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Managing Bed Bugs

by Barb Ogg, PhD, Extension Educator

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Fig. 1 (above): Bed bugs are reddish-brown,
small (about 1/4-inch long), wingless and very flat

Fig. 2 (above): Bed bugs produce a distinctive,
musty, sweet odor and live in groups
on porous surfaces like wood or fabric

Fig. 3 (Above): This highly magnified bed bug egg
is smaller than a pinhead. Bed bug eggs are white
when first laid and develop red eye spots.

Fig. 4 (Above): A bed bug nymph squeezes
out of one of the eggs

Fig. 5 (Above): Typical bed bug spots and
smears on a mattress.

Fig. 6 (Above): Bed bug spots under the fabric
stapled to the framing of box springs.

Fig. 7 (Above): This sticky trap caught bed bugs
after it was placed near the bed
in an infested apartment.

The human bed bug is an ancient pest. Experts believe bed bugs fed on the blood of pre-historic humans when they lived in caves. When people moved from caves into tents, huts and houses, bed bugs moved along with them.

Dealing with bed bugs was tough before modern pesticides were developed. The bed bug's habit of living in cracks and crevices made them hard to control. Older treatments were probably either not very effective or they were dangerous. One dangerous old-time remedy was to treat infested mattresses with gasoline. Another preventative treatment involved placing a can of kerosine under each bed leg, presumably to keep the bed bugs from crawling up the bed. Observations of bed bugs climbing up the wall and falling onto the bed may have prevented this treatment from being totally effective.

After WWII, effective, long-lasting insecticides made bed bug infestations so rare most Americans never saw a bed bug. This also meant the last couple generations of homeowners (and pest control companies, too) have never had to deal with a bed bug infestation.

Times have changed. Entomologists worldwide have noticed a recent upsurge in bed bugs. Why this has happened is unknown.

One suggestion is there is more world travel today. This includes vacationers, business travelers and international travel to places where there are more bed bug problems. Some expensive hotels have been infested with bed bugs and travelers have not only been bitten, but have brought bed bugs home. A contributing factor might be the shift in insecticides used for interior pests. The long-lasting insecticides used after WWII are no longer available for indoor use.

Oddly enough, bed bugs have never been shown to transmit diseases and aren't considered to be a serious health threat, although people dealing with bed bugs may experience psychological stress and insomnia.

Bed Bug Habits:

Bed bugs are reddish-brown, small (about 1/4-inch long), wingless and very flat (Fig. 1). Immature stages are much smaller. They usually attack humans, but may bite other warm-blooded animals, including pets. During the day, bed bugs hide in groups in bedcoverings, mattresses, box springs, bed frames and cracks and crevices near the bed (Fig. 2). They use heat-seeking thermal receptors to find their sleeping victims at night.

Bed bugs feed on blood as their only source of nutrition. Feeding occurs once during each of the five immature stages to grow and molt to the next stage. The adult female feeds periodically on blood to produce eggs.

Bites are often found on the upper body: neck, arm and shoulder. People may not feel the bite, but some people are sensitive to the bite which may become inflamed.

Females lay eggs in cracks and crevices in areas where they hide during the day. These eggs are light-colored and very tiny--less than pinhead size. When viable, these eggs develop red eyespots (Fig. 3). When conditions are favorable, eggs hatch in about five days (Fig. 4).

Time of development depends on food and temperature. When food is abundant and temperatures are warm, it can take about two months for bed bugs to grow from egg to adult. Bed bugs are amazingly adaptable because they are able to fast for extended periods. It has been documented they can live more than a year without food.

Prevention:

Bed bugs don't just appear spontaneously in a home or apartment. People accidentally move bed bugs from place to place. Bed bugs in hotels or motels sometimes crawl into luggage and return home with travelers. Another way is to bring them home with infested furniture. Brought inside apartments or hotel rooms, bed bugs may travel to other rooms as their numbers increase.

When checking into a hotel, it is a good idea to immediately inspect rooms for bed bugs. Bed bugs leave small brown spots or smears near their hiding places and on mattresses (Fig. 5) and bedding. Bed bugs live in cracks the width of a credit card and like to live in void areas created by wood framing. One common place is in the box springs, under the fabric stapled to the frame (Fig. 6).

Even if no bed bugs are found, don't place luggage on the floor near the head of the bed. Use luggage racks instead.

Inspecting & Monitoring for Bed Bugs:

Examine infested rooms for bed bugs, especially close to the bed, but don't ignore the rest of the room. In a heavily infested room, bed bugs can be found 10-15 feet from the bed, even in closets on clothing. Look for black or brown fecal spots to pinpoint hiding places. Don't forget to check under mattress buttons and between the mattress and box springs. They may be found along the edge of carpet, next to the wall and even in electrical receptacles. Bed bugs produce a musty sweet smell that may be noticeable in heavy infestations.

Bed bugs get stuck readily to sticky traps (Fig. 7). Use these to monitor bed bug activity and as a non-chemical control.

Non-chemical Actions for Bed Bugs:

**Vacuum infested areas thoroughly. This includes the mattress, box springs furniture, beds, headboards, sofas. Don't forget the void area underneath box springs--tear away the fabric dust cover and look for bed bugs there. After you are finished, bag the vacuum cleaner bag and take it immediately to the trash. Vacuum every day or two until the infestation is gone.

**Use a steamer on mattresses to kill eggs missed by the vacuum cleaner. Spraying mattresses with insecticides isn't recommended. Steam cleaning carpets is also a good idea, but must be coordinated with pest control efforts so as not to interfere with the effectiveness of treatments.

**Launder bedding and dry in a hot dryer to kill all stages of bed bugs.

**Eliminate clutter in infested areas to reduce hiding places for bed bugs and make treatments more effective. Because these bugs like to hide in small cracks, stacks of clothing, paper items and corrugated cardboard are likely hiding places.

**Mattress. Some people recommend throwing mattresses away. If the mattress is in good condition, it may not be necessary to discard it. After vacuuming and steaming the mattress, cover it with a plastic zippered cover to trap bugs inside. Keep the mattress cover on the mattress for at least a year to make sure all the bugs are dead.

Chemical Treatments for Bed Bugs:

Because bed bugs live in tight places and are able to survive without a blood meal for an extended time, they are difficult to control. Hiring a pest control professional is recommended.

Inorganic materials like diatomaceous earth and silica aerogel can be applied in tight places and provide long-term control. These desiccants scratch the insect cuticle and cause the insect to become dehydrated and die. These substances should be placed in locations of low humidity. They have low toxicity to people and pets.

To limit unwanted insecticide exposure, crack and crevice treatments should be used. Most liquid insecticides currently registered for interior treatments are belong to the class of chemicals called pyrethroids which are repellent to many insects. Recent research from Virginia Tech indicates several insecticides registered for interior applications will control bed bugs. Dini Miller, research entomologist tested lambda-cyhalothrin (Demand CS), bifenthrin (TalstarOne), and deltamethrin (Suspend SC) and found bed bugs showed no repellency to these products.

When considering pest control companies, ask about previous experience successfully treating bed bugs. The company should use a number of tactics to control these pests. These include dusts in wall voids, crack and crevice sprays and sticky traps to monitor bed bug movement and assess the effectiveness of treatments.

The information on this Web site is valid for residents of southeastern Nebraska. It may or may not apply in your area. If you live outside southeastern Nebraska, visit your local Extension office

Contact Information

University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lancaster County
Web site: lancaster.unl.edu
444 Cherrycreek Road, Suite A, Lincoln, NE 68528 | 402-441-7180