the ResurgenceResurgence

of BedBed BugsBugs, their Basic Biology

and Control Suggestions

Harold J. Harlan 621 Maple Hill Lane Crownsville, MD 21032

Adult Male - C. lectularius (L.)

Taxonomic Hierarchy Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta ( = Hexapoda )

Order: Hemiptera ( Sub-Order: Heteroptera )

Family: Cimicidae

Genus: Cimex

Species: lectularius

Scientific Name: Cimex lectularius L.

Common Name: the Common Bed Bug

Evidence of ResurgenceSnetsinger: “. Bed bugs may actually cause slums .

. . (Busvine 1951); today (1997) specimens are

unavailable for classes & few young entomologists

have seen an infestation . .” [ Mallis 8th ed.; p.399 ]

Kreuger’s: “Don’t get Bitten by the resurgence of Bed Bugs,” Pest Contr. 68 (3): 58-64 ( Mar. 2000 ).

NPMA: 29 infestations confirmed; 18 states & DC

[ Library Update, Sept. 2001 ]

NPMA: 29 infestations confirmed; 29 states, DC ,

3 Provinces CAN, & 2 states MEX ( Dec. 2003 )

Orkin has treated bed bugs in 34 states (Jan. 2004 )

Adult Female

Adult Male - Engorged

Description

Small – 3/16 inch long, oval, flat, reddish brown insects

True bugs - w/ 3-seg. beak, 4-seg. antennae

Vestigial wings & a thin coat of fine golden hairs

Give off a distinctive “musty, sweetish” odor

Undigested blood in feces causes “rusty” spots

Males – pointed abdomen

Females – rounded abdomen

Dorsal View - Front Half

Ventral View - Head

Adult Female – Lateral View

Identify the Bugs

- 4th Antennal Segment

< 3rd Segment

- “Fringe Hairs” on

Pronotum < Width of

Compound Eye

- Pronotum Front Margin

Deeply Indented

(vs. Only Slightly)

= C. lectularius L.

Bed Bug vs. Bat Bug

Swallow Bug

BiologyFeed only on Blood – Mammals or Birds

Attach small (1 mm) whitish eggs to surfaces in harborages where they hide in loose clusters

5 Nymphal instars ( Need >1 blood meal each instar )

Life Cycle takes 4-5 weeks (egg-to-egg) in ‘good’ conditions [ 75-80% RH; 83-90 degrees F ]

Female may lay 200-500 eggs in her lifetime

Adults can survive >1 yr. w/o feeding [ Nymphs 3-4 mo.]

Mating – “Traumatic” Insemination

Feeding - Several Instars

Engorged Nymphs-1 & 2

Engorging Adults & N - 2

Eggs and Droppings

“Rusty Spots” on Bedding

Male Aedeagus

Female ‘Spermilage’

Adult Bed Bugs

Mating

Medical Importance- Found naturally infected w/ >20 human pathogens

- Never proven to transmit any human disease

- Several species feed on humans

(including: Common & Tropical Bed Bugs,

Bat Bugs, & Poultry Bugs - Salivary proteins cause “sensitivity” to repeated

bites by large numbers of bed bugs - - 5 stages: no reaction; delayed reaction; both immediate

& delayed; immediate reaction only; & finally, no reaction

- - True hypersensitivity can develop (but it is reversible)

- Serious social stigma to “having” an infestation

Feeding a “Rearing Jar”

Immediate Bite Reactions

Delayed Reactions (> 24 hrs.)

Habits ( Behavior ) - Nocturnal, harbor in clusters, but NOT ‘social’

- Hide in daytime in cracks, crevices, behind

baseboards, bed frames, mattress seams, etc.

- Take a blood meal to repletion in 3-10 min.

- “Prefer” humans but feed on other hosts, too

- Travel 5-20 ft. (each way) nightly to feed

- Feed every few days if hosts available

- Often void part of previous meal while feeding

- Can remain fully active at 45o F

[ if acclimated for 24 hrs at < 60o F ]

Bugs Have Thin Flat Bodies

Survey Sites: Bed Frames

Mattress (especially Seams)

Upholstered Chairs

Window Curtains & Frames

Control Strategies

- Thorough survey & accurate ID

- Educate customers ( may take > 1 visit )

- Sanitation will NOT eliminate them

- Initial vacuuming (mattresses, beds, harborages )

- Treat harborages w/ properly labeled residual

- - try to not use highly repellent materials

- Dust electrical boxes, voids (maybe seal them shut )

- Seal harborages shut (pref. silicone-based sealant )

- Consider physical barriers if appropriate

- Sticky monitors ( may detect continued presence)

“New” Techniques & Products

1. Gentrol™ labeled for Bed Bugs (late-2003)

2. Heat Treatments ( Whole-House or Room)

3. Steaming – Matresses, or Beds, etc.

4. Phantom™ (Chlorfenapyr) labeled to control

ants / roaches; indoor ‘crack-and-crevice’

5. PCO Pellets™ (Acephate) still labeled for

‘crack-and-crevice’ treatments

6. Encase matress & Pillows in plastic covers

7. Permethrin repellent, over-the-counter (s-h)

FumigationFumigation1. “Whole structure” fumigation will eliminate

bugs present within treated areas, but . . . . . a. This is seldom economically practical.

b. There is no residual protection.

2. The same things are true for . . . a. “Batch” or “Single-Room” Fumigations,

b. Heat treatments (Whole Bldg. or One - Room), and

c. Cold treatments (Whole Bldg. or One - Room).

Monitors May Help Detect Bed Bugs

Why Bed Bugs Are Resurging 1. Greater human mobility

2. Less use of any residuals – last 5-6 yrs

3. Significant switch to baits for roaches & ants

4. Many PMPs are not familiar w/ bed bugs

- inadequate survey, wrong ID, incomplete treatment

5. Pyrethroids used in most accounts are repellent - bugs do not get a lethal dose (esp. in deep cracks)

- harborages easy to miss in first survey

- bugs may detect & avoid residual treatments

- bug pop. often “split” or move from such treatments

6. People may call any unknown bite - “bed bugs”

Questions ?