1

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.

3

Late 1940s – early 1950s Bed bugs developed resistance to DDT

Worldwide Resurgence

of Bed Bugs Since

Late 1990s

SPAINCANADA

ENGLAND

4

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