely
target the treatment of, any continued infestation.