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Joshua L. Bryant, M.S.
Research Associate
Dept. of Entomology
Sleep Tight... Don't Let
the Bed Bugs Bite...
Dr. Susan C. Jones
Associate Professor
Dept. of Entomology
Bed bugs are an
emerging pest
throughout the U.S.!
Bed bugs have plagued
humans for thousands
of years!
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--Early 20th Century—Bed Bugs Were Everywhere
• Rated among the top 3 household pests • In some cities, 1/3 of all residences were
infested• “Public enemy number one” in lower
income areas• Commonly infested sites included:
movie theatres, trains, buses, streetcars, moving vans, cloak rooms in schools and offices, …
1940s − 1950s
“Live Better Through Chemistry”
DDT and other synthetic insecticides
with long-lasting residual were very
effective in controlling bed bugs.
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Late 1940s – early 1950s Bed bugs developed resistance to DDT
Worldwide Resurgence
of Bed Bugs Since
Late 1990s
SPAINCANADA
ENGLAND
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Some Reasons For the
Resurgence of Bed Bugs
International travel
Housing with high tenant turnover
Pesticide use has changed
Pesticide bans
Baits to control ants & cockroaches
Insecticide resistance
Genes involved in insecticide detoxification
were expressed at very high levels in field-
collected bed bugs from Ohio
Pesticide-exposed bb Pesticide-susceptible bb
Cytochrome P450 (CYP9) Glutathione S-transferase (GST)
Pesticide-exposed bb Pesticide-susceptible bb
(Harlan strain)
Xiaodong Bai, Praveen Mamidala, Swapna P. Rajarapu, Susan C. Jones, &
Omprakash Mittapalli. Transcriptomics of the bed bug (Cimex lectularius).
January 2011. PLoS One 6(1): e16336.
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SW OhioBed Bug Complaints*
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
37
84
167
2
305
Hamilton Co. Public Health Dept.1,2 Cincinnati Health Dept.3
2003 &
2004reporting system
instituted
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
2006 2007 2008
1,101
~10
724
bed bug inspection program suspended
* Probably represents a small fraction of overall bed bug infestations in area.1Verified to be bed bugs. 2 Data courtesy of Greg Kesterman. 3Data courtesy of Camille Jones.
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010(32 zip
codes)
(19 zip
codes)
(27 zip
codes)
(31 zip
codes)
(7 zip
codes)
(4 zip
codes)
4 11 33
178
455
715
Bed Bug Complaints1,2
for Greater Columbus, OH
1Number of complaints
{data courtesy of Franklin Co. Public
Health and Columbus Code Enforcement}.
2An underestimate of overall bed bug
infestations in area.
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©Graphicmaps.com
Bed BugsHemiptera: Cimicidae
(Cimex lectularius)
• External parasites
• Feed only on blood
• Typically feed at night
• Prefer to feed on humans
• Alternate hosts• rodents• bats
• birds
• pets (cats, dogs, etc.)
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Cimicidae
Other species of Cimicids
prefer to feed on
Bats
Birds
Poultry
Pigeons
Swallows
• Beak-like mouthparts
• Oval shaped body
• Adults: ~1/4 to 3/8 inch long
• Body flattened (unfed)
• Body swollen (recently fed)
• Deposit black fecal spots
General Characteristics of
Nymphs and Adults
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LIFE CYCLE
OF THE
BED BUG
(Cimex lectularius)
Adult (male & female)
~0.26 inch (6.5 mm) long
Takes repeated blood meals;
life span ~1 to 1½ yrs
4th
stage nymph
~0.12 inch (3 mm) long
Takes a blood meal then molts
2nd
stage nymph
~0.08 inch (2 mm) long
Takes a blood meal
then molts
5th
stage nymph
~0.18 inch (4.5 mm) long
Takes a blood meal
then molts
Egg
~0.04 inch (1 mm) long
Glued in place
3rd
stage nymph
~0.1 inch (2.5 mm) long
Takes a blood meal
then molts
Note: These images depict bugs with
a partly digested blood meal.
1st
stage nymph
~0.06 inch (1.5 mm) long
Takes a blood meal
then molts
© The Ohio State University
Dr. Susan C. Jones &
Benjamin R. Diehl
Total developmental
time (egg to adult)
takes:
21 days @ 86F
120 days @ 65F
Life History Characteristics Show
That Bed Bug Numbers Can Quickly
Skyrocket …
Eggs Glued in place 1 – 12 eggs / day / female A single female can produce ~150 eggs Hatch in 6 – 17 days
Adults (males & females) Require repeated blood meals Can live 12 – 18 months Can survive months without food
Nymphs (immature bugs) Five nymphal stages Require a blood meal in order to grow
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Injury from bed bugs• Initial bite is painless
• ~70% of people have an allergic
reaction to the injected saliva
- Swelling
- Welts
- Severe itching (hrs to days)
• Scratching of bites increases
inflammation, can lead to secondary
bacterial infections
• No conclusive evidence of disease
transmission
• Sleeplessness
• Agitation
• Anxiety
• …
Bed bugs in hiding
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Recognize the telltale
signs of bed bugs!
