Bed Bugs

Description

The adult bed bug is approx. 3/16 of an inch long. It is flat, oval, and rusty brown to a mahogany color. The bed bug is flat and thin, it becomes more elongated and plump after a meal. When full it has a reddish color. Bed bugs have 6 legs, four segmented antennae, and a three segmented beak. Bed bugs have wings but do not fly.

Biology

Female bed bugs can lay one to 5 eggs a day (Approx. 200 to 600 in their life time). She attaches her eggs to within cracks and crevices around a feeding source. Bed rails, head boards, slats, night stands, electrical outlets, phone jacks, between mattresses, in the seams of mattresses, at the base of the base board, chairs, dressers and behind pictures are common areas to find bed bugs.. These eggs can hatch out in approx. 7 to 10 days. These nymphs go through five molts. They must have a blood meal between each molt. It takes about 20 days for them to become adults. Adults can live about one year.

Habits

Bed bugs hide in out of site areas like cracks and crevices during the day, they do not like light. Then as night time comes they leave their hiding places and begin feeding on humans, birds, mice, rodents and family pets. The blood meal can take 3 to 10 minutes, and can go totally unnoticed by its victim till early morning. The bed bug bite is different from mosquitoes and other insects in that the bed bug chews the skin leaving blood spots on sheets and pillow cases. The bites usually itch and become swollen or inflamed.

Bed bug infestations can come from a variety of places. When traveling be sure to check out the motels you stay in. Pull back the bedding and check the seams around the mattress and box springs. Check your baggage between plane trips. Be sure to check out any new place you are moving into. Make sure to ask if the unit/home has ever had an infestation of bed bugs. Be careful of garage sales, flea markets, furniture left at trash cans and on the side of the curb. We have even had to treat a large rental company that rented furniture and appliances, even their delivery trucks had bed bugs. Be careful of guests that come to stay with you. Bed bugs can move from one unit to another in duplex’s, 4-plex’s, apartments, and condo’s. We have even heard of infestations of bed bugs in retail shops and movie theaters.

Control

A thorough inspection is a must. Bed bugs are one of the most difficult bugs to get total control of. Inspect, inspect, and continue to inspect all possible areas for cracks and crevices. Identifying where they are is the only way to get control. If you can not get steam or insecticides in the areas where they hide you will never get control. There are several things that have to be done in the control of bed bugs;

Owner/tenant must clean and pick up everything before treatment.
All bedding, comforters, covers, and pillow cases must be washed hot and dried hot.
Cleaning is a must. Get rid of anything you do not need.
Bed bug covers should be used on both the mattress & box springs.
Steam clean mattress and furniture 150 to 180 degrees.
Use of a quick kill insecticide.
Use of a residual insecticide.
Use of a growth regulator. This keeps them from reproducing.
Bag and fumigate items that cannot be steamed or treated with insecticides.
Dust electrical, phone jacks and computer jacks.
Set out monitors and check once a week.
Set up a follow up treatment for 7 days.
Inspect, inspect, and inspect and treat as needed every 7 days.
Continue to check weekly until there are not any found on the monitors and the host is not getting bit.

Bed Bugs are not a bug that you should try treating yourself. They reproduce very fast and are very difficult to control. Six years ago we did very few bed bug treatments but today we do bed bug treatments almost every other day. For a complete inspection call RP Lee Termite & Pest Control for options in controlling bed bugs.