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Bed Bugs: Non-Chemical ControlCelina Guerra-Martinez

Alameda County Vector Control Services District

October 20, 2015

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Overview

What doesn’t work if used alone Essential components of bed bug

control whether or not pesticides are used

Options besides chemicals Step by step procedures Recap of supplies needed

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Things that don’t work:

1. Bed legs placed in bowls with various products2. Taping bed legs with sticky side out3. Abandoning the home for a period of time4. Turning up the heat5. Sleeping with lights on6. Sleeping in a different room7. Buying a new mattress8. Wrapping items in plastic and placing in the

sun9. Bug bombs 10. Boric Acid11. Repellants

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1. Bowls you have on hand with Murphy’s soap, tea tree oil, kerosene ~ better option: Climb ups with talc

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2. Some beds have many legs, some don’t have any

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3. Make sure you are not taking bed bugs to share

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4. Lethal high temperature for bed bugsCopyright, 2015 Lobster Marketing Group, LLC

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TEMPERATURE EFFECTS

o Thrive at temps between ~68˚ F - 80˚ F

o Above ~99˚ F Development stops

o Below ~55˚ F Development stops

o Die at Temps > 113˚F or < 32 ˚F

o120 F for 20 minutes or -13 F

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5. Bed bugs not opposed to light. They are lured to us by our body heat, odor and respiration of CO2

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6. Will spread to more areas and expand the infestation

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7. Don’t discard what can be treated or encased

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8. Leaving items bagged in hot sun or car will not likely reach lethal temperature to kill bed bugs

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9. Foggers and bombs seem simple and economical but they don’t reach the hiding bed bugs

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10. Since bed bugs only feed on blood, boric acid will not be ingested . Powders can serve to dehydrate or suffocate

Boric Acid

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11. No sonic, electronic or odors have been found to effectively repel bed bugs

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Control Techniques

Physical removal Barriers/Exclusion Thermal remediation

o Heato Steamo Freezing

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How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs! Dry all clothing, linens, and bedding in hot dryer, then bag and

isolate until bed bugs are gone. Use HOT dryer for 20 minutes for plush toys, shoes, coats

Vacuum the mattresses, bed frames and house to remove bugs and eggs from carpet and walls

Reduce clutter

Don’t throw away mattresses—vacuum and seal

Repair cracks in plaster, and glue down or remove loosened wallpaper, caulk holes in floors and walls

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Heat treat and bag bedding, clothing and any items that can safely be treated in this manner.

1. Physical Removal

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Vacuum thoroughly mattresses, carpets, bed frame.

2. Physical Removal

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To keep or not to keep? Anything removed from premises should be bagged and disposed of in an outside dumpster.

3. Physical Removal

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4. Barriers - Encasements

Entombs bed bugs in the encasement Makes it easier to observe bed bugs Does not keep bed bugs from getting on

the bed

5. Barriers – repair and seal

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Thermal Remediation Non-toxic Uses lethal temperatures to

kill all life stages of bed bugs

Often combined with other control methods

Reduces the need for insecticides

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Equipment - heating source, fans, monitoring sensors

Heat Treatment

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Steam Treatment Kills on contact Very labor intensive Kills all life stages of bed bugs Limited success

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Steamers

• AmeriVap Steamer

• Steamax

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Freezing Cryonite®/ Instant-

Freeze› Dry ice “snow”› Pesticide free contact

kill› No residues –

immediate reoccupation

› Ideal for sensitive environments & electronics

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Treatments

Different methods may be recommended

Communication is key › Between landlords/tenants› Landlord/pest control professional› Pest control professional/tenants

Everyone’s role is essential

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Change for dryers $1.00 per load x 20 = $20Bags for collecting and storing 65 gal/50 = $35Alcohol, baking soda = $ 2Encasements – 2 sets per bed $30 each = $60Caulking and caulking gun = $ 8Disposal of clutter Dumping charge = $ 35Vacuum Atrix HEPA $230-$450Steam by model $300 - $2050Heat some quotes $1600 - $2500Freeze estimate >$3500

= $160

Cost for supplies and treatment

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There is no free lunch when it comes to bed bug control; UNLESS YOU ARE A BED BUG.

THANK YOU

Union City, CA taken 10/7/15 photos 1-6

Bed bug infestation, tenant used tape to stop them, smashing them on walls.

Union City, CA taken 10/7/15 photos 7-12

Bed bugs smashed on walls, items from infested room spread out in back area, dead bed bugs on ground

Union City, CA taken 10/7/15 photos13-17

Bed frame placed outside with dead bed bugs on tape, wads of tape used to trap bed bugs, some still alive.

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References:

THANK YOU

Armed Forces Pest Management Board. (March 2012). Technical Guide No. 44 Bed Bugs – Importance, Biology, and control strategies. Information Services Division: Silver Spring, MD

Doggett S. L. (2007). Bed Bugs – Latest Trends and Developments. Synopsis of the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association National Conference, Pacific Bay Resort, Coffs Harbour, 4-6th July 2007, pg 22-37

National Pest management Association Best management Practices for Bed Bugs, October 22, 2011

Potter, M. F. (2012). Bed Bugs. Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. Retrieved from http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs. (February 2010). What’s Working for Bed Bug Control in Multifamily Housing: Reconciling best practices with research and the realities of implementation.

Yturralde, K. M. and Hofstetter, R. W. (April 2012). Efficacy of Commercially Available Ultrasonic Pest Repellent Devices to Affect Behavior of Bed Bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae). Journal of Economic Entomology. Vol. 105, No. 6.