Black fecal spots
Shed skins & eggshells
Live bed bugs (nymphs & adults)
Blood stains from crushed bugs
Welts on exposed skin
Bed bugs, not just a pest
in the bedroom
Bed bugs can be found in
Homes
Hotels
Assisted living facilities
Office buildings
Retail stores
Movie theaters
Libraries
Schools
Public transportation
Hospitals
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BED BUG PREVENTION AT HOME
Don’t bring infested items home!
• Inspect secondhand beds,
bedding, furniture, & clothing
• Inspect clothing and luggage of
travelers
Disinfect Items by
Laundering & Drying
(kills all bed bug life stages)
Launder clothing
• Wash in hot water (>120ºF) • Use drier on hot setting (>30 mins.)
• Dry clean items
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Did you check for signs
of bed bugs in your
hotel/motel room when
you last traveled?
BED BUG PREVENTION
FOR TRAVELERS
Make it STANDARD PRACTICE to check
for bed bugs in hotel/motel rooms!
•Pull back the bedding and look for black fecal spots on mattress & box springs (especially seams)
•Carefully examine the underside of the bed skirt•Look for bb signs along bed frame (especially head board)
•Open nightstand drawers and look for bb signs along inner and outer edges
•Look for bb signs along baseboards
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BED BUG PREVENTION
FOR TRAVELERS
• Keep clothes in your zipped suitcase• Don’t keep clothes in hotel chest-of-drawers
• OK to hang clothes in closet
• Keep your suitcase on the luggage rack(after first inspecting it for bb signs)
• Don’t store your suitcase on the bed, floor,
or upholstered furniture
Reduce the chances of getting bed bugs
from hotel/motel rooms!
In multi-family housing, bed bugs readily
spread to units that are adjacent, below,
and above the infested unit.
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• Make sure properly
licensed to apply
restricted use pesticides
• ODA web site lists
licensed pest mgt.
companies and
applicators
Contact a professional pest control company to treat for bed bugs
How to Select A Pest Management Company
Check for satisfied customer references that
relate to bed bug control
Check with the local Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org.us/Find-Business-Reviews/)
Recognize that bed bug control typically
takes several treatments
time-intensive and labor-intensive
team-approach is useful
useful to treat any active bug harborage as soon
as it is located, then continue in-depth inspection
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Insecticides
Residual insecticides
Low impact products (diatomaceous earth,
insect growth regulators, etc.)
Several different insecticides and formulations often are used to treat a unit
Spot treat all harborage sites
Follow-up treatments typically necessary
Don’t keep using the same insecticide
(rotate insecticides)
What can I do to help solve
a bed bug infestation?
Remove clutter! Launder and dry items Vacuum thoroughly Clean and disinfect items Encase mattress and box springs
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What shouldn’t I do for
a bed bug problem?
Typically, you shouldn’t dispose of furniture.
Bed bugs will fall off the furniture as you are
moving it, hence spreading the problem.
Infested furniture usually can be treated.
Bed bugs can quickly infest replacement
furniture.
Items placed on the curb often are
picked up and reused, thereby
spreading bed bugs to other
households.
• DO NOT apply insecticides to
• Human skin
• Clothing
• Bed linens
• Bedding
What shouldn’t I do
for a bed bug
problem?
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DO NOT use “bug bombs” against bed bugs!
- ”Bug Bombs” (“foggers”) don’t work
- Few bugs will be killed!
- “Bug Bombs” cause bed bugs to scatter!!!
“Bug Bombs” will worsen the bed bug problem!!
• Boric acid does not kill bed bugs.
• Boric acid is a stomach poison that must be eaten by an insect.
Remember that bed bugs feed only on blood.
BUYER BEWARE:Boric acid products don’t work!
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• Must be sprayed directly on the bed bugs
(‘kills on contact’)
• Most bugs are hiding and WILL NOT be
killed
• Little or no residual activity (the chemical
breaks down quickly)
BUYER BEWARE:Grocery store insect sprays won’t
eliminate a bed bug infestation!
OSU Extension
Fact Sheets:
• HYG-2105 (Bed bugs)
• HYG-2105A (Bat bugs)
For More Information
http://ohioline.osu.edu
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http://centralohiobedbugs.org
Thank You!
Sleep tight,
and don’t let the … … well, you know the rest