How do you find them?
• Small, difficult to find• Cracks, crevices, wall
plates, baseboards, mattress seams, head-boards
• Prefer wood and fiber to plastic and metal
The start of an infestation
A bad infestation
Bed Bug Signs:Blood spots
• Blood spots are bed bug droppings
Live bed bugs & cast skins on a mattress seam
Bed Bug Signs:Shed skins
Bed Bug Signs:Dead bed bugs
Ventral Dorsal
Inspecting For Bed Bugs
• Usually found near beds– Mattresses
– Bed frames
– Headboards
– Nightstands
• Upholstered furniture– Couches
– Chairs
• Baseboards
• Wall/ceiling junctures
02 FEB 201120 OCT 2010
Where bed bugs live
= Hot Spot
Beds, sofas, bedside tables, recliners, picture frames…
What’s on the other side of the wall?
How do bed bugs spread?• Through walls along wires and pipes• On anything coming from an infested unit
(furniture, backpacks, laundry…)
Mattress disposal
Inspecting For Bed Bugs
• In their natural environment
Bed Bug!
Blood spots!
Inspecting For Bed Bugs• Screw holes, recessed bolts, knotholes, and
oh, so much more.
Truth:Bedbugs do not directly spread diseases, but if their bites are not properly cleaned and treated, skin can become infected and cause additional problems.
Another Truth: A bedbug engorged with blood can burst, spreading blood. Take appropriate precautions when coming into contact with blood.
Bed bugs have never been shown to pass diseases to
humans
What are the health risks?Bites
Reactions to bites vary widely Most common symptom is
itchy welts
Secondary Infection• Scratching welts may cause
infection• Allergic Reaction• Asthma
Psychological• Anxiety and unhealthy
stress• Sleeplessness• Phantom Itching
Anemia in children and older adults who have been severely bitten
Common Skin Reactions
• Timing of reaction may change with repeated exposures
• Commonly– No reaction w/barely visible punctum
• Some evidence that older individuals have depressed reaction to bed bug bites
– 2-5 mm pruritic maculopapular, erythematous lesions• Usually itch and, if not abraded, resolve within a week
– Some patients experience complex cutaneous reactions
Treatment of Bite Symptoms
• Patients may present to medical facilities with bites– Care for bites is supportive– Antihistamines, Corticosteroids, Antibiotics– Bed bug bites may be indistinguishable from bites of
other arthropods
• Goddard and deShazo (2009) – most patients w/symptom resolution ~2wks
• Elimination of the infestation at home or in care facility is only way to “cure” bites
No Topical Treatment to “Cure” Bed Bugs
• Topical treatments such as those used for head lice or scabies are INEFFECTIVE against bed bugs.– Bed bugs DO NOT live on
people, they live in our environment
– Prescription of these creams to patients suffering from bed bug bites is NOT INDICATED
– The use of these products may be dangerous to patients if used more often than label recommendations
Extreme Measures – Don’t Let This Happen!
No Repellant• There is currently no evidence to
support the effectiveness of insect repellents against bed bugs
• **Encasing mattress/boxspring and isolating the bed can be effective while treatment is ongoing
Risks Associated with Environmental Treatment
• MDCH and health agencies concerned about acute pesticide exposure:– Eliminating an infestation is difficult for the layman– Professional treatments are expensive
• Market is also ripe for unscrupulous people to take advantage and offer “economical” treatments that are likely to be ineffective at best and dangerous at worst.
– Desperate people will try to treat the problem on their own• Total release foggers or BUG BOMBS• Alcohol being touted as sound pest management tool• “More is better”• Home remedies, internet scams, applying products not intended for
indoor use, etc.
Examples of Products Found on the Internet
Examples of Products Found at Home Improvement Stores
CommonHouseholdProducts
“Green”Products
“Bug Bombs”or
Total ReleaseFoggers
Responsible Use of Insecticides• If you are going to try your own pest management –
always follow label directions – “The label is the law”
• “MORE” is not better!
• Beginning in 2011, the labeling of “Bug Bombs” or total release foggers will state:
“Not effective for treatment of bed bugs”
Mis-application Examples
Boric Acid-not very effective for bed bug control
Drione Dust-pyrethrin-piperonyl butoxide
Washington, DC, August 2008
San Diego, CA, July 1992
Augusta, GA, March 2008
Total release foggers (there’s a reason they’re called bombs!)